Tuesday, August 18, 2009 11:55 AM CDT
Book Review: 'The Devil's Punchbowl,' By Greg Iles
Review by Juanita Sherwood
If you like thrillers, then put Greg Iles’ latest book, “The Devil’s Punchbowl,” on your “must read” list.
The main character in this and two of Iles’ other books is Penn Cage, an attorney, formerly a prosecutor in Houston. Cage has moved back home to Natchez, Miss., where he lives with his young daughter. His wife, at a young age, passed away sometime back from a fast-acting cancer.
He is bringing up his daughter with the assistance of his parents, who also live in Natchez. It is important to know that his father, Tom, is a beloved local physician in the community. Penn, having become disgruntled with the direction that things were going in his hometown, decided to run for mayor and was successful in his bid.
Penn no longer practices law, but still thinks like a lawyer. He has written a few best-selling novels that have made him somewhat independent financially, and this allows him to spend time on the mayor’s issues.
In this book, the community of Natchez is host to several gambling boats. One of these in particular, the Magnolia Queen, seems to be the center of problems. The state of Mississippi has a gaming governing body that sets the guidelines for gambling establishments, but Penn is given information that makes him think that the rules are being bent, and not to the betterment of the community.
When one of his early childhood friends, a reformed “druggie” and Magnolia Queen employee, turns up dead after speaking to Penn about his concerns, Penn cannot help but investigate. Adding to the mix is a former girlfriend and former Natchez resident, Caitlin Masters, daughter of the owner of the local newspaper and journalist herself, who has recently returned to Natchez.
As Penn digs deeper and deeper into the situation, he finds that several things regarding the Magnolia Queen are not as they appear to be, and as the book proceeds, events away from the boat become more and more gruesome. Those in charge on the boat put up a charming front, but manage to engage in disturbing activities against both people and animals.
One of the issues that Penn had heard whispers about was illegal gambling involving dog and cock fighting. As he and Caitlin investigate these charges, evidence from all these activities is revealed little by little.
The identities of some individuals in the community who have become entangled in the clutches of gambling are surprising as well as disappointing, due to the important roles they play in Natchez and its surrounding area.
It seems that Penn, his father, and those assisting them are about to triumph when yet another complication or block to their investigation occurs.
Penn’s father even calls for the assistance of an old friend of his, Walt Garrity, a retired Texas Ranger, who agrees to go “under cover” to assist with the investigation. Some of his activities offer a bit of amusing relief to some of the other more brutal events.
If you have been close-up to an alligator in the water, let’s say on a tour of the Everglades, you will appreciate the scene in a swamp near the end; otherwise, your imagination will suffice.
The title represents three things in the story: a bar on the Magnolia Queen where some of the action occurs; a landform in a rural area named for its configuration which plays a part in the plot; and a description of the community of Natchez regarding the evil hold gambling and its effects has on the community.
This well-titled book deserves its spot on the best seller list. Enjoy.
Sherwood of Charleston is a retired reading teacher.
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