This Al Wheeler mystery from 1967 features a murder of a ruthless and wealthy real estate developer, a wife who hated him, and a beautiful maid who knows more than she’s telling.
Until Temptation Do Us Part shows where temptation can take you. Al Wheeler is tempted by the cast of sexy suspects in various degrees of undress. The shady competitors of the dead developer surround themselves with willing women…some of whom may be deadly.
When a second murder upsets Al Wheeler’s investigation, it also opens the door to a blackmail plot and double-crosses. If you’re in the mood for a breezy mystery that you can finish in an hour (only 128 pages!) I recommend Until Temptation Do Us Part. GRADE: B
I’ve probably written about this before:
When I went to university in 1962 I lived with my parents for the first two years and took the train every morning. on the way to university (no bus then) I regularly passed two bookstores. One sold Astounding and other SF, the other always had some sexy books by Carter Brown on display . In the end I couldn’t resist and bought one, then another …, so at the end I had maybe a dozen – but of course I don’t remember the titles.
Also bought some Micky Spillane and all this really helped with my “command” of English language – which much later helped me a lot in my IT job.
So many thanks to Carter Brown!
Wolf, I love your Carter Brown stories!
When I was in college I would read four or five Carter Brown books in a day and still have time to go out drinking and do some occasional studying. Good times!
Jerry, I was working for a consulting company in the 1970s and would get stuck at O’Hare Airport on a regular basis. I always had a bunch of Carter Browns in my carry-on bag and, like you, read three or four paperbacks before my delayed flight took off.
Nice McGinniss cover.
As mentioned previously, in our book buying years in Britain, I would always buy any of the Aussie Horwitz digest-size Carter Browns (some were published as by “Peter Carter Brown”), especially if they hadn’t been published in the US at the time.
Jeff, STARK HOUSE has been reprinting those early “Peter Carter Brown” mysteries. The Robert McGinnis covers on the Carter Browns attracted me (and a lot of guys) to that series!
Because my library didn’t carry them and because I had no store with those spin racks, it was a long time until I discovered Carter Brown.
Patti, no libraries in Western NY bought paperbacks like Carter Browns in the 1960s. Late in the 1970s, the stigma of “mass market paperback” lessened and some libraries bought some paperbacks. Spinner racks were a common feature of drug stores and convenience stores back in the 1960s. Sadly, they’ve more or less disappeared. Spinner racks displayed the covers of the paperbacks and didn’t take up a lot of space.
Maybe you can read one in an hour but us lesser mortals take a little longer! I once read two of Bob Randisi’s Gunsmith books in 2 1/2 hours but I’m normally slower than that! It’s been years since I tackled a Carter Brown, but I read a slew of them about 40-45 years ago and always enjoyed them! Change of subject: did you watch Jeopardy! tonight? One of the categories was DASHIELL HAMMETT! Naturally, I got them all correct!
Bob, I could see you as a JEOPARDY Champion…if the categories were DASHIELL HAMMETT, WESTERNS, and MODEL BUILDING!