The Devil's Punchbowl: A Novel by Greg Iles
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Book Reviews of The Devil's Punchbowl: A Novel
Book Review: Another Hit from Greg Iles
Summary: 5 Stars
Penn Cage is at in again in this fast paced, page turner. What is actually sad about this book is the fact that it hits to close to reality. But that shouldn't stop you from picking it up. Although this was just recently released I'm already waiting on his next novel.Book Review: Page Turner
Summary: 5 Stars
Excellent story that keeps you turning the pages. The writing creates a vivid picture of the place and the characters. It does not appear the author was just writing a book to meet a contract requirement.Book Review: excellent and intense reading
Summary: 5 Stars
I found this book very intense. I had never read this author before but will look forward to his new books.Book Review: The Devil's Punchbowl
Summary: 5 Stars
Could not put this book down.
Terrific read. You won't be disappointed
Book Review: Not his best Natchez thriller -- but still one of Iles's better books
Summary: 4 Stars
Greg Iles is a very uneven author, delivering gripping thrillers like The Quiet Game and Black Cross, only to follow them with very forgettable books, such as 24 Hours. In this latest offering, he takes his readers back to Natchez, Mississippi, and the life of Penn Cage, hero of two of the best of those previous books (The Quiet Game and Turning Angel). Cage, now the mayor of Natchez, has found it hard to realize his dream of reviving his hometown. He can't seem to fix the school system, and he's had to invite riverboat casino companies like Golden Parachute to town in order to keep the city's economy afloat.
Then one day a childhood friend and a bit of a lost soul, Tim Jessup, asks to meet privately with Cage. Tim, who's now working on one of the riverboat casinos, has uncovered a host of illegal and violent activities, and wants to get enough information to Penn to stop them. His efforts to do so leave Penn caught in another race to solve a series of puzzles in order to save his own life and those of his family and closest friends.
There's not a lot of subtlety in this book, compared to the previous books featuring Penn Cage. But there's oodles of atmosphere -- prior to reading Iles's books, I had never dreamed of visiting Mississippi, but now I want to go! -- and the pace is relentless. I miss the slower pace of some of the earlier novels, which allows for more exploration of character and setting -- at both of which Iles is excellent -- and the 'race against the clock' element in the plot didn't add anything. Iles can generate a heck of a lot of suspenseful situations for his characters without such artificial devices. Still, the contrast between Penn's city -- celebrating the balloon festival, with happy families eating barbecue feasts in the park, even as a sleepless Penn is struggling to figure out how to stop the evildoers -- is compelling.
From early on, it's clear who the chief villains are, and who the white hats are -- Penn assembles a blue-chip team of allies, including a contractor from Blackwater and a former Texas Ranger. The only real mystery is how Penn will extricate himself and those he loves from this fresh set of perils, and at what cost. That makes for a lively read, but not one that keeps you on the lookout for the next giant twist. Moreover, there is a lot of explicit violence in this book, more so than in many thrillers I've read (except possibly Val McDermid's serial killer books). In many cases it's there to keep the plot momentum going, but while it's in character for the 'bad guys' (whom Jessup and his friends describe as demons in human form), the violence level was over the top for me. (And I enjoy McDermid's books...) I look forward to reading the next Greg Iles, but hopefully it will be one where the violence and real character-driven suspense are more in balance.
Recommended with the caveats above, but anyone who hasn't read the two previous novels featuring Penn Cage may find themselves at a bit of a loss. The plot itself is self-contained, but Iles wastes little time filling readers in on their history. There are references to the events in The Quiet Game, for instance, that simply won't make sense. I suggest starting with those two (better) books, and moving on to this one only if you found yourself fascinated by both Natchez and the rest of Penn Cage's world.
I've rated this 3.5 stars, marked down because of the reliance on violence and the rapid pace for suspense, instead of on plot twists.