From the author of "Lost Souls, Drawing Blood, "and "Wormwood "comes a thrilling and chilling novel that bestselling author Peter Straub says serves as a "guidebook to hell."
To serial slayer Andrew Compton, murder is an art, the most intimate art. After feigning his own death to escape from prison, Compton makes his way to the United States with the sole ambition of bringing his "art" to new heights. Tortured by his own perverse desires, and drawn to possess and destroy young boys, Compton inadvertently joins forces with Jay Byrne, a dissolute playboy who has pushed his "art" to limits even Compton hadn't previously imagined. Together, Compton and Byrne set their sights on an exquisite young Vietnamese-American runaway, Tran, whom they deem to be the perfect victim.
Swiftly moving from the grimy streets of London's Piccadilly Circus to the decadence of the New Orleans French Quarter, Poppy Z. Brite dissects the landscape of torture and invites us into the mind of a killer. Exquisite Corpse confirms Brite as a writer who defies categorization. It is a novel for those who dare trespass where the sacred and profane become one.

hese two short novels bookend Poppy Z. Brite's cheerfully chaotic series starring two chefs in New Orleans. "The Value of X" introduces G-man and Rickey, who grew up in New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward and who are slowly realizing there are only two important things in life: cooking and each other. Rickey's parents aren't quite so taken with the boy's plans and get him an impossible-to-resist place at the Culinary Institute of America.

In "D*U*C*K," Rickey and G-man's restaurant, Liquor, is doing well but there are the usual complications of running a kitchen: egos get bruised, people get fired . . . and then Rickey is jumped in an alley by one of their ex-waiters.

On the mend, Rickey takes a side job to cater the annual Ducks Unlimited banquet, where every course must, of course, include the ducks the hunters have bagged. Rickey's crew are ready to meet the challenge, but Rickey's not sure he can do it all "and" deal with the guest of honor--his childhood hero, former New Orleans Saints quarterback Bobby Hebert.

"Fun foodie fiction, and readers will scarf it down as quickly as a plate of blackened crawfish."--"Publishers Weekly"

Originally published in limited hardcover editions, these two novels are full of the pure joy of love, hard work, and great food and are a tremendous extension (or introduction) to Brite's series.

Praise fo the Rickey and G-man stories:

"A high-end restaurant is...a gift that keeps on giving. The heat, the bickerings and intrigue, the pursuit of perfection, the dodgy money keeping it all afloate: the setting spawns plots...Can the Liquor] franchise sustain itself? The answer is yes."--"New York Times"

"World-class satire and perfect New Orleans lit."--Andrei Codrescu

"Steeped in spicy dialogue and New Orleans] flavor...a behind-the-swinging-door peek into the world of chefs."--"Entertainment Weekly"

Poppy Z. Brite's fiction set in the New Orleans restaurant world includes "Prime," "Liquor," and "Soul Kitchen." She has also published five other novels and three short story collections. She lives with her husband Chris, a chef, in New Orleans.

A terrifying novel of love and slaughter set in London and New Orleans. To serial killer Andrew Compton, murder is an art, the most intimate art. After feigning his own death to escape from a life sentence in prison, he makes his way to America with the intention of bringing his art to new heights. Tortured by his own perverse desires, he inadvertently joins forces with Jay, a dissolute playboy. They set their sights on a young Vietnamese-American runaway, who they deem to be the perfect victim. Moving from the grimy streets of London's Piccadilly Circus to the decadences of New Orleans' French Quarter, Poppy Z. Brite dissects the landscape of torture and invites us into the mind of a serial killer in this riveting, unforgettable masterpiece of horror.

" O]ne of the best writers of horror in this or any other country." - Peter Straub
"One of the genre's most underrated writers . . . enjoyably nasty." - Poppy Z. Brite
"A must-read for horror fiction fans. . . . Obtain "The Amulet" by any means necessary." - "Too Much Horror Fiction"
"McDowell has a flair for the gruesome." - "Washington Post"
When a rifle range accident leaves Dean Howell disfigured and in a vegetative state, his wife Sarah finds her dreary life in Pine Cone, Alabama made even worse. After long and tedious days on the assembly line, she returns home to care for her corpselike husband while enduring her loathsome and hateful mother-in-law, Jo. Jo blames the entire town for her son's mishap, and when she gives a strange piece of jewelry to the man she believes most responsible, a series of gruesome deaths is set in motion. Sarah believes the amulet has something to do with the rising body count, but no one will believe her. As the inexplicable murders continue, Sarah and her friend Becca Blair have no choice but to track down the amulet themselves, before it's too late . . .
Michael McDowell (1950-1999) is best known for his screenplays to the films "Beetlejuice" and "The Nightmare Before Christmas," but he was also the author of several excellent and underrated Southern Gothic horror novels, of which "The Amulet" (1979) was the first. Originally published as a pulp paperback, now scarce and long out-of-print, McDowell's grimly humorous and delightfully horrific novel returns to print in this edition, which features a new introduction by Poppy Z. Brite.

From the hottest voice in contemporary horror comes a hip, sensual, and totally original reimagining of the haunted house story. Trevor McGee is a survivor. Twenty years ago, his father took the lives of his mother, his brother and himself in an inexplicable explosion of murder and suicide. Now Trevor has returned home to face the demons. . . .

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 ?rst 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, ?le powder, cocaine, and murder, and serves Liquor straight up, with a twist.

If you can't stand the heat...Get the hell out of New Orleans!
Liquor has become one of the hottest restaurants in town, thanks in part to chefs Rickey and G-man's wildly creative, booze-laced food. At the tail end of a busy Mardi Gras, Milford Goodman walks into their kitchen--he's spent the last ten years in Angola Prison for murdering his boss, a wealthy New Orleans restaurateur, but has recently been exonerated on new evidence and released. Rickey remembers him as an ingenious chef and hires him on the spot.
When a pill-pushing doctor and a Carnival scion talk Rickey into consulting at the restaurant they're opening in one of the city's "floating casinos," Rickey recommends Milford for the head chef position and stays on to supervise. But soon Rickey finds himself medicating a kitchen injury with the doctor's wares, and G-man grows tired of holding down the fort at Liquor alone. As the new restaurant moves toward its opening, Rickey learns that Milford's past is inextricably linked with one of the project's backers, a man whose intentions begin to seem more and more sinister.
Full of the flavor of one of America's greatest cities, "Soul Kitchen" is a sharp commentary on race relations in pre-Katrina New Orleans and a fast ride through the dark side of haute cuisine.