FORGOTTEN BOOKS #106: HELLCATS & HONEYGIRLS By Lawrence Block and Donald E. Westlake

Once again Subterranean Press has published a book I thought would never see the light of day. Thanks to the lovely Beth Fedyn, I’m now the proud owner of this omnibus collection. Hellcats & Honeygirls collects three sex novels that Lawrence Block and Donald E. Westlake collaborated on four decades ago: A Girl Named Honey, So Willing, and Sin Hellcat. The genre these novels fit into is called “sleaze” (but Lawrence Block prefers the term “erotica”). However, Block and Westlake are too savvy to just churn out run-of-the-mill titillation. Their novels have inside jokes and comic plot twists that will cause you to laugh out-loud. These paperback originals have been out-of-print for dozens of years. Now they’re available again. Buy this book fast before it’s gone!

34 thoughts on “FORGOTTEN BOOKS #106: HELLCATS & HONEYGIRLS By Lawrence Block and Donald E. Westlake

  1. Randy Johnson

    I ordered this one when first announced and enjoyed it thoroughly. I love reading these books that writers used to make a living while working on their serious stuff.

    Reply
  2. Richard R.

    It’s been a while since you reviewed something I had any interest in buying – it was the A. Bertram Chandler – and this extends the streak, I’m afraid. The good news is I got an email from Tom Roberts at Black Dog Press about some nice things they’ve just released. That’s more my cuppa.

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      Maybe Subterranean Press will do a second edition, Drongo. HELLCATS & HONEYGIRLS appeals to a bigger market than the publisher expected.

      Reply
  3. Beth Fedyn

    I guess I didn’t realize so many of us have an appetite for “sleaze.”
    I finished the first novel a couple of nights ago and it was a real flash from the past.
    Glad you’re enjoying it, George. Thanks for the tip of the fedora.

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      Thanks for the information, Michael! I also noticed that Lawrence Block is offering 37 of his novels in ebook format (and at discounted prices!) at openroadmedia.com/author_block.html

      Reply
  4. Cap'n Bob

    Bethy sent me a copy, too. I didn’t realize it’s becoming a hypermodern. I plan to read it as soon as holding a book is less difficult.

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      I figured the demand for HELLCATS & HONEYGIRLS would exceed the supply of copies, Bob. That’s why I urged everyone interested in the book to BUY IT NOW! Little did I know, Subterranean was sold out.

      Reply
  5. Cap'n Bob

    Did I say Bethy? My old trick of hitting two keys at once is making itself known. That’s Beth. The lovely and talented Elizabeth Fedyn, sweetheart of the regiment and heroine true.

    Reply
  6. Richard R.

    Those e-books are $10??? I thought the dang things were supposed to be cheap – $2 or $3 apiece. For $10 I’d buy a REAL book instead of a digital file.

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      The folks at Subterranean are very responsive to customers, BV. If you contact them, they might find a spare copy of HELLCATS & HONEYGIRLS. Or, they may put you at the top of the list for the Second Edition.

      Reply
    1. george Post author

      I had the honor of speaking to Donald E. Westlake at a book signing after he spoke to an audience at the Buffalo-Erie County Public Library back in the 1980s, Todd. He was kind enough to sign some books (including the pseudonymous COMFORT STATION). Westlake didn’t say much about writing science fiction, but he did say he stopped writing Parker novels because he found he just couldn’t do it any more. He tried three times to write another Parker novel, but they all started to become funny. Westlake took the last Parker attempt and turned it into THE HOT ROCK. Decades later, Westlake must have discovered, to his surprise, he could write Parker novels again.

      Reply

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