By Eric Mackenzie-Lamb
1979 Hamlyn
Paperback, 239 pages
You know that I love me some
Hamlyn Horrors! I’ll grab any one that I can find at a reasonable price. This
one was unknown to me when I stumbled across it and I couldn’t resist a nice
swampy horror. I didn’t really get that with this book but it had a lot more to
offer, for better or worse, than a hackneyed ol’ swamp monster.
Tom Davison is taking his
University students on a field trip into the Okefenokee. While on the trip, one
of his male students, Kirby, is taking core samples and comes up with a couple
of Confederate coins (the origin of which is in the prologue) while a female
student, Helen Garson, unsuccessfully throws
herself at the teacher. After the trip, Davison
takes the coins to be appraised in Miami and hears about their history and
their worth. Upon returning to the University, he learns that Helen had told
her father, a rich local businessman, and the authorities that Davison had
assaulted her. Good time to head back to the swamp. End of part one.
In part two, we learn more about
Helen’s father, how he got rich and the unsavory ways he runs his business.
Conveniently, the coin appraiser also deals in illegal migrant workers which Mr.
Garson has been hiring and the gig is up. Garson’s top man is also a ruthless
killer. After snuffing the old man while
Helen watches, things get crazy. With a heavy heart full of regret, Helen heads
out to find Davison in the swamp. Kirby and a friend head to the swamp to find
Davison while the gay killer and his gay henchmen head in to find Helen. The
swamp is going to be hoppin’.
There is a lot of good stuff in
this book. The killer is particularly ruthless and Davison’s reptile knowledge is
scientifically accurate. We get lots of native fauna behaving correctly which
is a welcome change from a lot of books of the era. And how can you not love a
book that goes into great detail about rare coins? But making the bad guys all
homosexuals seems like a pretty broad stroke of prejudice. It turns out that Mackenzie-Lamb’s
real-life father (explorer and botanist Elke, formerly Ivan, Mackenzie) transitioned
in 1971 so I guess the author was still working out some acceptance problems.
Women don’t fare a lot better though what Helen lacks in brains, she makes up
for with balls.
This is Mackenzie-Lamb’s only
novel and it is a fast paced thriller with good points and despite its flaws,
I’d have to recommend it for Hamlyn fans. It’s more of an adventure/ crime
narrative than a horror, but it should satisfy your bloodthirsty needs.