The Chili Queen begins with Addie, a madam, on her way home to New Mexico after visiting a client in Kansas. On the train, she meets Emma, an “old maid” who is going to Addie’s town to with the intention of marrying a man she has been corresponding with but has never met. When they arrive, Addie and Emma part ways, but Emma soon after arrives at Addie’s doorstep saying that her husband-to-be changed his mind once he met Emma. The naïve Emma mistakes Addie’s establishment, The Chili Queen, for a boardinghouse rather than a whorehouse so she asks to stay the night. Addie, her on-again/off-again boyfriend Ned, and her housekeeper Welcome help Emma concoct a plan to swindle money from her brother John so that she may live on her own. However, things aren't always as they seem and just who is swindling who becomes an ongoing question here. With all these complications and twists, it is difficult to pick out the true antagonists and protagonists. All of the characters are “tainted” to some respect and they are all out to swindle one another. The storyline is interesting, although a bit too contrived for my tastes. The writing is weak at times with the occasional grammatical error, and the author contradicts herself from time to time (albeit on minor points). There's an attempt to give the characters' back stories and develop them fully, but sometimes these fall flat (for instance, Addie runs away from home so her stepfather won't sexually use her, but then she becomes a whore? That makes sense!). The language isn't coarse and most of the sex and violence is kept to minimal descriptions, but as other reviewers note, there is one scene of rape and murder toward the end that is disturbing and given a fair amount of detail). Overall, it's a good effort but I'd have a hard time wholeheartedly recommending this title, and I can't for the life of me figure out how it's an award winner. ( )

Another one from Sandra Dallas. I enjoyed it. It is a well-written and entertaining western set in New Mexico. Everyone is trying to cheat everyone else and you don't find out until the end who really wins! There was one section that had some disturbing images of assault that, although relevant to the storyline, were a little strong for me.Overall, a good book. I will be on the lookout for more Sandra Dallas books. ( )

This is a great book on a couple of levels. The story is compelling and the characters are interesting. Without giving too much away, there are layers going on - who is who, what is really going on, etc. Really great. One caveat - there is a very strong scene towards the end of the book involving rape. ( )

Wanted to like this book; just couldn't hold attention. ( )