It’s the column that was sure to happen at some point: nothing but books about one Steven Urkel. And if you believe that, then have I got a bridge for sale in Brooklyn. All right, enough of this joshing around and onto this week’s theme. All the titles have some connection to family life, be it sons, daughters or a unit as a whole.
TRUE SON OF THE BEAST! by Carter Brown — This 1970 effort really shows what happens to a writer grabbing at straws to continue his output. No longer do the novels feature light and fun travelogue-like mysteries. Now, they’ve become very graphic in their depiction of sex and bizarre situations, like some bizarre mash-up of Gothic stories and a PENTHOUSE FORUM letter.
Screenwriter Larry Baker and his partner, Boris, head off to England to persuade a famed actress to star in their upcoming film. If they can sign her, the studio is all set with the funding. The problem is, Trudi Lambert has moved to an isolated island and has not left in more than a year and a half.
Right away, the creepy Gothic factor comes in full force, with weird dreams and the discovery of a man whose throat has been completely ripped out. It seems the house is on some sort of haunted land, from when its original habitants, an evil monk sect, drove the locals to tear the house down brick by brick. Years later, a rich businessman decided to rebuild, only for things to go really bad: He died shortly after completion.
This story is just an excuse on which to hang some sort of Satanic sex-cult angle, including a few passages of Larry’s sexual encounters with one of the women who lives in the house: Trudi’s personal assistant, to be precise. These parts come off as a very cheap thrill, all building up to the, um, climax of the book. Here’s a spoiler: A sex cult has taken over the home. When that discovery is made, it can only be described as some sort of Jess Franco fever dream.
I usually love Brown’s books, but this one comes off forced. It might be of interest to horror fans who like the cult angle, but don’t expect much more once the cheap thrills are gone. It’s one of the weaker entries in what seems like Brown’s never-ending output. Fans are better off sticking to earlier books.
EVIL IN THE FAMILY by Grace Corren — Gothic novels have to be one of the biggest disappointments I’ve come across. Not that they are badly written, but more in the sense that they promise a lot more than they can deliver, and usually follow the same sort of framework: A young woman goes to a creepy old house and discovers some sort of family secret.
Oh, wait, I just summed up the whole plot of this 1972 book. I’m totally serious. Dana Gentry’s entire immediate family is killed in a car accident, forcing her to move in with an aunt she has never met. Her aunt welcomes her with open arms; it’s the housekeeper who has issues with her. The story tries hard to keep this REBECCA-esque storyline going, but it feels more like a low-rent flashback episode of DARK SHADOWS, especially when Dana gets hit over the head and wakes up to find herself in 1931.
In these dream sequences, she finds out she is the spitting image of a long-dead relative and discovers how that relative died. It all ties in to the characters we have met so far, but the revelation feels like a giant cheat. To be honest, reading this took less time than watching an episode of 60 MINUTES. Maybe there are some truly great Gothic novels, but so far, all I’ve gotten have been poor imitations.
THE FLAMING MAN by M. E. Chaber — I really hate publishers who screw around with series’ numbers. Of course, I knew going into this 1969 entry in the Milo Marsh series that no way was it book nine; it’s actually book 18, which comes close to the series’ end at 21. I know I’m nitpicking, since there is very little continuity in them.
Reading any book from this series, you go in with a very distinct image in your head thanks to the covers. Robert McGinnis pretty much made the late James Coburn his model of March, and it works perfectly. March is a glorified insurance investigator who is hired by Intercontinental Insurance to look into difficult cases, no matter where they might take him.
The case this time deals with a fire at a building right in the middle of a race riot in California. On top of the fire were three bodies: the owner of a giant corporation, his brother-in-law and a night watchman. The first two had huge polices, and with the building itself, insurance totals close to $3 million. Things don’t sit right, since the bodies can’t clearly be identified and the building went up way too fast for what the cops claim was a Molotov cocktail.
Not to ruin the bulk of the plot, but most people will figure out that it’s a giant scam, using the riot as a cover-up. The March books are nothing but pure fun with a slight mystery that won’t confound anyone. Here, March comes off even more likable then usual, especially when he starts his investigation dead center in an area of L.A. that he is not welcome in. He is not one to be bullied or chased away, which makes a lot of the banter between March and his newfound friend — a local named after George Washington Carver — highly entertaining.
Chaber never goes for the cheap laugh or racial stereotypes, especially for a book that was from the late 1960s. The story is very basic and nothing really special, like a more enjoyable Carter Brown novel with Coburn in the lead. My only problem with this series is that coming across them is becoming harder and harder. Damn you, collectors! —Bruce Grossman
OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF CARTER BROWN:
• AND THE UNDEAD SING by Carter Brown
• BLONDE ON A BROOMSTICK by Carter Brown
• THE CLOWN by Carter Brown
• THE DESIRED by Carter Brown
• DIE ANYTIME, AFTER TUESDAY! by Carter Brown
• THE EVER-LOVING BLUES by Carter Brown
• THE HONG KONG CAPER by Carter Brown
• THE LADY IS TRANSPARENT by Carter Brown
• MURDER IN THE FAMILY WAY by Carter Brown
• MURDER IS A PACKAGE DEAL by Carter Brown
• THE NEVER-WAS GIRL by Carter Brown
• THE WANTON by Carter Brown
• ZELDA by Carter Brown
OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF M.E. CHABER:
• A MAN IN THE MIDDLE by M.E. Chaber
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- BULLETS, BROADS, BLACKMAIL & BOMBS >> September Gurls
- BULLETS, BROADS, BLACKMAIL & BOMBS >> MacDonald’s Extra-Value Meal
- BULLETS, BROADS, BLACKMAIL & BOMBS >> Somebody Got Murdered
- BULLETS, BROADS, BLACKMAIL & BOMBS >> Comfort Reading
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Good post, Bruce, as usual. I’d like to see a list of all the writers who wrote as Carter Brown. I’m not sure of this but I think maybe Robert Silverberg wrote at least one of the earlier ones. I probably read the first thirty when I was in high school. They were light enough to read in one or two sittings and funny enough to be enjoyable. I picked up one years later and found what you did. The plot served the sex scenes and the writing wasn’t as much fun.
In several places, I’ve seen Carter Brown listed as the pseudonym of Alan Geoffrey Yates, an Australian writer. Whether he later farmed the name out to other writers wasn’t mentioned but the cglaring change in style would seem to indicate that he did.
Coincidentally, last week I read “Charlie Sent Me”, the first Larry Baker novel and it was pretty good. The solution to the mystery was old in the 30s and 40s, but who reads Carter Brown for the puzzle?
This morning, I picked up “The Pipes Are Calling”, a Danny Boyd adventure complete with gory murder and graphic sex. I don’t mind sex scenes, but nobody seemed to be enjoying themselves and the writing was descriptive enough for an anatomy text.
Sorry, I’m one of those collector fellows, but if it’s any concilation, I collect what I like and read them over and over. I don’t collect to resell for profit.
Thanks Ed if I ever find a list of ghost writers I’ll keep you informed.
Larry I did know it was a pseudonym for Yates and he did write the bulk of the novels. Someone actually posted a long time ago in a comment section about a bio that was written about Yates.
I actually have “Charlie Sent Me” also I keep meaning to put that in my TBR pile. Yeah I don’t read these books for the brain teasing puzzles of a mysteries. Now I don’t mind the graphic sex scenes I was just thrown by the inclusion in these books is all. I mean I’ve read a lot worse when it comes to descriptive scenes (Ninja Master and The Baroness series both are way worse).
Larry I don’t mind collectors like you since you actually read the books. I’ve come across some who sit on them like they are some sort of retirement plan.
Here’s a lengthy article by Carter Brown expert Toni Johnson-Woods that goes into great detail about the history of the series:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb6396/is_4_21/ai_n29152131/
Excellent article James thanks for the link.
I loved reading Carter Brown in my teens, and started readingh M.E. Chaber as soon as the first paperback came out with the great Coburn. McGinnis covers. I can remember the bookstore I used to go to after work to see if the new one was out yet. The owner became so used to me stopping in three times a week that he would let me open the new boxes before he was ready to shelve the new books, so I could go through them. Carter Broiwn and M.E. Chaber being back my early years of buyingm, readingand collecting. Thanks for the piece, Bruce.
RJR
It appears that Alan Yates did write all of the Carter Brown books. Rbt S said he wrote one but it was rejected by Signet. In 1961 Yates was peeved at the 10 books a year contract and renegotiated 6 a year (lazy bastard). However, when Yates was in the USA promoting the first book, an Aussie journalist CJ McKenzie claimed he wrote about six CBs–for an Aussie market. There were new titles while Yates was in the USA and they do lack the Yatesean verve. So I’m inclined to believe CJ but need to read them more closely to be absolutely sure. But def NOT Silverberg. Aside from the hundreds avail in the US, Yates had written about 150 novelttes so he was certainly capable of doing it. I’ve looked at the Signet archives and all of the material was Yates’.
The later books (with the awful cut and paste sex scenes) are, according to his wife Denise, were penned by Yates. Personally, I think it would be better if someone else stood up and took the blame for these.
Anyway, I have just finished a book on CB = “Done Dirt Cheap” which will be published by University of Sydney Press sometime later this year if anyone’s interested. I find his story fascinating.
Copyright reverts to his widow this year and she’s very keen to let everyone know Yates was the ONLY writer. And I’ve found only ONE hearsay evidence to the contrary.
BTW The Stripper is due for stage release in London later this year…Richard O’Brien (Rocky Horror Picture Show) penned it back in 1985. It’s a fun romp.
Cheers
T
Thanks again Toni for your much appreciated research and comments. Hopefully once the rights revert we can get multiple titles in Omnibus fashion.