A Girl Called Honey by "Sheldon Lord" (Lawrence Block) & "Alan Marshall" (Donald E. Westlake) (first published in paperback by Midwood Books, 1960; reprinted with two other novels in Hellcats and Honeygirls: The Collaborative Novels of Lawrence Block and Donald E. Westlake, Subterranean Press, 2010)
In the Fifties, Sixties, Seventies, and beyond many now well-known writers served their apprenticeships by writing paperback erotica, usually under a pseudonym: Lawrence Block, Donald E. Westlake, Hal Dresner, Robert Silverberg, Marion Zimmer Bradley, John Jakes, Bill Pronzini, Evan Hunter (who denied it), Dean Koontz (who is still denying it), Avram Davidson, David Case, Joe R. Lansdale, Philip Jose Farmer...al published novels in the genre called "softcore,' "sleaze"," or just plain "sex books." Keep in mind that these titles hinted a lot and told little; most of today's best-selling bodice busting romances go much farther than these did. To a hungry writer starting out, this market provided steady sales and a moderate income while allowing the writer to hone his or her craft.
Many of these writers tired to hide or dismiss these efforts, but determined fans have ferreted out many of the old pseudonyms. Some of these writers -- Block and Silverberg predominately -- have embraced these efforts and have allowed some of their early work to be reprinted. Lawrence Block published his first book while still in college; in fact, he was publishing so steadily that he never bothered to complete college. His good friend, Donald Westlake, although a few years older than Block, published his first novel a year after Block published his -- both first novels were softcore books for Midwood Publishing.
A Girl Called Honey was Block's twelfth book; it was Westlake's seventh. The two collaborated on two other softcore books: So Willing (1960) and Sin Hellcat (1962; also published as A Piece of the Action). Soon both authors would move on and begin making names for themselves in crime fiction. As Block tells it:
"And somewhere along the way we discussed the possibility of collaborating, and I wrote the first chapter of A Girl Called Honey. I sent a carbon copy to don, and he wrote Chapter Two and sent it to me, and we continued in that vein until the book was done. we never discuss the plot or the characters. At one point I tired of a character he'd created and killed him off, whereupon he retaliated by getting my character arrested for murder.
"Damn, that was fun."
Eighteen-year-old Honour Mercy Bane, the only daughter of strict fundamentalist parents from Coldwater, Kentucky, was caught having sex with her high school teacher (something that she enjoyed, by the way). Her parents kicked her out of the house, telling her she was only fit for working at a whorehouse in Newport, Kentucky. It sounded like good, although not well-meaning, advice, so that's what she did. Despite having no real experience she got a job with Madge, the owner of the Third Street Grill, which was a front for a whorehouse; Madge happened to be short one girl and then Honour Mercy showed up and she worked out well; she seemed to have a knack for it. The first thing Madge did was change her name to Honey, a name that would go over much better with her clientele.
Richie Parsons was a poor excuse of a human being. "Silent, solitary, sneaky, and gutless," he was "the one who always edges along the wall, as though afraid to be seen." Richie was also not very bright and was controlled by his fears. When he turned eighteen a few months ago, he joined the Air Force in order to get away from his mother. Big mistake. Richie's incompetence and general demeanor was not a good fit for the service. Richie did have a sort of low cunning, however, which led him to never being suspected of stealing from his fellow recruits. Until the day he was caught and beaten and awaited punishment from his commander. So Richie went AWOL, intending never to return. Not thinking ahead, and having no money, Richie had no idea where he was going. Somehow he ended up at Madge's place and, not realizing what was happening in Honey's bedroom. Honey felt sorry for this shy, bumbling, terrified boy. And that's what she considered him, a boy, a little boy, someone she could mother. Soon they were living together, with Honey bringing in money through her "job" and Richie hiding in the apartment, afraid to go out in case the military police were after him. Richie's paranoia got the best of him and he and Honey fled to New York city where it might be easier for him to hide. Honey, beautiful and talented at what she does, soon became a high-priced escort.
Josh Crawford, forty-six, was a successful lawyer with a wife he did not love and two adult children. Crawford, born Joshua Cohen, worked hard for his comfortable life. He had an apartment in the city for occasional trysts with prostitutes and loved no one except himself. Until the escort service sent him Honey and he fell for her hard. He learned that Honey had a strange interdependent relationship with Richie and doubted she would ever leave him, so he began plotting on ways to eliminate Richie from the picture. What Josh settled on was a combination of bribery and threats that would leave him in sole possession of honey; and she would become his mistress -- his and his alone; Josh did not want to share, nor did he want to give up his marriage and his status.
A situation set up for a violent explosion, one in which no one ends up unscathed.
Since this is a sex novel, there are also lesbian scenes -- Honey didn't care for that scene bit she had to go along to get along.
It also should be noted that when Richie assumes a new identity to avoid being arrested, he randomly chooses the name Andrew Shaw, which is one of the pen names Block used for many of his sex novels.
A facile story of a sexual world that might have been imagined by a horny teenager, told in the strangely prurient prose of the sex novels of the Sixties, where much is hinted and little is explicit, all done with a quiet undertone of satire. The authors were certainly aware of their sly take on many of the genre's tropes, even if many of their intended audience were not. A Girl Called Honey is not a great novel, nor even a great sex novel. but it is an interesting, readable example of the apprentice work of two talented writers who would go on to much greater things.
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