Between the first three Penn Cage novels and the epic Penn Cage “Natchez Burning” trilogy, author Greg Iles wrote and published a Penn Cage novella as an ebook.

That ebook was “The Death Factory” and it is available in a print edition.

Many fans may have missed this transition story that literally fills the gaps between the last pages of “The Devil’s Punchbowl” and the opening pages of “Natchez Burning.”

It’s been a few years since “Mississippi Blood,” the last Penn Cage novel, so finding this little known story may thrill Penn Cage and Iles fans … until they recall both the brutal conclusion to the “Natchez Burning” series and the heartbreaking back story for Penn Cage.

“The Death Factory” – quickly and in a small number of pages since this is a novella, not a full novel – reminds readers of both. 

The book serves as a prelude to the instance that kicks off the actions in “Natchez Burning” – Penn’s dad has a heart attack, thinks the end is near and has a secret he wants to share. 

But the story is Penn recalling a case from his past, when he had recently left his job as an assistant district attorney in a Texas county where the death penalty rules … at the time when his wife lay dying of cancer.

The first three Penn Cage novels refer to his wife’s death often. “The Death Factory” takes Cage and readers back to those harrowing days while reminding readers who have already read the “Natchez Burning” series of what fates await so many of the characters.

So, “The Death Factory” is a bittersweet find for fans.