The Tease

by Gil Brewer

Genres: Noir

128 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1967

About the author

Florida writer Gil Brewer was the author of dozens of wonderfully sleazy sex/crime adventure novels of the 1950's and 60's, including Backwoods Teaser and Nude on Thin Ice; some of them starring private eye Lee Baron (Wild) or the brothers Sam and Tate Morgan (The Bitch) . Gil Brewer, who had not previously published any novels, began to write for Gold Medal Paperbacks in 1950-51. Brewer wrote some 30 novels between 1951 and the late 60s – very often involving an ordinary man who becomes involved with, and is often corrupted and destroyed by, an evil or designing woman. His style is simple and direct, with sharp dialogue, often achieving considerable intensity.

Brewer was one of the many writers who ghost wrote under the Ellery Queen byline as well. Brewer also was known as Eric Fitzgerald, Bailey Morgan, and Elaine Evans.

http://www.gilbrewer.com/

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a fight, his wife leaves him, and he wanders out onto the beach only to find a naked young woman in distress, being chased by some baddies. Turns out she has a load of cash from a robbery, she's killed her partner and the other two are after her and the money. Good story, clever characters, and kind of a surprising ending (to me anyway). I'll read more of his stuff.

[Joe Nicholl · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Tease by Gil Brewer (1967) is the last of the classic vintage noirs by Brewer that would include 13 French Street (1951) and The Vengeful Virgin (1958). The Tease is in a long line of tension filled stories that take place in a beach side residence in Florida (John D. McaDonald had many tales in the same local). The story has the typical Brewer marriage on the skids with the young femme-fatale crashing in with sex, money and bad guys in chase. Yes the tension builds to a suspense filled final 15 pages that's up there with the best pulp-fiction. Highly recommended if you like vintage crime fiction noir...-5.0 outta 5.0...

[Paperback Papa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gil Brewer (1922-1983) is a legend among aficionados of 50's and 60's crime/noir fiction. Make no mistake, he wrote some lousy novels. But when he was on, he was terrific. This novel from 1967 is good.

It concerns a down-on-his-luck schmuck who drinks too much and cheats on his wife. When she finally gets fed up and leaves, he realizes what a mess he's made of things and desperately tries to think of a way to win her back. It just so happens that that very night, while walking on the beach and pondering his situation, a gorgeous young blonde woman wrapped in a towel comes running along the sand. She's being chased by thugs who are bent on killing her. Our protagonist hides her, and just like that we are off on a wild crime caper with the blonde in the role of the femme fatale and a missing suitcase full of stolen cash as the object of everyone's affection.

I've read many books like this, and when they're done right, they're a blast. This one is good, but I wouldn't call it elite. I did like the way the author wrapped things up. He threw in a nice twist at the end that I didn't see coming, so I give him credit for that. All in all, it's a pleasant reading experience if you like this sort of thing.

[Alex Budris · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of Gil Brewer's punchy noir stories featuring a femme fatale - a leggy heartbreaker who lures hapless men into desperate spirals of alcohol and violence. I actually know one of those. She acts just like the characters in these novels - and men would commit crimes for her. She's very difficult to be friends with, but I love her all the same.

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

To hell with everything, narrator Wes McCord, says before making one of those irrevocable decisions so often found in crime novels. And it might just be the motto for this species of noir where a regular guy, usually through some chance encounter, ends up going off the rails. Broke, marriage crumbling, guzzling booze, Wes sees his chance. What's he going to do?

All that money. It was hitting me hard, and there wasn't much I could do. Put it down that I was weak. But there was no need even thinking that with that much money involved. My palms began to itch. The hell with everything. I had to help her. I had no choice. I had to take the chance."

With that Brewer sets the classic noir trap. Yes! To hell with everything!!

Brewer was the drag racer of those 1950s-60s crime novelists, and it wasn't just smoke and squealing tires, he knew how to get the dragster down the track, knew how to get those early pages turning fast. Drama and tension. He sets the hook with a propulsive style. And that's what we get here. Unfortunately this one loses it's way in the middle with an ill-advised plot twist. Brewer recovers, but the engine is running on one less cylinder. He keeps throwing plot complications into the mix with that propulsive style but it takes a lot of suspension of disbelief to go along with the action in the second half of the book. Plenty of action and twists right to the abrupt (editor's word-count goal met) end.

The title is a tease, because the femme-fatale is not a tease, but she is quite a package, and more than a match for our narrator.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wes McCord is a skirt-chaser with a marriage to match. One night, when his disgusted wife leaves him to stay at her sister's house, a naked nymphette appears on his doorstep with an incredible tale of murder and money. For reasons that are never explained, Wes believes that money will solve his marital problems, so he agrees to help the nymphette flee her pursuers and secure her hidden loot. If all goes well, she will give him half of her $300,000. Brewer may be going through the motions with this one, but at least he knows the motions to go through.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, quick read from Gil Brewer about a guy who's short on cash and has an opportunity to get a lot of it as a result of a naked girl showing up out of nowhere on the beach in front of his house. If that's not enough to interest you in reading this then . . . well, you're probably not a fan of Gil Brewer.

[Harding Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

One swing of her hips dragged him into a nightmare of crime... and me along for the ride.

[Chris Stephens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Men will do anything for a nice set of tits,
the underlying theme in almost all of Brewer's stories,
really young women/girls get this,
the drunk men don't.

[Thrillers R Us · Rating 4 out of 5]

Throw caution to the wind, indulge THE TEASE: a lovely dame to take you on a trip to the past w/all the fun & thrills you could ever want. Sex, money, bad guys, cops. You know how this ends...


A little more than seventeen years after Timon famously asked 'What's the motto with you,' Los Angeles area Hip Hop radio station Power 106 debuted THE MOTTO about a month before it featured as a bonus track on Drake's second studio album TAKE CARE. While not snatching a Grammy, THE MOTTO's lyrics included the acronym YOLO, reviving the ancient Mae West attributed phrase 'You only live once' in youth culture. As perhaps with 'carpe diem' of other generations, YOLO as a motto represents risk taking, seizing the moment, and realizing opportunities. Gil Brewer's crime pulp novels of yesteryear are exciting yarns of crime and passion that teem with husky, two-fisted characters and the kind of women worth fighting for. Coming in at almost the end of his writing career in 1967, THE TEASE embodies the chronicling of bad decisions by men desperate for money and vulnerable to women. Himself at the end of his rope, THE TEASE is a taut crime thriller of a man who who says to hell with everything, obligated to helping a young damsel in distress. He had no choice, he had to take the chance. Sex, money, bad guys, and cops. YOLO.

Presaging many-a movie trailer with legendary narrator Don LaFontaine, THE TEASE really sinks its protagonist at the bottom of the barrel. Wes McCord and money are strangers, and working as a salesman at a Realty company is not helping. Facing inter office competition worse than Lloyd Braun, Wes thought he'd had it made as a salesman, but the job had no honest future and he knew it all too well. Inheriting a house and a Buick two years into a now four year marriage, Wes is a beaut of a failure; 32, tall, fit, clean, neat, strong, and half drunk. And a cheat. And none of it led anywhere, except down the old hole. IT was early September on the Florida West Coast in a time when it was still the Gulf of Mexico, and money was how the fight started. Money, the lack of money, not being able to get hold of money. That was the crux of it and the result is a forced trial separation with his sister-in-law guarding access to the kingdom. And he's gotta bring her back, because without her he is nothing. A guy who's had it too easy and who doesn't give a damn. Since it's the 60's, THE TEASE takes the critical path and goes straight for the wallet. A naked nymph on a deserted beach and the promise of $325,000, the answer to Wes's eternal quest for getting his hands on some money. As with the bare naked lady, the big question is whether or not someone is gonna come looking for this cash.

A swirling vortex of lust, greed, and booze, THE TEASE is a formidable case study of one degenerate who deserves another. With every move he makes, the protagonist gets into his self-created mess a little deeper, and there seemingly is no getting out either. This is the charm of THE TEASE, reading a train-wreck in slow progress, and possibly the fantasy of 60s male readership who made PLAYBOY magazine a success--a naked lady alone on the beach begging for help and a windfall of cash. Steeped in a thorough 60s feel, THE TEASE is leashed excitement that'll remove readers from tech and MIL heavy modern reads, piloting among the rigamarole of crime noir elements that never come up aces. Throw caution to the wind and indulge THE TEASE, a lovely dame to take you on a thorough trip to the past with all the money, fun, and thrills you could ever want. And you know how this ends. Cause YOLO.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not enough sleaze or violence to make this one a winner. OK but not amazing.