Throw up the devil horns, readers, and crank up WAR PIGS. It’s time to worship at the altar of evil, as Anton LaVey has picked out three books for us to read. All right, not really, but they all have a common bond: the devil and his minions.
KISSES FROM SATAN by George B. Mair – Another in the long run of spies who came out of the cold and into focus after James Bond, Dr. David Grant works against the evils of an organization called SATAN in this 1966 paperback. For you laymen, that stands for Society for Activation of Terror Anarchy and Nihilism.
David is a on a break from his three previous missions – yes, this would be book four of the series – with one of conquests: a former Russian ballerina who defected to the side of good. I’ll give the series credit at least for using continuity, referencing a few of the things that happened with a footnote pointing out exactly what book these things happened in.
But onto this new dangerous mission: stopping the Ku Klux Klan from spreading their hate throughout Europe. A high-ranking Grand Wizard has been funded by SATAN to make inroads into the continent through some clinic. Grant’s job is not only to dispose of this person, but make it look like it was natural and have photos proving that he was living the high life with ethnic types. Grant is told he’ll have fellow agents there to help out.
Of course, things do not go as planned in any spy novel. But I’ll let you read into that as you will. The story moves along pretty briskly for what it is. Instead of 007, it felt more like a souped-up MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. novel than anything else. Still, it was pleasant enough, but a bit forced.
SLEEP WITH THE DEVIL by Day Keene – Here’s a 1954 book that screams “reissue.” Les Ferron is an enforcer for the local loan shark. He’s such a detestable person, but you are drawn to him for some weird reason. It starts out innocently enough with Ferron trying to figure out a way to break from this lifestyle, with a girl named Kydia who is attached to him like a leech, and his boss who wants him to settle up a few scores sooner than later.
The problem is Ferron is sick of it all. To add insult to all this is that the last time he roughed up somebody, he ended up accidentally killing the man, thus setting up what is to come in the rest of this story. First, there is the brother of the victim who wants to exact revenge on the loan shark, whom he believed caused his brother’s death, so Ferron is sent out to deal with him
The story moves quickly with Ferron burning every bridge that comes his way, and Keene taking major turns, including having Ferron escape his boss in a way that points all the blame toward someone else. But if you think the story ends there, you are so wrong, since we move to Ferron on the run from his former life to a new life as a Bible salesman with his eye on the prize of a rich farmer’s daughter.
Keene has packed this story to the gills with great surprises. I’m hopeful one of the reissue companies out there will do the right thing and bring this one back in print (and hopefully with a much better cover).
THE ORIGIN OF EVIL by Ellery Queen – This top-notch 1951 mystery is one of the last of the series that place Ellery in Hollywood, but it has nothing to deal with showbiz. No, it deals with evil businessmen and revenge.
Ellery is hired by Laurel Hill, who claims her father died of fright because – of all things – a dead dog. She explains that her father was a big-time diamond merchant in the firm of Hill & Priam, but who would want to scare her father to death is the question that is posed to Ellery.
As soon as he starts his investigation, someone is trying to scare Hill’s former business partner Roger Priam, with a set of bizarre warnings that involve dead animals of sorts. Ellery gets some help from Laurel and her want-to-be boyfriend Crowe Macgowan, who thinks of himself as the ultimate nature lover (read the book to get the joke, folks).
What is truly fun is what seems like the climax and the reveal of the person behind it all, is really just a set up for the rug to be pulled under the reader’s feet – not once, but twice. I’d rather not get into the specifics of what drove the killing or the clues, but I’ll just say anyone who has read up on evolution and knows its history will get a chuckle. It goes to show that if you want a mystery that never fails and never feels too dated, grab yourself an Ellery Queen.
Next time: Warmth of the sun. –Bruce Grossman
OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF DAY KEENE:
• TO KISS OR KILL by Day Keene
OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF ELLERY QUEEN:
• COP OUT by Ellery Queen
• THE COPPER FRAME by Ellery Queen
• DON’T FEAR THE REAPER by Ellery Queen
• THE DRAGON’S TEETH / CALAMITY TOWN by Ellery Queen
• THE FOUR OF HEARTS by Ellery Queen
• A ROOM TO DIE IN by Ellery Queen
• THE SPANISH CAPE MYSTERY by Ellery Queen
• WHO KILLED THE GOLDEN GOOSE by Ellery Queen
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They all sound rather interesting. I love the cover on The Origin of Evil book.
I had never heard of George B. Mair before, but after reading your review thought I’d track down ‘Kisses For Satan’ and the earlier David Grant books ‘Deaths Foot Forward’, ‘Miss Turquoise’, and ‘Live, Love & Cry’. They look like fun. Many thanks!