Lucifer Cove, Book 3 - The Devil's Virgin (Virginia Coffman's Thrilling Occult Gothic Series)

"Diane Deeth visited the Cove in innocence ... and was trapped in eternal evil." (cover blurb)

 

The occult Gothic series authored by Virginia Coffman continues in this third installment of the series.  The book was originally published in 1971, with this second edition printed in 1973.  I can't help but repeat how much I love these stylized covers, with the unique logo and the consistent cover art, each depicting a young woman standing in front of the tudor-style spa building. The occult aspects are definitely there in this book, but thankfully they are toned back a bit from the previous story.  Instead, we are treated to more of the continuing saga of the Deeth family - and although Christine Deeth, the protagonist from the first book, is not the continuing main character in the series, she does appear in each book (thus far), and her presence definitely has an impact on the characters involved in the stories.

 

The Devil's Virgin brings Christine Deeth's first born - her daughter, Diane - to Lucifer Cove. Diane is definitely a child of the '70s - a rebel, whose mindset is that the system must be bucked, and the new up-and-coming generation of young adults are the ones to do it.  That being said, she comes to the Cove to see her mother, concerned that her mother has not left and wondering if she really is happy there.  But what she finds is nothing at all what she expects!  It begins on a dark night, as she waits for a bus to take her to the Cove.  A mysterious stranger is watching her, and when she boards the bus, he boards right behind her.  The bus does not stop at the Cove itself, but it does have a stop on the lonely canyon road, not far from the hidden lane that leads to the Cove.  When she gets off, so does the stranger. She lets him head off first, and she is shocked to discover he is heading in the same direction she is.  Luckily, a gorgeously handsome man with dark hair and dark eyes pulls up in his fancy car and offers her a ride.  Once again, Marc Meridon is in the right place at the right time to save a damsel in distress...

 

Coffman gives readers a deeper feel for Lucifer Cove in this book, as Diane makes the keen observation that the Cove is set up to tempt even the most innocent of souls, as everything in sight is a temptation - from the gold plated silverware to the aphrodisiac being pumped in through the air vents.  While Diane is by no means the "innocent" girl that the cover says she is, she does manage to keep herself from giving into the temptations that surround her.  And the mysterious stranger, who turns out to be Bill Janocek, the brother of Nadine (you remember her, don't you?  the devil priestess who presides over the satanic rituals that take place in the Greek cathedral just up the side of the mountain that borders Lucifer Cove...), seems pretty much immune to any of the temptations.  In fact, he has an ulterior motive for coming to Lucifer Cove, other than just to see his sister, and that focus is what helps him see people and things for what they truly are.  That ulterior motive, of course, is something that does not sit well at all with Marc Meridon.

 

And speaking of Marc (should we call him by his real name yet?  Coffman hasn't revealed it at this point, but let's face it - by now, every reader knows exactly who he is!), Diane become instantly infatuated with the man, and she cannot figure out why her mother tries so hard to keep her from associating with the man.  As Diane develops a friendship with Bill Janocek and learns his true purpose for being there (after he rescues her from almost becoming the next victim of a group of murderers who are staying at the Cove to avoid going to jail), she finds herself becoming more and more curious about what is really going on at the Cove.  If her mother is so unhappy, as she seems to by, why does she stay?  Why does the Cove allow known murderers to stay at the spa, instead of turning them over to the police?  Do people really believe in the satanic nonsense spouted by Bill's sister?  And what is up with that annoying cat that seems to pop up at the most inopportune times - Kinkajou?  

 

It all comes to a head when Nadine is injured (conveniently after Diane tells Marc that Nadine was plotting with Christine to keep Diane and Marc apart!) and Diane agrees to take over as "priestess" for that night's ceremony, so that Bill can fulfill his purpose in coming to Lucifer Cove and Diane can see some real justice done.  But their secret plot is revealed, and Diane ends up in very real danger as a killer takes her off, ready to end her life for nearly betraying him and his friends!  (An interesting side note here - as Diane and Bill are finalizing their plans, a woman named only as "Miss Benedict" arrives with her suitcases to check in to the spa; it is only a very brief mention, where she has a short encounter with Nadine's Irish boyfriend, O'Flannery [p. 203] - but it is clearly a set up for the next book, where Miss Benedict is the main character.) 

 

Once again, this book was published in three different editions, each with their own cover art.  My copy of the book, with the light blue sky and the blond woman glancing back over her shoulder at the tudor-style spa that is the centerpiece of Lucifer Cove. The artist for this edition is not identified (as with the first and second books in this format), and once again, the main character is incorrectly portrayed.  In the book, Diane is described as having dark hair, yet the cover shows Diane with flowing blonde hair.  Not sure if all the covers were painted at the same time, and the publisher simply did not bother to properly match them with the books, or if the artist was not given any details about the actual characters in the book to know how to properly represent them on the cover.  The art is gorgeous, there is no denying that; I just wish they had gotten the details right!  The cover art for the Pinnacle Books edition (shown above) correctly shows Diane with her dark hair - just not sure if the man behind her is supposed to represent Marc Maridon or Bill Janocek.  Either way, this cover is a slight bit creepier, with the midnight black sky and the spa further back in the scene.

 

The third edition of the book, published by Lancer, is somewhat similar to the later Lancer "Easy Eye" edition that I have.  The light blue sky, the blond haired beauty (rather than dark-haired), and the tudor-style building; however, in this instance, the spa is depicted as desolate and somewhat dilapidated, with a thin fog rolling in front of it.  And the ghostly image of Marc Meridon looking down over the spa building seems to intimate the control he has over his "domain" at Lucifer Cove, that he is always watching, and you cannot escape him.  I would be hesitant to say which of the three book covers offers the most "Gothic" version - the edition I own is obviously my favorite, but the Pinnacle Books cover is definitely darker, even if Diane does not really seem frightened at all.  This original Lancer edition comes across too stilted to me, although this rendition of Marc is probably the most powerful and frightening to date.

 

It is definitely clear with this book that the Lucifer Cove saga is the ongoing story of Marc Meridon and Christine Deeth - all of the other women who take center stage in the books that have come after that first story are mere supporting characters that give the reader a greater insight into Lucifer Cove itself and more hints at just who Marc Meridon is ... although I am still waiting to find out what his endgame with Christine Deeth really is.  I hope Coffman resolves that by the end of the sixth book and does not leave the reader hanging!  These books are not strong in the Gothic elements, but definitely fall more into the occult category.  It was the 1970s, though, so every publisher wanted to cash in on the Gothic craze, and thus, Lucifer Cove became Virginia Coffman's "Thrilling Occult Gothic Series" (at least they had the decency to put occult before Gothic!).

 

RATING:  8 miniature spy cameras out of 10 for proving that some people are above even the strongest of temptations - no matter how enticing and beautiful that temptation may be!