Greg Iles, the bestselling author of the Natchez Burning trilogy (Natchez Burning, The Bone Tree, and Mississippi Blood) and other works, died August 15 after a decades-long battle with the blood cancer multiple myeloma, the Associated Press reported. He was 65. Born in Germany, Iles moved to Natchez, Miss., with his family when he was three and developed a deep connection with the region, the AP noted, adding that many of his stories are set in the state, including historical fiction suspense novels exploring race and class in the 1960s Jim Crow South.
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| Greg Iles | |
His other books include Cemetery Road (2019), The Death Factory (2014), The Devil's Punchbowl (2009), Third Degree (2007), True Evil (2006), Turning Angel (2005), Blood Memory (2005), The Footprints of God (2003), The Quiet Game (1999), and Spandau Phoenix (1993).
In a social media post announcing Iles's death, Dan Conaway, his agent, described the author as "warm, funny, fearless, and completely sui generis. To be on the other end of the phone as he talked through character and plot, problem-solving on the fly, was to be witness to genius at work, plain and simple. As a writer he fused story-craft, bone-deep humanity, and a growing sense of moral and political responsibility with the ferocious precisions of a whirling dervish or a master watchmaker.... I also want to express my profound gratitude to Caroline, his wife, for her friendship, and my sorrow and sympathy to the whole Iles family for this impossible loss."
Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson posted: "I am heartbroken to hear of the passing of our beloved native son, Greg Iles. Greg was a talented and brilliant author who never backed away from standing for justice and being an outspoken advocate for change. His books were captivating and in fact mesmerizing. Once I would start reading one, I struggled to put it down. Sometimes I would stay up all night straining to stay awake as I turned each page. I was so blessed to call Greg a friend, not only personally but a friend to all of Natchez. We will forever miss him."
The Natchez Democrat noted that in a May 2024 interview after his final book, Southern Man, was published, Iles said he had intentionally put off a stem cell transplant in order to finish writing the book. Iles said he "waited to do the stem cell transplant, which some people will tell you is insane, but this book is so important. What it deals with is so dangerous and is what the country is dealing with right now. It's an important political novel. I was not going into a procedure like that, which could potentially kill me without it being finished."
Many writers paid tribute to Iles on social media, including Joseph Finder ("He was a terrific writer and a really good person, and I will miss him.") and Scott Turow ("Greg was a gigantic talent and lived with passion."). Stephen King noted that in addition to being a bestselling writer, he was "lead guitarist of a group of writers known as the Rock Bottom Remainders.... He was a hell of a writer and a hell of a player. He was also a good friend, and he'll be missed."
Square Books, Oxford, Miss., posted: "Our hearts are heavy today as we remember the life and legacy of legendary best-selling Mississippi author Greg Iles. We are grateful for his tremendous contribution to the literary culture of Mississippi, and consider him one of the great Southern writers of our time."