Мис Шамуей размахва вълшебна пръчка

by James Hadley Chase, Джеймс Хадли Чейс

Джеймс Хадли Чейс също размахва вълшебна пръчка в този първокласен трилър и пренася читателя в една странна ситуация, наситена с динамика и напрежение.

"Мис Шамоей размахва вълшебна пръчка" е един от върховете на неподражаемия автор, чийто талант завладява милиони читатели по света.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Comedy, Novels, Humor

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1944

About the author

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.

Reviews

[Tilak Raj Kaushik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its so funny you will die laughing.for the first time hadley churned out this paranormal kind of novel.
If you want to laugh to tears,please please read it....one of the best novel in the whole world.take my word...read it.

[Paul Lothane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmmm...not really the type of work one expects from Chase, but quite readable. The humour is over the top, eg : "Don't bust your brassiere lady; remember your upbringing and try to behave like a lady..." Really! And this is only the tip of the iceberg. The work would ordinarily be considered as fantasy, but is presented as fact "supernatural fact...facts"... a big man turns into a sausage and is eaten by a dog that subsequently begins to talk, the canine having a sense of humour too! A lady floating, and propelling others to do so. The patently dead suddenly being revived late on...even our hero at the end suddenly discovers his own son can levitate, or whatever. "Look pop, I am flying!" The author clearly wrote this work tongue in cheek, and because of his reputation, the book was published? Hmmm....

[Paul Cornelius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outlandish! And very enjoyable. Miss Shumway Waves a Wand is completely out of character with every Chase novel I've read. It's tone is light, full of effective one-liners, and quite a lot of slapstick. Funny throughout. A talking Dog, vicious doppelgangers, a Mexican bandito turned into a sausage, levitating people, a comedy routine between Doc and Sam that is straight out of Abbott and Costello. And it all begins with Doc Ansell's search for a magical cure for snakebites hidden in secret with a Mexican Indian witch doctor. Without giving anything away, I will say the ending to this novel was a shocker. Usually, I have my thoughts and half way suspicions confirmed at a Chase novel's ending. Not this time. He got me.

[Βρόσγος Άντυ]

Πρώτη φορά μετά από 40+ βιβλία διαβάζω υπερφυσικό μυθιστόρημα του Τσαιηζ.

[Nicholas Whyte · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3360087.html

This entertaining book is by a well-known writer of hard-boiled detective fiction, turning his hand for once to the paranormal. Miss Shumway has run away to Mexico; as well as being a stage magician she has developed real magical powers, and also turns out to have double trouble. There's a glorious sequence where a bad guy is transformed into a sausage and eaten by a dog which then acquires the powers of speech. It's not Great Literature but it's quite good fun. Two films were based on it - the French/Argentinian 1963 film Une blonde comme ça/Mi novia es otra and the 1995 Rough Magic with Bridget Fonda and Russell Crowe. I will look out for them.

[Chandni · Rating 5 out of 5]

99% of his books - crime, murder, mystery
This one: talking dog, floating woman, wacky narration
It was a refreshing change.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘Miss Shumway Waves a Wand” is a bit of a departure thematically from the bulk of early Chase novels. First published in 1941 and not made into an American movie until 1995’s “Rough Magic” starring Bridget Fonda as Miss Shumway and Russell Crowe as Alex Ross (Ross Millan in the novel), involves a magical pickpocketing levitating blonde, a talking dog, a spitting-image double, and a pair of literal snake oil salesmen. Not exactly the kind of hard boiled crime fiction you’d expect from Chase.

The plot begins with newsman Millan receiving a human interest story from his editor just when Millan is ready to leave Mexico after several years of chasing stories there. An ex vaudeville magician, Shumway, who used to run a magic act with his daughter Myra (the Miss Shumway of the title) has lost track of her and her covertly moving hands. She was last seen traveling around Mexico on her own. The idea is that Millan will write up a story about Myra being kidnapped by a pack of bandidos and then rescued and reunited with her dear father. The reward money which Millan would collect is $25,000. He is told though that, if it turns out Myra wasn’t kidnapped, Millan is to arrange for her kidnapping and subsequent rescue with a friendly bandido.

Millan stumbles on Myra with her gorgeous figure and sharp tongue as she sits by the side of the road. After much negotiation, he takes up with her and, later with the pair of snake oil salesmen who want to use Myra tpm-laysvtva demigoddess and have a shaman in the hills turn over his secret formula. Alas, the blonde bombshell is actually kidnapped and returns with seemingly magical powers of levitation and rainmaking and a talking dog joins the group, which isn’t quite as young or as innocent as Dorothy and Toto and their entourage.

When a news article states that Myra wasn’t kidnapped found in NYC, and the photograph with her dear father is an exact copy, Millan is mystified. He’s also furious when he realizes he’ll never collect the $25,000. It’s even worse when Myra puts two and two together and realizes Millan was only chasing after her for the reward.

This is not your average James Hadley Chase story. It has some clever points, but overall could have used some,e editing to cut it down.

[Lesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

fantastically dated. somewhat bizarre. all in all, a fast fun read.

[Suleiman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chase prove his genius as a multi dimensions writer in dis one!

[Κώστας · Rating 1 out of 5]

Η απογοήτευσή μου ήταν τεράστια. Επειδή λατρεύω αυτόν τον συγγραφέα, η πίκρα μου δεν λέγεται. Αλλά, ίσως, γράφεται.
Θα προσπαθήσω να περιγράψω τον ..."καημό" μου, όχι τόσο για τον χαμένο μου χρόνο, όσο για την δυσάρεστη έκπληξη που μου προσέφερε ο κύριος πρύτανης όπως αρέσκομαι να τον αποκαλώ.
Έτσι, κατ εξαίρεση(αφού συνήθως δεν ασχολούμαι περαιτέρω με όσα βιβλία δεν μου άρεσαν), θα γράψω τώρα ένα σεντόνι εδώ. Όχι για να τον ..."τιμωρήσω" στα μάτια σας, όχι. Μόνο και μόνο για να εκτονώσω τη στενοχώρια μου.

Αυτό ήταν ένα παιδαριώδες παραμυθάκι σε όλη τη διαδρομή του, σχολικού επιπέδου γεμάτο "τρύπες" για να ξεφεύγει από τις δυσκολίες της πλοκής.
Ό,τι κι αν κάνετε, μην διαβάζετε τούτο δω ως το πρώτο σας βιβλίο του James Hadley Chase. Έγραψε δεκάδες αριστουργηματικά μυθιστορήματα, αλλά σε αυτόν τον τόμο, ο Τσέις προσπάθησε να κάνει κάτι που, κατά γενική ομολογία, δεν επιχείρησε σε κανένα από τα προηγούμενα ή μεταγενέστερα βιβλία του: να διασταυρώσει τον σκληρό τύπο αφήγησης με την κωμωδία. (καλά... εντάξει... αυτό έχει ξαναγίνει), αλλά ταυτόχρονα και με στοιχεία ενός σύγχρονου μεξικάνικου γουέστερν (είναι τραβηγμένο τώρα...), αλλά το χειρότερο από όλα είναι ότι το βιβλίο είναι επίσης γεμάτο με φτηνά υπερφυσικά κόλπα της πιο άθλιας τάξης, όπως ένας σκύλος που μιλάει ή η μετατροπή ενός αντιπάλου σε ένα κομμάτι λουκάνικο κατά τη διάρκεια ενός καυγά, θηλυκά εξαφανίζονται στον αέρα ή επιπλέουν πάνω από το κεφάλι σας και τραβούν τα μαλλιά σας, και στη χειρότερη περίπτωση, όταν οι πρωταγωνιστές δεν έχουν κανένα απολύτως τρόπο να ξεφύγουν από ένα δωμάτιο και δέχονται επίθεση, τότε ... ναι, το μαντέψατε... απλά βγαίνουν από το παράθυρο.Στον αέρα ψηλά πάνω από το πεζοδρόμιο, μια γυναίκα και ένας άντρας, πολύ ερωτευμένοι, και απλώς πετούν στους δρόμους και τα κτίρια της Νέας Υόρκης, ξεφεύγοντας από τον κίνδυνο με αυτόν τον τρόπο. Στη συνέχεια κατεβαίνουν με ασφάλεια σε ένα πεζοδρόμιο και συνεχίζουν τις περιπετειώδεις αναζητήσεις τους με τον συνηθισμένο τρόπο. Τουρσί.

Αυτό είναι απλώς απαράδεκτο. Και ντροπιαστικό. Εάν ένα παιδί 12 ετών έγραφε ένα κείμενο όπως αυτό, μπορείτε να το χαϊδέψετε στο κεφάλι, επαινώντας τη φαντασία του παιδιού. Αλλά ένας καταξιωμένος συγγραφέας; Αλλά πάλι...ήταν στην αρχή της καριέρας του, νομίζω ήταν το πέμπτο του διήγημα αυτό. Εικάζω ότι ακόμα έψαχνε το δρόμο του προτού τελικά καταξιωθεί στην κατηγορία της αστυνομικής λογοτεχνίας.

Σε όλο το βιβλίο, ήλπιζα: αυτό δεν μπορεί να είναι αληθινό. Ο αφηγητής απλώς πρέπει να ξυπνήσει ακριβώς σε αυτό το κεφάλαιο ή στο επόμενο κεφάλαιο, καθιστώντας σαφές ότι τα περισσότερα από αυτά που έχουν συμβεί μέχρι στιγμής ήταν απλώς ένα όνειρο, μια παραίσθηση.

Δεν υπάρχει τέτοια τύχη εδώ. Ο Chase είναι συνεπής και τραβάει αυτά τα ακροβατικά μέχρι την τελευταία σελίδα του τελευταίου κεφαλαίου, το οποίο περιλαμβάνει ένα άχρηστο, επίδοξο αστείο αίσιο τέλος του Χόλιγουντ. Έχει ακόμη και τα κότσια να προτείνει ότι οι αναγνώστες που αρνούνται να πιστέψουν τέτοιες αηδίες μπορεί να μην μπορούν να απολαύσουν πλήρως τη ζωή τους. Στεναγμός.

Για να το ξεκαθαρίσω: δεν έχω τίποτα ενάντια στο είδος της επιστημονικής φαντασίας ή της φαντασίας. Στην πραγματικότητα, λατρεύω και τα κλασικά αυτών των ειδών. Το θέμα είναι ότι αυτό το βιβλίο με εξέπληξε εντελώς, γιατί δεν περίμενα ποτέ ότι θα ήταν ένα υπερφυσικό νήμα – είναι το τελευταίο πράγμα που θα περίμενα να διαβάσω από έναν συγγραφέα του τύπου του Chase. Οπότε εδώ δεν φταίει το υπερφυσικό από μόνο του. Είναι ότι το βιβλίο δεν λειτουργεί πραγματικά ως βιβλίο επιστημονικής φαντασίας ή φαντασίας. Ούτε είναι αρκετά καλό ως καθαρή κωμωδία, πόσο μάλλον ένα σκληρό μυθιστόρημα. φαίνεται να είναι γεμάτο κενά κόλπα για να προκαλέσει φτηνό γέλιο – και αυτό είναι περίπου.

Για παράδειγμα, πάρτε τον κορυφαίο γυναικείο χαρακτήρα. Είναι κουραστικό και ανόητο: μια γυναίκα έχει μια διχασμένη προσωπικότητα – την «καλή πλευρά» και την «κακή πλευρά». Όχι μόνο διανοητικά – σε όλο το βιβλίο, η γυναίκα είναι σε θέση (κυρίως ακούσια) να χωριστεί σε δύο ακριβώς πανομοιότυπα γυναικεία σώματα (υπέροχα σώματα, φυσικά), τη Μάϊρα και την Aριάμ, και αυτά στη συνέχεια αντεπιτίθενται μεταξύ τους και ακόμη και λεκτικά μαλώνουν μεταξύ τους κατά τη διάρκεια του βιβλίου. Και οι δύο παλεύουν για την προσοχή του ίδιου άντρα, του τυχερού αφηγητή, τον οποίο θέλουν να παντρευτούν! Ω, Δία... Αν και γιατί ακριβώς ξαφνικά τον γοητεύουν, δεν εξηγείται ποτέ.

Αυτός είναι ο χειρότερος τύπος. Το λογοτεχνικό δεκανίκι: όταν κάτι αγγίζει το συμβολικό, χωρίς πραγματικά να φτάσει εκεί. Οι αναγνώστες μένουν να ξύνουν τα κεφάλια τους: "Τώρα τι στο διάολο είναι αυτό και τι υποτίθεται ότι σημαίνει;» Πρέπει να φοβόμαστε ότι το τέχνασμα διχασμένης προσωπικότητας στο βιβλίο δεν δείχνει τίποτα. είναι ένα τέχνασμα, και αυτό είναι όλο.

Στο "Στα ίχνη μιάς ξανθιάς", ο Chase εγκατέλειψε αυτό που κάνει καλύτερα – μια αφήγηση βασισμένη στην πλοκή, σκληρό ρεαλισμό που κοχλάζει, με μερικές απολαυστικές ανατροπές προς το τέλος και δοκίμασε τις δυνάμεις του σε κάτι άλλο. Καλό για αυτόν; και καλό για πολλούς αναγνώστες ίσως – κυρίως σκληροπυρηνικούς θαυμαστές του Chase, υποψιάζομαι – που φαίνεται ότι απόλαυσαν αυτό το λήμμα στο ογκώδες έργο του Chase. Ελπίζω να μην έχει μείνει άλλο βιβλίο σαν αυτό ανάμεσα σε αυτά του Chase που δεν έχω διαβάσει μέχρι στιγμής. αν υπάρχει, θα κάνω ό,τι μπορώ για να αποφύγω να το διαβάσω. Η μόνη λέξη που συνοψίζει αυτόν τον τόμο είναι: κιτς.

[Anna Plishak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Чейз уміє дивувати)) "Міс Шамвей та її чари" - це вибухова суміш гумору, містики та ґанґстарського детективу. Якщо на початку оповіді автор вабить читача дешевими фокусами, які демонструє розважаючись Міра Шамвей. То ближче до середини у текст вплітається індіанська магія і люди перетворюються на ковбасу (за допомогою слів, якщо що), дівчата літають і відділяють світлу половину своєї душі від темної, а собаки розмовляють. Тим часом у місті відбуваються ґанґстерські розбірки, в які встрягають всі головні персонажі.
⠀
Що ж, давно я не читала книжок з ТАКИМ захопленням! Хоч у книзі й описується один злочин за іншим, упродовж читання мене не полишав гарний настрій, а діалоги між персонажами були настільки кумедними, що досить часто я сміялася вголос. Історія доволі жвава і динамічна, читається швидко і залишає по собі позитивні враження та емоції.

[Vipra]

This is the only one of James Hadley Chase's books I remember, and I read many in middle school.

But how can one forget a talking dog?

James Hadley Chase is almost forgotten now, deservedly so maybe, but there was a time when his books were a staple in Indian homes. Miss Shumway was a nice change from his usual fare

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must admit that this book was not what I expected. I've read JHC books before, and the blurb for this one promised a noir detective tale with the addition of a sense of humour.

So I was rather non-plussed by the heavy fantasy element in the novel - Mexican shamans, floating women, talking dogs... it felt out of place in a story which veered between a road-movie and a hard-boiled press-man yarn. And that's really the problem I had all the way through. It was trying too hard to be two different things (fittingly, given one of the characters... but saying more than that would be a spoiler), and the joins were at times bumpy. If you ignored the zany fantasy, it would be a good noir; if you ignored the noir, it would work as a humorous fantasy - but with both elements it felt a little like it was trying to have the best of both worlds.

Still fun, but not quite right.

[Kakha · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a magical title for this book... This is one of the earliest works of the author, the master of the literary word. This novel is somewhat different, special. In it, the romantic component, the nature of a beautiful, difficult woman, and the plot of the most interesting, cool detective story are so excellently intertwined! True delight awaits you, reader. Yes, Mr. Chase's books are read in one sitting, because it is very difficult to tear yourself away from them, although, I advise, you still read slowly, because after reading the last page, you will immediately regret that it is over and that you will never be able to experience that unforgettable taste of the first reading of this very work.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hadley-Chase was a prolific writer, of cowboy thrillers, very noir detective stories and magi-realism Miss Shumway is an excellent example of his skill in turning an everyday situation - like a missing person - into a mad, fantastic romp. Is books are short - but every word counts.

[Tetiana · Rating 2 out of 5]

What the hell is this book about?? 2 stars for talking dog... I waited to the last page to get normal explanation of all the weird stuff...
Я чесно думала що це детектив... а ні, тут собаки говорять, жінки літають.... а в Чейза я читала нормальні детективи ((((

[f. a. abogunrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the funniest books I have read. A JHC classic.

[ify emodi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice

[Praveen Patil · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poor story. The supernatural climax is a disaster.

[Lilian Chinwe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book, the plot was super interesting, the characters were fun to follow, and I love Arym.

[Sylvia Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious!

[Δήμος Καραχάλιος · Rating 4 out of 5]

Απολαυστικός! Μοιραίες γυναίκες, σκληροί αντρες, υπόκοσμος, διαφθορά, απίστευτο χιούμορ!

[Isolde Feron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very funny and entertaining but well, not the most impressive book

[Sergii Kuliesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Смішне, нестандартне оповідання для Чейза. Взагалі не в стилі детектива, а проста жартівлива історія.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not your average Chase; slightly different direction in terms of his normal writing style but enjoyable all the same.

[Reicmama · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh, No! A Hard-Boiled Humorous Western with Supernatural Elements?

This was a childish dud all the way through (despite a few laughs generated), suffused in gradeschool-level humour, and employing what should be forbidden literary devices to get out of plot difficulties.

Whatever you do, do not read Miss Shumway Waves a Wand as your first James Hadley Chase book. He wrote dozens of hard-boiled novels, but in this volume, Chase attempted to do something that he (mercifully), by all accounts, attempted in none of his earlier or later books: to cross the hard-boiled type of narration with comedy (well... okay... that's been done before), but at the same time also with elements of a modern Mexican Western (it's getting far-fetched now...), so that there's quite a lot of horseback riding in the book, too... but worst of all, the book is also crammed full with puerile supernatural tricks of the shabbiest order, such as a talking dog, or the turning of an opponent into a piece of sausage (what the...?!) during an altercation, females disappearing into thin air or floating over your head and pulling your hair, and in the very worst such instance, when the leading protagonists have absolutely no way to escape from a room and are being attacked, then they... yep, you guessed it... they simply step out of the window, mid-air high above the sidewalk, a woman and a man, very much in love, and they simply tread air over the streets and buildings of New York City, escaping from danger that way. Then they safely descend onto a sidewalk and continue their adventurous pursuits in the usual manner. Well, any writer could rescue their heroes that way whenever they're in a pickle.

This is simply unacceptable; and it is embarrassing. If a 12-year-old child wrote a yarn like this, you might pat him or her on the head, praising the child's imagination. But an established writer?

Throughout the book, I kept hoping: this just can't be real. The narrator simply must wake up right in this chapter, or the very next chapter, making it clear that most of what has occurred so far (invading the dead Indian chief's abode could have been an acceptable turning point) was simply a dream, hallucination.

No such luck here. Chase is consistent and pulls these stunts all the way through, right to the final page of the final chapter, which features a trashy, would-be funny Hollywood happy ending. He even has the guts to suggest that readers who refuse to believe such shenanigans might not be able to enjoy their lives fully. Sigh.

To make it clear: I have nothing against the genre of science fiction, or fantasy. In fact, I love the classics of those genres, too. The thing is, this book caught me totally by surprise, because I never expected it to be a supernatural yarn – it's the last thing I'd expect to read from a writer of Chase's type. So it's not the supernatural by itself that is to blame here; it's that the book does not really work as a sci-fi or fantasy book, either; nor is it good enough as pure comedy, let alone a hard-boiled novel; it appears to be full of empty gimmicks to generate cheap laughs – and that is about it.

As an example, take the leading female character. It is tiresome and inane: a female has a split personality – her "good side" and "bad side". Not just mentally – throughout the book, the woman is able to (mostly involuntarily) split into two exactly identical female bodies (gorgeous bodies, of course), Myra and Arym, and these then counteract each other, and even verbally argue with each other, over the course of the book. And they both fight for the attention of the same man, the lucky narrator, whom they wish to marry! Oh, my... Though why exactly they suddenly have such fascination for him, is never explained.

This is the worst type of a literary crutch: when something verges on being symbolic, without really getting there. Readers are left scratching their heads: "Now what the hell is this supposed to mean?" It must be feared that the split personality gimmick in Miss Shumway Waves a Wand indicates nothing; it is a gimmick, and that is that.

In Miss Shumway Waves a Wand, Chase abandoned what he does best – a plot-driven, gritty-realism, hard-boiled narration with a couple of delightful twists towards the very end – and tried his hand at something else. Good for him; and good for many readers – mostly hardcore Chase fans, I suspect – who seem to have enjoyed this entry in Chase's voluminous oeuvre. I for one hope there is no other book like this left among those by Chase I haven't read so far; if there is, I'll do my best to avoid reading it. The one word to sum up this volume, is: kitsch.

[Glen Engel-Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up because of Rough Magic, the 90s film starring Bridget Fonda and Russell Crowe that was based on it. I loved Rough Magic because of its magic realism--fantastic things happen, and while people are still surprised (as in some magic realism stories), they do take it in stride. Plus, it's an incredibly funny film. I looked for years for this book, then it fell off my radar. A month ago, it popped up surprisingly, and I had a chance to read it on a recent plane flight.

The movie's plot is unlike the book's, although characters and situations appear, just not in the order or for the same motivations. But the style and the tone are nearly identical, as is the magic realism. Basically, Myra Shumway is a magician who quits the stage and uses her sleight of hand abilities to relieve gullible men of their wallets. Russ Millan is a reporter who sets out to find her based on a reward Myra's father has put up for her in New York to find her. She ends up pick-pocketing a couple of con men, who when they finally catch up to her, not only want their money back, but her assistance in acquiring a sure-fire snake bite cure from an Indian medicine man who is convinced he is about to die, but not before he is visited by the white goddess, for which Myra could be a very close approximation.

All of these characters are dishonest (well, perhaps with the exception of the medicine man, but there's some question there as well) but lovable rogues. Unfortunately, they run into other dishonest, but not quite so lovable rogues in addition to the long-suffering police who have to deal with this bunch. It makes for a fun run, made even more so by the magic that emerges from the character interaction (not to mention the talking dog).

Is this great literature. By no means. James Hadley Chase was a pulp writer, and these characters and these situations are entirely unbelievable. But that doesn't mean this isn't great entertainment nor that lessons could not be gleaned from it. Chase here does a hard-boiled update on Thorne Smith, mixing the whimsy and fantasy that was the best qualities of Smith with the characters and situations that Chase focused on in his normal ouvre of crime potboilers. The combination worked for me, but then i was primed to like it based on the movie.

[Mark Vickers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one from the maestro was right out of left field, especially when you are expecting his usual femme fatale involved in murder, mystery or espionage. Myra Shumway waves more than her wand, when it comes to black magic, talking dogs and floating bodies. It's not very often that we have a good laugh, however this one is really quite funny and very clever.

[Athul Raj · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was unlike any other Chase novel I've read. I expected a femme fatale involved in crime, but got the supernatural Myra Shumway. It's not quite satisfying read for Chase fans, but as I said earlier, it's quite different

[Indu Shankar]

Very interesting..looks more autobiographical..words like grubby for indian soldiers and showing them as cobblers and filthy not withstanding!!!Now an interesting twist of twins and myra's double play gets very interesting and hooking..rather spooky..not a good ending..like a bollywood film..