Made in Miami is the Point Blank reprint of Lust is a Woman, a Beacon Book from the '50s. According to the blurb, this is the first time the novel has been reprinted (not counting the Softcover Library edition, I guess). It's a pretty sleazy story about an art student named Ralph Tone, who takes a summer job in a hotel in Miami, where he meets Maria Dugan, a beautiful young woman who goes a long way downhill in the course of a few pages.
Ralph introduces Maria to a wealthy man named Donald McKay, who turns out to be a pimp and pornographer. With a little guile and money, McKay easily adds Maria to his stable. Ralph decides he has to get revenge, but not before a good bit of sordid sex, none of it graphic but some of it brutal. Obviously this was aimed right at the Beacon Books market. It's just fine as a historical document, and the quirky characters, the downward spiral, and the wry Willeford observations make this one worth reprinting and reading. Check it out.
4 comments:
They really like the closeup nowadays, don't they. Sometimes stepping back is nice.
Have to put this on my Willeford list even if it's not top-notch Willeford.
Bill,
You made my day with this news. I immediately ordered the book.
Lee
Hey, if the review sold a book to you and one to Patti, Point Blank will be happy, too.
Me, too. Just ordered a copy.
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