My deepest thanks to all the doctors, nurses, and paramedics (and chopper crew) who helped to save my life: those at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Natchez Regional Medical Center, Methodist Rehab, and Prime Care Nursing. I particularly want to thank: Dr. Matt Graves (ortho trauma guru); Dr. Peter Arnold (plastic surgeon/fighter pilot); Dr. Fred Rushton (thanks for patching my aorta, yo!); Dr. Gregory Timberlake and Dr. Wesley Vanderlan (critical care); Dr. Joe Files; and Kim Hoover, dean of nursing, UMMC. I also want to thank Richard Boleware, Rick Psonak, and Blake Carr at UMMC Orthotics and Prosthetics. Special thanks to Claudia, Felecia, and Renee, my supernurses. Thanks also to Karl Edwards of Natchez, for many great conversations during rehab.

Finally, thanks to the Rock Bottom Remainders, for forcing me to have fun regardless of what life throws at us.

As usual, all mistakes are mine.

BOOKS BY GREG ILES

THE PENN CAGE SERIES

Natchez Burning

The Devil’s Punchbowl

Turning Angel

The Quiet Game

OTHER WORKS

Third Degree

True Evil

Blood Memory

Dark Matter (US TITLE: The Footprints of God)

Sleep No More

Dead Sleep

24 Hours

Mortal Fear

Black Cross

Spandau Phoenix

Copyright

HarperCollinsPublishers

77–85 Fulham Palace Road,

Hammersmith, London W6 8JB

Published by HarperCollinsPublishers 2014

Copyright © Greg Iles 2014

Greg Iles asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

Cover layout design © HarperCollinsPublishers 2014

Cover photographs © Tom Kidd/Alamy (burning cross);

JG Martin/Getty Images (trees); AVTG/Getty Images (sky)

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Source ISBN: 9780007304868

Ebook Edition © 2014 ISBN: 9780007317981

Version: 2014-01-30

About the Publisher

Australia

HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.

Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street

Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia

Canada

HarperCollins Canada

2 Bloor Street East – 20th Floor

Toronto, ON, M4W, 1A8, Canada

New Zealand

HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand) Limited

P.O. Box 1

Auckland, New Zealand

United Kingdom

HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

77-85 Fulham Palace Road

London, W6 8JB, UK

United States

HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

10 East 53rd Street

New York, NY 10022