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Natchez author Greg Iles shared good news for fans on Tuesday, hinting at the plot and setting of his next book and updates on its release.

In a social media post promoting another author’s book, Iles wrote: “By pure coincidence, his novel is set in the summer of 1863 in Louisiana, which is the setting (right down to the year) of the flashbacks in my own upcoming ‘Southern Man’.”

He went on to say, “For those eager to hear about ‘Southern Man’ and the recent delays,’ I will have big news for your in the next 2-3 weeks.”

The novel is the seventh in Iles’ Penn Cage series. According to Amazon.com, the novel is “about a man—and a town—rocked by anarchy and tragedy, but unbowed in the fight to save those they love.”

The novel follows the New York Times Besteller’s Natchez Burning trilogy.

“Fifteen years after the events of the Natchez Burning trilogy, Penn Cage is alone. Nearly all his loved ones are dead, his old allies gone. But Penn’s self-imposed exile comes to an abrupt end when a brawl at a Bienville music festival triggers a shooting—one that nearly takes the life of his daughter Annie,” the description reads.

“Before the stunned populace can process the tragedy, an arsonist begins torching antebellum plantation homes in Bienville. When an unknown Black group claims the fires as acts of justice, panic ensues, driving the Mississippi River town to the brink of war.

“When Penn’s closest friend in Bienville is shot to death on the street by a county deputy, mass protests ignite, and the community descends into open hostilities. State and county politicos use the mayhem as an excuse to dissolve the city government and seize control, and enraged activists begin converging on the town from far-away states to see their own brand of justice done.

“In ‘Southern Man,’ Greg Iles returns to the riveting style and historic depth that made the Natchez Burning trilogy a searing masterpiece and hurls the narrative fifteen years forward into our current moment—where America teeters on the fence between anarchy and salvation.”

The book is available for pre-order on Kindle here, with n tentative release date of May 7, 2024, according to Amazon.com.