By Russell Martin
1981 Playboy Press
Paperback, 254 pages
This is Martin’s second foray
into the world of Satan and his loyal followers, hot on the heels of 1980’s Rhea.
His writing is crisp and fluid and I even had to look up a few words!
Educational! While this isn’t an entirely satisfying read, it is quite good,
and it moves by quickly.
Marty and Susan Browning are two
Hollywood up-and-comers who have a wonderful marriage. On the way to their car
after a movie date, they witness a woman being assaulted in the parking lot and
Marty comes to her rescue. Three days later, the Browning’s get a visit from
the victim, Wanda Carmichael, with an invitation to a swank party at her
mansion. From there on, the desecration begins.
Wanda takes over Marty, makes
him (willingly?) divorce Susan and grinds Mrs. Browning’s life to dust. Just
what does Wanda have that enthralls Marty so much? Susan’s friend Max tries to
comfort her but soon his constant presence starts to be annoying… until she
becomes his willing sex slave. Yeah, things are in a weird slide for
poor Susan! Why is all of this happening? Perhaps the sleazy private dick will find
answers, or perhaps the cute, young Father Crabbe can help her sort things out.
Yes, this is like an X-rated
soap opera and that’s exactly why it is so much fun. None of the characters are
particularly likeable; Susan herself has many flaws, so we just sit back and
watch the shitshow. While God and faith do come into play, it is never heavy
handed. My only real complaint story-wise would be that I wanted more Satan!! Rituals
are fine but gimme some Ol’ Scratch!
Being that one of the main
characters is transsexual and this book was written in 1981, there is a lot of
dated transphobia that will make the modern reader cringe a bit, but that’s the
way things were (or are for some of the shit slices out there). It’s all part
of 80s Hollywood where life is cheap, property is expensive, and Satan brings
good things to evil people.
I found this in the children’s
books section at a thrift store!
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