Prime picks up where Poppy Z. Brite’s last novel, Liquor, tapered off: chefs Rickey and G-man’s restaurant has become a success, but not an unqualified one. A rather nasty review of Liquor appears, but it soon turns out to be a barb aimed at the chefs’ backing partner, the famed chef Lenny Duveteaux. When it becomes apparent that the DA’s office is building a case against Lenny, G-man and Rickey consider buying out their silent partner, but they lack the cash to make the move toward independence. Curiously, a fortuitous offer comes Rickey’s way: a plush consulting gig at a failing Dallas restaurant that could boost their capital. Of course, not everything is being played above board and the two chefs find themselves again drawn into intrigue. The only real fault of the novel is that the climax echoes that of Brite’s previous novel too closely; how many times can a complex series of maneuvers be resolved in a sudden, violent finish before calling it a coincidence just doesn’t cut it? Nevertheless, Brite–who formerly could have been accused of writing with flourishes of purple prose–writes in a strong, workmanlike style. Best of all, her characters have clear voices and compelling lives.

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