cover image Showdown

Showdown

Jorge Amado. Bantam Books, $19 (432pp) ISBN 978-0-553-34666-4

``Amado's 22nd novel is an unfocused and somewhat maudlin epic set in the lawless wilds of the Bahian jungle, where thugs and prostitutes ply their dismal trades amidst arbitrary bloodshed and hardship,'' wrote PW , calling this ``a busy patchwork that lacks pattern and direction.'' (Feb.)