She Stoops to Conquer

This seems to be a rather prolific period for Megan Abbott. Her then-forthcoming second novel, The Song Is You, caught our attention last fall. We subsequently invited her to guest-blog at The Rap Sheet, which she did with flair and insight. Now, critic-author James R. Winter has posted a review of her third and latest novel, Queenpin, in January Magazine.

Queenpin is a short work, focusing on an unnamed narrator who, at some during “the waning days of the American mob’s golden era,” hooks up with a legendary club owner/powerbroker named Gloria Denton. Writes Winter:

It’s a good relationship. Under Gloria’s tutelage, our girl becomes hard and smart. She also earns a lot of cash. With an apartment and a car as part of her job, she’s soon living a comfortable life.

But it’s not enough. When she goes behind Gloria’s back to set up a burglary, she gets a taste for more cash. It not only pads her wallet, but it gives her the thrill of rebelling against Gloria. She wants more.

Abbott has written the sexual flipside of the classic noirish story about the young, ambitious protagonist (generally a man) who hooks up with a well-heeled, battle-tested gangster for profit and loss of innocence. Read Winter’s review of Queenpin here.