Audiobook Sample
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- Title: Cemetery Road: A Novel
- Author: Greg Iles
- Narrator: Scott Brick
- Length: 23:46:37
- Version: Abridged
- Release Date: 05/03/2019
- Publisher: HarperAudio
- Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Horror, Legal Thriller
- ISBN13: 9.78E+12
The humid air of Bienville, Mississippi clung to my skin as I listened to Scott Brick’s narration of “Cemetery Road”, transporting me back to my own experiences in small Southern towns where secrets simmer beneath the surface like gumbo on a low boil. Greg Iles’ latest masterpiece, clocking in at nearly 24 hours of listening time, isn’t just a crime novel – it’s a cultural excavation of the American South that resonates with the same depth as the archaeological dig at its center.
As someone who’s spent years documenting local stories from Oaxaca to Osaka, I was immediately drawn to Marshall McEwan’s homecoming narrative. The protagonist’s return to his Mississippi roots after decades away mirrors my own experiences revisiting childhood places – that peculiar alchemy of memory and change that alters both the landscape and our perception of it. Iles captures this perfectly when Marshall observes, ‘You can’t go home again, but sometimes home won’t let you stay away.’
Scott Brick’s narration is nothing short of revelatory. His voice carries the weight of Southern humidity, each syllable dripping with the cadence of Mississippi drawls without ever slipping into caricature. There’s a moment when Brick delivers Matheson’s line, ‘In this town, history isn’t just the past – it’s the currency,’ with such quiet menace that I had to pause my hike through the Chilean coastal range where I was listening. It reminded me of those Oaxacan evenings when the grandmother’s stories would suddenly turn dark – the same masterful control of pacing and silence.
The novel’s exploration of journalistic integrity versus local loyalty struck particularly close to home. As Marshall investigates the murders while navigating his family’s failing newspaper, Iles crafts a nuanced commentary on truth-telling in small communities. The Bienville Poker Club’s machinations mirror real power structures I’ve encountered in my travels – whether in Andean mining towns or Southeast Asian fishing villages – where economic progress often walks hand-in-hand with buried crimes.
Brick’s performance shines brightest in the courtroom scenes, where legal maneuvering becomes as tense as any physical confrontation. His ability to differentiate between Jet’s professional courtroom voice and her private moments with Marshall showcases why he’s one of the top narrators working today. The audio production quality matches the performance – every whispered confession in the titular Cemetery Road comes through with crisp clarity.
While the novel’s length might intimidate some, I found it necessary to fully develop the complex web of relationships. If I had one critique, it’s that some of the political subplots could have been trimmed without losing the story’s impact. However, these moments are few and far between in what’s otherwise a masterclass in Southern Gothic thriller writing.
For listeners who enjoyed Iles’ Natchez Burning trilogy or works by John Grisham with more psychological depth, this audiobook will be a perfect match. The combination of Iles’ rich prose and Brick’s immersive narration creates an experience that’s both intellectually satisfying and viscerally thrilling.
As the story unfolded during my long drives through the Atacama – that otherworldly landscape mirroring the surreal moral terrain of Bienville – I found myself sitting in parking lots, unable to stop listening until certain chapters concluded. That’s the magic of this audiobook: it doesn’t just tell you a story, it pulls you into a fully realized world where every cracked sidewalk and rusted pickup truck feels tangible.
With stories yet to uncover, Marcus
Marcus Rivera
