It's too bad this book is out-of-print. It's a dandy. Maybe you can get a copy through Amazon's rare and out-of-print service. It is the story which led to the movie, "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," a great movie with Dolly Parton and Burt Reynolds.

But, the book is nothing like the movie! It's even better. This is the story of the oldest continuously operating whorehouse in Texas. It first opened for business in 1844, in La Grange, Texas, where it became an institution which the community not only tolerated, but looked at with a certain pride.

It was protected by a succession of sheriffs, who, supposedly, did so out of the goodness of their hearts, and because the Chicken Ranch was a source of invaluable intelligence into criminal activities in the county.

The author, Jan Hutson, seems to write from a knowledgeable--even intimate--viewpoint. She says in her Acknowledgements that she could not have written it without her husband's "enthusiasm in humoring my eccentricities" and her children's patience and pride.

Hutson is extremely hard on the TV personality, Marvin Zindler, whose efforts she credits for shutting the famous old whorehouse down.

She portrays him as a toupee wearing, sensation-seeking "jerk" who went on a vendetta against the Chicken Ranch, seeking personal aggrandizement by making it a cause celebre.

"Busting sixteen obscure whores from Houston was not going to grab any headlines. But the Chicken Ranch was not obscure; it was a name familiar to every schoolboy in Texas. The house was doomed because its public relations had worked too well." (Page 109)

This is a great little book. If you can get hold of a copy, you will not be able to put it down.

Joseph Pierre,
Author of THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS: Our Journey Through Eternity

Jan Hutson has created a masterpiece of literature with her new book, "Tortuga." It is beautifully written, and held my attention to the end.

Tortuga is the story of the Flores family, whose ancestral beginnings included a Moorish prince and a Spanish peasant woman. The name, meaning flower in Spanish, was adopted by their first and only surviving descendant who was a master of horse breeding and horsemanship.

The main story begins with his descendant, Antonio, his self-centered wife, Feliciana ("Fez") and their son Gil, and their adventures in getting to and settling in Texas when Antonio's moorish blood creates an intolerable situation for him in Spain with the Spanish inquisition, brought on by his perverted and greedy half-brother, a Jesuit priest.

I don't wish to give away too much of the story, because it is a delight and you will want to read it for yourself. The author, Jan Hutson, though, in her introduction, says that the facts, figures and events portrayed are historical, and the Flores, Ybarbos and other colonial families in the story are based on real people and events related to her by family members, although the specific characters in the story are fictional.

In any case, this is a truly wonderful book, a delicious story, and one that I have greatly enjoyed. I hope that Jan Hutson writes more, as her talent for story telling is great, as demonstrated by this and her other book, "The Chicken Ranch," the story of which led to the great movie starring Dolly Parton and Burt Reynolds, "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas."

Joseph H. Pierre

This is the story of the longest continually operating brothel in the state of Texas

It is the story which led to the movie, "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," a great movie with Dolly Parton and Burt Reynolds.

But, the book is even better than the movie. It is a factual account, rather than a fictionalized version, as was the movie. The Chicken Ranch first opened for business in 1844, in La Grange, Texas, where it became an institution which the community not only tolerated, but looked at with a certain local pride, resisting all out-of-town efforts to close it down.

It was protected by a succession of sheriffs, who, supposedly, did so out of the goodness of their hearts, and because the Chicken Ranch was a source of invaluable intelligence, used to control criminal activities in the county.

The author, Jan Hutson, writes from a knowledgeable viewpoint, having moved to Texas upon her marriage, where she developed an intense interest in local history.

Hutson is extremely hard on the TV personality whose efforts she credits for shutting the famous old house down. She portrays him as a toupee wearing, sensation-seeking "jerk" who went on a vendetta against the Chicken Ranch, seeking personal aggrandizement by making it a cause celebre.

"Busting sixteen obscure whores from Houston was not going to grab any headlines. But the Chicken Ranch was not obscure; it was a name familiar to every schoolboy in Texas. The house was doomed because its public relations had worked too well." (Page 109)

This is a great little book. It is full of chuckles. You won't be able to put it down.

Joseph Pierre,

This is a great little book. I'm delighted that it is back in print. It is the story which led to the movie, "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," a great movie with Dolly Parton and Burt Reynolds.

But, the book is nothing like the movie! It's even better. In the first place, it is history, not fiction. This is the story of the oldest continuously operating brothel in Texas. It first opened for business in 1844, in La Grange, Texas, where it became an institution which the community not only tolerated, but looked at with a certain pride.

The Chicken Ranch was protected by a succession of sheriffs, who, according to the author, did so out of the goodness of their hearts, and because the Chicken Ranch was a source of invaluable intelligence into criminal activities in the county.

The author, Jan Hutson, who moved to Texas when she married, and is intensely interested in Texas history, writes from a knowledgeable and sympathetic viewpoint.

Hutson is extremely hard on the TV personality, Marvin Zindler, whose efforts she credits for shutting the famous old house down. She portrays him as a toupee wearing, sensation-seeking "jerk" who went on a vendetta against the Chicken Ranch, seeking personal aggrandizement by making it a cause celebre.

"Busting sixteen obscure whores from Houston was not going to grab any headlines. But the Chicken Ranch was not obscure; it was a name familiar to every schoolboy in Texas. The house was doomed because its public relations had worked too well."(Page 109)

This is a great little book. This new edition is a reprint and virtually identical, but of far better quality and less expensive than the first edition.

The book is full of chuckles, and is a delight to read. I recommend it highly.

Joseph Pierre