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Frank Terrell #3

Е, хубавице моя...

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Вземете едно казино, узряло за ограбване, с няколко милиона долара в трезора. Добавете Серж Майски - човек с големи идеи за тази плячка. Разбъркайте с няколко от най-грубите и подли мошеници в Щатите, специално избрани от Майски, и то не заради хубавите им лица...
Размесете млада девойка, случайно излязла на пътя на гангстера. Наръсете обилно с бойни патрони и много мъртви тела. Завършете с красиво момиче по бикини, достатъчно нещастно да попадне в потните ръце на главатаря...
Вече получихте "Е, хубавице моя..."
Чейс има много имитатори, но само той е крал...

в. "Сън"

190 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1967

33 people are currently reading
472 people want to read

About the author

James Hadley Chase

650 books1,001 followers
René 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.

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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
151 reviews27 followers
July 22, 2019
Maisky is a cruel, cruel man - despite his cosmetic appearance as an elderly, mild, slight individual. He is brilliant enough to envisage and plan a spectacular robbery at a casino - and ensure that a number of suckers join him as associates to execute the daring robbery of millions of dollars. But Maisky's cruel side becomes apparent as he coldly proceeds to eliminate directly or indirectly anyone who gets in the way of him holding onto all the money. ALONE. As soon as the money is in the vehicle (which he drives) he betrays all his "partners" and disappears with the dosh. A young lady who helps him to infiltrate the casino is the first to go, via poison. Another young man who helps him with his vehicle he repays by promptly shooting him in the head. Maisky's incredible greed is such that he is even ready to race after a few money notes blowing away - whilst he has millions with him! The young couple, Tom, and his wife Sheila, add even more colour to this work. Tom is a typical average man, besotted with his wife's physical beauty and charms - rather disastrously for him, really. Sheila the wife is as hard as nails, and viciously greedy too. When by chance, Maisky's millions fall into her hands, she will do ANYTHING to hang onto the money. The problem is, so would the immensely cruel and wily Maisky too...
Profile Image for Gerry.
Author 43 books118 followers
October 30, 2025
Serge Maiskey was a hardened criminal and he had a record as long as your arm. He had been in and out of jail all his life but he had always dreamed of the big steal that would set him up for life. And when he heard of a big gambling weekend coming off at the Paradise City Casino, he decided that this was the job to achieve his aim.

He bribed one of the girls who worked in the vaults of the Casino to give him inside information and he organised a gang of four specially recruited accomplices to help him do the job. There follows a thrilling tale in which the tension mounts throughout with twists and turns galore. Unwittingly Tom Whiteside and his seductive wife Sheila get involved in the affair and Police Chief Frank Terrell has to involve them in his investigations. And it all leads to a sparkling climax that has the reader on the edge of his/her seat throughout … a gripping read, indeed.
Profile Image for Shawn.
747 reviews20 followers
April 28, 2022
reading a story about dummies double crossing and shooting each other is a fine way to kill some time.
Profile Image for Indira Mukhopadhyay.
26 reviews
May 21, 2011
For thriller,Chase is my favourite.In my teens I was an avid reader of chase. His style is marvellous, by his discription of people you can visulise them.His use of phrases is mind boggling. The Safer Dead is his best. I can go on and on praising him. Of caurse few of his books are not so good, but he is never bad. Thoroughly enjoyable.
66 reviews6 followers
chase-j-hadley
December 9, 2013
What an absolute genius, the way he can bring his characters to life, sometimes you get so involved you can imagine that you are part of the twists and turns with each turning of a page, I know I continually say it, by far the best murder / thriller / mystery writer of all time.,...
341 reviews22 followers
July 24, 2012
I think James Hadley Chase is the most read English writer in India over the past 50 years. In my youth most of us boys used to get initiated into reading English novels with Chase!
Profile Image for Paul Cornelius.
1,043 reviews42 followers
December 23, 2020
The exploits of the boys in the Paradise City police squad brought to life one more time. This is the third in the Frank Terrell series about Paradise City but the fifth and final one for me to read. By now, I could find my way from City Hall to the suburbs of Seacombe, from the Belvedere Hotel to the Aquarium and Casino, from the cheap dives and diners to the Self Service Market, and from the beachside bungalows to the banks and bus terminal. I've lived it. That's how vivid JHC can make things.

There are some usual language and cultural glitches, however. First, about those $500 bills. They would not have been printed for almost a quarter of century when JHC wrote this novel. Very few, all of them highly collectable silver notes, would have been in circulation. Even then, they were collector's items, and no casino would have $2.5 million worth on hand. I've never seen a $500 bill in my life. And the phrase, "ratted on" does not mean what JHC thinks it does. To rat on someone is to inform on them. He uses it to describe someone who has double-crossed his fellow crooks and, the correct idiom should be, "left them holding the bag." Of course, no American would refer to the trunk of their car as the boot, either. There are a few more. It's fun to keep track. But it never detracts from the thrill of JHC's intricately planned capers that always seem to fall apart, this time being due to the greed on the part of the semi-comic Sheila Whiteside. Next JHC novel!
Profile Image for Kakha.
569 reviews
October 17, 2020
I have said many times that I do not strongly highlight and will never single out any of the stories from the work of my very favorite author, the master of the literary word of tough crime fiction, but remembering every chapter of this unforgettable work, remembering many insanely epic and heartbreaking paragraphs and sayings of the main characters from this books, I can't help saying that I especially love this novel very much! This story is tragic, it is also tragic because the main characters are involved in crime, but the demise of some of these characters is also tragic...
In this book, we once again plunge into the amazing fictional world of Paradise City and again meet with the glorious police captain of this fictional city, Frank Terrell. One of the main characters in the book decided to rob the cashier of a casino in Paradise City. With a successful outcome of the case, the jackpot will be about two million dollars. But such a thing, after all, cannot be done alone - and therefore he hired five more accomplices. Although, apart from rare, ideal cases, it is almost never possible to predict absolutely all the details that may suddenly arise during the implementation of such a serious (criminal) case. And the guardians of the law, led by Captain Terrell, do not sleep. This book will tell you about all this in such an incredibly interesting way that you will probably never forget this story.
Profile Image for Giri Dv.
42 reviews
Read
August 12, 2017
Fast paced as usual. Still some things rankle. Like, cop remembering Lolita is coincidental.  Taking money from casino was too easy.  Doormen don't easily allow people inside.
Normally they would have called for more men.
180 reviews
Read
May 17, 2021
Oud boekje, maar vlot spannend verhaal over overval op casino. Zie je zo als een film voor u. Personages zijn goed beschreven.
Profile Image for Κώστας.
200 reviews43 followers
September 12, 2020
ΒΙΠΕΡ Νο.267 με τίτλο "Ληστεία 2.000.000 $".

Ληστεία α λα Ιταλικά, ή α λα αμερικάνικα, όπως και να το πει κανείς, είναι ένα συνηθισμένο σενάριο όπου μαζεύεται μια συμμορία προκειμένου να κλέψει ένα μεγάλο ποσό από καζίνο ή όπου αλλού υπάρχει συσσωρευμένο χρήμα (τράπεζα, ταχυδρομείο, πρακτορείο, wells fargo στα western κλπ).
Ναι, φαινομενικά εύκολο σενάριο με μεγάλη ελευθερία κινήσεων στον εκάστοτε συγγραφέα. Αλλά μήπως εξίσου εύκολα το έχει βαρεθεί ο ψαγμένος αναγνώστης/θεατής που έχει ήδη καταναλώσει ένα σωρό από δαύτα;
Υπάρχουν κάποια κόλπα στη συνταγή που ο James Chase γνωρίζει πολύ καλά. Όπως το ότι η αξία του νικημένου δίνει δόξα στο νικητή. Όπως το αντιστάθμισμα κατά του φαβορί. Πχ όλοι ξέρουμε ότι ένας ληστής μετά τη ληστεία έχει απέναντί του να αντιμετωπίσει ολόκληρη την πόλη. Διότι ακόμα και ένας τυχάρπαστος λουόμενος μπορεί να γίνει ένας εν δυνάμει ρουφιάνος.
Θα τα καταφέρει κάποιος; πόσοι και ποιοί θα σφαγιασθούν; πόσους θα παρασύρουν μαζί τους; πόσα πρωτοκλασάτα ονόματα από αξιωματικούς της αστυνομίας θα πέσουν στο καθήκον; ποιός θα επωφεληθεί; ποιός θάναι βαρόμετρο στην εξέλιξη και ποιά η τύχη του; ποιός θα αντέξει από τις εσωτερικές διχόνοιες/διαμάχες εντός του ιδίου στρατοπέδου;
Μια θηλιά που σφίγγει στο λαιμό όλων των εμπλεκομένων είναι η σπεσιαλιτέ του συγκεκριμένου συγγραφέα.
Διότι, όπως έχω ξαναγράψει, ο J.C. δεν χαρίζεται σε κανέναν δεν λυπάται κανέναν. Ούτε καν την καρδιά του αναγνώστη. Είναι απρόβλεπτος, είναι γρήγορος, διαθέτει πλουραλισμό, κυλάει πλήρως κατανοητά και εύκολα (τα εύσημα σε αυτά τα τελευταία πάνε όλα στην αείμνηστη Τασσώ Καββαδία που ήταν η επί το πλείστον μεταφράστριά του).

Επειδή το παρόν γράφτηκε στα 1967, για μένα αποτελεί πηγή έμπνευσης του Ocean's Eleven και των κλώνων του. Τώρα το πόσους επηρέασε η γραφή του, άγνωστο.
Profile Image for Petrus Forsgren.
149 reviews
September 13, 2025
Well now my Pretty by James Hadley Chase (1967) is one of these short thriller/detective/action/mystery stories by the british author that wrote more than 90 books during his career. James Hadley Chase (1906-1985) were a fighter pilot during world war 2. He grew up in a book store and developed a interest in reading. Other personal hobbies were photography, listening to classical music, opera, putting together Meccano models, participating in the European socialite scene. Back to the book; Serge Maisky is putting together a crew for his biggest heist yet. Together with 4 associates they are going to rob the Paradise City Casino on a night with a lot of money going around. Preparations have been made to get drawings together with a sophisticated plan. It reeks of a “Ocean eleven” wibe. At the same time-the casino director charismatic Harry Lewis is making sure to have the best security for the night together with police chief Frank Terell. Events develop and the books becomes fully packed with action that keeps the reader engaged until the very end. The first book I read by James Hadley Chase-getting excited to read more from him.
6 reviews
February 3, 2022
I have a liking towards James Hadley Chase books and this could be a biased review. The way his books takes you back in time is nothing but a true work of art. Old phones ringing, pistols, screams this is a true classic novel. So well written.
Profile Image for Freya.
17 reviews3 followers
August 19, 2012
Zatím nejslabší co jsem od něj četla...některé stránky jsem i přelistovávala, což dělám opravdu jen pokud se u knihy velmi nudím.
Začátek ale vypadal celkem slibně...úspěšná loupež v nejbohatším kasínu v zemi, zrada kumpánů, počáteční fáze vyšetřování...pak to začlo váznou, celá kniha se totiž točí právě kolem pronásledování zrádce a peněz policií, takže je celkem nabíledni, jak se bude příběh dále vyvíjet, tzn. hlavní kostra je danná. Autor také zakončuje každou svou knihu na můj vkus až příliš otevřeným koncem, jako by mu došel dech nebo nevěděl co si s koncem počít.Škoda
7 reviews14 followers
February 6, 2015
This detective story by Chase is about the perfect planned theft of the century. But the plan was interrupted and everything went wrong... The final is unpredictable.
Profile Image for Elijah Oyekunle.
199 reviews26 followers
May 14, 2016
I like the way this guy's stories end. The greedy wife, dumb husband and thief all meet their appropriate ends.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews

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