Penn sees his chance at revenge and a turning of the tables and, with the help of a young and beautiful newspaper publisher, Caitlin Masters, he decides to reopen the Payton murder case and destroy Marston in the process. As the story unfolds, old alliances come to light and the history of a coverup involving officials from the state and local level to the FBI of J. Edgar Hoover is laid bare. Iles, who lives in Natchez, masterfully spins the tale, as the search for the killer or killers reopens old wounds that have the potential to tear the small, sleepy city apart. He adroitly mixes the fiery tempers of the late '60s with the smoldering passions of the present-day South. The fact that he's able to do this by creating characters rather than caricatures and without relying on cliche s that typify much writing about the South is a testament to Iles' skills as a writer.
Iles also provides plenty of plot twists and a love triangle of sorts to keep things moving along.
If a wild trip down a raging river outside Crested Butte is a little hard to swallow, that's just picking nits. He certainly has a way with words. Here is a major talent strutting his considerable stuff. Reviews will appear on The Denver Post Online.