The Devil’s Punchbowl- Greg Iles

THE DEEPEST SOUTH THE DARKEST HEARTS THE DEADLIEST SINS

As a prosecuting attorney Penn Cage sent hardened killers to death row. But it is as mayor of his hometown, Natchez, Mississippi, that he will face his most dangerous enemy.

In its quest for new jobs and fresh money, the town of Natchez has turned to gambling. Five fantastical steamboats float on the river, but one boat isn't like the others. Rumour has it that the Magnolia Queen has found a way to pull the big players from Las Vegas. And with them comes 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 the sickening crimes is brutally murdered, he begins a quest to find those responsible. But the local authorities have been corrupted by the money and power of this hidden enemy. With his family's life at stake, Penn realizes his only allies in his one-man war are those bound to him by blood or honour.

When the town you love is poisoned by greed, corruption and murder, how do you fight back?