Southern Man

A Novel

By: Greg Iles

Narrated by: Scott Brick

“Greg Iles is one of America’s great storytellers. –Stephen King, #1 New York Times bestselling author

?""A first-rate political thriller.""–John Grisham, #1 New York Times bestselling author

The hugely anticipated new Penn Cage novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Natchez Burning trilogy and Cemetery Road, about a man—and a town—rocked by anarchy and tragedy, but unbowed in the fight to save those they love

Fifteen years after the events of the Natchez Burning trilogy, Penn Cage is alone. Nearly all his loved ones are dead, his old allies gone, and he carries a mortal secret that separates him from the world. But Penn’s exile comes to an end when a brawl at a Mississippi rap festival triggers a bloody mass shooting—one that nearly takes the life of his daughter Annie.

As the stunned cities of Natchez and Bienville reel, antebellum plantation homes continue to burn and the deadly attacks are claimed by a Black radical group as historic acts of justice. Panic sweeps through the tourist communities, driving them inexorably toward a race war.

But what might have been only a regional sideshow of the 2024 Presidential election explodes into national prominence, thanks to the stunning ascent of Robert E. Lee White, a Southern war hero who seizes the public imagination as a third-party candidate. Dubbed “the Tik-Tok Man,” and funded by an eccentric Mississippi billionaire, Bobby White rides the glory of his Special Forces record to an unprecedented run at the White House—one unseen since the campaign of H. Ross Perot.

To triumph over the national party machines, Bobby evolves a plan of unimaginable daring. One fateful autumn weekend, with White set to declare his candidacy in all fifty states, the forces polarizing America line up against one another: Black vs. white, states vs. the federal government, democracy vs. Fascism. Teaming with his fearless daughter (now a civil rights lawyer) and a former Black Panther who spent most of his life in Parchman Prison, Penn tears into Bobby White’s pursuit of the Presidency and ultimately risks a second Civil War to try to expose its motivation to the world, before the America of our Constitution slides into the abyss.

In Southern Man, Greg Iles returns to the riveting style and historic depth that made the Natchez Burning trilogy a searing masterpiece and hurls the narrative fifteen years forward into our current moment—where America itself teeters on the brink of anarchy.

Ridiculous and not in a good way

I liked the Penn Cage storyline up till this book. This is just a disappointment. It had potential if the story line didn’t get so ridiculous. It’s so far fetched it’s sad. It’s too bad the author or editors didn’t research police policy and politics, among other topics to be consistent with the current times. I like the interwoven themes and storylines but the rest distracts so much so that it makes it hard to finish. I know it’s fiction but this is more like dystopia. Yuck.

Amazing

Greg did not disappoint! Story inside story inside story but so enlightening and historic but also a CORRECT vision of today! People should listen as although this is fictional, there is too much truth in his words! His way of speaking out the true nature of America today! We’ve become a 3 ring circus around the world!

excellent job

it was worth the wait . The best Penn cage story thank you for the history lesson

Very political

I found this book a bit too heavy in American politics for my liking. As a non American I usually find it interesting to learn more about different countries issues but this was a bit too much. I really like Mr Isles books and had been looking forward to this one for a long time but I have to admit for the first to being disappointed in one of his books. I will absolutely read his next book but this one was a disappointment.

Amazing and relevant

Greg Iles outdid himself, once again. While this is a LONG listen, it’s worth it… plot lines that are so relevant in today’s political world, as well as in the foundations of our beliefs and upbringings here in the South. More politically leaning left than all of the others in the series, for sure. Difficult subject matter handled well, if not violently, by the author.
A Must Read that brings back Penn Cage and many characters we’ve met before, both good and bad,