 "violence over the top." | 2009-09-30 |
| - Reviewed By User: ATRQ97Y5662OO |
| I love thrillers and good stories but gratuitous violence and particularly animal cruelty is too much. This is a pretty good story and exciting but I really think it is brutal. Just need to alert people who might read it about if they are bothered by dismemberments and dog fighting to find another book. |
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 "Another fabulous Iles book..read them in order!" | 2009-09-25 |
| - Reviewed By radiok |
Greg Iles always keeps me entertained. I fully understand why it takes him so long to write a novel. Penn Cage, one of my favorite characters of Greg's book is in top form in this one as well.
However, it is difficult for me to listen to this book on CD in some spots being a lover of all animals. Let me say this...Michael Vick belongs in prison along with anyone else that finds dog fighting an entertaining sport. Better yet...they should be thrown to the dogs they've created.
The research by Iles is always impeccable and one of the reasons he's such a renowned author. Thanks Greg for another wonderful story. I only fear that much of it is true. |
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| "Disappointed" | 2009-09-22 |
| - Reviewed By User: ADOTNXY75XNTM |
| This novel is too lengthy and too much gory detail of dog fighting and sexual assault. I struggled to "get through" this book. I have been a long time fan of Greg Iles, but he totally has lost me on this one. I will have second thoughts about purchasing his next book without careful review. |
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| "A Complex and Thoroughly Engaging Novel" | 2009-09-21 |
| - Reviewed By editorial43 |
Greg Iles resides in Natchez, Mississippi, and has chosen the Southern region of the United States as the setting for many of his novels. THE DEVIL'S PUNCHBOWL may be his finest and most nuanced work to date, with the action taking place in Natchez. This is the third time Iles has featured Mayor Penn Cage. I think this is one of the most interesting character names I've ever heard and wonder if he chose it from the last names of two popular actors --- Sean Penn and Nicolas Cage.
The subject of the book's title represents several things. First, "The Devil's Punchbowl" is an infamous area found north of Natchez where outlaws were known to dump the bodies of their victims. More significantly to this novel, it is the name of one of the bars found on the Magnolia Queen, a gambling riverboat. It is also the nickname given to the torture room on the same riverboat, where the nefarious owners of the vessel commit heinous acts of brutality against both employees and ill-fated guests.
Mayor Cage has not seen any reason to poke his nose into the gambling riverboats that are run by the Golden Parachute Company because, quite frankly, they bring much needed revenue into his depressed town. Also, since the action is taking place in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, it is good for the local citizens and visitors to have an outlet that takes their minds off of the death and destruction Katrina has brought to the area. It is only when an old friend and former classmate of Cage's, Timothy Jessup, brings forth evidence of many serious crimes taking place on the Magnolia Queen that Cage realizes he needs to investigate further. It is a mere 24 hours later that Jessup, a card dealer on the Magnolia Queen, is found dead --- the apparent victim of a brutal torture session at the hands of both men and attack dogs.
Cage is immediately spurred to action. Gambling, prostitution and human trafficking are just the tip of the iceberg with the claims Jessup turned over. At the heart of the Golden Parachute's criminal ventures is the illegal blood sport of dog fighting. This activity, made infamous in recent years with the Michael Vick case, attracts everyone from rap stars and NFL players to Arab princes and Chinese billionaires. Jessup was in the process of bringing complete evidence to Cage at the time of his brutal murder. Cage is overwhelmed by Jessup's death and the fact that the rape of young girls and slaughter of dogs and other animals might be happening right under his nose.
It is when Jonathan Sands and his henchman, Seamus Quinn --- infamous Irish gangsters and local leaders of Golden Parachute --- directly threaten Cage and his family that the mayor realizes he is about to take on a syndicate much larger and more internationally connected then he ever imagined. Cage, however, is not without resources. He calls on those individuals in his life who can help him battle the evil that has a stranglehold on his town: news reporter and ex-lover Caitlin Masters; helicopter pilot and war hero Danny McDavitt; legendary local physician and Penn's father Tom Cage; retired Texas Ranger and old friend of Tom Cage's Walt Garrity, and special forces veteran and member of Blackhawk Risk Management Dan Kelly.
Cage and his group set off on a plan to bring down Sands, Quinn and the rest of the Golden Parachute group. As they gain more information, they find that Sands is actually a key informant in a National Security Case that Homeland Security and the Justice Department have been building against a Chinese billionaire, who is the employer of Sands and behind all of the illegal international activities that include the crimes aboard the Magnolia Queen. Can Cage and his crew battle and defeat an enemy with endless funding and the protection of an international syndicate? Can they do so knowing that it might be in direct conflict with the workings of the U.S. government?
What Greg Iles has accomplished with THE DEVIL'S PUNCHBOWL is a complex and thoroughly engaging novel that does not possess one boring moment. The nearly 600-page book reads quickly, and there are so many characters and situations going on, it's a tribute to Iles at how deftly he juggles all of these situations while continuing to drive the plot to its electric conclusion. I wish more of Iles's work would find its way to the big screen. His novel 24 HOURS was made into the successful Charlize Theron and Kevin Bacon film, Trapped. I believe THE DEVIL'S PUNCHBOWL is perfect material for another film treatment. Here's hoping we see Mayor Penn Cage and the rest of these compelling characters again very soon.
--- Reviewed by Ray Palen |
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 "Graphic & stomach churning ..." | 2009-09-17 |
| - Reviewed By User: A325JING4PW8FE |
Penn Cage, a recurring character in Greg Iles' novels, returns - this time as Mayor of Natchez, MS. A childhood friend who works on one of the casino boats brings him pictures that show dogfighting & various kinds of sexual cruelty to underaged girls - acts that are being facilitated & sponsored by the casino. This novel is the story of Mr. Cage & his friends & allies trying to stop these actions from continuing to poison their town.
Unlike his other thrillers, Greg Iles casts a wide net here - much of the action is global & plays out on a national security stage. I think his books are better when they deal with more local events & players, but this is a good thriller. Penn Cage can be a self-righteous martyr, but as this novel progresses those tendencies become minimized in the face of the utter depravity that our heroes (& heroines) are up against.
This book is filled with graphic violence - against animals, against women, against men - these are equal opportunity offenders. If you are squeamish about this sort of thing, this may not be the book for you. The violence is not gratuitous or entertaining. It is integral to the plot that Mr. Iles has built & it moves the story along. It also gave me a lot to think about with regard to bloodsport & its place in our culture.
A good well-written page-turner, although somewhat less successful than some of Iles' other books. As an argument for how awful the reality of dogfighting is, however, this scores a 15 on a 1 to 10 scale. That may or may not be what you want from a thriller, but I'm glad I read it. |
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| "What a great book" | 2009-08-01 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1I2U8NT5J6P1N |
I wont go over the books subject as too many already have. However,to those of you who said it was too long, i say it was well worth the extra pages. Most authors would make this into 2 books and sold both hardcovers for 25.00. If you read the acknowledgements you will understand that this book took on a life of its own for the author. Thats what creative writing is all about. Not what we expect , but what comes from the author. Kudo's to you Greg for an excellent page turner. As far as the violence goes, I dont think it was any worse than other books in this genre, brutal but true in so many instances.
Great job and incredible book.
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