Satan Is a Woman

by Gil Brewer

Genres: Noir

First published January 1, 1951

About the author

Florida writer Gil Brewer was the author of dozens of wonderfully sleazy sex/crime adventure novels of the 1950's and 60's, including Backwoods Teaser and Nude on Thin Ice; some of them starring private eye Lee Baron (Wild) or the brothers Sam and Tate Morgan (The Bitch) . Gil Brewer, who had not previously published any novels, began to write for Gold Medal Paperbacks in 1950-51. Brewer wrote some 30 novels between 1951 and the late 60s – very often involving an ordinary man who becomes involved with, and is often corrupted and destroyed by, an evil or designing woman. His style is simple and direct, with sharp dialogue, often achieving considerable intensity.

Brewer was one of the many writers who ghost wrote under the Ellery Queen byline as well. Brewer also was known as Eric Fitzgerald, Bailey Morgan, and Elaine Evans.

http://www.gilbrewer.com/

Reviews

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brewer's first novel starts with immediacy as Larry Cole is being questioned by two cops about his brother Tad who is wanted for murder and is hiding in Larry’s house while the police are questioning him. Enter the femme-fatale, Joan Turner, and poor Larry begins his roller coaster ride through various levels of hell. He falls for her quick: "If you’ve never felt the way I felt, O.K. It’s like standing on dynamite, with the fuse sputtering." One thing Brewer was a master of is depicting how thoroughly and obsessively these guys fall under the spell of a woman. Larry is hanging on every look, every touch, every word. He can’t keep his eyes off her and yet he knows he’s doomed, too, even as he resists her pressures to rob a nightclub. Brewer conjures one of his classic twists as Joan stabs an intruder and they have to dispose of the body. It is one of those fantastic and frenetic extended scenes (with an outboard motor tied to the body they row out into the bay in a storm), where Brewer just amps the tension and milks the suspense with great pacing, description, and psychological torment. This one has all the noir elements and the extended character development certainly makes it a more rounded read. But that well-roundedness also detracts a bit from the propulsive pacing at times and that keeps this from a five-star rating.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gil Brewer chose a great noir title for his debut novel, but the title perhaps tips his hand too much. Needless to say, readers will not be surprised to discover that the novel's female lead is not a very nice person--just as the novel's first-person narrator should also not have been surprised. As her evil unfolds around him, yet he continues to love her, he protests that you cannot understand his behavior unless you have walked in his shoes, etc., etc., but his protestations are not especially convincing. On the whole, not a bad example of the noir genre, but not an especially memorable one, either.

[Kurt Reichenbaugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first, when she came inside, I thought she was just another rich dame on a fling, or maybe just prowling. Or maybe just thirsty. I guess I starred at her as she approached the bar, but she didn't seem to mind. She was smiling, and the way she carried herself was something to see. Light and easy, it was, lithe.

Stop me if you've heard this one before. A woman walks into a bar and...well she turns this chump's life upside down and...yeah I guess you can figure out the rest from there. Our hero Larry Cole meets Joan and, at first, she seems too good to be true. But she talks like a gun moll and has crazy ideas for the two of them to get a lot of loot and how once they got money they can get married and live out their lives in the sun. The last time a gorgeous dame came on to me and suggested a fast way to make a lot of cash, I knew it was too good to be true. I can't believe Larry fell for Joan the way he did, but with her hot body and all, I guess some guys are born suckers. So, we watch Larry go for it and wait for the bodies to pile up in the process. It reminded me of a crazy chick I used to know when I was young named Tammy who managed to talk me into a scheme that...ah never mind about that. She's probably why I read stuff like this.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was Brewer's first book for Fawcett and all in all not a bad book, just not great. It doesn't have the frantic pace that some of his later books would have and it meanders quite a bit, which actually made it unpredictable.