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Лесни пари
На почтен майстор ключар му се удава случай да сложи ръка на крупна сума лесни пари. Изкушението е огромно, а рискът - почти нулев. Но, както става в живота, лесни пари няма. А когато тръгнеш по кривата пътека, трудно можеш да се върнеш назад... Джеймс Хадли Чейс (1906-1985) е автор на около осемдесет класически криминални романи и „Лесни пари" е един от най-добрите.
207 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1960
42 people are currently reading
886 people want to read
About the author
James Hadley Chase
649 books997 followersRené Lodge Brabazon Raymond was born on 24th December 1906 in London, England, the son of Colonel Francis Raymond of the colonial Indian Army, a veterinary surgeon. His father intended his son to have a scientific career, was initially educated at King's School, Rochester, Kent. He left home at the age of 18 and became at different times a children's encyclopedia salesman, a salesman in a bookshop, and executive for a book wholesaler before turning to a writing career that produced more than 90 mystery books. His interests included photography (he was up to professional standard), reading and listening to classical music, being a particularly enthusiastic opera lover. Also as a form of relaxation between novels, he put together highly complicated and sophisticated Meccano models.
In 1932, Raymond married Sylvia Ray, who gave him a son. They were together until his death fifty three years later. Prohibition and the ensuing US Great Depression (1929–1939), had given rise to the Chicago gangster culture just prior to World War II. This, combined with her book trade experience, made him realise that there was a big demand for gangster stories. He wrote as R. Raymond, James Hadley Chase, James L. Docherty, Ambrose Grant and Raymond Marshall.
During World War II he served in the Royal Air Force, achieving the rank of Squadron Leader. Chase edited the RAF Journal with David Langdon and had several stories from it published after the war in the book Slipstream: A Royal Air Force Anthology.
Raymond moved to France in 1956 and then to Switzerland in 1969, living a secluded life in Corseaux-sur-Vevey, on Lake Geneva, from 1974. He eventually died there peacefully on 6 February 1985.
In 1932, Raymond married Sylvia Ray, who gave him a son. They were together until his death fifty three years later. Prohibition and the ensuing US Great Depression (1929–1939), had given rise to the Chicago gangster culture just prior to World War II. This, combined with her book trade experience, made him realise that there was a big demand for gangster stories. He wrote as R. Raymond, James Hadley Chase, James L. Docherty, Ambrose Grant and Raymond Marshall.
During World War II he served in the Royal Air Force, achieving the rank of Squadron Leader. Chase edited the RAF Journal with David Langdon and had several stories from it published after the war in the book Slipstream: A Royal Air Force Anthology.
Raymond moved to France in 1956 and then to Switzerland in 1969, living a secluded life in Corseaux-sur-Vevey, on Lake Geneva, from 1974. He eventually died there peacefully on 6 February 1985.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
February 20, 2021
Published in 1960, this is one of many, many James Hadley Chase novels, but the first I have had the opportunity to read.
This was a highly enjoyable read. If this had been written recently and set in the late '50s I would have been able to explain it was described perfectly in era - the settings, descriptions, the moral judgements. Of course, when written, it was a contemporary novel, so the author had a head start.
The roll out of the story, the suspense and the drama were great. Towards the end things appear to get slow, but this draws the reader into the painfully slow progress that is made is solving the complex web the protagonist finds himself in.
The blurb provides enough story line - "When Chet Carson broke jail, he thought he found a safe hide-out in a lonely filling station. But instead he found himself caught up in a dangerous threesome - an elderly owner, his gorgeous wife Lola, and a safe with a fortune inside, which Lola wanted."
4 stars. I will be keeping an eye out for more by this author.
This was a highly enjoyable read. If this had been written recently and set in the late '50s I would have been able to explain it was described perfectly in era - the settings, descriptions, the moral judgements. Of course, when written, it was a contemporary novel, so the author had a head start.
The roll out of the story, the suspense and the drama were great. Towards the end things appear to get slow, but this draws the reader into the painfully slow progress that is made is solving the complex web the protagonist finds himself in.
The blurb provides enough story line - "When Chet Carson broke jail, he thought he found a safe hide-out in a lonely filling station. But instead he found himself caught up in a dangerous threesome - an elderly owner, his gorgeous wife Lola, and a safe with a fortune inside, which Lola wanted."
4 stars. I will be keeping an eye out for more by this author.
May 6, 2021
It is common for James Hadley Chase to start off his stories with the intricate planning of a crime and then allow the reader to observe as one piece, then another falls away, until the entire enterprise collapses. Here, he changes things a bit. Right at the start, Chet Carson and his best friend pull a safe job. Chet's friend escapes, but he is caught and sentenced to prison and a chain gang. For the first fifth of the book, this failed heist, sentencing to prison, and escape seems to be taking the story on a wild run across America. Suddenly, pffft. It stops and Chet finds himself at a diner/gas station.
And here it is. For the rest of the novel, Chase essentially reworks James Cain's classic novel, The Postman Always Rings Twice. Sort of a letdown, I thought. But to my surprise, Chase was able to put his own peculiar stamp on things. As a result, Come Easy, Go Easy evolves into a tightly focused absorbing thriller. And he also employs one of his recurring plot devices: he clearly telegraphs Chet's foolishness and eventual demise. But the reveal doesn't matter; it's the point, really. You cringe, scowl, and almost pound your fist, hoping Chet will wake up to his manipulation by an Italian femme fatale. Only then does Chase step in and surprise you, taking the reader back to the beginning of the story and Chet's initial accomplice, Roy Tracey. Then, things become really interesting, leading to Chase's usual shock ending.
So that is what you have, here. A 1960 updated play on Cain's The Postman Always Rings Twice. The imagery, here, isn't as stark. Nor is the tension and and sweaty fear that Cain creates as intense here. But nonetheless Chase holds his own and yields up another superior thriller.
And here it is. For the rest of the novel, Chase essentially reworks James Cain's classic novel, The Postman Always Rings Twice. Sort of a letdown, I thought. But to my surprise, Chase was able to put his own peculiar stamp on things. As a result, Come Easy, Go Easy evolves into a tightly focused absorbing thriller. And he also employs one of his recurring plot devices: he clearly telegraphs Chet's foolishness and eventual demise. But the reveal doesn't matter; it's the point, really. You cringe, scowl, and almost pound your fist, hoping Chet will wake up to his manipulation by an Italian femme fatale. Only then does Chase step in and surprise you, taking the reader back to the beginning of the story and Chet's initial accomplice, Roy Tracey. Then, things become really interesting, leading to Chase's usual shock ending.
So that is what you have, here. A 1960 updated play on Cain's The Postman Always Rings Twice. The imagery, here, isn't as stark. Nor is the tension and and sweaty fear that Cain creates as intense here. But nonetheless Chase holds his own and yields up another superior thriller.
February 11, 2024
Chase stole the set-up from The Postman Always Rings Twice and from it delivers his special brand of straightforward, hard to put down stories that never fail to entertain me. Two stars only because there isn't any exceptional weirdness to this one like in other Chase books that I've read, but that doesn't mean it is a regrettable loss of two hours. What were you gonna do with that time anyway?
July 21, 2017
At the point when Chet Carson broke correctional facility he thought he'd discovered a protected alcove in a forlorn filling station. In any case, rather he gets himself made up for lost time in a perilous trio - an elderly proprietor, his dazzling spouse, Lola, and a safe with a fortune inside, which Lola needs. Her possibility comes when she reveals Chet's character and debilitates him with imprison unless he opens the safe.
Chet is in a bad position. In the event that he arrives in jail again he'll be executed, yet in the event that he opens the safe Lola will stick the rap on him at any rate. Some way or another there must be a third way ...
Chet is in a bad position. In the event that he arrives in jail again he'll be executed, yet in the event that he opens the safe Lola will stick the rap on him at any rate. Some way or another there must be a third way ...
July 15, 2012
The book was good but an effort was made to unnecessarily prolong it which was worthless... James always has his heroes suffer in his stories... what the hell of bad luck carl had...
November 6, 2013
This was the first James Hadley Chase novel that I ever read. And I have not been able to find a better story teller in fiction ever since. James is simply one of the greats.
December 27, 2013
an awsome 1st person narrative by JHC featuring Chet Carson who empoyed at Lawrence Safes Corporation attempts to crack a safe with his colleague cum friend - Roy Tracey but as luck was on the other side Chet lands up in prison but with all his expertise knowledge of locks is soon is able to brakes jail & in search of a safe hide-out lands himself in a lonely filling station which belongs to Jenson...story takes a twist when Jenson's wife Lola aware of Chets identity threatens him to open the safe , or go back to jail...amazingly written novel with all the twist to make it a great read .
July 12, 2020
Klausiau audio knygą rusų kalba, išverstą kaip “Velnio viešbutis”.
May 4, 2025
Обичам старите криминалета, особено тези на Джеймс Хадли Чейс. Много добра история, в която страстта към парите е пагубна и всеки получава, това което заслужава.
September 17, 2019
El libro está muy bien, pero se me hizo difícil terminarlo (lo estaba leyendo en el hospital mientras mi mejor amiga estaba en estado terminal, lo que hizo que no lo pudiera retomar por bastante tiempo). La historia se hace llevadera y el final está muy bueno.
Repito, se me hizo interminable por razones ajenas a la novela y medio que le tomé idea, pero no es nada que le pueda atribuir a la novela en sí. Me pasó con todos los libros que estuve leyendo ese mes.
Repito, se me hizo interminable por razones ajenas a la novela y medio que le tomé idea, pero no es nada que le pueda atribuir a la novela en sí. Me pasó con todos los libros que estuve leyendo ese mes.
September 12, 2020
βιπερ 78
September 19, 2012
Another brilliant novel from Mr. Chase, but there is one thing that ruined all throughfully created plot. SPOILER When Chet decides to tell his friend about the safe, Roy replies that he was never told about it. BUT he appears on the ranch because of the safe! What an pityful amnesy:(
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 8, 2011
This is the Best of JHC Novel. Short and thrilling book.
I have read many JHC books so far. But Come Easy Go Easy is the Master piece of JHC :)
I have read many JHC books so far. But Come Easy Go Easy is the Master piece of JHC :)
April 13, 2020
Used to read the series of James Hardley Chase. It was what young Nigerians did in the 70s and 80s. It was an exciting and book exchange era. Nostalgic right now in 2020!
June 21, 2025
Come Easy, Go Easy starts with a bang—literally. We meet Chet Carson, a professional safecracker on the run after a botched heist leaves a cop dead. He vanishes into the American backwoods, hiding out as a grease-stained mechanic at a remote gas station in the middle of nowhere. It’s supposed to be low-profile, quiet.
Then she walks in.
Rita, the owner’s wife, is a slow-burning fuse of danger, a woman bored stiff in the middle of nowhere and hungry for more. She sees Chet, sees what he can do, and decides he’s her ticket out of this dusty hellhole. But she doesn’t want just love. She wants money, power, and a clean escape—and she’s willing to manipulate, seduce, and destroy whoever stands in the way.
Chet is tough, but not tough enough to resist. And as the scheme unfolds—a plan involving a safe full of cash, murder, betrayal, and double-crosses—everything spirals into a noir nightmare.
This novel is pure Chase: short, sharp chapters, dialogue that crackles like dry leaves underfoot, and an atmosphere soaked in moral decay. Every character is on the take. Everyone has an angle. And by the end, you’re left wondering if anyone ever had a soul to begin with.
I read this one during a slow train ride to Bolpur, a thermos of black tea in hand and the countryside blurring past like a Chase car chase in slow motion. By the time Rita started laying her trap, I was sweating—and not from the heat. It reminded me of those cautionary stories you hear in para clubs—the kind that begin with “একটা মেয়ে এসেছিল…” and end with someone vanishing. Rita isn’t a woman. She’s a category of chaos. 😵💫
I remember thinking, “If desire had a trigger, this woman would’ve pulled it long before you saw it coming.” And I wasn’t wrong.
In essence, Come Easy, Go Easy is a cruel, compact masterpiece about lust, greed, and the cost of trusting beauty with a plan. It’s about men who think they’re in control—and the women who let them think so. It’s as noir as a dying neon sign flickering outside a dive bar at 2 a.m.
Then she walks in.
Rita, the owner’s wife, is a slow-burning fuse of danger, a woman bored stiff in the middle of nowhere and hungry for more. She sees Chet, sees what he can do, and decides he’s her ticket out of this dusty hellhole. But she doesn’t want just love. She wants money, power, and a clean escape—and she’s willing to manipulate, seduce, and destroy whoever stands in the way.
Chet is tough, but not tough enough to resist. And as the scheme unfolds—a plan involving a safe full of cash, murder, betrayal, and double-crosses—everything spirals into a noir nightmare.
This novel is pure Chase: short, sharp chapters, dialogue that crackles like dry leaves underfoot, and an atmosphere soaked in moral decay. Every character is on the take. Everyone has an angle. And by the end, you’re left wondering if anyone ever had a soul to begin with.
I read this one during a slow train ride to Bolpur, a thermos of black tea in hand and the countryside blurring past like a Chase car chase in slow motion. By the time Rita started laying her trap, I was sweating—and not from the heat. It reminded me of those cautionary stories you hear in para clubs—the kind that begin with “একটা মেয়ে এসেছিল…” and end with someone vanishing. Rita isn’t a woman. She’s a category of chaos. 😵💫
I remember thinking, “If desire had a trigger, this woman would’ve pulled it long before you saw it coming.” And I wasn’t wrong.
In essence, Come Easy, Go Easy is a cruel, compact masterpiece about lust, greed, and the cost of trusting beauty with a plan. It’s about men who think they’re in control—and the women who let them think so. It’s as noir as a dying neon sign flickering outside a dive bar at 2 a.m.
May 28, 2018
Es un policial tranqui, hay tiros pero no necesariamente acción. Hay sangre pero no es gore. Los personajes me gustaron, sobre todo la matriz de confianzas y traiciones que crean. El giro final no es del todo inesperado pero ir llegando de a poco a él tiene un sabor particular. Como cuando un ya se da cuenta de que el vaso va a caer de la mesa y sabe que no está lo suficientemente cerca o no es tan rápido como para evitar que se rompa. Ese tipo de intriga suspendida maneja la novela.
October 6, 2021
"Qara dulun" hiyləgər planı, zillət yuvasına dönən qazamatdan qaçış, mizanın bir tərəfindən uzun illərin dostluğu, digərində 100 min dollar nağd pul, oxucunu sona kimi həyəcanda saxlayan və müəmmalı sonluqda intizarda saxlayan sujet. Bir sözlə Çeymz H. Çeyzdən hələ ki bir maraqsız roman və ya povest oxumamışam. Macəra-detektiv janrının dühasıdır.
March 8, 2021
A book that has become a classic.
I enjoyed it a lot, although today some plot twists may seem a bit naive.
Детектив, ставший классикой.
Книга увлекательная, хотя сегодня некоторые ее сюжетные повороты могут показаться чуток наивными.
I enjoyed it a lot, although today some plot twists may seem a bit naive.
Детектив, ставший классикой.
Книга увлекательная, хотя сегодня некоторые ее сюжетные повороты могут показаться чуток наивными.
Read
March 7, 2023Sometimes the bravest of us is the weakest among us. His ability as a locksmith and his lack of capability to identify danger before it spread was responsible for his unfortunate incarceration in the first place, while his good heart and ability to trust without holding back cost him his life.
January 1, 2024
Me atrapo desde el primer momento. Las descripciones de las escenas, de los personajes, todo, parece que uno lo esta viviendo. Me enganchó de principio a fin. Novela policial muy recomendada, como nos tiene acostumbrados Chase.
September 18, 2019
Started it last night and finished it while walking to class.
Not sure if you can find this in the US, we got 89 of his books overseas (30+ pounds!)
Not sure if you can find this in the US, we got 89 of his books overseas (30+ pounds!)
October 31, 2019
That was thrilling! I didn't even think contemporary fiction can be so great.
November 17, 2019
I'm readin' it fo the third time now and it still amazing
November 26, 2021
I have read another novel by James Headley Chase before and that was awesome. However, this book 'Come Easy Go Easy' seems average to me. Not anything surprising, but ok.
Currently reading
January 25, 2022So interesting and classic
Read
September 6, 2022A typical JHC. Extremely crisp writing - almost cinematic! A predictible twist in the end.
February 11, 2025
Enjoyable read
May 7, 2020
Searching
this novel in many apps but Goodreads...wow had it.
this novel in many apps but Goodreads...wow had it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 28, 2025
still my favorite of the 3 books I've read of JHC. (HIT AND RUN & SO WHAT HAPPENS TO ME?)
May 4, 2020
This is one of the best of James Hadley Chase. Short novel but very stunning. Crime is always the theme when JHC wrote.
Chet was the expert in lockers and providing customer service for leading Locker company. He and his friend planned to Steal money from one of the rich person who was the customer of the company where both were working.
Plan doesn't go as they want. And Chet got arrested.
Chet had been sent to Farnworth the unbreakable cellular Jail. No-one succeeded to escape. But Chet decided to escape. He planned and executed well.
But what happened next? Is he got chance to live life happily? Our another crime is waiting for him? Truly stunning and fantastic crime thriller. Must read if you love thrilling stories
Chet was the expert in lockers and providing customer service for leading Locker company. He and his friend planned to Steal money from one of the rich person who was the customer of the company where both were working.
Plan doesn't go as they want. And Chet got arrested.
Chet had been sent to Farnworth the unbreakable cellular Jail. No-one succeeded to escape. But Chet decided to escape. He planned and executed well.
But what happened next? Is he got chance to live life happily? Our another crime is waiting for him? Truly stunning and fantastic crime thriller. Must read if you love thrilling stories
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews