Reviewed by Craig Sisterson
Marshall McEwan is one of the most successful journalists in Washington, DC. But his father is terminally ill, and he must return to his childhood home - a place he vowed he would never go back to.
Bienville, Mississippi, is no longer the city Marshall remembers. His family's 150-year-old newspaper is failing, and Jet Talal, the love of his youth, has married into the family of Max Matheson, one of a dozen powerful patriarchs who rule the town through the exclusive Bienville Poker Club. The city's only hope of economic salvation is a new, billion-dollar Chinese paper mill. But on the verge of the deal's consummation, two deaths rock Bienville to its core.
Joining forces with his former lover, Marshall begins digging for the truth. But he and Jet soon discover that the soil of Mississippi is a minefield where explosive secrets can be far more destructive than injustice.
If you're anything like me, no matter how many crime novels you devour, you have some authors that you've been meaning to get to for a while. Not just the latest debutant, new release, or breakthrough fresh voice that others are recommending, but well-established authors that have been around for quite a while. For me, Mississippi author Greg Iles fell into that category. I'd heard good things about his writing for years, and even had a couple of his books on my shelves back in New Zealand (eg THE DEVIL'S PUNCHBOWL, which came out the year I started this blog), but through fate and circumstance I just hadn't read him, yet.
So it was with some anticipation and delight that a couple of years ago I read his (still) latest novel, CEMETERY ROAD, ahead of its release. The good things I'd heard proved true. I thoroughly enjoyed CEMETERY ROAD, to the point where not only did I review it for a print magazine and mention it for a 'best of the year' roundup in 2019, but I immediately went and got and read his acclaimed 'Natchez Burning' trilogy - three epic novels that collectively tip the scales at 2,000+ pages. Brilliant.
In a way, Greg Iles' storytelling is sorta like the river that gives his home state its name. His prose has a powerful flow, is fed by a diverse array of tributaries, and
is full of dangerous undercurrents and nasty snags beneath a seemingly calm
surface. Capable of serenity and brutality.
Marshall McEwan is a
celebrated journalist who fled a fractured family when he left Bienville as a
teen; now he’s back in middle age, Pulitzer in hand and further tragedy stacked
in his head and heart, to keep his family’s 150-year-old newspaper alive while
his estranged father slowly dies. The violent death of another father figure, a
local archaeologist, sparks McEwan into a lethal pursuit of truth that
threatens a billion-dollar deal to save his town, and forces him to confront
his own treacherous past, as well as the unscrupulous power-brokers whose
families have run his hometown since the Civil War.
There is quite a lot going on in CEMETERY ROAD, but it's all deftly handled. A sprawling thriller stuffed with flawed people, complex relationships, and issues modern and ancient. Iles writes wonderfully, with little touches, descriptions and meditations that made me smile as a reader, even as the events and issues became dark. If you're a fan of crime writers like James Lee Burke, John Hart, Brian Panowich and other Southern storytellers with style who craft nuanced, complex thrillers that entwine mystery, local history, and much more, I think it's likely you'd really enjoy Greg Iles' too.
CEMETERY ROAD is an ambitious, challenging tale that glistens like a moonlit river and underlines why many crime readers should jump Greg Iles up their TBR piles. I sure did.
Craig Sisterson is a lapsed Kiwi lawyer who now lives in London and writes for magazines and newspapers in several countries. He’s interviewed hundreds of crime writers and talked about the genre on national radio, top podcasts, and onstage at festivals on three continents. Craig's been a judge of the Ned Kelly Awards, McIlvanney Prize, is founder of the Ngaio Marsh Awards and co-founder of Rotorua Noir. His book SOUTHERN CROSS CRIME, was published in 2020.
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