by Greg Iles
First published 2017
Penn Cage's world crumbles as his beloved father Dr. Tom Cage stands trial for murdering Viola Turner, his former African American nurse and secret lover. The respected physician refuses to share his defense strategy with Penn, preferring potential death in prison over revealing buried truths to his son. The victim was the mother of Penn's half-brother, whose bitter pursuit of justice set the prosecution in motion. Penn discovers that Viola somehow connected his father to the Double Eagles, a violent KKK splinter group whose members will kill to protect their secrets from the 1960s. These secrets may unlock the truth behind major civil rights era assassinations. Frozen out by his father and unable to trust even his mother, Penn partners with Serenity Butler, a young Black writer investigating the case. Together they battle the surviving Double Eagles and their powerful allies who want Dr. Cage silenced permanently. Penn must crack a conspiracy that spans decades while racing to save his father's life and uncover the hidden history of his family.
Genres: historical-fiction, mystery, crime, thriller, african-american-historical-fiction
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, family-secrets, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Mississippi
Period: 1960s
694 pages · Hardcover · William Morrow
Content warnings: racism, violence