Satan Takes the Helm by Calvin Clements
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Stories set in boats or snowed-in cabins, etc. work well in the crime/noir genre since it forces tensions due to the confinement of the characters, and then sustains them since there is nowhere to escape. The story here is a familiar one. Luscious young woman is married to an ugly, old freighter owner. She has eyes on a juicy inheritance. She hires a tough-guy captain to helm the freighter and then uses her charms to seduce him and then imply that maybe things would be better if her husband wasn’t around. Clement's spin on this theme is terrific, bristling with thorny dialog and conflict between the main characters as she cleverly manipulates circumstances to influence the reluctant captain. Some nice twists keep the tension escalating to a satisfying conclusion. Great book and an easy four stars.
Reprinted by
Stark House Press in their superior Black Gat line.
All the Gold Medal paperbacks by Calvin Clements are winners.
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