Customer Reviews

The Devil's Punchbowl

5 star:		(60)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(17)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

For many years, Greg Iles appealed to me as an author because each book was a totally unique experience. With THE DEVIL'S PUNCHBOWL, Iles brings back crusading lawyer/writer/polician Penn Cage for his third appearance in a novel that tackles corruption in Natchez, the cost of doing the right thing, and the choices one must make. Although the story never draged, the novel seemed too long and the book lacked the typical internal struggles that have haunted the characters in other Iles novels.

Cage has been mayor for two years, and was instrumental in expanding the riverboat casino industry in the city. Cage is considering resigning to spend more time with his family when a childhood friend Tim Jessup tells Cage of some horrible evils and corruption occuring on one boat, the Magnolia Queen. Jessup offers evidence of prostitution and dog fighting and promises to get more if Cage is willing to help. Cage agrees, but Jessup is murdered the next night and then his entire family is threatened by the sauve Englishman Jonathan Sands. Sands wants the evidence Jessup took, or Cage's family could be in danger.

Cage is conflicted and doesn't know if he should fight Sands, or just look for the evidence, surrender it, and ignore Sands like every one else in the town. Of course, Cage decides to fight. He enlists the help of ex-girlfriend Caitlin Masters, who left town when he decided to run for mayor. He also has the services of Danny McDavvit, a pilot, Kelly, a ruthlessly efficient soldier, a ex-marine sniper and an old Texas Ranger. With his all star team in town to fight Sands, the action scenes are numerous and exciting.

The best parts of the book are the portrayal of the dog fighting culture. It is new and fresh and enlightening. Even at over 500 pages, the plot flows seamlessly. On the downside, the book went on forever. Cut out a few fights and you lose one hundred pages and still retain the power of the novel. In the author notes, Iles says he couldn't fit all he wanted into this novel, so look for another Penn Cage novel sometime next year.

I really enjoyed a couple of the earliest Greg Iles' novels (Spandau Phoenix, Quiet Game) and found them to be uniquely suspenseful with great complexity. While still good and better than a lot of other new fiction, the last few books were not quite as good as the earlier ones, in my opinion. Iles took his time completing this one, and it shows. I would much rather wait for a more finely-tuned yarn than to get a lesser product on schedule or in a shorter time. Devil's Punchbowl was worth the wait. Penn Cage is the best character Iles has crafted, and he's back in this novel. Greg Iles is a great storyteller, but what makes his best novels special is how the story is unfolded and shaped and how much extra depth there is besides just the plot. It's so much more than a mere whodunit that is the model for so many other popular authors. Looking forward to the next one - keep them coming!

I enjoyed this novel. However...

The heroes were too superheroic. When they gathered, it was not so much the Seven Samurai as it was the X-Men.

The bad guys were too unabashedly villainous. Black hats, black hearts, not much character complexity.

Violence and sadistic sex were too prevalent and too salacious.

The story is about second tier, legalized casino gambling on the Mississippi. Easy money attracts the scum of the earth, camouflaged within regulatory loop holes, bringing with them purveyors of money laundering, prostitution, and other illegal activities: most notably, in this story, dog fighting. Their power in a small community looking to slow its economic decline is absolutely corrupting. At the casino, the house always wins. The devotees are always in debt. And when that happens, the house owns you and it is just a matter of time before the master calls on you to pay up, never on the square.

Penn Cage, the town's idealistic mayor, is frustrated. He sought elective office to help rebuild and remake the town where he grew up. But politics keeps getting in the way of progress, and he's looking longingly toward the end of his term. He's also looking longingly at media mogulette Caitlin Masters, the one who got away. She still owns the house across the street from his, and she still drops into town from time to time to oversee her interests in the local newspaper. But she's moved on. Or has she?

Against this backdrop, a childhood friend whose path through life has hit the skids seeks out Penn's help - to save the town from corruption. It seems the floating pleasure palace is a façade for unspeakably nefarious activities, and he has the goods on the evil doers. If only he can smuggle the evidence off the boat, things could be put right and he could earn redemption from a tragedy he caused long-ago. But the simple course is fraught with peril. Deaths occur, threats are made, vengeance is sought, and Penn is faced with a moral dilemma: save the town, or save those he loves?

A lot of storytelling capital is spent tying the activities in this sleepy Southern town to globalized crime syndicates. I'm not sure that's necessary, and I'm not sure it rings true. Purely local bad guys probably would have sufficed and fit better within the texture of the story. Exotic war dogs also stretch credulity. Michael Vick has raised the profile of this sinister, illegal blood sport to the point where upping the dramatic ante really isn't required.

As probably is apparent, I liked this story less than the two Penn Cage novels that preceded it: The Quiet Game and Turning Angel. Those, I think, were masterworks. The Devil's Punchbowl is well-conceived, but with some shortcomings in execution. Iles has promised another Penn Cage novel soon to follow. Let's hope it doesn't just tie up loose ends, but elevates the standard in a way that this book failed to accomplish.

I listen to audiobooks on my way to and from work. If you do the same, avoid this one. The reader, Dick Hill, is so impressed with his own performance, he forgot to "read" the book. This isn't the Old Globe. His volume goes so far up and down, half the authors work is lost. I'll never know if this is a good story or not. After two CD's, I tossed it.
I'm learning about buying audiobooks. If I see Dick Hill on the cover, it goes back on the shelf.

I have been a huge fan of Greg Iles. But in his latest effort he comes up short. The book is too lengthy, too contrived in many areas and has gaps that are difficult to bridge. The novel deals with gambling, dog fighting, prostitution and terrorism. Seem like a lot to cover in one novel? It did for me. Protagonist, Penn Cage, now mayor of his home town is contacted by a childhood friend who leads the Mayor into a much too complicated tale of intrigue that paints a sordid picture of life in the South. The book was twice as long as it needed to be, had more characters than were necessary and led the reader down too many blind paths. I give it three stars only because I like Iles so much. But he let me down on this one.

As many know, I am an uber Greg Iles fan. Have been since book one - although my favorites are Mortal Fear, and The Quiet Game.
For those of you not familiar with Penn Cage, his kith and kin, it would be good to read The Quiet Game, which holds one of my favorite quotes ever, told by a former FBI agent Stone, "The hour of justice does not strike on the dials of this world."
This outing Iles is back in his element, the old south dealing with the new. Now there are offshore gambling boats and the money and corruption that comes with that -
Time has passed and Caitlin and Penn have gone their separate ways, and he has also broken up with another lady - Annie, his daughter, has grown into a well adjusted pre-teen, thanks to Penn's parents.
Penn's boyhood friend, Tim Jessup, a card dealer at the Magnolia Queen, has uncovered horrible things going on - not only prostitution, but dogfighting off grounds.
For those of you who haven't been familiar with dogfighting, those of us in the south who have dealt with hearing about Michael Vick's involvement however extensive, with a dogfighting ring, the horrid 'sport' is heavily written about and a large part of this book. I was sickened by the extent, but Iles shows us it is beyond any thriller book author can possibly imagine, more cruel than anyone could think up - all in the cause of money.
This is not for the feint of heart.
When Penn's friend Tim is murdered, Penn had been waffling between quitting his mayorship of Natchez and leaving, but when his friend's death happens, he goes forth full steam.
Caitlin Masters, his old girlfriend, returns and we see the transition between them being estranged to working together for a common goal, to her opinion - it's just dogfighting, to a more violent awakening that the folks who do this aren't just folks providing entertainment.
Iles brings back the excitement of characterization, the beauty of the landscape, the horror of corruption.
This is who I call our generation's Faulkner.
It is a long book, and can be a stand alone book, but it is the third of the Penn Cage books, with at least one more coming -
But if you want to read the magic that introduces Penn, get The Quiet Game, and go from there.
Iles is a truly talented author and a worthy read.

I really enjoy the work of Greg Iles, who is probably the most underrated thriller writer in the business. When he's in top form, with books like BLACK CROSS, THE QUIET GAME, 24 HOURS and DEAD SLEEP, there is nobody better.

THE DEVIL'S PUNCHBOWL is a comeback of sorts for Iles, whose last few books have been mild disappointments. With this novel, Iles returns to his most likable character, lawyer Penn Cage from THE QUIET GAME, who is now Mayor of his hometown of Natchez, Mississippi. The plot deals with a cat-and-mouse game that Cage is forced to play with some sadistic thugs who run the local riverboat casino. The result is an exciting nailbiter of a story.

Iles took two years to write THE DEVIL'S PUNCHBOWL, and it shows in the execution. All the novel's characters are well developed, and its plot is well layered and continuously suspenseful. Iles writes in a melodramatic style, but his books have an intense narrative power that few thrillers possess. As I rushed through this novel, I felt completely absorbed by it, and by the ending literally felt depleted.

It should be noted that THE DEVIL'S PUNCHBOWL has more than a fair amount of brutal violence, including violence against women and animals. There are several harrowing scenes that will require a strong stomach. Personally, I felt that Iles handled the violence in a manner that was non-exploitative. Still, I would not recommend this novel to readers who are easily offended by such graphic content.

Overall, THE DEVIL'S PUNCHBOWL a great suspense work, one of the best thrillers I've read in 2009. Iles is going to write a sequel that is due out next year, and I can't wait to read it.

"I just finished THE DEVIL'S PUNCHBOWL by Greg Iles and found it to be the best read I have had in a very long time."

So read the E-Mail from a good friend who often shares opinions on books with me and who's views on books I value. Luckily for me I did not have to wait long to start the book as it was already on my "To Read" table, as Isles is an author I keep tabs on.

This is his third novel featuring Penn Cage and given the end of the novel, it seems pretty clear it will not be the last. The story line is well set out by others, but what is more elusive to describe is the haunting way that Iles draws you into the life of his characters and holds your interest as events unfold. I once thought that Jeffrey Deaver probably has the best imagination for conjuring up evil, but I have to tell you that Iles is definitely a contender after this effort. Jonathan Sands and Seamus Quinn are more than a handful for Cage and the small cadre he assembles to get to the bottom of activities which are taking place on the floating casino, The Magnolia Queen.

I have only passed through Missisippi in my travels about the US, but after reading the Penn Cage novels, I feel as though I have spent a lot of time in Natchez.

If this book has any weakness, it does seem a tad long, but even that small complaint could not deprive it of the five stars I believe the exceptional writing clearly deserves.

Like I needed yet another book to read on the way home from a conference... But there I was at the airport, and the book rack kept calling out to me. I ended up succumbing to the siren call and pick up The Devil's Punchbowl from Greg Iles. At 710 pages, this is one LONG paperback novel. But the storyline was pretty good, and it's kept me interested for a week of bedtime recreational reading. I think it could have been done in fewer pages, but that wasn't a horrible drawback in this case.

The main plot takes place in a small Mississippi town that derives much of its income from riverboat gambling. Penn Cage, the mayor of Natchez, took on the job to try and improve education and make the town more like the place he remembered while growing up there. But a long-time friend and struggling drug addict comes to him with a story of major corruption and vice run by the owners of the casino boat Magnolia Queen. Cage isn't quite sure whether his friend is strung out or really knows something, but decides to meet with him anyway. Shortly thereafter, Cage's friend is killed in a particularly gruesome manner, and Cage is now completely swallowed up in trying to figure out what had his friend so worried. The problem is that with as much money as the casino makes, it's quite easy to buy off any and everyone who might be able to uncover the truth. And if you can't buy someone off, killing them is just as easy and effective. Cage finds that out when his family is threatened as part of a warning. Never one to say no, this just causes Cage to rally his own troops around him, and the battle begins with many lives at stake based on the outcome. And telling the good guys from the bad guys is nearly impossible.

For such a long novel, Iles did a good job on pacing. There were only a couple spots where I thought the story started to drag, but fortunately it picked up again shortly thereafter. I see that this is the third book featuring the Cage character, so that would explain why I felt I was missing out on some nuances and background as the story unfolded. It wasn't a significant detriment to have not read the two prior books, but I could tell that some of the interactions were likely better explained by knowing the prior history of the characters. I'm tempted to head out to the library website and put the first two on hold just to catch up on the backstory, as well as to enjoy what should be a couple of good novels.

Disclosure:
Obtained From: Bookstore
Payment: Purchased

Although I hate the subject of dogfighting as I am an animal rights activist from way back, this was another good read by Greg Iles. While some of his recent novels have not seemed to me to be up to his usual standard, this one definitely was.
I hate dogfighting, and I hope that this novel will alert some people to the horrors of it and turn their minds against it. If I could, I would find anyone who participates in it and subject them to what the dogs experience. It is a "game" which is against everything I know as a Christian. God did not want his animals treated this way.
Greg Iles is back to his original high quality with this one. A very good read.