The Last Madam: A Life in the New Orleans Underworld

In 1916, a young and alluring Norma Wallace arrived in the vibrant city of New Orleans. She was only fifteen years old when she started working as a streetwalker, but her intelligence and cunning quickly propelled her to become one of the most successful madams in the city. By 1920, she had established a brothel that became the talk of the town. Her clientele included powerful governors, notorious gangsters, and even famous movie stars. Norma's influence extended beyond her business ventures, and she was able to control the city's politicians. However, her reign of power came to an abrupt end in 1962 when she was arrested. Before her death in 1974, she recorded her life stories on tape, revealing scandalous secrets that she had kept hidden for years. Christine Wiltz's book chronicles not only Norma's fascinating rise and fall but also the social history of New Orleans, where corruption and vice were rampant. This book is a vivid portrayal of a secret world that has long since disappeared, much like "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" and "Philistines at the Hedgerow."