1920's Prostitution - The Good,Bad,And Oh So Fabulous

Understand this, and do not let the title fool you. Prostitution was the underbelly where the Devil thrived. Sex Traffic, Human Sex Slavery, Rape, and Murder where ONLY some of the travesties the 20th century 'street-walker' had to endure each and every day of his/her life.

That being said, let us explore the more 'Luxurious' side of  the 'Skin Trade' often conducted in brothels so full of wealth, many of their patrons, men that were wealthy in there own right, seemed like paupers.

Benjimen and Slick, investigating the thefts and killings of a number of land owners by Northern and Southern companies, often find the MOST useful information and leads in such 'houses of sin'.
Let's face it, a man will say anything to a pretty face, especially is that pretty face is in between his legs.

'The River' dives into this world head first, no goggles or pretense of a life guard nearby. What the readers experiences is a world that  its seedy, corrupt and dangerous, but oh so very fun! With graphic detail and crafty prose, I tell how the killers meet new friends that will make their investigations fruitful, as well as old flames that will do just the same, though in the nether regions of the men's strong powerful bodies.  I wanted to create a world that is lavish but cynical, beautiful but tragic, around every corner, in the side glance of every lovely face, there is a clue for the boys to discover, all while doing what daringly beautiful men do when around equally beautiful, cunning woman.

The madame of one of the brothels in 'The River' is actually fashioned after a real black madame that lived in the early 20th century. Mary Ellen "Mammy" Pleasant and Sarah B. "Babe" Connors. Pleasant was born a slave but became one of the most influential women in early San Francisco. Both operated boardinghouses in which wealthy businessmen were paired with prostitutes. With the revenue from her primary business, she invested in mining stock and made high-interest loans to the San Francisco elite. Pleasant also filed suit to desegregate the city's streetcars, making her "the mother of the civil rights movement" in California. Connors's brothels in St. Louis were among the most popular in the Midwest. Known as "the Castle" and "the Palace," they featured luxurious rugs, tapestries, art work, and crystal chandeliers. The parlor of the Palace was famous for its floor, which was made entirely of mirrored glass. Connors herself was always elegantly appointed with drapes of jewelry on her body and gold and diamonds embedded in her teeth. Many of the most famous songs of the ragtime genre -- the principal precursor to jazz -- were invented by Letitia Lulu Agatha "Mama Lou" Fontaine, who performed as the house act at Connors's brothels.

In the book, Mary Ellen "Mammy" Pleasant and Sarah B. "Babe" Connors are transformed to one woman whom is a force of nature, "Ms. Lolly". Rich beyond what very few woman could ever understand - black or white, Ms. Lolly is a very crafty book character to write about. Audacious and ruthless, just as she is caring and very much a 'Mother Hen' to her 'girls', this madame has been known to kill to get the most beautiful woman from around the globe.  From murdering abusive husbands, paying off over-bearing fathers, to bribing and killing pimps, Ms. Lolly always gets her girl. Once that young woman is in possession, the beauty's life will change dramatically.

The first to utilize a new procedure called 'Plastic Surgery' out of California, Lolly will re-create a woman  into an image the matronly skin trader sees fit.  All types of procedures are done; some simple and mundane, others completely body altering, but the finale results are always stupendous. The girls are always happy to be on board with Lolly,because they know her brothel attracts the creme'-de-la-creme' of southern high society, as well as men from all around the world.
In the book, we learn about Lolly's broken past, but we also learn of her will to win at all cost.

Dangerous and brutal but  so very fabulous, Miss Lolly will probably be a character that will always be in "The River' publications.