Chartered Love

Not much is known about author Conrad Dawn (1933-2002). He served in the U.S.M.C. From 1951 to 1954 and was wounded in action during America's involvement in the Korean Civil War. According to a brief book bio, Dawn was employed as a sailor, newspaper man, and also boxed. He traveled extensively and was married three times. Paperback Parade founder, writer, and literary scholar Gary Lovisi described the author as having “...the background and lived the life to write these kinds of wild action books true and accurate – and kick-ass!”. Lovisi's commentary on Dawn can be found in a new edition of Chartered Love, the author's 1960 paperback that was originally published by lowly Chicago sleaze word-slingers Novel Books. The novel is now available through Black Gat Books, an imprint of Stark House Press, with the original paperback cover. 

The book stars Captain John Darrow, a 200-pound muscular man with a leathery face blackened by years of hot sunny nautical travels. Darrow ships freight with his boat Malacca Maid and a hardened skipper named Adams. While at a bar in Macao, China, Darrow entertains a lucrative offer. A woman named Elizabeth wants to hire Darrow and his boat to help her locate a treasure she believes is in the Sulu Sea aboard a downed ship. Darrow isn't particularly interested until he hears the terms – four-million in gold for the taking. His share is half. 

The first half of the book details Darrow's preparation for the journey and deep-dive. He buys weapons from a suspicious arms dealer and gathers aquatic gear, both of which attract a Chinese gang led by a villain named Hayama. There's a kick the tires and start the fires battle before Darrow and Elizabeth can get up and running.

The second half of the book focuses on Darrow's chemistry with Elizabeth. The book was presented to consumers as a sleeze novel ripe with graphic sex. Like so many sleaze novels from the likes of Beacon and Monarch, the sex is tepid at a mere PG rating. But, Dawn has a flirtatious style to his writing that describes Elizabeth's undressing in such a marvelous and provocative way. These scenes counterbalance the propulsive central plot. As Darrow and Adams eventually find the ship embedded in the ocean floor, the struggle to free the gold safely becomes the prevalent story arc. Dawn adds in Hayama's fierce determination to rob Darrow as a side-quest that enhances the action and gunplay quite well.

Conrad Dawn had a real knack for nautical adventure and Chartered Love, despite the poor title, is a testament to his talent. The book's plot was reminiscent of another stellar 1970s adventure novel titled Pieces of the Game, authored by Lee Gifford and published the same year. If you are a fan of nautical adventure then Chartered Love is sure to please. Highly recommended! Get it HERE.