Branded Woman

by Wade Miller

International jewelry smuggling may be a man’s business, but beautiful Cay Morgan can hold her own with the best. Until the day a shadowy rival known only as The Trader has her abducted and scarred for life as a warning to stay out of his way.

Now Cay’s on her way to Mazatlan, where one of The Trader’s men has been spotted. There’s a big deal going down – but she’s not there to make a score.

Just to settle one.

Genres: Crime, Mystery, Fiction, Noir, Pulp, Thriller, Mystery Thriller

206 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1952

About the author

See also Bob Wade

Wade Miller is a pen name of two authors, Robert Allison “Bob” Wade (1920-present) and H. Bill Miller (1920-61). The two also wrote under several other pseudonyms, including Whit Masterson and Will Daemer.

Received the Shamus Award, "The Eye" (Lifetime achievment award) in 1988.

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

There never was a Wade Miller. The name is a pseudonym used by an amalgamation of two writers, Robert Wade and H Bill Miller. Together they wrote more than thirty novels under the names Whit Masterson and wade Miller. This amalgam of two writers is not to be confused with the Wade Miller who played for the Houston Astros and the Boston Red Sox.

In 1952, the writing duo published Branded Woman. It is a remarkable work and fairly engrossing. The one thing that does stand out about it is the main character is a woman, Morgan Cay. The basic plot is found on the back cover which explains that the beautiful Cay Morgan can hold her own in the world of international jewel smuggling. She was warned to stay away from the Trader's business. When she doesn't heed the warning, the Trader abducts her and scars her for life with a "T" emblazoned on her forehead so that she will never forget him. Five years later, Morgan finally has a lead on where the Trader is and is out for her revenge. She saw a photograph in a newspaper of a man associated with the Trader and she heads to Mazatlan where one of the biggest jewelry deals in history is going down.

"Just past thirty, she grew vainer every year about her ability to make men perspire." "Despite the sultry poise of her figure, men noticed her hair first. It was technically blonde, but silver rather than gold, a hue once called platinum but which Cay herself fondly termed pearl blonde." It is further explained that: "She did not look like a woman planning murder; no one seeing her now would suppose that she could hate so long and hard."

The story is jampacked with action from the very moment Cay touches down in Mazatlan to the very end of the book. There are murders, knifings, drownings, catfights between two ferocious women, chases down deserted alleys, guns, romance, and more. All the action takes place in and around Mazatlan and this adds a nice atmosphere to the work. Cay is just about the most dangerous woman you could imagine, but the question is has she met her match in the Trader. After spending five long years seeking him out, what is she really going to do when she finds him and will it be worth it?

I recommend this book. It was a lot of fun to read.

If this were made into a movie today, I could see either Scarlet Johansen or Uma Thurman playing the role of Cay.

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Catherine "Cay" Morgan travels to Mazatlan looking for The Trader, a jewel smuggler who carved a T into her forehead for dealing on his turf five years earlier. Cay is aided by PI George Hodd, and Walter Kilmer, a fisherman. In her quest for vengeance, Cay learns of a fortune in buried gold. Only nothing is as it seems...

First off, I almost liked this but there was definitely some blandness to it. While the plot was good, Cay was unsympathetic sometimes and I found it hard to care what happened to her. Other times, I just didn't believe the way she was acting was consistent with her character. I knew the Trader was in her midst early on but didn't figure out who it was until it was too late. I'd say my favorite part was the cat fight between Cay and Concha. It was about the only memorable part of the book other than the end.

I'm giving this a 2.75. It's not bad but not great either.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Branded and humiliated by a jewel smuggling boss calling himself ‘The Trader’ five years ago, Cay Morgan, a femme fatale of sorts, travels to Mazatlan accompanied by a PI, in George Hodd, on a quest for vengeance.

From a blistering opening at the airport terminal of Mazatlan where Cay’s criminal prowess is recognised through a rather violent and highly entertaining encounter all the way to the bullet riddled conclusion, Wade Miller’s ‘Branded Women’ is all class. Written in the 1950’s, this pulp is still modern (with the exclusion of some gender defying dialogue) and would hold up amongst most of today’s ‘holiday thrillers’. While Cay’s background is a little sketchy, her cause is justified and her character surprisingly deep and identifiable.

Adding to the enticing equation is a voluptuous and somewhat mysterious housewife, Concha, who proves to be just as fierce and fatal as Cay when it comes to protecting what she wants – that being the mass sum of gold located on a secluded island of which the Trader is also keen to acquire. The action and twists just don’t let up. I was enthralled by Cay, her relationship with Walt (a fisherman), Trefethen (a soap salesman and acquaintance of the island owners), and Spencer Swan (Concha’s husband) – Cay knows how to use her assets to advantage.

‘Branded Women’ is rounded out by a sensationalised ending which couldn’t have been scripted better. Not only was The Trader’s identity revealed but also an interesting and unassuming fact comes to light. I loved it. 5 stars.

*Wade Miller, Whit Masterson, and Will Daemer (and possibly others) are pseudonyms for collaborative works by two authors, Robert Allison “Bob” Wade and H. Bill Miller.

My review of Masterson’s ‘Badge of Evil’ can be found here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

*source – LibraryThing.com

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good example of the 1950s crime-noir novels Hard Case is hell-bent on reprinting. Wade Miller was a pseudonym for Robert Wade and William Miller, who co-conspired for a number of excellent mystery novels back in the day. Their books are all pretty good, and Branded Woman is one of the best.

Cay Morgan elbowed her way into jewelry smuggling, a tough woman in a man’s world, and held her own for quite a while. That came to a crashing halt when one of her rivals, The Trader, had her abducted and…well, branded, as a warning to stay out of his business. Needless to say, she packs up her revolver and a hired detective and sets off to Mazatlan, hoping to track down one of The Trader’s known associates… to give The Trader one in return.

Cay is one of the more interesting characters I’ve come across—a woman protagonist, and a strong one at that. At the same time, she’s human enough to let her emotions get in the way… which proves problematic near the end of the book. The novel has some good plot twists, and the development leading to the conclusion is spot on. The Mexican setting is nicely described, a sunny, tropical paradise with The Trader lurking underneath. And the characters are all great, well-rounded and developed so they all feel very human. I’m not sure that branding is as truly horrible as we’re led to believe—having just read Gun Work, where the protagonist is tortured and maimed—but I assume it was a lot more horrific back in the 1950s.

This is one of those Hard Case Crime books I ended up really liking, for no particularly great reason. It’s well-written, has a unique protagonist, and is moderately surprising, but it’s still a very basic ‘50s crime paperback, and is far from the best in the Hard Case library. Still, the fact that I really liked it has to count for something. It’s well-rounded and very above average, and one of the better crime revenge stories I’ve read, thus earning my stamp of approval. Highly, highly, highly recommended.

(Full review found here.)

[Carla Remy · Rating 3 out of 5]

From 1952
I didn't love this even though it's about a female jewel smuggler.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sultry sexy blonde hit-woman goes to sunny Acapulco to get even with the creep that scarred her face. Great revenge actioner and erotically charged as well, I don’t think I’ve ever read a bad novel by Wade Miller. Another great find from Hard-on Case Crime.

[Donald · Rating 2 out of 5]

“She had come to Mazatlán to kill a man.”

She is Cay Morgan, and the man is The Trader. And she’s waited five years to kill him! But then...

“All she had ever wanted…Except that she wanted Walt more.” Yeah, well that kind of killed it for me. Cay went from a vengeful take-no-prisoners warrior type to a mushy, romantic, sentimental type in one night. It was such a drastic switch that it jarred me right out of the story. The stunning last sentence of the book was awesome, but having the main character change that dramatically, that quickly, just didn't work for me.

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think there is a plot twist or wrinkle in every single chapter, sometimes more than one per chapter, and that keeps this novel in constant motion. Cay Morgan is a strong and resourceful character and to have a female protagonist in a 1952 crime novel who isn't a femme-fatale type was pretty special. Not a lot of memorable scenes, but plenty of action nonetheless and that made this a decent read.

[Roger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Branded Woman is a noir classic fully worth a five star rating. I loved this book for a variety of reasons. Catherine "Cay" Morgan is a criminal who runs afoul of a worse criminal. As punishment the Trader (our mysterioso Big Bad) doesn't kill her, he brands her-hence the title. This proves to be one of the classic blunders. (Such as "never get involved in a land war in Asia" or "never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line!") That blunder is this: Never leave your enemy alive. Cay is determined to find the person who disfigured her and kill him. And that is the structure of the whole novel. By the way this is not really a spoiler: you learn this kernel of the story by reading the back of the book. Written in 1952, this novel is lean and mean. Long before Ellen Ripley strode the stars, Cay Morgan strode the back alleys and bars, blackjacking the beejeezus out of whoever she felt like. And she is still all woman-she just fights dirty. Lots of great surprises await the reader at the end of this tale. As a bonus it sports a nifty cover by the late Glen Orbik. What a lot of fun this was to read.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: beautiful Cay Morgan can hold her own as an international jewel smuggler. Then a shadowy rival, The Trader, abducts her.

[Graham P · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cay Morgan is vengeful lust personified, with razor-ship instincts, looks to kill (platinum blonde, no less), and a bountiful bosom that no man's eyes can avoid. The writing team of Wade Miller churn out a fun, yet quite pedestrian, crime novel where revenge, sex, double-cross and murder all play their roles in equal parts. Set on the Mexican coast, Cay Morgan arrives in the small, seaside city to get revenge on the Trader. What did the Trader do? Well, he carved an T on her forehead with a buck knife, and on that alone (scarring her perfect beauty), she's on the warpath to bring him down. But will she go on her mission as she planned out, or will she be sidetracked by love and lust...? This is pulp shit, playfully misogynistic and mildly sadistic shit, but shit that moves well and actually has some suspense. Even though Cay is something like Jayne Mansfield mixed with James Bond, she does get her share of bruises and beat-downs. And in the end, as the reader can see coming from miles away, those she trusts may be the ones who deal her to the dogs. Don't go into this expecting hard-boiled brilliance, and you should come out enjoying it for what it is - a well written romp, if anything.

[The Professor · Rating 3 out of 5]

“You should be dead three times over”. Perfectly well written but, alas, didn’t quite hit the spot. Cay Morgan (a nice piratical name for this tale of parties warring over gold ingots) is an alluring (“God, you’re a beautiful thing”) international smuggler who runs afoul of a more ruthless competitor who autographs her forehead with a knife. Tracking the fiend down over the course of five years she zeroes in on her quarry in the exotic Mexican city of Mazatlán and hi-jinks ensue.

Wade Miller was the writing gestalt entity responsible for the source novel of “Touch of Evil” and thanks to the similar Mexican setting – Miller makes Mazatlán a character in itself – “Branded” has the same local colour. Except this novel was written before “Badge of Evil” and it was Welles who introduced the Mexican setting in his adaptation, Miller appears to have foreseen the future. “Branded” unfortunately has rather a schematic feel; we have reversals, double-crosses, some credulity-straining behaviour and the only character approaching Welles’ degenerate Hank Quinlan is the raging, sociopathic D’Hureau who exists in the novel apparently to furnish Cay with knock-out drugs at a useful time. The plot is standard adventure bobbins with Cay and the reader spending a lot of the time playing “guess the identity of the Trader” and while the writing is certainly above average the hokum is fairly second tier; if one squints one could see Wade Miller, if he’d been writing a couple of decades later, rattling out John Gardner-esque Bond spin-off novels. Sadly this sensation-addict found the mystery of the Trader and Cay’s outrage at having been branded by him not quite enough to really sustain interest even when Miller adds mysterious islands and looted gold ingots into the mix. Miller should have ditched the Scooby Doo villain and given Cay a clear enemy to bring down.

Meanwhile, oddities abound. Cay and her luckless plus one private detective think that the two of them searching Mazatlán on foot will be sufficient to find their quarry. They don’t quite stumble by chance on their targets but near enough. At one point Cay is dumped drugged and naked in the ocean and yet, lucky girl, Lady Fate smiles on her. There are multiple scenes of characters happening on each other amid crowds, various secondary characters bursting into rooms at inopportune moments and one or two lines of dialogue that needed a second draft ("We must, act, act!"). Then there’s the spirited Cay falling within five minutes for grizzled man mountain Walt Kilmer (“Walt, kiss me. I love you…”) and while I completely understand this because I’ve lost count of the number of beautiful international smugglers going loopy over me at the drop of a hat it strained credulity here. It at least enables Miller to close things off fairly neatly in the final paragraph. All the jankiness is a pity because Cay is a feisty heroine – stealing guns, scratching the eyes out of Mexican wives, drugging herself up to entrap a target – and in her we see the path ahead to Modesty Blaise and even, distantly, Villanelle. So no, not entirely successful but if you were stuck for something to read on holiday and found this on the shelf there are certainly worse ways to kill a few hours than in the company of the revenge-seeking, brandy-swigging Cay Morgan. “One often overlooks the obvious”.

[Justus · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be honest, I didn't finish this book. It wasn't bad but it was a pretty mediocre, by-the-numbers, uninspiring revenge story. Two things really stand out:

1. The motive for the revenge is ridiculous to any modern audience. There are two characters (the main character and a secondary character) who are an all-consuming rage and desire for revenge on a brutal international criminal. Both of them had double-crossed or stolen from this crime lord and the crime lord had exacted a terrible price. What did the crime lord do that would cause someone to spend years seeking revenge? Did he murder their entire family? Did he chop off fingers, arms, and feet?

Nope, he branded them. Think, like a tattoo but permanent. One was branded on his hand -- something he apparently found so disfiguring he wears a glove constantly. Which is just....ridiculous to a modern audience.

2. The relationship between the main character and her muscle-for-hire is kinda refreshing. There's no romance. He's competent. It is kind of ironic that his death (for a villain who let others live for far less) is basically an example of "fridging". His death serves no story purpose other than to make the main character mad (or, madder). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_i...

Anyway, I eventually gave up reading when, one night, when I was going to pick up the book and start reading, I realised I just didn't care. I didn't really care if what's-her-name got revenge. Or didn't get revenge. I didn't care who the mysterious crime lord was. I didn't care whether anyone got the gold.

In the right mood, I might have made another choice. That's the thing with these run-of-the-mill genre books. The line between "familiar & entertaining" and "familiar & repetitive" can be awfully thin.

[Culture-Vulture · Rating 5 out of 5]

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🚨 MASSIVE SPOILERS AHEAD 🚨
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This is very much a soap opera. Overwrought emotions. Unlikely scenarios. Just like a Mexican telenovela. (For example, no self-respecting mobster leaves an enemy alive. That was obviously a very thin plot device to move the story forward.)

I guessed Walt's real identity right after he declared his love. I doubted this was insta-love. This felt like subterfuge. No tough guy behaves that way, and Walt was a tough guy. But then I was second-guessing myself what with all the many twists and turns.

The 5 stars are for the way it ended. I liked the ending. It's a good payoff for an otherwise soap-opera-like story. And the female protagonist was really cool (if not believable as a real-life character) in the way she handles herself with such panache.

[Thom Brannan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot in this book moves and breathes and changes like a living thing, and there's a cold, murderous female lead who has been on a vengeance trail for years, and she's also a thief/smuggler/whatever else on the side now. This was tailor-made for me to love.

Why don't I?

I think I did love it, right up until she gives it all up for a guy she barely knows. This is the same, for me, as the other Hard Case Crime reprints where the hard-drinking, live-to-the-edge male protagonist falls hopelessly in love with a woman who's going to kill him over the course of a single page, maybe. Every instance of this feels so contrived and forced, and this one is no different.

Aside from that (and by extension, the resolution) I really liked this. More stars for less of that, but here we are.

[Ruz El · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good crime thriller about a woman smuggler who is after a rival who cheated her out of deal 5 years prior, branding her for life. It's a fast paced read, and Cay as the central character is both intriguing and a nice touch considering this is from the early 50's. That said, don't expect this to be too progressive for modern eyes. I had difficulty fully engaging with this one. It may be a case of supporting characters feeling more like plot drivers than actual characters with personal motivations. I won't dig into more so as to avoid spoilers. At any rate, I'm sure you could do worse than this one.

[Jim Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this. It was refreshingly non-misogynistic for a '50s pulp novel. The protagonist is a beautiful blonde, yes, and there are some dated gender stereotypes in there, but for it's time she's a pretty strong, independent woman, and pretty open in her scorn for guys who are looking for someone to call "baby" and take care of. I liked that touch, that little bit of almost-feminism in a book like this.

Overall, it was just a nice, quick, fun read. Again, dated (like, the idea that someone feels their life was destroyed because someone branded them with a small T is funny these days), but being dated didn't make it not good.

[Ken Schloman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written in 1952, the novel is a wonderful example of the pulp novel era and a good addition to the Hard Case Crime portfolio. While the novel may be closer to the noir character study genre it does blend many hardboiled elements. Protagonist is not the typical hardboiled private eye but rather a lead female who is not the traditional femme fatale of the genre. As with most of the pulp era novels, it is not great "literature" but does provide an entertaining read. Fans of the pulp era should give it a try.

[John Bruni · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a lot of fun because the femme fatale is the protagonist, for a change. It's not often you see that. In this case she is literally a branded woman. A man known as the Trader branded her with the letter T high on her forehead, and now she seeks vengeance. This book is full of twists and turns, some silly, some annoying, some spot on. The ones that work really, really work well, especially the final line. I can't recommend it enough.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Hard Case Crime collection is my palette cleanser, often they are as pulpy and dumb as I would want while quite often being a bit lacking in the good side of that. This is one of the better ones, I genuinely enjoyed the last 50 pages way more than I've enjoyed most of the other books. Absurd 1950sy sexist language aside it was a pretty solid revenge/treasure hunting story.

[Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic hardboiled novel, with a female protagonist, Cay. First published in 1952, the book is an anachronistic read. On the second page Cay reaches into her purse to handle gun while an airline passenger. Outdated portrayal of female/male relationships. Still a fun , fast read.

[Du · Rating 4 out of 5]

This started out a bit dry and convoluted, and then it actually moved in the right direction and became an interesting and well-meaning thriller. The twists and turns worked the overall flow was interesting.

[Eric C · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first Wade Miller book. Had some great moments in it. Also some incomprehensible moments. For the most part a quick fun read. Average for this type of novel.

[Izzy Corbo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice, quick read with plenty of twists and turns. Strong female character (although occasionally acting a bit naïve) interesting set up and a fairly surprising ending.

[Jonathan Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a little slow at the beginning, but once it picks up, it's a hell of a ride. Also, a little anti-typical is the female lead.

It's some really enjoyable pulp writing.

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was a 3 star until the end.
I love the story and plot though it's maybe buried under some tacky and one-dimensional characters and character choices. But the turns and twists and the ending, love it.

[David Lothschutz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. Marking it up as one of my all-time favorites!!!

[John Stanley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not all that good. A goofy story, full of cliches, flat characters, three twists at the end - two more than was really necessary.

[Jim Ordolis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tight, sharp, entertaining, a great read!

[Art the Turtle of Amazing Girth · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.1

The characters in these books fall in love far too quickly, and then even faster out of love once the twist has happened