Sunday, October 19, 2008

Paperback 153: Seed of Doubt / Day Keene (Dell 7733)

Paperback 153: Dell 7733 (1st ptg, 1962)

Title: Seed of Doubt
Author: Day Keene
Cover artist: Clark Hulings

Yours for: $6


Best things about this cover:

  • "Explosive," "Seed," and a variation of "semen" all on one cover!? That's ... ballsy. Also makes me a little queasy. Oh god, all this seed-talk is making even "Unexpurgated" look pornographic.
  • "You expect that man to take care of that baby!?"
  • "You expect us to believe that that man is responsible for that stain!?"
  • The judge looks like he wants to say "Excuse me, sir, but the fencing class is down the hall."
  • "The pattern of ANATOMY OF A MURDER" - HA ha. High praise. That's like saying "As many pages as THE GREAT GATSBY" or "Set in the same general region as GONE WITH THE WIND"


Best things about this back cover:

  • Cast of characters! With quotes!?
  • "I'd rather see her dead" - I hope he's not supposed to be sympathetic character. "No wife of mine..." - how many does he have?
  • "I loved Eric so much ..." - of course. Women love men who would rather see them dead than see them bear the child of another man.
  • "Who is to say that I was wrong ...?" - nice defense, Perry Mason. I believe This Court is to say, you jackass.

Page 123~

Jenny emerged from the restaurant wearing a tight black skirt and a green blouse under a thin white sweater that accentuated her heavy breasts. She pretended to be surprised to see him.

"You still here?"

Eric continued to pick his teeth. "It would seem. You live far?"

Eric is suave - he knows what all real men know: that there is no surer way to seduce a heavy-breasted lady than to pick your teeth.

~RP

6 comments:

Corey Wilde said...

Wasn't Jenny wearing anything when she went in the restaurant? They could lose their food service license for that.

Anonymous said...

What is Eric doing hitting on Jenny? Shouldn't he be home with his wives, at least one of whom is pregnant? Or has he killed them all off?

Eunice said...

"...risk my professional ethics and reputation..."? Dr. Vale's quote makes me think that there wasn't anything artificial about the artificial insemination here. Hey she was desperate, and who is to say he was wrong?

Also, May has clearly gone to sleep while being questioned on the stand.

Anonymous said...

Apart from the judge looking like he was carved out of marble (and still showing more signs of life than many real judges) I kind of like the artwork on this one. I can believe in those people.

Doug P said...

I read a different book by Day Keene (some of his stuff is OK) called "Bye Baby Bunting". That one featured a psychologist drugging his wife and artificially inseminating her against her will. There was also a lot of courtroom "drama". Keene cranked out the books, so I guess it's not too surprising.

Lindsey said...

Just wanted to let you know that you were the website of the day at "Is it Noon!"