The Devil's Punchbowl: A Novel by Greg Iles
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Book Reviews of The Devil's Punchbowl: A Novel
Book Review: Violence in abundance--but overall, another great story from Greg Iles
Summary: 4 Stars
I've been an avid Greg Iles fan since I picked up his first novel (which I HIGHLY recommend), Spandau Phoenix. I have since picked up EVERYTHING since. His second, Black Cross was JUST as good. Since then he has strayed away from Historical Fiction which he does SO well, and yet I have hardly had reason to complain. Mortal Fear was NOT my cup o tea specifically due to the sexual content which made me feel quite uncomfortable...but otherwise not bad...
...then I read The Quiet Game. Hands down it remains my all-time favorite legal thriller novel. The combination of racial violence mixed with just the right amount of action, legalese and an absolutely perfect setting in Mississippi made for one amazing tale. The sequel (Turning Angel), while good--wasn't quite as all-out captivating or compelling. I have yet to read a BAD book from Greg Iles. Not once. What I find incredibly entertaining about his writing is just how amazingly versatile his stories seem to be. From supernatural to techno-thriller, historical fiction and even the legal arena--this guy does it ALL.
But how 'bout The Devil's Punchbowl? Once again, let me stress that Greg Iles' talent for writing is all but impossible to refute...does each and every single topic he writes about resonate with me personally? No. Have I enjoyed them all (for the most part) anyway? Yes. The character of Penn Cage is easily my favorite in the field of legal thrillers (and I've read them all...John Grisham, Scott Turrow, Richard North Patterson, Steve Martini, Phillip Margolin etc). I must also add that while I am simply NOT a fan of writing in First Person, Greg Iles does it pretty much better than most anybody.
The Southern town of Natchez, Mississippi has a VERY sordid past--at least if Mr. Iles has portrayed it accurately in his previous novels--and while it may be a great place to live today, based on what I've read, I must say that I would probably consider a detour if any vacation I happen to go on takes me anywhere near that place. On the other hand, Natchez certainly has all the makings of a town where drama makes for VERY exciting reading.
Poor Penn Cage. A former celebrated author whose wife dies (back in The Quiet Game) and upon coming back home to care for his daughter, ends up deciding to stay. By this 3rd novel, he is the Mayor and sets out to bring the town into order in a way that will do his heritage proud. His noble intentions notwithstanding, become a bit of a hindrance when he becomes (once again) embroiled quite literally in the middle of another potential scandal...one that could very well end with catastrophic results for either his family, daughter or possibly even for him specifically. Like in previous Iles' novels, the violence can be rather extreme, and as I have read here, some find it quite objectionable...especially when directed towards women. I won't tell you HOW to absorb this kind of writing other than to say this: if you are sensitive to it, consider VERY carefully before reading this. I'll let you make any final decision regarding anything more detailed than that for yourself.
I'd have to say that after all is said and done I very much enjoyed The Devil's Punchbowl--as I just KNEW I would...with that said, I would like to add that I enjoyed it less than Turning Angel--making this one my least favorite Penn Cage story overall. Opinions are SO varied that some may like this one best, I cannot speak on anyone elses behalf, so read as many reviews as you can before making up your mind, but for MY $$, Penn Cage is STILL a great character and if Mr. Iles brings him back, you can BET I'll be buying it sight unseen.
Book Review: What Would You Do If Caught in the Jaws of the Devil?
Summary: 4 Stars
"When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time." -- Luke 4:13 (NAS)
Many thrillers attempt to engage you by causing you to empathize with the hero or heroine who is being threatened with some horrible fate. The Devil's Punchbowl takes this technique to an extreme by successfully providing lots of good reasons to feel threatened if you empathize with any of a dozen characters in the book, each of whom is pushed to the edge of what anyone can expect to stand. Greg Iles takes that technique one step further by repeatedly providing hope of escape . . . before utterly wiping out the opportunity.
Before going further, let me caution you that this book contains more scenes involving disgusting forms of inhumanity to man and animals than I can remember among novels I've read in recent years. If one awful crime doesn't leave you feeling horrible, another one will. This book definitely disturbed my sleep . . . and it may do the same for you.
The story involves Penn Cage, who has appeared in two earlier novels, The Quiet Game and Turning Angel. In The Devil's Punchbowl, Cage is halfway through his first term as mayor of Natchez. He gave up being a novelist in hopes of reforming his old hometown through bringing white students back into the public schools. That hope hasn't been realized, and the major change he's brought about is aiding legalized gambling on riverboats. An old school friend, Tim Jessup, approaches Cage with the bad news that the riverboats have brought more than a new source of jobs and taxes . . . they've brought corruption of the worst kinds involving blood "sports" and prostitution involving underage girls. Tim promises to deliver the goods to nail the criminals, and Cage has to decide how to handle it all. Before long, the story takes an unexpectedly personal twist when Cage and his family become subject to threats and violence that would chill the blood of anyone.
Unlike many people, Cage isn't one to run . . . even though he's tempted. Before long, he begins to assemble a team of devoted, trustworthy people to help him. But the bad guys have some powerful allies, too. It's nip and tuck throughout.
The subtext of the book is questioning how "civilized" people should deal with those who are totally corrupt and dangerous . . . when the authorities are corrupt or unable to help. What is the right of self-defense in such a situation? Whether you agree with the answer of not, the book will certainly cause you to look deeply within yourself to imagine what you would do in the same situation. That's one of the book's great strengths.
The book's main weaknesses are two-fold:
1. The violence and evil-doing are truly disgusting. I felt like I needed to take a shower every time I read a few pages to get the moral filth off me.
2. The plot adds a lot of twists and turns to make you feel helpless against these evil-doers. I thought that much of this plotting was unnecessary and just stretched out the book. I prefer a more compact and direct plot.
Book Review: A gripping thriller from Iles, perhaps a bit too long
Summary: 4 Stars
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.
Book Review: Unanswered questions but still a great read
Summary: 4 Stars
I am a huge Greg Iles fan. I've read every single one of his books and have enjoyed most of them, barring his last novel (Third Degree). I won't go over the plot or storyline of The Devil's Punchbowl, as it's already been explained many times. Like most of Ilse's work, once I started reading I couldn't put it down. Living in Louisiana, I am familiar with Natchez, making his already- vivid portrayel of the city literally come to life.
As others have duly noted, the book is extremely graphic and violent -- more so than perhaps was necessary. (Maybe that's just me being an animal lover...I skipped those scenes without losing the storyline at all.) It's hard to imagine that people are capable of this level of evil and cruelty.
On the downside, I thought the characters were too one-dimensional. The "bad guys" who ran the dogfighting, prostitution and money laundering (Jonathan Sands and his dutiful strongarm, Quinn) were 100% bad. No redeeming qualities whatsoever. Similarly, Penn Cage, Tom Cage (dad) and girlfriend Caitlin are all "good," despite the occasional struggle with their conscience. And the physical and mental prowess of Daniel Kelly -- much less Cage's ability to call him and Danny McDevitt to save the day -- were quite a stretch. There were also many unanswered questions (how did Linda Church survive in the Mississippi River with her hands bound?)and downright implausible scenarios. But if you want to read a mystery/thriller that's completely believable, head to the true crime section. The high-stakes drama drew me in and kept me burning the midnight oil. When you read a fiction novel, you have to keep in mind that it's just that.
Despite its flaws, Iles is masterful storyteller and creates compelling characters. I read this book in about 2 days and was sorry when it ended. I love Iles' Penn Cage novels and I look forward to the next one.
Book Review: Sometimes too rough to stomach but a page turner
Summary: 4 Stars
I found this book to be a page turner. Since it was my first Iles book, I was unfamilar with the characters but that is not a hinderance to understanding the plot. A big time writer turned small (sort of) town mayor, Penn Cage is enlisted by a high school buddy to try to right a wrong being perpetrated by evil doers in the Mississippi riverboat gambling industry. He finds more than gambling and prostitution. A world wide web of mayhem is going on. The friend is brutally murdered and Penn takes it upon himself, along with other characters from the other books, to solve the death of his friend. Some of these "help mates" are not needed to move the plot. The character of the Texas Ranger, Walt Garrity, goes absolutely no where except as a plot device once he's out of the picture. He could have used the Chinese temptress, Jaio. There is also stereotyping of women i.e the Linda Church character who is the prostitute (even though she says she never took money) with a heart of gold and the always successful, strong, can do anything take charge, female reporter, Caitlin, who just happens to be Page's old paramour. The sex scenes, while hard to read, were tolerable. It was the scenes and discussions of the dog fighting, that frankly, I had to page through. One reviewer said that women may have a hard time with the book because of the sex. I say anyone who loves animals will have a hard time with these scenes. The author could be using these scenes as somewhat of a "hey, folks, you may think this doesn't go on but it does" cautionary tale. I looked up Bully Kuttas. You're not getting away from those things. I found, at times, I was gripping the book so hard, my fingers were tense. Now that's the true sign of a page turner.