The Chili Queen: A Novel
A whorehouse madam, a bank robber, a mail-order bride and a  former slave romp around 1860s New Mexico in this fifth novel  from the author of The Persian Pickle Club. As she has before,  Dallas weaves a beguiling plot and creates engaging characters  and dialogue. The first part of the book is narrated by Addie  French, a madam at the Chili Queen whorehouse, whose language is  salted with colorful metaphors. "Some men liked scrawny women,"  she explains, "just as some men picked chicken wings over  drumsticks." In the second section, the central figure is Ned  Partner, a hunky bank robber and would-be rancher whose  emotional innocence contrasts with his smooth ways in the  bedroom and behind a gun. Next, there is Emma Roby, a mail-order  bride with a secret past who is temporarily boarding at the  Chili Queen, and finally Welcome, a former slave turned  whorehouse cook. Because Emma and Welcome are not as well drawn,  the closing chapters lose momentum; they are also glutted with  backstory. When Dallas tries to cover subjects like sexual abuse  and other types of violence, her light tone can't support the  heavier themes. Still, the zesty, offbeat charm of life among  these undesirables in the seedy West keeps this tale moving  smartly. Literary Guild and Doubleday Book club alternate;  5-city author tour. (Sept.)Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.