You might want to read this http://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/life/2014/05/05/tragedy-changed-greg-iles-book-natchez-burning/8712971/

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/life/2014/05/05/tragedy-changed-greg-iles-book-natchez-burning/8712971/

I haven't read Natchez Burning, and won't be reading it, but thought I would share my own experience with this author.

A few years ago, a friend recommended I try one of Iles' books. I did - I thought it was ok, not more or less than that. Maybe a year later, I tried another of his books. I couldn't quite get to halfway, the story couldn't hold my interest. Earlier this year, I thought I'd give him a third try with yet another of his books. I stopped after about one-third of the way. As with the one before, I didn't find the story engaging or clever enough to want to continue reading it.

I found two things in Nanny's link to an Iles interview that were interesting. The first is that he thinks that he, as a Caucasian and the son of a physician, experienced the "toughest and most turbulent times" of the civil rights years in the South. Hey Bro, imagine how you might have felt if you were African American! That's a ridiculous and pandering comment for him to have made.

The second, is that he said after his accident, he re-read his nearly publication ready first version of Natchez, and found it to be full of fluff and formulaic writing. Mr Iles, here we can agree, in that I found three of your books to be exactly as you describe. This is really why none of his books will ever be on my "to be read" list.

Thanks for the link Nanny. I had read previously that he had been in a horrific accident; didn't know he had edited the original version of the book.

Snidely I didn't interpret his comments about tough turbulent times as reflecting HIS personal experience, but only a description of that period in the south in general for blacks. Growing up in the north during that era,I certainly wasn't aware of how bad it was.

I doubt I will read book 2 & 3 when they are published. But I might search out his early best seller & try it.

Here's what he said

âÂÂIâÂÂm writing about what it was really like to go through some of the toughest and most turbulent events of that time,â said Iles,

âÂÂI grew up one mile from the place where the biggest KKK rally ever in the United States was held,â Iles added.

"my dad walked me down the road because he wanted me to see it. ........ It was one of the scariest things IâÂÂve ever seen.."

Well the book itself is about the tough & turbulent times that the black people experienced in the 50's & 60's, as well as how whites got away with heinous crimes. So, having read the book that he wrote, gives one a different perspective. He in fact, uses that very real life KKK scene as a memory of his fictional character, Penn Cage at age 5.

I enjoyed the book and the other two about the same subject.

Greg Iles said that the trilogy was really supposed to be one long book and was kind of worried how people would react when they got to the ending and there was no resolution.

I think comments are a little unfair without having read the book. The subject is about the heinous crimes perpetrated by white organizations toward the Black communities in the South.

There are a couple of Iles' books that are boring. But in this book, I had to stop reading at several points because it stressed me out. Anyway, I recommend Black Cross, Blood Memory and The Footprints of God, if you want to try Greg Iles writing about other topics.

I read one of Iles' books years ago, and it was okay, so I tried another, but that one had a nonsense plot, something supernatural. I never finished it, since I hate that type of thing. Recently a friend gave me a copy of Devil's Punchbowl. Tried about 50 pages, never got into it. Another author who is not good despite selling a lot, is David Baldacci. Waste of time.

A terrific author for both plotting and quality of writing is Richard North Patterson.