The Devil's Punchbowl: A Novel

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.