Editor Reviews:

Product Description:
Step into the perfumed parlors of the Everleigh Club, the most famous brothel in American history–and the catalyst for a culture war that rocked the nation. Operating in Chicago’s notorious Levee district at the dawn of the last century, the Club’s proprietors, two aristocratic sisters named Minna and Ada Everleigh, welcomed moguls and actors, senators and athletes, foreign dignitaries and literary icons, into their stately double mansion, where thirty stunning Everleigh “butterflies” awaited their arrival. Courtesans named Doll, Suzy Poon Tang, and Brick Top devoured raw meat to the delight of Prince Henry of Prussia and recited poetry for Theodore Dreiser. Whereas lesser madams pocketed most of a harlot’s earnings and kept a “whipper” on staff to mete out discipline, the Everleighs made sure their girls dined on gourmet food, were examined by an honest physician, and even tutored in the literature of Balzac.

Not everyone appreciated the sisters’ attempts to elevate the industry. Rival Levee madams hatched numerous schemes to ruin the Everleighs, including an attempt to frame them for the death of department store heir Marshall Field, Jr. But the sisters’ most daunting foes were the Progressive Era reformers, who sent the entire country into a frenzy with lurid tales of “white slavery”——the allegedly rampant practice of kidnapping young girls and forcing them into brothels. This furor shaped America’s sexual culture and had repercussions all the way to the White House, including the formation of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

With a cast of characters that includes Jack Johnson, John Barrymore, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., William Howard Taft, “Hinky Dink” Kenna, and Al Capone, Sin in the Second City is Karen Abbott’s colorful, nuanced portrait of the iconic Everleigh sisters, their world-famous Club, and the perennial clash between our nation’s hedonistic impulses and Puritanical roots. Culminating in a dramatic last stand between brothel keepers and crusading reformers, Sin in the Second City offers a vivid snapshot of America’s journey from Victorian-era propriety to twentieth-century modernity.

Visit www.sininthesecondcity.com to learn more!

Praise for Sin in the Second City:
“Assiduously researched… [Sin in the Second City] describes a popular culture awash in wild tales of sexual abuse, crusading reformers claiming God on their side, and deep suspicion of the threat posed by “foreigners” to the nation’s Christian values.”
——Janet Maslin, The New York Times

“Lavish in her details, nicely detached in her point of view, [and with] scrupulous concern for historical accuracy, Ms. Abbott has written an immensely readable book. Sin in the Second City offers much in the way of reflection for those interested in the unending puzzle that goes by the name of human nature." — The Wall Street Journal


"Abbott's first book is meticulously researched and entertaining... a colorful history of old Chicago that reads like a novel."
——The Atlanta Journal Constitution


“With gleaming prose and authoritative knowledge Abbott elucidates one of the most colorful periods in American history, and the result reads like the very best fiction. Sex, opulence, murder — What's not to love?”
—— Sara Gruen, author of Water for Elephants


“A detailed and intimate portrait of the Ritz of brothels, the famed Everleigh Club of turn-of-the-century Chicago. Sisters Minna and Ada attracted the elites of the world to such glamorous chambers as the Room of 1,000 Mirrors, complete with a reflective floor. And isn’t Minna’s advice to her resident prostitutes worthy advice for us all: “Give, but give interestingly and with mystery.”’
—— Erik Larson, author of The Devil in the White City


“Karen Abbott has combined bodice-ripping salaciousness with top-notch scholarship to produce a work more vivid than a Hollywood movie.”
—— Melissa Fay Greene, author of There is No Me Without You


“Sin in the Second City is a masterful history lesson, a harrowing biography, and - best of all - a superfun read. The Everleigh story closely follows the turns of American history like a little sister. I can't recommend this book loudly enough.”
—— Darin Strauss, author of Chang and Eng


“This is a story of debauchery and corruption, but it is also a story of sisterhood, and unerring devotion. Meticulously researched, and beautifully crafted, Sin in the Second City is an utterly captivating piece of history.”
—— Julian Rubinstein, author of Ballad of the Whiskey Robber

Rating : - A Good Historical Novel
About a year ago I came upon the turn of the century crime novel. Since then I have read a number of books and most have been quite good. This book was amongst the mid tier books (I would have rated in 3.5 stars if possible. My slight issues with this book has nothing to do with the writing. In fact I felt Abbott does an excellent job presenting turn of the century Chicago and capturing the feel of the city.

I think my issue with the book is the main characters do not seem to be interesting enough to fill all the pages. Perhaps the Everleighs were not as interesting as initially hoped by the author. I felt that despite the detailed descriptions of the time there was a missed opportunity to look at the Vice District in a broader sense and delve a bit deeper into the multitude of other interesting characters that Abbott introduces and litters throughout the book.

If she had written a bit more about some of these unsavory individuals perhaps it would have been more fulfilling for me as a reader. Or maybe the topic just didn't do it for me. She does share quite a bit on the history of white slavery which I found very interesting.

While this didn't win me over, if you are interested in brothels, Chicago at the turn of the century, and the Everleigh sisters this book will not disappoint. Additionally, the novel will introduce you to many characters you could follow through other novels and certainly presents interesting insight but again I couldn't help but feel that there was something missing.

I would recommend Erik Larson's novels first (perhaps his decision to intertwine multiple stories is something necessary when a main character cannot fill up the pages of an entire book) and then move on to this book. If you a reader of turn of the century crime novels and haven't read this yet you will definitely enjoy it but if you haven't read any yet there are a few others such as Devil in the White City and Satan's Circus which I would recommend first.