THE EVIL THAT MEN DO

And the ineptitude that authors do.


Why did we read Evil Desire? Because the cover femme fatale is obviously copied from Ursula Andress (in her 1965 role in What’s New Pussycat?) and sometimes that’s all it takes to attract our interest. The artist is credited only as Ellison, and though we wouldn’t say he/she is greatly skilled, they at least chose a good model. The book was written by Carl DeMarco, author or pseudonym behind other sleaze efforts such as The Body Beautiful, Suzanne, and Woman on a String, and is exactly as its cover describes, as a stepfather gets sexually involved with his wife’s eighteen year-old daughter. It all begins when he attempts to punish the daughter with a spanking, and finds not only that he likes it—so does she. In the end the two end up living together in Brazil and the spurned wife finds love at home, leaving everyone horny and happy by the final sentence. It wasn’t competent in terms of writing skill, but in its favor it was—despite its title—light in tone, making for an easy and fast read. Is that a recommendation? Not even remotely. 

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HISTORY REWIND

The headlines that mattered yesteryear.

1935—Huey Long Assassinated

Governor of Louisiana Huey Long, one of the few truly leftist politicians in American history, is shot by Carl Austin Weiss in Baton Rouge. Long dies after two days in the hospital.

1956—Elvis Shakes Up Ed Sullivan

Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show for the first time, performing his hit song “Don’t Be Cruel.” Ironically, a car accident prevented Sullivan from being present that night, and the show was guest-hosted by British actor Charles Laughton.

1966—Star Trek Airs for First Time

Star Trek, an American television series set in the twenty-third century and promoting socialist utopian ideals, premieres on NBC. The series is cancelled after three seasons without much fanfare, but in syndication becomes one of the most beloved television shows of all time.

1974—Ford Pardons Nixon

U.S. President Gerald Ford pardons former President Richard Nixon for any crimes Nixon may have committed while in office, which coincidentally happen to include all those associated with the Watergate scandal.

1978—Giorgi Markov Assassinated

Bulgarian dissident Giorgi Markov is assassinated in a scene right out of a spy novel. As he’s waiting at a bus stop near Waterloo Bridge in London, he’s jabbed in the calf with an umbrella. The man holding the umbrella apologizes and walks away, but he is in reality a Bulgarian hired killer who has just injected a ricin pellet into Markov, who develops a high fever and dies three days later.

This awesome cover art is by Tommy Shoemaker, a new talent to us, but not to more experienced paperback illustration aficionados.
Ten covers from the popular French thriller series Les aventures de Zodiaque.
Sam Peffer cover art for Jonathan Latimer's Solomon's Vineyard, originally published in 1941.

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