The Chili Queen

Sandra Dallas does it again! This story was full of surprises from the beginning. I not only enjoyed the characters, but their lives kept opening up as the story went in. This was a fun read that kept me interested all through it. Thank You, Sandra! I look forward to reading more.

One of the best I would love to see Cate Blanchett as Emma, Addie palyed by Kathy ( Cathy)Bates- Welcome- who knows and I havent cast the mail lead yet - any suggestions I have read all of her books and this, by far, is my favorite

My first read by Sandra Dallas and I was most impressed. I picked up this book a few times and it didn't 'take' but I'm happy to say I tried it again and read it nearly in one sitting!The characters in this story are not as they seem; there are several twists in the novel that make it a most satisfying one.

I just can't get enough of this author's books. This was another good one & one with very surprising twists. I liked all the characters & could almost taste the chili. You won't be disappointed by this book, even if you don't like westerns.

This was my first Sandra Dallas book and I just loved it. The twists were surprising, and really had me guessing. I loved the old west setting and the cast of characters. Definately a page turner and very different from the other "thriller/mystery" books I usually read. Reminded me a bit of "Fried Green Tomatoes" meets "Holes", if that makes any sense!

Reading Sandra Dallas novels is like "being there" in a slice of life of the past. This is true of each of her previous novels, all of which I have read and recommended to others, and it is true of "The Chili Queen". This time, we are immersed in the West of Nalgitas, New Mexico, and in the four main characters, starting with a very tolerant Madame, the Chili Queen herself, Addie. It is the book on Addie that sets the stage for the whole plot. For there we learn of homely, worn-out Emma and her abusive brother, John Roby, and we engage Addie's two remaining whores, her customers, and her black servant, Welcome. Finally, we meet her lover and friend, the outlaw bank robber, Ned Partner. One gets the idea that Addie's book is just the set up of plot twists to come. And, not to be disappointed, when Addie's book finishes, and Ned's begins, the reader realizes that the weave of the four main characters' stories gives progression to a subterfuge of schemes, not untypical of an O. Henry short story.This is an enjoyable read, with characters that would translate beautifully to the screen, a la the cast of the modern version "Maverick" with Jodie Foster, James Garner, and Mel Gibson. The wit of Dallas' characterization and the situational ironies make for a fast and entertaining read. It is hard not to jump ahead to the resolution, but worth the wait, no matter what the reader may guess will happen. "The Chili Queen" makes for believable and entertaining recreational reading, with suspense, romance, and a sense of the real characters of the later years of the Old West. I highly recommend this little book.