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Zusammenfassung
Zusammenfassung
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.
Zusammenfassung
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.
Rezensionen (4)
Publisher's Weekly-Rezension
Iles's third addition to the Penn Cage saga is an effective thriller that would have been even more satisfying at half its length. There is a lot of story to cover, with Cage now mayor of Natchez, Miss., battling to save his hometown, his family and his true love from the evil clutches of a pair of homicidal casino operators who are being protected by a homeland security bigwig. Dick Hill handles the large cast of characters effortlessly, adopting Southern accents that range from aristocratic (Cage and his elderly father) to redneck (assorted Natchez townsfolk). He provides the bad guys with their vocal flair, including an icy arrogance for the homeland security honcho, a soft Asian-tempered English for the daughter of an international villain and the rough Irish brogue of the two main antagonists. One of the latter pretends to be an upper-class Englishman and, in a moment of revelation, Hill does a smashing job of switching accents mid-sentence. A Scribner hardcover (Reviews, May 25). (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Booklist-Rezension
*Starred Review* Whenever Iles steps up to the literary plate, he seems to hit one out of the park. Penn Cage, the lawyer-turned-novelist who appeared in The Quiet Game (1999) and Turning Angel (2005), returns with a vengeance literally in this explosive, shocking novel. Set, as usual, in Natchez, Mississippi, the tale finds Penn regretting his decision to run for mayor; now that he has been elected, he's not sure he's up to the challenges he set for himself. But when an old friend comes to Penn with a story of nastiness aboard a floating casino, and then the friend is murdered, Penn vows to bring the people responsible to justice. He has no idea who he is dealing with, however, and it soon becomes clear that he will have his hands full simply protecting himself and his family from a gang of ruthless men. Penn is certainly a strong protagonist, but readers will see a new, vulnerable side of him here: he is hesitant, unsure of his abilities, unsure whether he can cross the moral line necessary to keep his loved ones safe. With a capable supporting cast including helicopter pilot Danny McDavitt, who also plays a key role in the novel Third Degree (2007) and a pair of supremely villainous villains, this top-flight thriller displays what Iles fans have known for quite a while now: he is an author who just keeps getting better. That's saying something for somebody who is already head and shoulders above most of his competitors.--Pitt, David Copyright 2009 Booklist
Kirkus-Rezension
A steamy, swampy tale of international nastiness by accomplished thriller writer Iles (True Evil, 2006, etc.). Penn Cage, steely protagonist of two previous novels (The Quiet Game, 1999; Turning Angel, 2005), is now mayor of Natchez, Miss., and, after something of a midlife crisis involving both widowhood and a career change, heading deep into middle age. Penn reconnects with a childhood friend who brings him dark word of bad things happening down in the Devil's Punchbowl, a hollow off the Mississippi River where bad guys have long disposed of their victims. The bad guys are no longer the river rats and Confederate deserters of old; now they come from all over the worldthe toughest of them, it seems, from Irelandto do a thriving trade in illegal things surrounding the already lucrative business of legalized gambling. Those things include drugs, underage prostitution, white slavery and dogfighting. The novel's perfectly rendered atmospherics and sometimes depressive sense of miasmal gloom ("I'd be dog bait, and that's a truly terrible way to die") frequently invoke Faulkner, though Iles' prose is more straightforward. The mayhem is altogether postmodern, a perfect vehicle for Billy Bob Thornton (as heavy or hero, your pick) and a shattering experience for everyone involved, not least Cage's sometime girlfriend, who finds herself deeper in the mire than anyone might have wanted, and his boyhood pal, for whom things do not turn out happily. Strong characters, male and female; utterly convincing villains in Brooks Brothers suits and private jets; and a believable premise. All these elements add up to a tale that ends, yes, on the promise of a sequel to come. Just right for beach reading at Gulfportor Tunica, for that matter: a whodunit that aspires to literature, albeit of the Southern Gothic variety. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Library Journal-Rezension
Penn Cage (Quiet Game, Turning Angel), a former prosecuting attorney-turned-novelist, is now mayor of Natchez, MS, his hometown. But all is not well, for the promises he made as a candidate seem all but impossible to achieve as a working mayor. When one of his childhood friends is murdered a day after contacting him with information concerning dog fighting, prostitution, drugs, and money laundering presided over by the manager of a Natchez gambling casino, Cage takes on an investigation that makes him the target of organized crime, endangers the lives of his family and closest friends, and draws the wrath of the Justice Department and Homeland Security. Verdict Iles's latest provides a thrill a minute, as Cage calls in long-owed favors to protect his family while employing every strategy in his command against a savvy, conscienceless killer. The author also manages to advance the love between Cage and Caitlin Masters, which, readers will remember, began in Turning Angel, and to present a striking panoramic view of his hometown. Highly recommended for thriller fans looking for a white-knuckled beach read.-Thomas L. Kilpatrick, formerly with Southern Illinois Univ. Lib., Carbondale (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
