teachingkids1982's review against another edition
4.0
Mmhhmm!!! 4.5 ⭐ I so glad i won a copy from goodreads!
novelesque_life's review against another edition
4.0
RATING: 4 STARS
2019; William Morrow/HarperCollins Canada
Wow, this is one long satisfying ride! This book is about 600+ pages, and a bit over 24 hours of audio. I decided to go with audio as it sometimes feels less intimidating. The novel hooked me right from the beginning and I was really invested in Marshall McEwan's story. Marshall is a journalist in Washington, DC and has returned home to help his mother with his ailing father. Marshall has taken over his father's newspaper office, but knows his father doesn't think he is fit to run it. Since the death of his brother, back when they were teens, his father has turned to alcohol. Marshall is having an affair with his childhood sweetheart, Jet, who is married to another hometown boy, Paul. Paul is the only son of one of the most powerful men in Bienville. Him and a small group of men are dubbed the Bienville Poker Club. When Marshall's mentor, Buck is found murdered, the town starts to close ranks. When Paul's mother ends up dead a few days later - either of murder or suicide - Buck's instigation is put on the back burner and things in Bienville start to fall apart. Could the two cases be tied together? As Marshall tries to get Buck justice and uncovers secrets and lies, he finds that he may be putting himself and those he loves in danger.
I cannot believe I attempted to even write a summary on this book...this novel is complex and anything can be a minefield of a spoiler. But I think this review needs this to show how much happens in this novel and why it needs to be so long. This is a slow burn mystery. The suspense is in the journey of how this all will unravel. If you are wanting a quick suspense thriller, this is not yet. This southern Gothic suspense is gritty, but it's more drawn out with the characters than the plot itself. The plot runs on the characterizations. I find that Iles is a cross between John Grisham and Karin Slaughter mixed with a little Harper Lee and Tennessee Williams. The first novel I read by Iles was more suspense thriller, like Harlan Coben, but since I read his Penn Cage series I have enjoyed his novels more. I would recommend this standalone novel, or any of Iles's books, to readers who enjoy falling into a story and really getting involved. Do not let the page numbers scare you, it is an easy read. I kept putting things off just so I could listen to the audio. I am so happy I went the audiobook route.
**I received an eARC from EDELWEISS***
My Novelesque Blog
2019; William Morrow/HarperCollins Canada
Wow, this is one long satisfying ride! This book is about 600+ pages, and a bit over 24 hours of audio. I decided to go with audio as it sometimes feels less intimidating. The novel hooked me right from the beginning and I was really invested in Marshall McEwan's story. Marshall is a journalist in Washington, DC and has returned home to help his mother with his ailing father. Marshall has taken over his father's newspaper office, but knows his father doesn't think he is fit to run it. Since the death of his brother, back when they were teens, his father has turned to alcohol. Marshall is having an affair with his childhood sweetheart, Jet, who is married to another hometown boy, Paul. Paul is the only son of one of the most powerful men in Bienville. Him and a small group of men are dubbed the Bienville Poker Club. When Marshall's mentor, Buck is found murdered, the town starts to close ranks. When Paul's mother ends up dead a few days later - either of murder or suicide - Buck's instigation is put on the back burner and things in Bienville start to fall apart. Could the two cases be tied together? As Marshall tries to get Buck justice and uncovers secrets and lies, he finds that he may be putting himself and those he loves in danger.
I cannot believe I attempted to even write a summary on this book...this novel is complex and anything can be a minefield of a spoiler. But I think this review needs this to show how much happens in this novel and why it needs to be so long. This is a slow burn mystery. The suspense is in the journey of how this all will unravel. If you are wanting a quick suspense thriller, this is not yet. This southern Gothic suspense is gritty, but it's more drawn out with the characters than the plot itself. The plot runs on the characterizations. I find that Iles is a cross between John Grisham and Karin Slaughter mixed with a little Harper Lee and Tennessee Williams. The first novel I read by Iles was more suspense thriller, like Harlan Coben, but since I read his Penn Cage series I have enjoyed his novels more. I would recommend this standalone novel, or any of Iles's books, to readers who enjoy falling into a story and really getting involved. Do not let the page numbers scare you, it is an easy read. I kept putting things off just so I could listen to the audio. I am so happy I went the audiobook route.
**I received an eARC from EDELWEISS***
My Novelesque Blog
bwkramer's review against another edition
3.0
OK, this one is hard for me. I'm a big fan of Mr. Iles work. Unfortunately, this one to me felt like a very poorly masked and extremely shallow description of his political views wrapped around a reasonably good story. I listened to the book from Audible and there were many times were I just flat paused the audio, rewinded and said "no". I truly do not mind different political views in the books I read. In fact, I often enjoy them, but I enjoy them when they are thought provoking and offer an explanation for a different perspective than my own. This book wasn't that. Things would just be stated as fact and glossed right over as if every idiot reading the book would agree. The impact on me was the book felt fake. If this only occurred in a couple of passages then it wouldn't have bothered me, but somehow Mr. Iles weaved every stereotypical evil that is dreamed up about one side of the political spectrum into a single work of fiction. It was juvenile in its simplicity and I expect better. Either stay away from politics or actually put some effort into digging a bit deeper. Such superficial statements do nothing but turn me off from your work. Again, I truly don't mind a different view, but take the step to allow me to believe that you've logically considered your stance and aren't just regurgitating the party line that is helping to divide the country.
abrswf's review
4.0
This is a long book with a complex story. As always with Iles, it is set in Mississippi, and is a dark story of murder, sex, corruption, money and white privilege. It was published in 2019 and Trump is in the background. His reactionary embrace of decades old southern racism and greed is a perfect frame for this story. Iles is a solid writer with a real gift for pulling readers into his Deep South setting, and as always I think he has produced a memorable page turner. But one star off for characters that never really come to life, a plot that strains credulity at points, relegation of BIPOC people and gay men (LBTQ folks seem nonexistent) to footnote status, and female characters who, no matter how important, are always subordinate to men and whose worth always turns on their attractiveness.
khphillips88's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
ajhollis's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
ottoj's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars—This was my first Greg Iles book and I really enjoyed it. This was a character-driven, action-packed thriller that took place in a small town where money buys just about anything. I know that this is a book that my friend Becky would thoroughly enjoy. Fast read despite how large the book was.
i_have_a_book_problem's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.0
This book could have been half its size. It just dragged on and on. I hated all the characters. Could have done without the demeaning sex conversations.
cawhite's review against another edition
5.0
I was excited when I won the giveaway for Cemetery Road. I loved Greg Iles' Natchez Burning, so had high expectations for this book. And, I was not disappointed. The writing draws you in immediately, and doesn't let go until the end. There's suspense, greed, corruption, murder and great writing. I recommend it!