Both an absorbing crime story and an in-depth exploration of grief, betrayal and corruption ... Secrets, murder, political malfeasance, sexual misconduct: These are just some of the pieces in play in this sprawling account of people trying — and usually failing — to manage their messy lives in a town struggling for economic survival. Though strictly speaking a suspense novel, Cemetery Road is, in fact, a great deal more. In the precision and power of its language and its sheer amplitude of detail, Iles’s latest calls to mind the late, great Southern novelist Pat Conroy. Like Conroy, Iles writes with passion, intensity and an absolute commitment to the material at hand. The success of his recent Natchez Burning trilogy was clearly no fluke. Greg Iles is back and at the top of his game. He couldn’t be more welcome.
... Mr. Iles offers fascinating facts about actual World Heritage sites in the area ... fun and surprising cultural references are rife throughout Cemetery Road ... Those who love an overflowing page-turner will appreciate Mr. Iles’ distinct voices, unexpected and effective metaphors, intense scenes and super dramatic emotions, despite a little raunchy romance.
Iles' new book, coming in at more than 750 pages is another big one, but—as with the Natchez Burning novels—it contains not an ounce of fat ... Readers who have been eagerly awaiting his first post-Natchez novel needn’t have worried; they will be talking about this one for a quite a while.
Greg Iles and Mississippi go together like meat and potatoes. Those worried that the setting will tire after his work with the Natchez Burning trilogy need not worry—as Iles does a wonderful job keeping things fresh and exciting in a number of ways. While the bulk of the running themes—power, greed, love, deception—are things he’s touched on before, they’re just as compelling as ever here, and Marshall, who is well-developed and relatable, is more than capable of carrying the story, which does feel like it may be a bit too long, but still reads incredibly fast ... Greg Iles does it again, offering up a compelling, double-dose of southern crime ... Cemetery Road is a must-read for anyone calling themselves a fan of the genre.
There is so much action and character development here that it is impossible to turn away. It's like binge-watching your favorite TV drama, and you don’t dare take your eyes off the screen for fear of missing out on another revelation. Cemetery Road is full of them ... Iles' work has gotten not only lengthier but also far more personal. You can smell the Mississippi magnolias in every description he provides for Bienville, as he puts readers right there along with him on his trip down memory lane.
Overlong but engaging ... Iles’ story is more workaday than all that and often by the numbers: The bad guys are really bad, the molls inviting, the politicians spectacularly corrupt, the cluelessly cuckolded—well, clueless and cuckolded, though not without resources for revenge ... In the end, everyone gets just deserts, though with a few postmodernly ironic twists ... Formulaic but fun.
Compulsively readable ... Iles once again delivers a sweeping tale of family dysfunction, sexually charged secrets, and the power of wealth, with an overlay of violence and Southern sensibility. Despite the novel’s length, it all goes by in a flash.
