The Vengeful Virgin [Mass Market Paperback]

"She had on a red knitted thing, made of one piece. It was shorts and a top, without sleeves. The top was what I think they call a boat-neck, tight up against her throat. The whole thing was very tight on her. Her face seemed almost childlike, but she was no child." --from The Vengeful Virgin

... and she was no virgin, either, if her actions at the end of Chapter 2 are any indication. But the title has a nice alliterative ring to it, though it suggested that I would be too embarrassed to read it on public transportation. The cover, lovingly illustrated by Gregory Manchess (whose work has also graced Fade to Blonde, Home Is the Sailor, and Grave Descend), practically guaranteed it.

Hard Case Crime continue their attempt to revive the careers of previously popular, now-little-known crime writers. Gil Brewer was one of the best selling authors of his day, but he had a little problem with substance dependence that eventually killed him. The abuse made his writing uneven, so he is hit-or-miss in terms of quality, but The Vengeful Virgin is probably his best, with a shocker ending that rivals that of Grifter's Game.

Shirley Angela has the unenviable responsibility of being constant caregiver to her invalid stepfather following her mother's death. Hungry for social contact of any kind -- but especially of that kind -- she calls television serviceman Jack Ruxton to install a special setup in her stepfather's bedroom.

Together they hatch a scheme to get rid of the old man and share the several hundred thousand dollars he has stashed away in the bank. All Ruxton has to watch out for, besides getting caught, are the two other women who have set their sights on him. Our Jack is apparently a very popular man with the ladies. You may wish you had that problem. Don't.

The Vengeful Virgin is everything readers look for when they seek the pure pulp experience. It feels like it was written in a flash of inspiration, and it has all the earmarks of this perfectly lurid literature: its characters are boldly sexy, violently cruel, lustfully greedy, and utterly remorseless. I couldn't find a single flaw in Brewer's execution, which means that if you're not a Gil Brewer fan by the time you finish this book, then maybe you need to find another hobby, because reading is obviously not for you.

I'd recommend this book only to someone who wants to read exhaustively in the noir canon. The plot is predictable, the protagonist not very engaging, and several key plot twists run the risk of coming out of nowhere. The attraction between the protagonist and the femme fatale just happens, and facts that emerge about her towards the end of the book really call into questions some things about how the relationship begins in the first place.

Hard Case Crime has brought out some really great noir treats, both hostorical and contemporary. This is not one of them.

Jack Ruxton, a small-time TV salesman hits the big-time when he's called out to do some work for the stunning Shirley Angela. Shirley, 18-going-on-unforgettable lives with her decrepit (and wealthy) step-father - forced to play the reluctant nursemaid in turn for vague promises of being written into the will. Hijinks ensue, culminating in the inevitable seduction, corruption and karmic reward for everyone involved.

If the above summary sounds like a paint-by-numbers Noir plot, believe me, it isn't. I was left guessing until the end - and even now, I'm still stunned by how the cards fell. Not bad, for a fifty-year old pulp.

Jack Ruxton is one of the most progressively heinous characters I've ever read. What starts as his token resistance to corruption quickly unfolds to reveal one of the darkest, most loathsome characters I've read. Yet, even with that, Brewer's writing manages to pull the reader into Jack's world. More upsettingly - he convinced me to start to mentally nodding along with Jack's seductively amoral thinking.

Originally published in 1958, The Vengeful Virgin now been reprinted as part of the highly-recommended Hard Case Crime series. This new printing includes a wonderfully steamy Gregory Manchess cover that I had to hide from the little old lady sitting across from me on the train - a true homage to the seedy pulp tradition.

With this dark, whirlwind of a story, Brewer has claimed his rightful place in the hall of the pulp masters. Especially with a new edition on the shelf right now, I'd recommend this book to right- (or wrong-)thinking paperbacks reader.