Liquor »

POPPY Z. BRITE is the author of a dozen books, including Lost Souls, Drawing Blood, and Exquisite Corpse. Liquor is her first book set in the restaurant world. She lives in New Orleans with her husband, Chris, a chef.

New Orleans natives Rickey and G-man are lifetime friends and down-and-out line cooks desperate to make a quick buck. When Rickey concocts the idea of opening a restaurant in their alcohol-loving hometown where every dish packs a spirited punch, they know they’re on their way to the bank. With some wheeling and dealing, a slew of great recipes, and a few lucky breaks, Rickey and G-man are soon on their way to opening Liquor, their very own restaurant. But first they need to pacify a local crank who doesn’t want to see his neighborhood disturbed, sidestep Rickey’s deranged ex-boss, rein in their big-mouth silent partner before he runs amok, and stay afloat in a stew of corruption in a town well known for its bottom feeders.

A manic, spicy romp through the kitchens, back alleys, dive bars, and drug deals of the country’s most sublimely ridiculous city, author Poppy Z. Brite masterfully shakes equal parts ambition, scandal, ?lé powder, cocaine, and murder, and serves Liquor straight up, with a twist.

The Washington Post

Rickey and G-man's venture makes for a funny, surprisingly suspenseful story informed by Brite's sure, sympathetic eye and her in-depth understanding of the arcane subculture she describes. Brite (who is married to a New Orleans-based chef) never cheats, never skimps on the necessary detail. She immerses us in the day-to-day life of the working chef, with its peculiar vocabulary, traditions and legends, and its equally unique assortment of stresses and rewards. In his memoir On Writing, Stephen King correctly noted that readers are fascinated by what people do at work. Liquor satisfies this primal curiosity, creating an engaging, sometimes moving portrait of two young men discovering their place in the world, and doing the work they were born to do. — Bill Sheehan