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Kuollut kulkee keveästi
Rahalla saa kaikkea… tai ainakin niin omalaatuinen miljoonikko Kester Weidmann uskoo. Niinpä kun Kesterin veli kuolee hän palkkaa parhaan mahdollisen voodo-asiantuntijan herättämään tämän uudelleen henkiin. Kaikki ei kuitenkaan suju niin kuin Kester on olettanut…
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1946
About the author
James Hadley Chase
682 books1,044 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 - 21 of 21 reviews
July 17, 2020
After reading many of James Hadley Chase's books, I can say that he certainly believed in the world of the supernatural, voodoo; Juju as we like to say in Africa. As a western man, Chase would ensure that the main protagonists in his work pooh pooh the idea of let's say Voodoo, but the average reader would in the end have no doubt that the supernatural exists after reading the pertinent books!
Such is the case here, where we are introduced to the concept of the zombie (In Africa the illustrious singer, FELA actually had a best selling song titled zombie anyway...). No matter, here as an African I am very impressed with the character of Gilroy, the coloured pianist or pianist. A dignified, quiet character, he is certainly into "voodoo" himself! Gilroy it is who knows when Doc Martin is killed, and where he is killed. More importantly, Gilroy is the one, in stunning fashion (using "primitive" drums) who somehow beckons to the young lady, Susan to "sleepwalk" and lead the odious Rollo to where the all-important corpse is hidden.
Another intriguing, "coloured " character in this book is Celie, the very attractive mistress of Rollo. (She does not belong exclusively to Rollo, but that is neither here nor there). Butch - a ruthless killer - is another colourful, though cruel character in the book. No wonder young Joe and Susan (the real "heroes " in this book) are in mortal dread of him. Butch, true to his reputation is responsible for most of the violent deaths in this book, and it seems something of a pity that in the end, he is "only" arrested by the police...
Such is the case here, where we are introduced to the concept of the zombie (In Africa the illustrious singer, FELA actually had a best selling song titled zombie anyway...). No matter, here as an African I am very impressed with the character of Gilroy, the coloured pianist or pianist. A dignified, quiet character, he is certainly into "voodoo" himself! Gilroy it is who knows when Doc Martin is killed, and where he is killed. More importantly, Gilroy is the one, in stunning fashion (using "primitive" drums) who somehow beckons to the young lady, Susan to "sleepwalk" and lead the odious Rollo to where the all-important corpse is hidden.
Another intriguing, "coloured " character in this book is Celie, the very attractive mistress of Rollo. (She does not belong exclusively to Rollo, but that is neither here nor there). Butch - a ruthless killer - is another colourful, though cruel character in the book. No wonder young Joe and Susan (the real "heroes " in this book) are in mortal dread of him. Butch, true to his reputation is responsible for most of the violent deaths in this book, and it seems something of a pity that in the end, he is "only" arrested by the police...
October 31, 2021
Chase’s 1946 novel, Make the Corpse Walk, set in London, is one of his occasional clunkers. This novel explores the idea of an eccentric, possibly crazy, millionaire who wants to raise his brother from the dead by means of that voodoo and engages some unsavory characters from nightlife to find a voodoo practitioner. Naturally, they think he’s got sucker written all over him and the game is on. Nevertheless, this one simply doesn’t work from the cardboard characters to the ill-fitting plotlines.
August 31, 2017
My daughter gifted me vintage collection of James Hadley Chase. As any Chase fan would know, there are so many that even a regular reader might end up buying the same book type. So just when I thought I had read all he had, I see 12 unread books of his.
Make the Corpse Walk, while being the regular Chase thriller with gangs, crooks, extortion and girls, this story is a tad different. Aapart from a new angle which I will not reveal for obvious reasons, there is also a shift in his treatment of people types.
This book has a damsel in distress as a strong protagaonist, the crazy short bald ugly billionaire is sympathised with and the story has a different theme.
As a book I'd give it 5 stars, but as a Chase, I might take off a star for disappointment from the regular jazz.
Happy reading.
Make the Corpse Walk, while being the regular Chase thriller with gangs, crooks, extortion and girls, this story is a tad different. Aapart from a new angle which I will not reveal for obvious reasons, there is also a shift in his treatment of people types.
This book has a damsel in distress as a strong protagaonist, the crazy short bald ugly billionaire is sympathised with and the story has a different theme.
As a book I'd give it 5 stars, but as a Chase, I might take off a star for disappointment from the regular jazz.
Happy reading.
April 30, 2017
Crazed mogul Kester Weidmann trusts cash can purchase everything - even life and demise. So when his sibling kicks the bucket, Weidmann looks for the administrations of a voodoo master to breath life into him back. He discovers Rollo, a slanted dance club proprietor who grabs the open door for the greatest con of the century. Be that as it may, Rollo had not figured for the association of Celie, his outlandish fancy woman, and Butch, the dance club's bouncer. Furthermore, he had surely not figured they would choose the Weidmann fortune was more essential than his own neck....
May 20, 2021
Un multimillonario enloquece cuando su hermano, compañero de vida y artífice del éxito del Banco que poseen, fallece. En su dolor y locura, busca la forma de revivir a su hermano, por medio de técnicas del vudú… Es así como cae presa del engaño que le orquesta el dueño de un Club Nocturno, mafioso y jefe de los delincuentes de la zona.
El joven chofer del multimillonario, Joe, será la única persona leal que intentará evitar que caiga en el engaño; para ello se volverá aliado de una muchacha con quien se cruza por azar en un bar. Ella necesita dinero y distracción, Joe no puede solo y necesita ayuda.
Chase es uno de mis autores preferidos, así que aclaro desde ya que mi reseña es bien subjetiva.
Esta novela, escrita en el siglo pasado, atrapa sobremanera y se hace adictiva. Chase escribe todo bien: está la descripción justa y necesaria, sorprende en cada capítulo, todos los personajes son interesantes y su protagonismo está equilibradamente repartido, la trama tiene sentido, y también deja entrever en justa medida cuestiones sociales.
Destaco particularmente el rol que va desarrollando la protagonista femenina. Es una joven frágil, delicada y bella de 21 años, tal como suelen pintar a los protagónicos femeninos en este género. La novedad la constituyen los hechos a los que tiene que ir enfrentándose y su reacción tan real, tan genuina, para la riqueza del personaje como para el devenir de la historia.
El joven chofer del multimillonario, Joe, será la única persona leal que intentará evitar que caiga en el engaño; para ello se volverá aliado de una muchacha con quien se cruza por azar en un bar. Ella necesita dinero y distracción, Joe no puede solo y necesita ayuda.
Chase es uno de mis autores preferidos, así que aclaro desde ya que mi reseña es bien subjetiva.
Esta novela, escrita en el siglo pasado, atrapa sobremanera y se hace adictiva. Chase escribe todo bien: está la descripción justa y necesaria, sorprende en cada capítulo, todos los personajes son interesantes y su protagonismo está equilibradamente repartido, la trama tiene sentido, y también deja entrever en justa medida cuestiones sociales.
Destaco particularmente el rol que va desarrollando la protagonista femenina. Es una joven frágil, delicada y bella de 21 años, tal como suelen pintar a los protagónicos femeninos en este género. La novedad la constituyen los hechos a los que tiene que ir enfrentándose y su reacción tan real, tan genuina, para la riqueza del personaje como para el devenir de la historia.
January 11, 2021
What to make of this purposely disjointed horror/thriller/melodrama/black comedy? JHC starts out with a dark and menacing tone, a turn towards the macabre. He even layers on influences from Jacques Tourneur's I Walked with a Zombie. Then, it's all about body snatching, hidden bearer bonds, and busting a criminal ring. Surprisingly, it's all set in London, the first time Chase had moved his setting from the US or Mexico to Britain. And all the while, the body count keeps climbing, and the tone keeps getting lighter and lighter. It's a bizarre and appealing piece of work. But what about motivations? That's what is really missing from this story? Why did Joe do what he did? And Susan?
August 29, 2015
A good thriller. Although some parts of it do not make sense... it was a nice fast read. Without getting too technical, can be read once.
October 15, 2026
"Make the corpse walk" ("Faites danser le cadavre"): James Harley Chase, 1946
Quand il écrit ce roman, James Harley Chase est encore un auteur à l'aube de carrière. Il est manifestement fasciné par le roman noir américain, qu'il essaie d'imiter. Et, de fait, le succès est total. On se croirait chez Dashiell Hammett. Il reste que Chase va (déjà) plus loin que son devancier dans la "distillation" de l'intrigue. En effet, à part une petite baisse de tension à la fin du premier tiers de l'ouvrage, la construction du roman est parfaitement maîtrisée: la tension est sans cesse croissante! On peut donc dire que, dès 1946, le style de Chase est déjà formé: l'intrigue est "à l'os". Aucun élément inutile au développement du drame ne vient attirer/détourner/polluer l'attention du lecteur. Vraiment du grand art! Ou de la grande architecture, plutôt.
Mais ce parti pris "d'efficacité scénaristique", si l'on peut dire, a un prix. (Chase écrirait: "There's Always a Price Tag".) Le prix, c'est la simplification des caractères, qui se réduisent généralement à la caricature d'eux-mêmes. Ils viennent s'inscrire dans des catégories préexistantes. Nous avons donc: le vilain gangster, la jeune ingénue, le brave gars victime de sa gentillesse, le milliardaire en Rolls-Royce, la bombe sexuelle insatiable, etc. Tous ces personnages si typiques, si convenus, si attendus sont traités sans subtilité particulière. On dirait que Chase est allé les chercher "au décrochez-moi-ça". Avec le temps, les personnages de ce romancier gagneront en complexité psychologique.
Conclusion:
A qui ce roman va-t-il convenir? Selon moi, ce roman va plaire à ceux qui se passionnent pour les problèmes de structure. Pour Chase, en effet, le roman est par définition un arc narratif, i.e.: un cadre, un développement, une tension, un pinacle et un dénouement. Tout le reste n'a aucune importance. Dans ce livre, par exemple, Chase aurait pu faire vivre le Londres des années quarante; il n'en fait rien. Le contexte urbain, la reconstruction, la pauvreté de la période, les souffrances du peuple, Chase n'en dit pas un traître mot. Le roman est tellement épuré, concentré sur la progression de l'intrigue qu'il en devient universel, exactement comme une tragédie d'Euripide ou de Racine.
Immortel Chase!
PS: Ayant lu la version anglaise, je ne peux me prononcer sur la qualité de la traduction française de Janine Roux-Plénot.
*************************************************************************************************************************************
Make the Corpse walk
James Hadley Chase, 1946
When he writes the novel, James Hadley Chase is still a relatively young author, at the dawn of his career. He is obviously fascinated with the American "Roman Noir", which he is obviously trying to imitate. And indeed the success is complete. You would believe that you are reading Dashiell Hammett. However Chase is already going further than his predecessor as he manages to achieve the complete "distillation" of the plot. Indeed, apart from a small lack of tension at the end of the third first third of the novel, the construction of the book is completely mastered: tension is constantly growing! One can therefore say that, as from 1946, Chase's style is already structured: the plot is condensed to its bare essentials. No useless item compromises the growth of the plot, polluting the attention of the reader. This is really impressive artistry! Or impressive architecture, rather.
However this priority given to "scenaristic efficiency", if one may say, comes with a price. (Chase would say: " There is Always a Price Tag ", a novel published in 1972). The price is the simplification of characters, which usually are boilt to their own caricature. These characters belong to predictable and pre-existing categories. And the reader has to face the clichés: the bad boy, the young ingénue, the good guy who turns out to be the victim of his own kindness, the millionaire in his Rolls-Royce, the greedy sex-bomb, etc. All these characters, so typical, so classical, so commonplace, are described without particular subtlety. Later in his career, Chase will increase his psychological density.
Conclusion:
Who will like this novel? According to me, the readers who will like this novel are the ones who get a kick out of problems of structure. Indeed, according to Chase, the novel is by definition a narrative arc, i.e. a setting, a development, a tension, a pinnacle and a release. The rest does not matter. In this book, for instance, Chase could have conjured the London of the late forties; which he purposely avoids. The urban context, the reconstruction, the poverty of the times, the suffering of the people, Chase does not utter a word about all this history. The novel is so condensed on the progression of the plot that it becomes universal, exactly like a tragedy by Euripides.
Immortal Chase!
Quand il écrit ce roman, James Harley Chase est encore un auteur à l'aube de carrière. Il est manifestement fasciné par le roman noir américain, qu'il essaie d'imiter. Et, de fait, le succès est total. On se croirait chez Dashiell Hammett. Il reste que Chase va (déjà) plus loin que son devancier dans la "distillation" de l'intrigue. En effet, à part une petite baisse de tension à la fin du premier tiers de l'ouvrage, la construction du roman est parfaitement maîtrisée: la tension est sans cesse croissante! On peut donc dire que, dès 1946, le style de Chase est déjà formé: l'intrigue est "à l'os". Aucun élément inutile au développement du drame ne vient attirer/détourner/polluer l'attention du lecteur. Vraiment du grand art! Ou de la grande architecture, plutôt.
Mais ce parti pris "d'efficacité scénaristique", si l'on peut dire, a un prix. (Chase écrirait: "There's Always a Price Tag".) Le prix, c'est la simplification des caractères, qui se réduisent généralement à la caricature d'eux-mêmes. Ils viennent s'inscrire dans des catégories préexistantes. Nous avons donc: le vilain gangster, la jeune ingénue, le brave gars victime de sa gentillesse, le milliardaire en Rolls-Royce, la bombe sexuelle insatiable, etc. Tous ces personnages si typiques, si convenus, si attendus sont traités sans subtilité particulière. On dirait que Chase est allé les chercher "au décrochez-moi-ça". Avec le temps, les personnages de ce romancier gagneront en complexité psychologique.
Conclusion:
A qui ce roman va-t-il convenir? Selon moi, ce roman va plaire à ceux qui se passionnent pour les problèmes de structure. Pour Chase, en effet, le roman est par définition un arc narratif, i.e.: un cadre, un développement, une tension, un pinacle et un dénouement. Tout le reste n'a aucune importance. Dans ce livre, par exemple, Chase aurait pu faire vivre le Londres des années quarante; il n'en fait rien. Le contexte urbain, la reconstruction, la pauvreté de la période, les souffrances du peuple, Chase n'en dit pas un traître mot. Le roman est tellement épuré, concentré sur la progression de l'intrigue qu'il en devient universel, exactement comme une tragédie d'Euripide ou de Racine.
Immortel Chase!
PS: Ayant lu la version anglaise, je ne peux me prononcer sur la qualité de la traduction française de Janine Roux-Plénot.
*************************************************************************************************************************************
Make the Corpse walk
James Hadley Chase, 1946
When he writes the novel, James Hadley Chase is still a relatively young author, at the dawn of his career. He is obviously fascinated with the American "Roman Noir", which he is obviously trying to imitate. And indeed the success is complete. You would believe that you are reading Dashiell Hammett. However Chase is already going further than his predecessor as he manages to achieve the complete "distillation" of the plot. Indeed, apart from a small lack of tension at the end of the third first third of the novel, the construction of the book is completely mastered: tension is constantly growing! One can therefore say that, as from 1946, Chase's style is already structured: the plot is condensed to its bare essentials. No useless item compromises the growth of the plot, polluting the attention of the reader. This is really impressive artistry! Or impressive architecture, rather.
However this priority given to "scenaristic efficiency", if one may say, comes with a price. (Chase would say: " There is Always a Price Tag ", a novel published in 1972). The price is the simplification of characters, which usually are boilt to their own caricature. These characters belong to predictable and pre-existing categories. And the reader has to face the clichés: the bad boy, the young ingénue, the good guy who turns out to be the victim of his own kindness, the millionaire in his Rolls-Royce, the greedy sex-bomb, etc. All these characters, so typical, so classical, so commonplace, are described without particular subtlety. Later in his career, Chase will increase his psychological density.
Conclusion:
Who will like this novel? According to me, the readers who will like this novel are the ones who get a kick out of problems of structure. Indeed, according to Chase, the novel is by definition a narrative arc, i.e. a setting, a development, a tension, a pinnacle and a release. The rest does not matter. In this book, for instance, Chase could have conjured the London of the late forties; which he purposely avoids. The urban context, the reconstruction, the poverty of the times, the suffering of the people, Chase does not utter a word about all this history. The novel is so condensed on the progression of the plot that it becomes universal, exactly like a tragedy by Euripides.
Immortal Chase!
September 22, 2020
When I first saw the cover page, I thought it was one of the 60s-90s boring novels. But the first paragraph of the book proved me wrong. I never, ever, thought a writer from the 18th century could write a book like that one. Never!
The book is about an eccentric millionaire, Weidman Kester, who wanted to bring his beloved brother and mentor back to life on hearing about its (his brother's return) possibility.
The story, the art, the characters were all well organized. 4.5/5 goes to the book.
The book is about an eccentric millionaire, Weidman Kester, who wanted to bring his beloved brother and mentor back to life on hearing about its (his brother's return) possibility.
The story, the art, the characters were all well organized. 4.5/5 goes to the book.
January 10, 2025
This is the third book I have finished in 2025.
This is not 242 pages as shown, but it is a 1965 edition of Panther publication which is only 157 pages
Needless to say, it is a fast moving thriller which would have definitely been made into a movie ( I did not check that) .
The movie is about a dead brother and voodoo and witchcraft and how the main characters get drawn into this web.
Yes there are murders shootout and fights but then the story keeps you totally absorbed.
This is not 242 pages as shown, but it is a 1965 edition of Panther publication which is only 157 pages
Needless to say, it is a fast moving thriller which would have definitely been made into a movie ( I did not check that) .
The movie is about a dead brother and voodoo and witchcraft and how the main characters get drawn into this web.
Yes there are murders shootout and fights but then the story keeps you totally absorbed.
August 22, 2018
Mukavaa kuvausta Lontoosta, tuttuja kadunnimiä ja paikkoja. Vähän jännitystä, kummallisia suomennoksia (vai johtuivatko ne alkuperäiselle uskollisuudesta? Voodooismi?) tylsiä hahmoja ja suuria huijauksia.
Ihan jees, vaikka tuskin tulen uudestaan koskaan lukemaan.
Ihan jees, vaikka tuskin tulen uudestaan koskaan lukemaan.
November 23, 2023
Had heard so much about James Hadley Chase. Mostly from my pappa and his generation.
Well, the book certainly delivers. It's a good thriller (I think that's what this genre is) indeed. I had fun reading it.
That said, this is not my kind of book. So I guess this will be my first & last JHC book.
Well, the book certainly delivers. It's a good thriller (I think that's what this genre is) indeed. I had fun reading it.
That said, this is not my kind of book. So I guess this will be my first & last JHC book.
February 23, 2019
What I remember about this is the part with voodoo.
Read
May 15, 2020Very exciting plot. I got scared at some point.
September 17, 2024
this was the first james hadley chase i ever read. Read this while in school and recently re-read it while looking for stories about zombies. Its a great book -one of his best.
August 19, 2015
Wow! Wow! If anyone out there, thinks that money can buy you anything that you want, then this crackerjack tells it all. Money buys everything, or at least that's what eccentric millionaire, Kester Weidmann believes. So when his brother, Cornelius dies, Kester figures out that all he has to do is buy the services of a voodoo expert and bring Cornelius back to life. For that, he employs Rollo, a small time operator, who uses the Gilded Lily Club as a front. Rollo thinks that he can bleed Wiedmann out of all of his money, but he wasn't anticipating interference from his creole mistress, Celie and Butch, the club's muscleman, who both decide that Wiedmann's fortune is worth a lot more than Rollo's flabby neck....
November 21, 2012
Една много хубава книга. Препоръчвам най-вече на любителите на криминалните романи. Книгата е приятна и лека за четене, именно защото е кратка. Когато ми хвалиха Чейс не вярвах че е толкова добър, но след като прочетох една от книгите му се убедих, че е един от най-добрите. :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2007
magic is something you believe.................
May 23, 2009
A boring one
April 18, 2010
"I know money buys anything but exclude life even it buys not the real life my be the corpse"
July 24, 2012
I first heard about Voodoo and Zombies when I read this book some 40 years back.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews