"The Quiet Game," by Greg Iles - A Book Review

Always on the lookout for books by Mississippi authors, I recently purchased a copy of "The Quiet Game," by Greg Iles, a Mississippi native and an Ole Miss graduate.  Published in 2000, this book is Iles's fourth thriller. Although backdrops for his other books have been cities outside the State of Mississippi, "The Quiet Game," is set in Iles's hometown of Natchez, Mississippi. 


The central character in the book is a recently widowed Houston lawyer-turned-best-selling-author, Penn Cage, who returns to his hometown seeking solace and a new beginning for himself and his young daughter. Almost immediately after his return, Cage finds himself entangled in events surrounding an unsolved murder that happened in the 1960s, a murder that involved race and politics and had national significance. Cage's involvement in the matter is complicated by his personal and professional relationships with other key characters, some that include secrets that have lay buried for years.


In "The Quiet Game," Greg Iles has woven a story that is both realistic and spellbinding.  His writing style is amazingly descriptive, and his character development leaves the reader with a clear visual imprint of the person and the personality. Not only is the book a story of intrigue with unexpected twists and turns, Iles has seized every opportunity to paint pictures with his words of the beautiful and historic southern town of Natchez, Mississippi, once the territorial capital of Mississippi.


As a family historian and as a person who loves to read about people, places, and things, with a bit of intrigue thrown into the equation, "The Quiet Game," by Greg Iles was the ideal book for me.  And I plan to read more.