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    The Devil's Punchbowl
    The Devil's Punchbowl
    The Devil's Punchbowl
    Audiobook23 hours

    The Devil's Punchbowl

    Written by Greg Iles

    Narrated by Dick Hill

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    A new day has dawned…but the darkest evils live forever in the murky depths of a Southern town.

    Penn Cage was elected mayor of Natchez, Mississippi—the hometown he returned to after the death of his wife—on a tide of support for change. Two years into his term, casino gambling has proved a sure bet for bringing new jobs and fresh money to this fading jewel of the Old South. But deep inside the Magnolia Queen, a fantastical repurposed steamboat, a depraved hidden world draws high-stakes players with money to burn on their unquenchable taste for blood sport and the dark vices that go with it. When an old high school friend hands him blood-chilling evidence, Penn alone must beat the odds tracking a sophisticated killer who counters his every move, placing those nearest to him—including his young daughter, his renowned physician father, and a lover from the past—in grave danger, and all at the risk of jeopardizing forever the town he loves.

    With his gift for crafting “a keep-you-engaged-to-the-very-last-page thriller” (USA Today) at full throttle, Greg Iles brings back Penn Cage, the sharply honed, unforgettable hero from his most popular novels, in this electrifying suspense masterpiece.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateJul 7, 2009
    ISBN9781423318170
    The Devil's Punchbowl
    Author

    Greg Iles

    Greg Iles spent most of his youth in Natchez, Mississippi. His first novel, Spandau Phoenix, was the first of thirteen New York Times bestsellers and his new trilogy continues the story of Penn Cage, protagonist of The Quiet Game, Turning Angel, and #1 New York Times bestseller The Devil's Punchbowl. Iles' novels have been made into films and published in more than thirty-five countries.

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    Reviews for The Devil's Punchbowl

    4/5

    443 ratings33 reviews

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    • 5/5
      GREG ILES and books are the best!!! All the suspense and intriguing moments keeps me listening for hours!!!
    • 5/5
      Great book! I loved the details! From the very start, action was on every page! Greg Iles is a fantastic writer.,
    • 4/5
      I always enjoy reading books by Greg Iles and this book did not disappoint. It follows the repeating character of Penn Cage and the world of Natchez, Mississippi. This book was not as much of a mystery as previous ones, but it was more of an action thriller where we know the bad guys pretty early on and just see how the good guys are going to get them. This story involved more high tech/navy seal type of action, but Iles always does a good job with character development and giving the reader an appreciation of Southern culture. Exciting and mindless entertainment.
    • 5/5
      Very good
      Good good good goood good good good dood
    • 4/5
      The book was good (even though many parts are not very believable) BUT this audiobook skips a a lot, so you miss 30 seconds or so of the story. I tried to go back, thinking it might be my WiFi connection, but it skips in the same place every time.
    • 3/5
      Book was ok. Somewhat different plot. As for the reader, way over acted. Many times I stop listening just to get away from reader.
    • 5/5
      Another thoroughly researched book. At points hard to read but having worked in law enforcement I am familiar with the arena of dog fighting and it’s o stall consequences
    • 2/5
      I am done trying to read books by this author. It’s not because he can’t write it because he likes to write too much.
      First problem. Like the last book I read from this author- cemetery Road, this book is easily 250 pages too long.
      If graphic descriptions of dog fighting and women being treated poorly by a real sadistic bastard isn’t your idea of a good book, then skip this one.
      If however you say well I don’t like these subjects but if the rest of the book is great I might read it, then keep the following in mind.
      Second problem. The main character is milquetoast, whimsy, and boring. He is like some forgettable character from a Hallmark channel movie.
      He is the mayor of a small town in Mississippi and helped bring riverboat gambling to the area. Turns out a real evil, nasty, sadistic, bad man is involved with the casino. Between mister nasty doing his thing and mister boring doing anything, the reader is repeatedly overloaded with ramblings that add absolutely nothing to the story. Whole chapters go by that add nothing to the story the book is supposed to be about.
      No more Greg Iles for me. I should have known better once I saw a recommendation for one of his books by his pal Stephen King. For some reason I have never liked any book or author Stephen King recommended. Stephen king used to write great books but a couple of years after his accident he realized he could add some random notes to his grocery list and sell a million copies of it. In the last King book I read, I learned all about his liberal politics, the same is true of this author. In both cases if the stories were any good I wouldn’t care, in the case of this book, there may have been a good story in the book but there was so much filler, that by the end, I was just happy it was finally over!
    • 3/5
      Dog fights the Irish and a small town in South USA. On the Mississippi gamblers dream comma but the devil Waits 2 pounce. Goodread for the bus.
    • 5/5
      Years ago I read a Greg Iles book that was the best thing I had ever read. I read all his others and none matched the first but I kept trying. The Devil's Punchbowl comes very close. It's interesting to me what makes a good book. I generally think that interesting characters and interesting plots make the difference and mostly it does but this time it was the story telling. This is a book of many many word and they tell a tale that I am sorry is over. It was a great read.
    • 4/5
      Well written -- often disturbing!
    • 4/5
      This was another very good book in the Penn Cage Series. I really enjoyed the book overall and the story as it progressed. However for the first time in this series I did feel the book was longer than it had to be with too many superfluous details which is why I can only rate it a 4. The general feel of the story and the plotting most probably deserved more but I just felt it took too long to get into it as a result of the length of the book. However it was still a very enjoyable read and I look forward to continuing the series which gives a good feel for the area in which it is set. I also like the main characters in this book.
    • 3/5
      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.

      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.
    • 3/5
      This was a great crime thriller that had me hooked from the first page to the last. It was rather violent at times as it dealt with dog fights, money laundering, rape and child prostitution but it was fast paced and a great read.
    • 3/5
      Playaway Audio book read by Dick Hill

      Book three in the Penn Cage series finds our hero settled in as mayor of his hometown – Natchez Mississippi. Still he cannot help but keep certain ways of thinking that served him well as a prosecuting attorney in big-city Houston Texas. Like many other towns eager for jobs and an infusion of cash into their economies, Natchez has turned to casino gambling, and five “steamboats” float on the Mississippi River attracting tourists and locals alike. But the Magnolia Queen seems set apart. Somehow she brings in the big gamblers who arrive in private jets for special games of chance; and crime comes with these big dollars. When a childhood friend of Penn’s makes arrangements to meet at the cemetery with a promise of evidence of the criminal activity, things get nasty quickly. Corruption has spread throughout all official channels and Penn can trust only those closest to him.

      I’d never read a book by Iles before and wasn’t sure what to expect (other than a fast-paced thriller). I didn’t realize when I picked it up that this was book three in a series, but I’m not sure I missed much by not having read the previous books. Iles gave me enough background on the central characters and their relationships to Penn to make me comfortable.

      This is less of a murder mystery than it is a grand international conspiracy with “national security” interests trying to stop Penn from his own investigation. Iles peoples the book with colorful characters, including an ex-Texas Ranger gone undercover, a mysterious beautiful Chinese woman, and an evangelical preacher with a secret vice. I thought the plot got overly complicated, but the action still moved at a fairly quick pace and I was sufficiently interested to keep turning pages. I did find the book pretty violent – dog fighting is part of the plot and Iles spares no details of that bloody “sport.” One of the bad guys is also a sexual sadist and descriptions of his deeds left little to the imagination. Neither of these elements was more than what was necessary given the plot, but readers who find this kind of thing particularly distasteful are best warned away.

      Dick Hill did a credible job with the audio though his voice tends to be too gravelly to convincingly voice the women characters. Still his ability with various accents, especially when he’s required to switch quickly from a cultured British accent to a Texas Ranger’s twang to an Irish brogue, really added to the enjoyment of the audio.
    • 5/5
      Sordid and seedy, disgusting and dispicable people. Sleazy the worst kind of "bad men" and once again Penn's entire family is in life-threatening danger and needs protection. But I kept turning the pages and you have to say Iles writes a good story.Dog fighting, money laundering, IRA thugs, Chinese murderers, vicious Bully Kutta & Tosa dogs ripping people to death. UGH. As if "Turning Angel's 45+ yr old family doctor protagonist having an affair with a 17 yr old wasn't low enough. Ick.
    • 4/5
      Grisly....yet exciting! Gripping....yet horrifying! Oh well, just a typical installment of the Penn Cage series entitled "The Devil's Punchbowl". I really enjoyed this story, although a few passages were difficult to read due to graphic sexual violence. There is something intriguing when reading about the lengths a person can go to on behalf of loved ones, and this suspense novel is centered on the theme. I like to think my own sense of honor runs deep, but have never really had it tested. Hmmm.....
    • 4/5
      Although I already have 40-some books in my wishlist, I now have to add at least one, maybe five, more. I like this book a lot.THE DEVIL'S PUNCHBOWL is my first Greg Iles book, which is the third in a series about the Penn Cage character. While Iles is good about supplying background information, so a reader can start these books out of order, THE DEVIL'S PUNCHBOWL ends on a cliffhanger. Now I want to read the next and maybe the next and the next (still to be published) in the series.In this book, Cage is the mayor of Natchez, Mississippi. A casino there, which he had hoped would help revive Natchez's faltering economy, is owned by a corrupt Irishman who is bilking Natchez out of tax money, running dog-fighting rings, and supplying his customers (and himself) with prostitutes. Cage gets wind of it when his old friend, who had worked as a dealer in the casino, is murdered, and the murder is apparently tied to the casino.A couple parts of this book (descriptions of dogs and rape scenes) were hard for me to read; they were too graphic for me. But you can skim those if they bother you, too, and not lose track of the story.One other criticism has to do with two of the other characters: Cage's friend Daniel Kelly (note Iles' use of a good-guy Irish-American to balance the bad-guy Irishman) and girlfriend Caitlin Masters. They seemed superhuman to me, especially Kelly. He was a Bruce-Willis-type character. She could kick off a tin roof with her bare feet after she walked up a wall and while she was upside down. They are both a little too amazing.Otherwise, I really enjoyed this book and look forward to more by Greg Iles.
    • 3/5
      The Devil's Punchbowl (Penn Cage Series), Greg Iles third installment in his suspenseful, southern Gothic thriller, with more dark secrets, illegal cover ups, corruption, murder, and the nasty sins of Natchez, MS.

      Former prosecutor Penn Cage, turned mayor of Natchez is anything but boring. He is always battling to help save his hometown and his family, but things always get in the way. The casino operators on the one of the gambling steamboats on the Mississippi River with exclusive clientele and high stakes agendas, are up to no good.

      When one of his childhood friends is murdered after contacting him with information concerning dog fighting, prostitution, drugs, and money laundering presided over by the manager of a Natchez gambling casino, Cage takes on an investigation that makes him the target of organized crime, endangers the lives of his family and closest friends, and draws the wrath of the Justice Department and Homeland Security.

      When Cage learns of the dangerous games, which of course, murder, plus more, he launches a campaign to stop the business, and as always, some protector, and political battles to fight in order to unravel the culprit.

      I love the Penn Cage series and Greg Iles is an incredible writer, with his latest (#4) Natchez Burning which was excellent, and working my way backwards. David Ledoux, the narrator was superb!

      Love the characters, Penn, his southern physician dad, and his relationship with beautiful Caitlin Masters, and of course, the humor, and the naughty bad guys.

      Unfortunately, I dislike Dick Hill, as a narrator, for the audiobook, so this pulled my rating down for this one. Was not one of my favorites, in the series; however; plan on reading the rest in the series, to catch up with all the history of the characters. Would recommend reading them all!

      “When everything is at risk, good judgment, not haste, makes the difference between life and death. Panic is the enemy.” ― Greg Iles, The Devil's Punchbowl
    • 5/5
      Absolutely fabulous! First time I've read any work by this author and I am very impressed. Suspenseful and well-written, Iles pulls you into the story and doesn't let you go. I am looking forward to reading some of his other work.
    • 4/5
      Start to finish, I couldn't put this book down. It's a flurry of action. Although the subject matter made me a little ill and I just skimmed the details of the dog fighting, for me, it was another unputdownable book from Mr. Iles.
    • 5/5
      The latest in the Penn Cage series is so well done that it pulled me in effortlessly. Amazing job - and characters so real you feel like you know them.
    • 4/5
      Addresses some serious topics gambling, drug addiction, dog fighting, prostitution, rape, kidnapping, assault, money laundering, blackmail and politics! super brutal but all in context. Not my favourite Penn Cage thriller, but an excellent read
    • 4/5
      A blood-chilling novel about astrong man who is eleted mayor of Nathchez, MS after his wife dies. Two years into his term, he becomes aware more that casino gambling which is a sure bet for bring new money into his fading hometown has a dark side. When an old school friend hands Penn evidence of the blood sport & dark vices that has prevaded his town, he has to make a decision to rope them in or close his eyes
    • 2/5
      This is my least favorite book by this author. I got lost in the plot or maybe it was just too long
    • 4/5
      2 Words that describe the book: Suspenseful thriller3 Settings where it took place or characters you met:1. Setting: Natchez, Mississippi, modern times2. Penn Cage—A former DA and now mayor of his hometown of Natchez, Mississippi, Penn returns for another thriller, accompanied by Caitlin Masters (his beautiful newspaper reporter ex-girlfriend) and other characters we've met in previous Penn Cage books. (This book can stand-alone but does reference previous books at times.)3. Jonathan Sands—The local head of a riverboat gambling operation (which has brought corruption to Natchez since its arrival), Sands is a ruthless and chameleon-like bad guy who seems to have his fingers in quite a few pies, including dogfighting and prostitution. Plus he seems to have "friends in high places" who seem willing to protect him despite his corrupt and violent behavior.4 Things you liked and/or disliked about it:1. I liked how Iles keeps the story moving. This particular book was 577 pages (!), but it moves along at a good clip, and the plot is always branching off into some new area.2. I liked revisiting the characters and locations that Iles have written about in previous books. This is the third Penn Cage book he's written, and he even incorporates a character (Danny McDavitt) from one of his previous Natchez-based books that didn't feature Penn Cage.3. Greg Iles is one of my "go to" thriller writers, along with Nelson DeMille. Although he used to mix it up a bit more at the start of his writing career, lately he's focused on Natchez and Penn Cage. I think I've read every book he's written, and he is one of the few fiction writers that Mr. Jenners will read regularly. He comes out with a book every few years, and we always pick them up.4. I liked knowing that there will be another Penn Cage book on the horizon based on the ending of this book, which ends with a bit of a cliffhanger for Cage's personal life.5 Stars or less for your rating?I'm giving the book 3.5 stars. Like I said, Iles writes a decent thriller, and if you're in the market for a well-done, not too gruesome story with an author who has a decent backlog of books, Iles is the writer for you. This isn't great literature by any means, but it is a great candy bar book to occupy the time when you're between "heavier" books.
    • 3/5
      Fun, fast-paced, good plane reading. Honest, strong characters who always err on the side of good and win, too.
    • 4/5
      On page 550, Mr. Iles is having a private joke on his own readers who, while being shocked and horrified by his graphic depictions of torture and degradation, still continue reading. Mr. Iles writes "Don't pretend you don't want to look....everything that walks on 2 legs would watch this...if they knew no one was watching."
    • 4/5
      For some reason I always tend to underestimate this author. Perhaps it's the graphic-ness of some of his writings, but for whatever reason I seem always delay starting his novels only to thoroughly enjoy them once immersed. This one is no exception. A suspense novel with all the glory of the south wrapped up in a love story. Probably his best work. Hopefully somebody has snatched up the rights, because it would make an exceptional movie.
    • 4/5
      Greg Iles returns to his old stomping ground of Natchez Mississippi and its faithful mayor/lawyer/novelist Penn Cage in his latest thriller. We also see, if only peripherally, characters who have played roles in his other works: Tom Cage, Daniel Kelly, Chris Sheppard, Carl Sims and Danny McDavitt. This time Penn, on the verge of resigning his position as mayor due to his disappointment over his lack of accomplishment, reconnects with a childhood friend. His friend Tim, after experiencing the usual literary horrors of drug abuse, has reclaimed his life and currently serves as a card dealer on one of the riverboat casinos that Penn has been instrumental in bringing to the city.But Tim doesn't have good news. There's money laundering, dog fighting, and forced sexual molestation happening on the boat. Tim understands the danger of knowing and telling Penn of the events, but feels he must do so. Before Penn can obtain all of the information he needs, Tim is kidnapped, tortured and finally killed by the runners of the illegal operations. Penn himself is forced to comply with the bad guys' demands, lest his family be hurt. What follows is the story of how they stop the evil from continuing.Graphically disturbing, this novel is not for the faint of heart (or stomach!). Protracted scenes of vicious dogfighting, rape, and torture make it difficult at times to persevere through, though Iles still writes deftly. Penn is a decent but flawed character - it's easy for him to question his ideals when those he loves are in danger. Indeed, this is a hallmark of this tale; in the earlier chapters, Penn's former girlfriend argues vigorously against vigilante justice, insisting the perpetrators be brought to justice through the legal system. After she's been through an ordeal herself, she is given the opportunity to choose vigilante justice herself, and Iles does a remarkable job of showing her struggle.As an audiobook, this is an amazing work. The reader, Dick Hill, is a magnificent reader. I have lived in the south all of my life, and take lots of teasing about my accent, but it honestly took me a little while to even understand Mr. Hill, he was that good. His inflection and entire reading were spot on.