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.

Slow, got better then slow again.

This book starts out slow and I almost didn’t go ahead and listen to it. But I figured it’d get better. I’ve listened to many of this authors books. It’s not quite as up to par as his other books, he uses too many metaphors, but it got better. Then the end dragged on. I guess the end leaves way for a sequel. I’ll download and listen to other books by him.

Audio Issues

This was a really frustrating listen; I don’t know if it was the performance or the quality of the recording, but every time I listened to this in the car, of the narrator used a low tone, female voice, or whispered, there was no way to hear it. Even turning the volume up to painful levels left it louder, but still unintelligible. I haven’t had this problem with this series previously, but this particular book was exceptionally frustrating.

Bad Narration

The narration in this book was the worst I've ever heard. As good as the story was, it was misery getting to the end of this book because of the horrible narration.

Great story.

Good ending and great characters. Worst part was narrator. Dick Hill’s version of “southern” leaves a lot to be desired. (I’m a southerner and know). When he speaks in soft tones and low volume some words are impossible to understand. Must say Greg Iles can spin a tale.

GRest story!

Story is great - my only problem is some of the narration gets low and hard to understand, mostly in areas where the characters are lowering their voices. Hate to miss any of it!

Great.

If you could sum up The Devil's Punchbowl in three words, what would they be?

provocative, suspenseful, courageous

Who was your favorite character and why?

Penn Cage - good true blue hero type, with a few character flaws

Which character – as performed by Dick Hill – was your favorite?

Tom Cage

What a difference the narration can make!

I liked the story although it seemed to drag a little. The past history of Penn seems to be repeated a lot. There also seemed to be more attention given to the dog fighting than the sexual exploitation and trafficking of minors. Overall I thought it was average for this wonderful author.

The narration was so poor I almost turned it off. The accents are ridiculous. The chance in volume especially with female characters was beyond annoying.

Book 3 in the Penn Cage series...

This book, as the previous 2, was very entertaining. However, having said that, the book follows the same narrative arc as the first two - a problem unique onto the main character, culminating in life-threatening experiences at the 75-80% completion mark, followed by resolution. Even knowing this arc will occur, I will listen to book 4.

Dick Hill does an outstanding job at narration - accents, inflections, character differentiation, etc. However, I rated the performance a "3" because of what I would consider an "audio engineering" issue. I listen primarily in the car on long drives. There are multiple passages in the book where the volume varies so significantly that I either cant hear it, and if I turn it up, I am blasting my speakers 20 seconds later. Very frustrating to continually be adjusting the volume. The issue is not my vehicle - I have a high quality luxury SUV known for quiet rides.

Great story

It was difficult if not impossible to make out some of the words at times, particularly for the women’s lines. I had to rewind the recording several times and strained to make out the words.

wonderful

great series some less than others but overall worth the listen. go for the first one.