The Devil's Punchbowl: A Novel

Greg Iles

Jul 2009 · Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Penn Cage series comes an electrifying thriller that reveals a world of depravity, sex, violence, and the corruption of a Southern town.

As a prosecuting attorney in Houston, Penn Cage sent hardened killers to death row. But it is as mayor of his hometown—Natchez, Mississippi—that Penn will face his most dangerous threat. Urged by old friends to try to restore this fading jewel of the Old South, Penn has ridden into office on a tide of support for change. But in its quest for new jobs and fresh money, Natchez, like other Mississippi towns, has turned to casino gambling, and now five fantastical steamboats float on the river beside the old slave market at Natchez like props from Gone With the Wind.

But one boat isn't like the others.

Rumor has it that the Magnolia Queen has found a way to pull the big players from Las Vegas to its Mississippi backwater. And with them—on sleek private jets that slip in and out of town like whispers in the night—come pro football players, rap stars, and international gamblers, all sharing an unquenchable taste for one thing: blood sport—and the dark vices that go with it. When a childhood friend of Penn's who brings him evidence of these crimes is brutally murdered, the full weight of Penn's failure to protect his city hits home. So begins his quest to find the men responsible. But it's a hunt he begins alone, for the local authorities have been corrupted by the money and power of his hidden enemy. With his family's lives at stake, Penn realizes his only allies in his one-man war are those bound to him by blood or honor:

-Caitlin Masters, the lover Penn found in The Quiet Can Game and lost in Turning Angel
-Danny McDavitt, the heroic helicopter pilot from Third Degree
-Tom Cage, Penn's father and legendary local family physician
-Walt Garrity, a retired Texas Ranger who served with Penn's father during the Korean War

Together they must defeat a sophisticated killer who has an almost preternatural ability to anticipate—and counter—their every move. Ultimately, victory will depend on a bold stroke that will leave one of Penn's allies dead—and Natchez changed forever.

After appearing in two of Iles's most popular novels, Penn Cage makes his triumphant return as a brilliant, honorable, and courageous hero. Rich with Southern atmosphere and marked by one jaw-dropping plot turn after another, The Devil's Punchbowl confirms that Greg Iles is America's master of suspense.

Ratings and reviews

5-star! This was one of the most heart-stopping books I've ever read! There were places that I actually had to just skim past because it was too dark for my blood, but the story wasn't harmed by my scanning over the difficult parts. (I also had to skim over the first chapter of Grisham's "A Time to Kill"). The setting is rich and layered in texture, the characters memorable, the criminals beyond horrible, the subject timely, and the language and writing was exquisite. Just when I thought the subject matter couldn't be any more taboo than the author's "Turning Angel", he comes up with this storyline. If you're a reader or a writer, this is a must-read. This is the way a writer should write once he/she is as polished as Greg Iles!

Files outdoes himself in this edition of the Penn Cage saga, and sets it up for more to come. An expert story teller, this thriller dealing with corruption and the seemly side of life in a river town will keep you going page after page.

I discovered Greg Iles books and can't read fast enough. The Devil's Punchbowl as well as his other works are simply time stealing since I can't put them down!

About the author

Greg Iles was born in 1960 in Germany, where his father ran the US Embassy medical clinic during the height of the Cold War. After graduating from the University of Mississippi in 1983, he performed for several years with the rock band Frankly Scarlet and is a member of the lit-rock group The Rock Bottom Remainders. He is the author of sixteen New York Times bestselling novels and known for his Penn Cage series, the latest of which is Southern Man. He lives in Natchez, Mississippi.