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Lemmy Caution #1
Αυτός ο άνθρωπος είναι επικίνδυνος
Το σήμα έλεγε: "Η αστυνομική διεύθυνση της Οκλαχόμα ειδοποιεί την έφιππη αστυνομία και τα περιπολικά: Καταζητείται άτομο ονόματι Λέμι Κόσιον, το οποίο απέδρασε από τη φυλακή της Οκλαχόμα, αφού σκότωσε το βοηθό σερίφη και έναν φύλακα. Σύμφωνα με τελευταίες πληροφορίες, ο Κόσιον εθεάθη στα σύνορα της πολιτείας, κοντά στο Ταλέκουα. Κατευθύνεται, πιθανώς, στο Ζοπλίν. Να είστε προσεκτικοί. Αυτός ο άνθρωπος είναι επικίνδυνος. Η αστυνομική διεύθυνση της Οκλαχόμα ειδοποιεί τη έφιππη αστυνομία και όλα τα περιπολικά: Ψάξτε γι' αυτόν τον άνθρωπο. Ειδοποιήστε τα γκαράζ μεταξύ Τούλσα και Ταλέκουα ότι θα χρειαστεί πιθανώς βενζίνη για μια διθέσια Ford V-8, πράσινη σκούρα, την οποία οδηγεί... Προσοχή! Ο Λέμι Κόσιον οπλοφορεί. Είναι ένας δολοφόνος..." Αυτά έλεγε το σήμα, κι έτσι άρχισε το κυνήγι μου -ή μάλλον, το κυνήγι των δολοφόνων...
190 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1936
7 people are currently reading
123 people want to read
About the author
Peter Cheyney
122 books30 followersBorn Reginald Evelyn Peter Southouse Cheyney, he trained as a lawyer before getting tired of legal office work and joining the Army. He fought at the second Battle of the Somme in World War I and was wounded but when he returned to England he wrote songs, poems and short stories for various newspapers and magazines and used many pseudonyms.
He also turned his hand to journalism, was a newspaper editor and also owned a detective agency, Cheyney Research Investigations.
His first published novel was This Man Is Dangerous and this began his prolific novel writing career. Thereafter he averaged two mystery novels a year with his best known characters being Slim Callaghan and Lemmy Caution and he became one of the best known and most successful of British crime novelists. His success also brought with it financial rewards and he was recognised as one of the richest authors of the time.
There have been many film versions of his works, which helped spread his popularity, particularly to the United States.
His life-style, one of hard-living, much like his characters, and hard work eventually took their toll and he died at age 55. He was buried at Putney Vale Cemetery.
Michael Harrison published a biography in 1954 entitled Peter Cheyney Prince of Hokum and there have been a number of biographical essays over the years.
Gerry Wolstenholme
December 2010
He also turned his hand to journalism, was a newspaper editor and also owned a detective agency, Cheyney Research Investigations.
His first published novel was This Man Is Dangerous and this began his prolific novel writing career. Thereafter he averaged two mystery novels a year with his best known characters being Slim Callaghan and Lemmy Caution and he became one of the best known and most successful of British crime novelists. His success also brought with it financial rewards and he was recognised as one of the richest authors of the time.
There have been many film versions of his works, which helped spread his popularity, particularly to the United States.
His life-style, one of hard-living, much like his characters, and hard work eventually took their toll and he died at age 55. He was buried at Putney Vale Cemetery.
Michael Harrison published a biography in 1954 entitled Peter Cheyney Prince of Hokum and there have been a number of biographical essays over the years.
Gerry Wolstenholme
December 2010
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 25, 2015
The original Lemmy Caution detective novel, before he moved to Alphaville per se. Full of antiquated and bonkers expressions - every lady is a Dame, he does a lot of "gum-shoeing" and drinking highballs, and people are always telling Lemmy to "act your age." This first line from Chapter XI pretty much sums it up: "Some guy said that the postman always knocks twice, an' I reckon this palooka knew his onions."
October 4, 2019
Μαύρο Χιούμορ, δράση αλλά και κάποιες ευκολίες...
April 19, 2017
Someone said that the work of Cheyney made Spillane's writing seem like Proust. I beg to differ. Cheyney makes Spillane's writing seem like the work of God. It's just that terrible. Characters flatter than a sheet of graphene. A plot that reminds of how our perception of time is relative; a few paragraphs, a few sentences here and there, seemed an intolerable eternity.
If Spillane is pulp poetry, Cheyney is the illegible writing scrawled by a madman in a dingy bathroom in a bar you should never have entered.
At least, this work served as an interesting cultural artifact. The author I'm told is British. We really must have appeared to be brutish bastard troglodytes back then.
My own masochistic drive kept me going through this wreck of dreck. Hey, one of us has to make it through to warn the others not to enter into the darkness?
At least one of us has to make it through the tale.
If Spillane is pulp poetry, Cheyney is the illegible writing scrawled by a madman in a dingy bathroom in a bar you should never have entered.
At least, this work served as an interesting cultural artifact. The author I'm told is British. We really must have appeared to be brutish bastard troglodytes back then.
My own masochistic drive kept me going through this wreck of dreck. Hey, one of us has to make it through to warn the others not to enter into the darkness?
At least one of us has to make it through the tale.
April 26, 2018
Lemmy Caution is like an old friend of the family for me. I have been watching the old french B-series, movies with Eddie Constantine all my life. My familiarity with the character as made me enjoy the book more than I probably should have. The first person point of view (of Lemmy) was very endearing to me and the fake/imitation American slang was quite funny most time - and I don't mean maybe. Surprisingly, I was not aware that the movies were based on a series of English novels, but now that I have bought them all (omnibus) and read the first one; I can foresee myself following Lemmy's adventures with pleasure. Peter Cheney can certainly write a good, hard boiled crime story and with my built-in fondness for the character I'm happy that I have discovered the series.
December 8, 2021
Peter Cheyney hones his skills in the first Lemmy Caution novel. He warms up the wise-cracking, dame loving clever dick (or should that be G-Man) and spins a decent yarn. This is just a start to the series and is by no means a must read, especially if you have read the later and better novels but it was nice to see the genesis of the character. One for the enthusiasts.
April 12, 2021
Whoever does not love this book is a damn palooka
March 31, 2023
Ho trovato questo classico del giallo tra i libri disponibili su Liber Liber. A causa della distrazione e di una curiosa assonanza tra i temi trattati, lo avevo associato a Nemico pubblico, il bellissimo film con James Cagney, colonna portante del gangster movie.
Malgrado l'errore, il libro si è rivelato comunque all'altezza delle aspettative. Al netto di qualche ingenuità stilistica, la storia risulta ben scritta e decisamente avvincente con i colpi di scena piazzati nei punti giusti e un protagonista che è il classico anti-eroe del genere noir: bello, cazzuto, con la battuta pronta e il cuore tenero.
Fulminante l'incipit che aspira subito il lettore tra le pagine del giallo.
Lemmy Caution, il protagonista del libro, sarà anche rappresentato al cinema a più riprese. A tal proposito mi sento di consigliare Missione Alphaville di Godard.
Malgrado l'errore, il libro si è rivelato comunque all'altezza delle aspettative. Al netto di qualche ingenuità stilistica, la storia risulta ben scritta e decisamente avvincente con i colpi di scena piazzati nei punti giusti e un protagonista che è il classico anti-eroe del genere noir: bello, cazzuto, con la battuta pronta e il cuore tenero.
Fulminante l'incipit che aspira subito il lettore tra le pagine del giallo.
Lemmy Caution, il protagonista del libro, sarà anche rappresentato al cinema a più riprese. A tal proposito mi sento di consigliare Missione Alphaville di Godard.
February 24, 2022
El primer libro de la saga de Lemmy Caution, un peligroso criminal que se encuentra en medio de dos bandas que quieren secuestrar a la misma mujer. .
El libro es un poco tontorrón y la conclusión se ve venir de lejos, pero el lenguaje del narrador en primera persona (campechano, chulesco, lleno de expresiones coloridas) le sienta muy bien y hace agradable la lectura.
El libro es un poco tontorrón y la conclusión se ve venir de lejos, pero el lenguaje del narrador en primera persona (campechano, chulesco, lleno de expresiones coloridas) le sienta muy bien y hace agradable la lectura.
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February 13, 2021Ao longo dos tempos tenho lido um ou outro desta colecção e posso dizer que são enredos que nos entretêm, sem serem fascinantes. Este policial conta a história de Lemmy Caution um polícia infiltrado no mundo dos gangsters que se faz passar um ex condenado da pior espécie para tentar chegar aos cabecilhas.
Continuação e classificação: https://livrosdevidro.blogs.sapo.pt/o...
Continuação e classificação: https://livrosdevidro.blogs.sapo.pt/o...
October 13, 2025
Cheyney Chains #1
Lemmy Caution #1
First book I have read from this geezer is from 1936 and is hardboiled crime stuff with. FBI agent Lemmy Caution in the first book in the series.
The geezers are tough enough to eat rusty nails and some of the dames, and the book does use the word dames, are even tougher.
Somewhat dated, it is still some good old fun!
Lemmy Caution #1
First book I have read from this geezer is from 1936 and is hardboiled crime stuff with. FBI agent Lemmy Caution in the first book in the series.
The geezers are tough enough to eat rusty nails and some of the dames, and the book does use the word dames, are even tougher.
Somewhat dated, it is still some good old fun!
July 14, 2019
Scritto nel '36.Sicuramente eccessivo e storia improbabile, ma un hardboiled atipico per quei tempi.
May 11, 2020
I really enjoyed this when I first read it in the early 1960s. Sadly nearly twenty years on it does not appeal so much.
August 6, 2020
Always a delightful read, especially when your other read is a heavy subject.
December 9, 2025
Το βιβλίο αποτελεί χαρακτηριστικό δείγμα της αμερικανικής σχολής αστυνομικής λογοτεχνίας, γραμμένο από έναν Βρετανό συγγραφέα που προσπάθησε να μιμηθεί το στυλ.
Η πλοκή είναι γρήγορη και περιλαμβάνει τον διάσημο χαρακτήρα του Cheyney, τον πράκτορα του FBI Lemmy Caution. Η ιστορία ξεκινάει με την απόδραση του Caution από τις φυλακές της Οκλαχόμα, αφού σκοτώνει έναν φρουρό, γεγονός που πυροδοτεί μια έντονη καταδίωξη από την αστυνομία.Ο Cheyney χρησιμοποιεί μια χαρακτηριστική, σκληρή γλώσσα και διάλογο γεμάτο αργκό, που θυμίζει pulp μυθιστορήματα. Ο Lemmy Caution μπλέκεται με οργανωμένες συμμορίες που σχεδιάζουν την απαγωγή μιας πλούσιας κληρονόμου. Η αφήγηση είναι γεμάτη δράση και ανατροπές.
Ωστόσο, το στυλ μπορεί να φανεί κάπως ξεπερασμένο σε σύγκριση με σύγχρονα έργα, και ορισμένοι χαρακτήρες είναι λιγότερο αναπτυγμένοι, κάτι που δικαιολογεί τα ανάμεικτα συναισθήματα που μπορεί να αφήσει στον αναγνώστη. Η ικανότητα του συγγραφέα να δημιουργεί μια ατμόσφαιρα βρετανικού νουάρ είναι αξιοσημείωτη.
Παρά τις αδυναμίες στην ανάπτυξη χαρακτήρων, η ιστορία παραμένει μια συναρπαστική ματιά στην πρώιμη κατασκοπευτική/αστυνομική μυθοπλασία του 20ου αιώνα. Ήταν ένα βιβλίο που άξιζε να διαβαστεί για την ιστορική του αξία και το μοναδικό του ύφος.
Εμπειρία:Σύντομο, γρήγορο, και αντιπροσωπευτικό της εποχής του.
Η πλοκή είναι γρήγορη και περιλαμβάνει τον διάσημο χαρακτήρα του Cheyney, τον πράκτορα του FBI Lemmy Caution. Η ιστορία ξεκινάει με την απόδραση του Caution από τις φυλακές της Οκλαχόμα, αφού σκοτώνει έναν φρουρό, γεγονός που πυροδοτεί μια έντονη καταδίωξη από την αστυνομία.Ο Cheyney χρησιμοποιεί μια χαρακτηριστική, σκληρή γλώσσα και διάλογο γεμάτο αργκό, που θυμίζει pulp μυθιστορήματα. Ο Lemmy Caution μπλέκεται με οργανωμένες συμμορίες που σχεδιάζουν την απαγωγή μιας πλούσιας κληρονόμου. Η αφήγηση είναι γεμάτη δράση και ανατροπές.
Ωστόσο, το στυλ μπορεί να φανεί κάπως ξεπερασμένο σε σύγκριση με σύγχρονα έργα, και ορισμένοι χαρακτήρες είναι λιγότερο αναπτυγμένοι, κάτι που δικαιολογεί τα ανάμεικτα συναισθήματα που μπορεί να αφήσει στον αναγνώστη. Η ικανότητα του συγγραφέα να δημιουργεί μια ατμόσφαιρα βρετανικού νουάρ είναι αξιοσημείωτη.
Παρά τις αδυναμίες στην ανάπτυξη χαρακτήρων, η ιστορία παραμένει μια συναρπαστική ματιά στην πρώιμη κατασκοπευτική/αστυνομική μυθοπλασία του 20ου αιώνα. Ήταν ένα βιβλίο που άξιζε να διαβαστεί για την ιστορική του αξία και το μοναδικό του ύφος.
Εμπειρία:Σύντομο, γρήγορο, και αντιπροσωπευτικό της εποχής του.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews