Greg Iles continues the electrifying story begun in his smash New York Times bestseller Natchez Burning in this highly anticipated second installment of an epic trilogy of blood and race, family and justice, featuring Southern lawyer Penn Cage.

Former prosecutor Penn Cage and his fiancée, reporter and publisher Caitlin Masters, have barely escaped with their lives after being attacked by wealthy businessman Brody Royal and his Double Eagles, a KKK sect with ties to some of Mississippi’s most powerful men. But the real danger has only begun as FBI Special Agent John Kaiser warns Penn that Brody wasn’t the true leader of the Double Eagles. The puppeteer who actually controls the terrorist group is a man far more fearsome: the chief of the state police’s Criminal Investigations Bureau, Forrest Knox.

The only way Penn can save his father, Dr. Tom Cage—who is fleeing a murder charge as well as corrupt cops bent on killing him—is either to make a devil’s bargain with Knox or destroy him. While Penn desperately pursues both options, Caitlin uncovers the real story behind a series of unsolved civil rights murders that may hold the key to the Double Eagles’ downfall. The trail leads her deep into the past, into the black backwaters of the Mississippi River, to a secret killing ground used by slave owners and the Klan for over two hundred years . . . a place of terrifying evil known only as “the bone tree.”

The Bone Tree is an explosive, action-packed thriller full of twisting intrigue and deadly secrets, a tale that explores the conflicts and casualties that result when the darkest truths of American history come to light. It puts us inside the skin of a noble man who has always fought for justice—now finally pushed beyond his limits.

Just how far will Penn Cage, the hero we thought we knew, go to protect those he loves?

Review

Praise for NATCHEZ BURNING: "The thriller of the year, of the decade even ... The first of a projected trilogy, Natchez Burning is Penn Cage's fourth outing. But you don't need to read its predecessors to be wholly consumed by this wonderful book. Buy, read, and marvel' The Times 'Terrific, engrossing' Sunday Times 'A tale that is both riveting in detail and amazing in its sheer scope' Sun 'Exciting, moving and inspirational' Metro 'Often seen as a John Grisham imitator, Iles clearly outperforms the master of the Deep South thriller in this angry yet engrossing novel' Sunday Times 'Extraordinarily entertaining and fiendishly suspenseful. I defy you to start it and find a way to put it down ...This is an amazing work of popular fiction' STEPHEN KING 'I don't know how Iles did it, but every single one of the 700+ pages of NATCHEZ BURNING is a cliffhanger that will keep you devouring just one more chapter before you put it down to eat, work, or go to bed. A mystery rooted in the real-life racial divides of the Deep South, this ambitious, unique novel is the perfect marriage of a history lesson and a thriller. Greg? You owe me some sleep!' JODI PICOULT 'Natchez Burning is just flat-out terrific, written with all the fire of its title. With its scope and passion and its themes about race, violence, tradition, and the eternal smouldering anger of the South, it brings to mind Thomas Wolfe and William Faulkner, even while its cagey plot and restless energy keeps you flying through the pages. Greg Iles is back and truly better than ever' SCOTT TUROW Praise for previous Greg Iles novels: 'A scorching read' John Grisham 'A rarity. A thriller that really thrills' Stephen King 'An incredible web of intrigue and suspense' Clive Cussler 'My favourite kind of novel ... Ambitious in its scope and superbly satisfying in its execution' Dan Brown 'Iles is a great thriller writer' Independent

From the Back Cover

1 New York Times bestselling author Greg Iles continues the electrifying story of Natchez Burning with this second volume in an epic trilogy of blood and race, family and justice.

Penn Cage is caught in the darkest maelstrom of his life. The death of his father's African-American nurse has fractured Penn's family and turned Dr. Tom Cage into a fugitive. Penn has inadvertently started a war with an offshoot of the KKK called the Double Eagles, and Penn's fiancée, journalist Caitlin Masters, is chasing the biggest story of her career.

Both Caitlin and the Feds that Penn reluctantly teams up with believe Tom can lead them to evidence of America's most secret, shameful history, a time when powerful men committed violent race murders to conceal a conspiracy involving the Mafia, the Double Eagles, and the assassination of JFK. In the end, all roads lead to the Bone Tree, a legendary killing site that may conceal far more than the remains of the forgotten.