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Summary
Summary
Turning Angel marks the long-awaited return of Penn Cage, the lawyer hero of The Quiet Game, and introduces Drew Elliott, the highly respected doctor who saved Penn's life in a hiking accident when they were boys. As two of the most prominent citizens of Natchez, Drew and Penn sit on the school board of their alma mater, St. Stephen's Prep. When the nude body of a young female student is found near the Mississippi River, the entire community is shocked - but no one more than Penn, who discovers that his best friend was entangled in a passionate relationship with the girl and may be accused of her murder.On the surface, Kate Townsend seems the most unlikely murder victim imaginable. A star student and athlete, she'd been accepted to Harvard and carried the hope and pride of the town on her shoulders. But like her school and her town, Kate also had a secret life - one about which her adult lover knew little. When Drew begs Penn to defend him, Penn allows his sense of obligation to override his instinct and agrees. Yet before he can begin, both men are drawn into a dangerous web of blackmail and violence. Drew reacts like anything but an innocent man, and Penn finds himself doubting his friend's motives and searching for a path out of harm's way.More dangerous yet is Shad Johnson, the black district attorney whose dream is to send a rich white man to death row in Mississippi. At Shad's order, Drew is jailed, the police cease hunting Kate's killer, and Penn realizes that only by finding Kate's murderer himself can he save his friend's life.With his daughter's babysitter as his guide, Penn penetrates the secret world of St. Stephen's, a place that parents never see, where reality veers so radically from appearance that Penn risks losing his own moral compass. St. Stephen's is a dark mirror of the adult world, one populated by steroid-crazed jocks, girls desperate for attention, jaded teens flirting with nihilism, and hidden among them all - one true psychopath. It is Penn's journey into the heart of his alma mater that gives Turning Angel its hypnotic power, for on that journey he finds that the intersection of the adult and nearly adult worlds is a dangerous place indeed. By the time Penn arrives at the shattering truth behind Kate Townsend's death, his quiet Southern town will never be the same.Full of brilliant plot twists and shocking details, Turning Angel is Iles's most intricate and unforgettable story yet.
Author Notes
Bestselling novelist Greg Iles was born in 1960 in Stuttgart, Germany, where his father was in charge of the medical clinic at the U.S. Embassy. He grew up in Natchez, Mississippi and graduated from the University of Mississippi in 1983. Iles founded the band Frankly Scarlet and played music for a living for a few years before deciding to write. He belongs to the author rock band known as The Rock Bottom Remainders.
Iles's second novel, Black Cross, was awarded the Mississippi Author's Award for Fiction in 1995. His trilogy about Natchez, Mississippi (entitled the Penn Cage Series), made the New York Times bestseller list in 2014 with the first book, Natchez Burning. He made the list again in 2015 with his title The Bone Tree.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Hill, one of the best interpreters of novels featuring thoughtful male protagonists under pressure, was an inspired choice for Iles's powerful tale of murder, sex, drugs, Deep South societal unrest and generational confusion. Respectful of the Natchez, Miss., atmosphere that permeates the novel, Hill uses a lyrical and literate drawl for the book's narrator, attorney Penn Cage. Iles's genuinely suspenseful and well-plotted thriller puts Cage through much emotional upheaval. Hill responds accordingly, with just the right mood-from the shock Cage feels when discovering that his best friend, respected and happily married Dr. Drew Elliott, had been sexually involved with a bright and beautiful 17-year-old and is now suspected of killing her to Cage's awe when he finds himself falling for his daughter's babysitter. Hill's Dr. Elliott has a slightly whiny voice, conveying a man on the edge of panic, but with more than a hint of a "Why me?" attitude born of entitlement. The rest of the large cast is treated to the same careful interpretation. Shad Johnson, the politically ambitious black DA, has the sound of a smooth talker who is also an intellectual bully. Penn's dad has a soft-spoken, no-nonsense dignity. Hill is particularly effective in delineating an assortment of teenagers, among them babysitter Mia Burke. Hill has selected an attitude for her that mixes blas? precocity with little girl neediness. This helps to underline the novel's theme: today's teens mature sooner than most adults realize and can pay a very high price for their early loss of innocence. Simultaneous release with the Scribner hardcover (Reviews, Oct. 31). (Dec.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Booklist Review
The murder of a beautiful 17-year-old girl throws the town of Natchez, Mississippi, into turmoil. When Penn's close friend, Dr. Drew Elliott, confesses that he was about to leave his wife and run off with the victim, Penn agrees to act as his attorney. But he also knows that if the police bring charges against Drew, he'll have a hard time getting him off. As usual, Iles writes gracefully, letting us get to know his characters gradually, keeping certain things hidden until it's the right time to reveal them. The story is solidly plotted, too, but there's one major gaffe: the introduction of the villain is handled so clumsily that readers even remotely familiar with the genre will know instantly whodunit. Unfortunately, for those who spot the killer, much of the novel's suspense is ruined. Still, Iles has become an A-list thriller writer over the years, and anything with his name on it can be counted on to draw a crowd. Call this one a well-written misfire. --David Pitt Copyright 2005 Booklist
Kirkus Review
Another parboiled offering from the poster boy of southern gothic thrillers (Blood Memory, 2005, etc.). Natchez, Miss., a town that has seen rosier days, is about to get kicked while it's down. Kate Townsend, shining light of her senior class--valedictorian, gorgeous, a double state champion (tennis and swimming) with a full scholarship to Harvard--has drowned. Her death is being linked to a pillar of the community, the estimable, beloved Dr. Drew Elliot, a husband and father who is 23 years Kate's senior. Among the locals most seriously affected is upright, unselfish Penn Cage, Drew's lifelong friend. A former prosecutor now considering a run for mayor, he's asked to represent Drew, who confesses to an affair with Kate, which will surely place him in the vanguard of suspects if her death turns out to be foul play. Penn is shaken and thinks fleetingly of distancing himself from a situation that is certainly messy and potentially ruinous. He knows Natchez, and he knows how quickly its citizens can turn if they feel betrayed. Drew, however, is loyal, and a good guy's got to do what a good guy's got to do. As Penn pursues an investigation on Drew's behalf, he discovers things about his friend, about Kate, about his town and about himself that will darken his view of civic responsibility. Lively scenes pop up here and there, but 500-plus pages will transmogrify most thrillers into a relentless march of predictable events. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Library Journal Review
When a student is found dead near fancy St. Stephen's Prep, Penn Cage ends up seeking her killer. Not only is buddy Drew charged with the crime (and he was sexually involved with the victim), but St. Stephen's is Penn's alma mater and now the school his daughter attends. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
