Mitch Sutton has—if not everything—most of the American dream a 1960-era everyman would want: beautiful wife, two lovely children, a solid job, and a home of his own. But lately, there’s no spark between him and Claire, so he ain’t happy. She doesn’t think much of his drinking, so he’s tried to curtail the habit. But one fateful night he overindulges and hooks up with Jane, a self-assured, brazen, sugar plum. They crawl the pubs into the wee hours, and she leaves him flat-footed and smoldering. That should’ve been that, a high wire dance that ended safely, but Mitch is smitten and can’t get her off his mind.

Now, it’s an obsession, and his compulsion twists into something far more complicated when Jane turns up at the dealership where he works as sales manager. Soon the flames of desire overcome the heat of the danger of discovery, and Mitch is headlong into a full-blown illicit affair. Many steamy paragraphs and pages ensue.

Just when you start to wonder if this is a torrid romance novel or a crime book, Mitch finds himself behind bars in the fight of his life.

A Rage of Desire was Clayton Matthews’ (1918–2004) first novel, published in 1960. His commitment to writing is proven by an impressive bibliography of more than 35 novels. He also penned shorts for crime digests like Mike Shayne, Alfred Hitchcock, and Man from U.N.C.L.E. He married Patricia (Brisco) in 1972 and the couple wrote five novels featuring series character Casey Farrell.