"She was young and lovely and evil as hell - and I knew from the moment we met I would never get enough of her".
If you are looking for hard-boiled fiction you should check out the Hard Case Crime series. They have been publishing classics and undiscovered material from top crime novelists, unabridged and complete. I have discovered several great new authors to seek out such as Seymour Shubin (Witness to Myself) and Steve Fisher (No House Limit). They are often gritty, lusty and revenge driven ~ and none moreso than the latest one I have read The Vengeful Virgin by Gil Brewer. Written in 1958, it starts off with a sexy hook and pulls you in to murder plot from which there is no escape.
"Her wealthy stepfather was dying - but not quickly enough"
Jack Ruxton arrives on a job to install an intercom and TV, and finds at the door Shirley Angela, a sexy redhead about eighteen. She has been caring for her bedridden stepfather for years and is looking for a way out. He's a lonely repairman evading the stalking of a jealous girlfriend. He accepts the job, and the next day he returns - quickly finding himself tearing off her toreador pants in a frenzy on the kitchen floor, helped by her lusty order to "Rip em'!"
A plan is devised; the insurance money will come in handy.
Jack finds himself doing most of the work, but the accident happens. Now to pull off the escape. There are several loose threads to take care of, like his crazy ex-girlfriend Grace who keeps driving around checking up on him; and the next door neighbour who keeps coming on to him - does she need to be taken care of? And how are we going to get the $340,000 out of the bank? In the background, there is always the clutching hand of doomed fate that reminds me of author Cornell Woolrich, the father of Noir.
"They burned bright - Til the flames consumed them!"
The Vengeful Virgin is a fast, sexy and exciting. Simple and direct writing with considerable intensity. It's in the Postman Always Rings Twice area, but this thriller reads like all the back story is removed and we are right on the edge. Everything is heightened, there is only the tension of the moment and the story keeps rolling from punch to punch. But the best was yet to come with a terrific finale ~ my jaw dropped!
Gil Brewer has written many other crime novels (Satan Is A Woman, Nude On Thin Ice) - over thirty in the 50's and 60's - and was also one of the few ghost writers for Ellery Queen. I look forward to seeking out his titles!
Lurid and gritty, The Vengeful Virgin is the definition of a classic pulp crime novel, and I highly recommend it.
1958 / Paperback / 224 pages
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