NATCHEZ &045; Greg Iles has returned to Natchez.

Or rather, his latest book has. The best-selling author himself never left.

And Natchez residents have a chance to get a first read of &uot;Blood Memory,&uot; due out Tuesday, when Iles hosts a book signing today to benefit Trinity Episcopal Day School.

&uot;People just assume I will set a certain number of books in Natchez,&uot; Iles said.

And he knows it’s &uot;a game&uot; for local residents to try to guess what &045; or who &045; is in his books. They are wrong, though, he said &045; the characters in his books are fictional.

This is Iles’ third book set in Natchez, and readers will recognize some familiar places, as they did with &uot;The Quiet Game,&uot; his first novel set in his hometown. Protagonist Cat Ferry, a forensic odontologist in New Orleans, returns to her hometown of Natchez by chapter three.

Though her antebellum family home is fictional, Iles describes Malmaison’s location in such detail that Natchez readers will be able to tell exactly where it should be.

And readers from other places may just try to find it someday. Iles’ books set in Natchez seem to attract visitors to the community as much as the houses.

&uot;I find that more and more now,&uot; he said. &uot;I’d go off on tour and I meet people who read ‘The Quiet Game’ and set off on a 1,500-mile road trip to Natchez. And they’ve never been disappointed.&uot;

The setting of the book is not the only Natchez connection.

Iles consulted with several local experts in doing research on the book, which includes some powerful themes.

&uot;It’s emotionally powerful,&uot; Iles said. &uot;This is a straight-ahead psychological thriller.&uot;

But the story also takes some dark turns and explores the effects of childhood sexual abuse. That required some extensive research on Iles’ part &045; research he couldn’t necessarily find in books.

&uot;You have to talk to people who’ve been through it,&uot; Iles said. &uot;My research for this was like following a trail. You have to read everything you can on the subject.&uot;

The main character’s experience brought a human element to what could have been an ordinary thriller, Iles said.

&uot;One review said the character’s so complex it almost overshadows the mystery thriller part,&uot; Iles said. &uot;But that’s what I want. I can write a mystery thriller in my sleep. I want to write about the person.&uot;

&uot;Blood Memory&uot; also delves into something Iles thought was just Oprah Winfrey territory &045; repressed memory.

&uot;Most of my life I had heard about repressed memory,&uot; he said. &uot;I never really believed it that much.&uot;

But Iles’ research &045; including talking to survivors of child abuse &045; changed his mind.

&uot;The biggest misconception about sexual abuse is that it just happens to poor people,&uot; he said. &uot;But it cuts across every socioeconomic stratum.&uot;

But Iles said the book is not just about sexual abuse. &uot;This book is about a highly functional woman &045; yet secretly she’s very dysfunctional, somebody who’s faked it as long as she can,&uot; he said.

To understand such a character, Iles had to talk to survivors of abuse &045; and to be able to write about it convincingly. &uot;There is no substitute for experience, especially when you’re writing from the female point of view,&uot; he said.

&uot;To write a novel you have to have certain special abilities,&uot; he said. &uot;You have to be able to listen to and read about other people’s experiences &045; and regurgitate that so that someone will believe it. It’s being a gifted liar &045; that’s where the research comes in.&uot;

But Iles does not have to do much research to set the scene for Natchez.

&uot;The difficulty for me in writing about Natchez is that I grew up in a Natchez that is a very different Natchez than we have now,&uot; Iles said. &uot;There was much more money. The schools were different; the restaurants were different; everything was different. ‘The Quiet Game’ was a love letter to the Natchez I grew up in.&uot;

But Iles realized that his books needed to reflect Natchez as it is today, if for no other reason than those folks traveling 1,500 miles needed to find the true picture when they arrived. So Natchez in &uot;Blood Memory&uot; has &uot;fallen on hard times,&uot; Iles said.

But his next book, which will also be set in Natchez, looks into the future a bit &045; and Iles hopes that by the time it’s released, that part won’t be fiction.

&uot;I’m going to bring Natchez forward,&uot; he said. &uot;I will take a gamble that Natchez will be doing better.&uot;