Velvet Jackpot

I've enjoyed Charles Boeckman's sleaze paperbacks written under the pseudonym Alex Carter. Boeckman, a celebrated jazz musician, authored crime-fiction, westerns, and pulp stories, but made a splash on the sexy fiction market with his contributions to Beacon in the mid-20th century. After reading a handful of enjoyable Carter works, I decided I needed another riveting romance jolt. I dived into Velvet Jackpot, a 1965 paperback published by Beacon with a flipped version of Victor Olson's 7 Days to Love cover from 1963. 

Reb Baker is a young man from a troubled, lower-class background. Years ago, he went to work for Jim Mason, a ruthless businessman who controls the small town of Camrock. Along with running errands and detailing the family's exotic cars, Reb indulged in an affair with Jim's wife, Beverly. Reb was run out of town, which is where the book begins. Reb is on the west coast playing guitar in dive bars when he receives a letter from a friend urging him to return to Camrock. The reason? Reb's younger sister, Linda, has turned to prostitution.

Through several flashbacks, readers learn that Reb and Linda had an incestuous relationship. Reb now feels protective of Linda and fears that his sexual exploits with her are the main reason she's turned to prostitution now. When he arrives in Camrock, he learns that Linda is now a widow and is struggling to finance a tree nursery that her late husband left her. Due to Reb's affair with Jim Mason’s wife, her efforts to obtain financing have been cut off. So, tramping is the ticket. 

Slowly, Reb succumbs to his old ways. He resumes his affair with Beverly despite being nearly beaten to death by Mason and his enforcers. But the main plot premise is Reb meeting a 17-year old girl named Sherri. He begins to obsess over her, leading to you know what. Here's the catch: Sherri is Beverly's daughter! Imagine Jim Mason's anger learning that Reb is now porking both his wife and daughter. This book is nuts!

Velvet Jackpot has several enticing twists and turns. First, you have Linda suffering the sins of her brother – emotionally, physically, financially. There's Reb's inner turmoil to protect Linda and earn legal money to support her business, yet fracturing with his sexual urges. The Mason family dynamic is explored, including the escalating danger posed by Jim. Retribution, guilt, defiance. These are the staples.

Boeckman was a master of unraveling the nuclear family in his paperbacks, and this one is a prime example of his storytelling. The story, a cycle of moral decay, is a real guilty pleasure for me. I love the author's intertwining characters and his ability to invest so much emotion and trepidation. You just know the car wreck is happening – it's the tension that builds as the cars careen off course. I love it. I just wish a reprint house out there would consider reprinting these Beacon classics. These vintage paperbacks command top dollar.