Natchez Burning

A Novel

De: Greg Iles

Narrado por: David Ledoux

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Greg Iles comes the first novel in his Natchez Burning trilogy—which also includes The Bone Tree and the upcoming Mississippi Blood—an epic trilogy that interweaves crimes, lies, and secrets past and present in a mesmerizing thriller featuring Southern lawyer and former prosecutor Penn Cage.

Raised in the southern splendor of Natchez, Mississippi, Penn Cage learned all he knows of duty from his father, Dr. Tom Cage. But now the beloved family doctor has been accused of murdering the African American nurse with whom he worked in the dark days of the 1960s. Once a crusading prosecutor, Penn is determined to save his father, but Tom, stubbornly invoking doctor-patient privilege, refuses even to speak in his own defense.

Penn's quest for the truth sends him deep into his father's past, where a sexually charged secret lies. More chilling, this long-buried sin is only one thread in a conspiracy of greed and murder involving the vicious Double Eagles, an offshoot of the KKK controlled by some of the most powerful men in the state. Aided by a dedicated reporter privy to Natchez's oldest secrets and by his fiancée, Caitlin Masters, Penn uncovers a trail of corruption and brutality that places his family squarely in the Double Eagles' crosshairs.

Narrator missed the mark here

Where does Natchez Burning rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I really liked the plot and as a ebook or print book I would have put this as one of my top books this year. My issue was with narration. I actually was shocked that they would cast someone sounded like a stereotypical black man in this time. I thought it was insensitive and creepy because of the storyline to do so. Until I realized that this was a white man with a horrible idea of what southerners sound like.

This book was one of those that I couldn't stop listening to and thought it was overall well written. I just kept laughing and reminding myself to ignore the horrible 'accent'.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me angry because although just a book it made me realize how little time has past since that time and we still have more progress that needs to be made. It made me aware of how easily things like that could have happened.

Any additional comments?

Although the narrator was not great at all (I thought that they had cast a black man from the deep, deep, deep south) I still thought it was worth it. I couldnt wait to hear where the story was going. I do think that the plot got confusing at times, who was responsible for what, and that should have been addressed by the editors.

where is penn cage?

Would you consider the audio edition of Natchez Burning to be better than the print version?

after discovering these books, i had to read/listen to all of them...everything was going great until this book? I DONT UNDERSTAND WHY YOU CHANGED NARRATERS? I am sure this narrator is a good person, but he is no penn cage? i cant get into the audiobook because of the way he talks! I want to hear that southern draw again...when you start a series you should keep the same person through the whole series...Thats my opinion anyway...I would have loved this book much better if it had the origional narrator!

Would you be willing to try another one of David Ledoux’s performances?

sure as long as he isnt penn cage!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

yes it made me very angry!

Any additional comments?

the change of narrators has ruined this series for me!

Never another book with this narrator

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The plot had good basics, but was way over complicated. As a result, there were many stories that weren't tied up, and too many characters to keep track of.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The 60s aspect was interesting, as I remember living through it. The least interesting was that the story had utterly no realism.

Would you be willing to try another one of David Ledoux’s performances?

Nope, never, ever.

Could you see Natchez Burning being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Nope.

Any additional comments?

I'd liked others of Iles books, but I think with this one he may have jumped the shark.

When a narrator ruins a book

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I never finished listening to it.

What didn’t you like about David Ledoux’s performance?

Ledoux ruined this book for me by exaggerating his pronunciation of words, using a range of tones that made statements sound artificial and reading at such a slow pace that I grew impatient.

A miss from the series...

Love the series but this is a miss. I struggled through the presentation. The speaker was new and just really didn’t do it for me. Hopefully next one is better. I wont give up on Gregs work.