The Golden Room (published in 1988) - Written by Irving Wallace

Irving Wallace was born in Chicago, to Jewish parents,Bessie and Alexander Wallace Who had emigrated from Russia. He completed his studies in California and started out as a journalist at a tender age of 15. He studied creative writing at the Williams Institute in Berkley and from the mid-30s he worked as a free-lance correspondent. In 1941 he married Sylvia Kahn; they had two children. Irving Wallace served in the air force during world war two and later collaborated in several movies as a writer. His first book "Sins of Peter Fleming" did not attract much attention. But his second book influenced by the Kinsey report was a best seller. He has been a prolific churner of best sellers and his books have been adapted as major movies. He died on June 29, 1990.
An historical novel from Irving Wallace where he churns out a interesting biopic of the Everleigh sisters. The Everleigh sisters were the owners of the ritziest Bordello in Chicago town and their entourage or the understudies were the most sought after girls in town. Aida and Minna Everleigh were the southern belles who were pushed into the flesh trade with the marauding armies of the civil war. Aida the silent brunette was the brain behind the organization which set up a bordello business. Her enchanting blonde sister Minna was the pretty head who always spoke her mind and had her ways. Soon after uprooting themselves in Omaha, they set up business in Chicago.



It is said that the Everleigh sisters brought class to their business. All their girls were hand picked for their beauty and were trained in the art of seduction. They were told to learn to talk, sit, appreciate art and culture and make an interesting conversation with the patrons. So the enterprising madams had soft skills wired in to their syllabi for their students. The clothes and make up were designed and brought from France.
A gentleman patron was supposed to spend at least 50 dollars at the club or face banishment. Foreign Liqueur chocolates, French wines, cornucopian offerings of fruits, nuts and exotic sweets were provided along with excellent entertainment for the patrons. The rooms were decorated lavishly with gold gilds and leaves and stones and even had a golden piano. From the other syphilitic whorehouses this den of vice seems a class apart.
So along with the the popularity many celebrities including, Princes, Actors, underworld Mafia dons frequented the place. Soon it becomes a a picking point for the notorious serial killer, Holmes who preys on the prostitutes. The Mayor of the town who is looking to close down the joint sends in a female undercover reporter Karen Grant who discovers, theft, rape and murder under the glitzy facade of the bordello. Soon they also come under the radar of William Pinkerton, the world famous detective who is investigating the serial killer.
As the tale proceeds the bordello becomes the victim of a host of things, like the moral brigade and the town misceants. Wallace weaves an incredible tale about two gutsy women who took on the world and brought it to their knees at a time when women did not even have a right to vote. This tale about the real life Everleigh sisters is one to read, even though it is not very much believable.