I'm getting ready to read the highly acclaimed and long-awaited Natchez Burning and wanted to read this short before starting. Wow! What a great reminder of how damn good Greg Iles writes. I didn't just have a lump in my throat, my chest was in knots reading The Death Factory. This was a very deep and emotional short that clearly paves the way for Natchez Burning in all its splendor. What deeply written characters we find in Penn, Tom, etc. I wish I had a Dad like Tom Cage. This 100 page novella fills a long break between The Devil's Punchbowl (2009) and the recently published Natchez Burning. Penn Cage, a former criminal prosecutor is back in his native Natchez, now mayor, when his father Tom (the Town physician) is taken to the hospital with a heart attack and asks for his son to share a family secret. When it is clear he will recover, Tom denies the whole thing. Meanwhile, Tom's brother Jack arrives in town and Penn goes back to his time in Houston, recalling his wife Sarah’s death from cancer, dealing with their daughter's emotional troubles, and a previous case in Houston known as The Death Factory (for sending many killers to death row), on the basis of evidence, some of which may have been tainted. Glad I read it, but it is really only for true Greg Iles fans.
What do You think about The Death Factory (2014)?
Good story and is intended to lead into the next novel, which I'm very excited to get started on!
—Edythe
Sucked in!!! From the very first word, Iles sucked me in. Penn Cage is back!!!!!
—becca
A short novella to get reacquainted before starting Natchez Burning.
—jess
Definitely got me interested in the series...
—macousin
