Night of the Sadist

Paul Laurie, Parisian Press, 1971

Paul Laurie’s menacingly named Night of the Sadist (1971) is set in an unnamed locale that suggests San Francisco, though the street names point to Philadelphia — a city that, less famously than San Francisco, has a long LGBTQ history dating back to at least the early 20th century, when the Prohibition-era speakeasy Maxine’s was famous as a hangout catering to the hot-blooded triumvirate of local gay men, soldiers and sailors, the latter historically famous for their all-around readiness for a good, hot time on the old town. The novel, which involves the S&M subculture, opens with an editorial teaser that asks, "Is it a mystery with a sex twist or a sex story with a mystery twist?" The editorial's own blithe response, evoking a George and Ira Gershwin song, is: "'Who Cares?' It is an entertainingly erotic novel by a prolific and proficient writer."