The Devil's Punchbowl

By: Greg Iles

Narrated by: Dick Hill

Length: 23 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

As a prosecutor in Houston, Penn Cage sent killers to death row. But as mayor of his hometown - Natchez, Mississippi - 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 has turned to casino gambling, and now five steamboats float on the river beside the old slave market, 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, he begins a quest to find the men responsible. But the local authorities have been corrupted by the money and power of his hidden enemy and, with his family's lives at stake, Penn realizes his only allies are those bound to him by blood or honor.

Together they must defeat a 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.

©2009 Greg Iles (P)2009 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Good story but questionable execution

This is a good story and I have it four stars, but the narration was questionable here. I really like Dick Hill and he is great on most stories, but in this case, he became so engrossed in assuming the role, particularly of the suffering male and female that it was almost impossible to understand what he was saying. Maybe it’s just me. Still a good story.

Great book but beware if you are a dog lover

Dick Hill did a great job. Book was very well written and had a hard time turning it off. The hardest part was listening to the detail descriptions of the dog fighting and the suffering of the animals. Had to fast forward through some of those but thankful those parts were few.

Unnecessary length; overdramatic reader

This book could have been reduced by half and been a lot better. Just too wordy. If I had to read this rather than listen to the audio book, I would have never finished it. I also didn't appreciate the huge range of volume in the reader's "performance". I don't want to constantly monitor the volume level so that I don't miss anything or blow my ear drums out. This is an audio book not a theatrical production.

Great Story

Love the story as I do most of Greg Iles books. I am a fan of Dick Hill reading also; however in this case his "Southern" accent didn't work for me. When expressing fear or trepidation it sounded more like whinnying then fear. Other books he's great but as a southerner his accent or lack there of took away from the story.

Good but audio hard to hear

Loved the story, just as good as the rest of the series. However, this recording is hard to hear at times. Kept having to turn volume up and down which was frustrating.

Narration not up to Dick Hill standards

Would you try another book from Greg Iles and/or Dick Hill?

Yes

What did you like best about this story?

Intriguing mystery. Good characters.

What didn’t you like about Dick Hill’s performance?

I listen to audio books in my car; many times at freeway speeds. There is a certain amount of highway noise. In this book Dick Hill whispers a lot especially when doing a female voice or the character is whimpering. I have missed enough of the book that I have given up trying to hear it and am going to read the rest on my iPad Kindle version. I have listened to Dick Hill through many of the Jack Reacher novels and never had a problem before. His characterizations and accents are very good but the whispering made this too difficult to listen to. This was very disappointing.

Could you see The Devil's Punchbowl being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Penn could be Scott Bakula. Tim Roth for Jonathon Sands.

Excellent!

Greg Isles is my favorite Authors. The first one I ever listened to was Turning Angel. It was one of the best mystery novels and I have listened to/read. I waited about a year, and listened to it again. But Devil's Punchbowl just topped it.

And By far the best narrator I have listened to is Dick Hill. He is amazing. He brings the story to life.

Still hooked!

Just finished my 2 Greg Iles book. Penn Cage series rocks! Can't wait for the next one.

Disappointed in narrator

I have read many Greg Iles books and have always enjoyed the Penn Cage books. However, I gave up on this one because I couldn't listen to the narrator any longer. His style is "herky jerky", difficult to listen to and even more difficult to make out what he is saying. I have never requested a refund before, but I will for this book if I can figure out the process for doing so.

book good, narration ruins it

narrator ruins listening experience. impossible to gauge volume settings due to him. Just read the book, stop whispering and changing tones for different characters. Couldn't hear half of it as I am listening while driving or mowing and can't continually change volume to accommodate a rogue narrator. This is the only review I've ever left, I felt obligated as he impacted the experience that badly. I love Greg Iles books. This was an unfortunate choice for narrator, I will avoid books he narrates in the future.