This book was provided by the publisher for review purposes. All opinions are my own.
The Quiet Game: A Novel by Greg IlesSeries: Penn Cage #1
Publication Date: August 30, 1999
Publisher: Dutton / Penguin Random House
Pages: 433
Goodreads
Source: Personal Copy
Genre: Fiction / Thrillers / Suspense
Rating: ★★★★
Synopsis:
When recently widowed Penn Cage leaves Houston with his young daughter and returns to his hometown seeking peace, he finds something very different. Natchez, Mississippi, is the jewel of the antebellum South, a city of old secrets and older money. Upon learning that his father is being blackmailed, Penn finds himself reopening the most highly charged murder case in the town's history, searching for the evidence that could bring down the judge who nearly destroyed his father years ago.
As the town closes ranks against him, Penn is joined by Caitlin Masters, a young newspaper publisher, on a deadly quest to find answers to one of the darkest chapters of American history, a quest that pits them against the FBI, a band of brothers still fiercely guarding the tainted legacy of J. Edgar Hoover. But Penn's most dangerous journey must be made alone--into the abiding mystery of his own past, into the mind and heart of a woman he lost twenty years ago, and who still has the power to save or destroy him.
REVIEW
I’m not exactly sure who introduced me to the Penn Cage series by Greg Iles, but I am truly grateful to them because this series has turned out to be amazing.
The Quiet Game is the first book in the Penn Cage series. I read it after the second book, The Turning Angel, which may be why I didn’t give it five stars. Comparing it to the second book influenced my rating. If you haven’t started this series yet, I recommend reading this one first. Reading the books out of order spoils the experience.
This book is incredibly raw. Penn Cage returns to his hometown after his wife’s death and discovers that his father is being blackmailed over a mistake from decades ago. The core of the story revolves around an unsolved car bombing and murder of a member of Natchez’s black community in 1968. The murder took place during a time of intense racial tension, and as Penn delves into the case, the tension resurfaces. Many people in the town know something, but for various reasons, they are unwilling to talk.
The case does get solved in the end, but it doesn’t have the typical resolution one would expect from a civil rights-era murder case. Additionally, Penn investigates the case not as a lawyer, despite being a former prosecutor. He investigates it driven by moral and personal reasons. It’s refreshing to see a character grappling with his decisions and attempting to balance his desire to help his father with his need to protect his daughter at all costs.
Warning* Like most books that address civil rights-era issues, the language in this book is strong and accurately reflects the atmosphere of the situation.
