Miami Purity 
Vicki Hendricks' acclaimed erotic debut novel takes it's cue from noir godfather James M. Cain and is a clear homage to his The Postman Always Rings Twice . In this one, after exotic dancer Sherri Parlay "accidentally" kills her abusive husband, she decides to start over fresh. One way to do it is to get a legit job working at the indie dry cleaners Miami Purity. Here she quickly falls for the owner's son and his "Jagger-lips," but his controlling mom stands in the way.
Hendricks' noir voice is smooth and assured, totally spot on. Her writing is one of the best examples I've seen of truly evoking the pulp paperback era but never feeling forced. There are not many things in the story that really date it, so it has a timeless feel and there are many times that I forgot that it was published in 1995. Along with the Miami humidity, the dry cleaners is a perfect setting for this steamy book and all of the illicit going-ons, a place where people take all their dirty things to get them cleaned and "purified." And Sherri is a great protagonist, unapologetic about her sexuality, strong in going after what she wants at the same time she's weak in her self-control.
Now while there are lots of great things in Miami Purity, especially the final act, much of it's beginning and middle is bogged down by monotony, where it falls into a soap opera slump, with not much going on except for Sherri pining over Payne, and the two of them having hot sex and trying to hide it from his mom. In this way, it's also similar to another Cain book, Mildred Pierce, which I had similar feelings about: well-written but weakened by it's eye-rolling soapy elements. So if you imagine James M. Cain, but with a lot more vagina and penis, you'll get an idea of what to expect from this book. And it's cool seeing how many awesome authors have blurbed lovingly about Vicki Hendricks and her work, from Dennis Lehane, to George Pelecanos, to Joe R. Lansdale, and this edition even sports a thoughtful Afterword by Megan Abbott.
Five Round Burst Review (pointblankpodcast.com)Miami Purity by Vicki HendricksAll right, so the second book I'm reviewing this episode is Miami Purity, which was written by Vicki Hendricks and published in 1995. Hendricks got her MFA from Florida International University in 1992. This is taut neo-noir loosely modeled on James M. Cain's The Postman Always Rings Twice. The main character is Sherry -- a down on her luck working class gal who makes poor decisions and finds her self in trouble on a
At the end of reading this book, I felt as if I'd just been forced to watch the 2011 movie Killer Joe all over again.Plenty of other people like Miami Purity, though, and certainly it's readable in the same way that it's difficult to turn away from accident scenes, so go look at other GR reviews of it.

WOW. This book has been on my to-read list for years, and so when I saw it on the shelf at a Miami-area bookstore recently I bought it and started reading. It's so short -- just 152 pages -- I figured I'd finish it in a day or so. I was wrong. From its stunner of an opening to its grim conclusion, this book floored me. I had to keep stopping to scrape my jaw off the ground and absorb just what had taken place.That this was a debut novel seems amazing now. South Florida writer Vicki Hendricks
For a first time novelist, the author, Vicki Hendricks is gutsy and her writing is, in my estimation, courageous and amazing. There are no innuendos in this book. Written in the first person, Sherry Parlay is a professional and talented exotic dancer recently retired from the profession. So the language Sherry uses is the language which she knows. So fair warning to the faint of heart or if youre shy and reserved and easily offended, pass this book up. Otherwise, jump in because its a great read
This one didn't really connect for me. For a story that's loaded with sex to the point of being porn, I didn't find it very erotic -- unlike, say, the movie "Body Heat". Plus, for a rather short book, it takes a pretty long time to get to its major twists -- though those are good ones when they finally arrive. The dry-cleaning backdrop was also different and interesting.
Vicki Hendricks
Paperback | Pages: 170 pages Rating: 3.38 | 777 Users | 54 Reviews

Specify Epithetical Books Miami Purity
Title | : | Miami Purity |
Author | : | Vicki Hendricks |
Book Format | : | Paperback |
Book Edition | : | Anniversary Edition |
Pages | : | Pages: 170 pages |
Published | : | May 1st 2007 by Busted Flush Press, LLC (first published 1995) |
Categories | : | Mystery. Fiction. Noir. Crime. Novels |
Commentary In Favor Of Books Miami Purity
⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2Vicki Hendricks' acclaimed erotic debut novel takes it's cue from noir godfather James M. Cain and is a clear homage to his The Postman Always Rings Twice . In this one, after exotic dancer Sherri Parlay "accidentally" kills her abusive husband, she decides to start over fresh. One way to do it is to get a legit job working at the indie dry cleaners Miami Purity. Here she quickly falls for the owner's son and his "Jagger-lips," but his controlling mom stands in the way.
Hendricks' noir voice is smooth and assured, totally spot on. Her writing is one of the best examples I've seen of truly evoking the pulp paperback era but never feeling forced. There are not many things in the story that really date it, so it has a timeless feel and there are many times that I forgot that it was published in 1995. Along with the Miami humidity, the dry cleaners is a perfect setting for this steamy book and all of the illicit going-ons, a place where people take all their dirty things to get them cleaned and "purified." And Sherri is a great protagonist, unapologetic about her sexuality, strong in going after what she wants at the same time she's weak in her self-control.
Now while there are lots of great things in Miami Purity, especially the final act, much of it's beginning and middle is bogged down by monotony, where it falls into a soap opera slump, with not much going on except for Sherri pining over Payne, and the two of them having hot sex and trying to hide it from his mom. In this way, it's also similar to another Cain book, Mildred Pierce, which I had similar feelings about: well-written but weakened by it's eye-rolling soapy elements. So if you imagine James M. Cain, but with a lot more vagina and penis, you'll get an idea of what to expect from this book. And it's cool seeing how many awesome authors have blurbed lovingly about Vicki Hendricks and her work, from Dennis Lehane, to George Pelecanos, to Joe R. Lansdale, and this edition even sports a thoughtful Afterword by Megan Abbott.
Point Books To Miami Purity
Original Title: | Miami Purity |
ISBN: | 0979270936 (ISBN13: 9780979270932) |
Edition Language: | English |
Rating Epithetical Books Miami Purity
Ratings: 3.38 From 777 Users | 54 ReviewsAssess Epithetical Books Miami Purity
Wow. This one is hard to describe... kind of a mystery but truly amazing!Five Round Burst Review (pointblankpodcast.com)Miami Purity by Vicki HendricksAll right, so the second book I'm reviewing this episode is Miami Purity, which was written by Vicki Hendricks and published in 1995. Hendricks got her MFA from Florida International University in 1992. This is taut neo-noir loosely modeled on James M. Cain's The Postman Always Rings Twice. The main character is Sherry -- a down on her luck working class gal who makes poor decisions and finds her self in trouble on a
At the end of reading this book, I felt as if I'd just been forced to watch the 2011 movie Killer Joe all over again.Plenty of other people like Miami Purity, though, and certainly it's readable in the same way that it's difficult to turn away from accident scenes, so go look at other GR reviews of it.

WOW. This book has been on my to-read list for years, and so when I saw it on the shelf at a Miami-area bookstore recently I bought it and started reading. It's so short -- just 152 pages -- I figured I'd finish it in a day or so. I was wrong. From its stunner of an opening to its grim conclusion, this book floored me. I had to keep stopping to scrape my jaw off the ground and absorb just what had taken place.That this was a debut novel seems amazing now. South Florida writer Vicki Hendricks
For a first time novelist, the author, Vicki Hendricks is gutsy and her writing is, in my estimation, courageous and amazing. There are no innuendos in this book. Written in the first person, Sherry Parlay is a professional and talented exotic dancer recently retired from the profession. So the language Sherry uses is the language which she knows. So fair warning to the faint of heart or if youre shy and reserved and easily offended, pass this book up. Otherwise, jump in because its a great read
This one didn't really connect for me. For a story that's loaded with sex to the point of being porn, I didn't find it very erotic -- unlike, say, the movie "Body Heat". Plus, for a rather short book, it takes a pretty long time to get to its major twists -- though those are good ones when they finally arrive. The dry-cleaning backdrop was also different and interesting.
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