The Devil's Punchbowl

Author Greg Iles is a remarkable writer, offering a thriller that is both captivating with well-timed detail, and endearing with aesthetic touches not typical of the genre.  The Devil's Punchbowl is third in a series highlighting Penn Cage, a native of Natchez, Mississippi, who has been a high profile criminal prosecutor turned elected official.  A recurring theme in each of three novels to date is his on-again, off-again relationship with Caitlyn, a newspaper heiress who also practices the trade.  Cage's young daughter is often included in the plot and dialogue, adding another layer of depth to Iles's character development.

I have discovered as a reader that often by the time the third or fourth book in a series is released, an author's creativity becomes diminished.  The characters lose some of their allure, the plots seem too similar and contrived, a similar outcome virtually assured.  Iles defies this characterization, however.

The main characters in this third novel of the series remain fresh with nuances continually emerging.  The plots remain plausible, although one wonders just how much crime can (continue to) occur in Natchez, Mississippi, over the course of the years to come.  Although the novel provides closure in its waning pages, there is just enough uncertainty to prepare the reader for the next book in the series.  As the reader leaves this book, there is an impending family crisis, coupled with the strong possibility of a more permanent relational development between the two main characters.

Can't wait to read Natchez Burning, fourth in the Penn Cage series.