HOUSE OF DECEIT

    We come at last to the third and final work in the literary oeuvre of Rae Loomis. Her previous novels were Marina Street Girls (1953) and Luisita (1954). Like the others House of Deceit is a paperback original that (not surprisingly) examines illicit sex in the era of Ozzie and Harriet. I would like to add some biographical information about Loomis, but the best I can come up with (thanks to the library at the University of Buffalo) is a year of birth, 1906. Otherwise, internet sources are silent. It would be interesting to know what she thought she was doing with these stories of strong women in the sex trade.

    House of Deceit by Rae Loomis. Ace Books (1955), 160 pp.
    Jenny George, a pretty and presentable prostitute in her mid-twenties, follows her gangster boyfriend, Fate Carlo, to a small, King City-like town in the Salinas Valley. She buys a small brothel but does not provide customer service herself -- with one exception. The privileged guy is Paul Morland, the scrawny and hunch-backed son of an agricultural magnate. He treats Jenny, the other hookers and even Birdie, the housekeeper, with kindness and generosity. His visits to the bordello upset his younger sister, Helen Montgomery, whose husband is running for mayor. Even more embarrassing, however, are the sexual exploits of slutty sister-in-law Adria Morland, whom Paul and Helen blame for the suicide of their brother. Happiness is not around the corner for anyone.
    Jenny and Paul share a belief, especially common in the 1950s, that marriage leads to fulfillment. For Jenny that means respect, material comforts and care in her old age. For Paul it means love, a cheerful home and a son to carry on the family name. But she has high social barriers to climb and he can’t even get a date. Loomis seems to be wondering whether some people are so incapacitated (in one way or another) that marriage can’t be their vehicle for fulfillment. The author sympathizes with her characters and doesn’t judge their behavior. She moves the viewpoint between Jenny and Paul and adds flashbacks to explain their attitudes. Her writing style is considered and functional, though the scheme she eventually has Jenny concoct seems a bit implausible. The story may be too tawdry for some readers, but those interested in life on the seamy side might find the book entertaining.