Book: The Devil's Punchbowl by Greg Iles

Greg Iles lives in Natchez, Mississippi, which is the setting for this nearly 600-page, latest Penn Gage novel. Penn is the disillusioned mayor of Natchez and is the protagonist. The other good guys are an assortment of law enforcers, one of whom comes in from Afghanistan and is employed by a company called Blackhawk Risk Management (read Blackwater). The bad guys are a Chinese billionaire, two very evil Irish thugs, a less than stalwart district attorney and assorted other minor characters.

There is also the prostitute with a good heart, an old school mate of Penn's who is a recently clean drug addict, Penn's Father who is a Korean War veteran and who calls in a retired Texas Ranger and Penn's ex-girlfriend, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist. The crimes are dog-fighting, illegal sex, gambling, money-laundering and murders on and off the Magnolia Queen, a riverboat casino. There are bayous, alligators, levees, cemeteries and a hot-air balloon race. Heroes and villains in Natchez....

The teaser in the last few pages of the book ensures that Greg Iles' fans will pick up his next Penn Gage novel.