Самотен си, когато си мъртъв

Vic Malloy #1

by James Hadley Chase, Джеймс Хадли Чейс, Станислава Миланова (Translator)

Ако си милионер, но застаряващ и скучен като Джей Франклин Серф и направиш глупостта да се ожениш за манекенка - това си е истинско предизвикателство. Ако на всичко отгоре имаш и дъщеря, която те мрази - злите сили са вече отключени и ти е необходим частен детектив.
Виктор Малой от "Юнивърсъл Сървисиз" се заема с най-обикновен случай на изнудване, а се озовава сред същинско клане. Когато загиват и двама от служителите му, историята става напълно ненормална...

Genres: Crime, Fiction, Thriller, Noir, Novels

216 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1950

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

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

The First of Three Vic Malloy novels

"You're Lonely When You Are Dead" is the first of three Vic Malloy novels that Chase published in 1949 with the next to in quick succession the following year. Set in fictional "Orchid City," which Chase places on the Southern California coast, but near "Coral Gables," a deep water port with rough neighborhoods. British writer Chase (as most readers know him) relied on books and movies for his knowledge about America and some times it showed.

Nevertheless, this private eye novel explodes with violence and Chase quite successfully throws every trick of the genre into this one. The client, of course, is a Richmond who suspects his new wife of horrendous things and wants it handled confidentially. Vic, appreciative of this aspect of the private eye genre, tries his damnedest to keep things under wraps because otherwise none of the rich ones in Orchid City will appreciate his business. Being one of the good guys, but keeping the local police at arm's length is how these guys operate although it some times seems they are jumping off the Titanic without a life preserver.

Vic doesn't operate alone, but has a whole squad of wisecracking agents to back him up. The new young wife is hated by the wheelchair bound daughter, has pals at nightclubs, and a shady past, and she can charm the socks off anyone. But one of his agents gets knocked off, Vic is taking no prisoners and the mystery of who's behind it and who deepens.

This one is absorbing, well-written, and does a great job of capturing the rough, sardonic world these fictional detectives moved in.

[Ionuț Anastasiu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prima parte a trilogiei ce îl are ca personaj central pe detectivul Vic Malloy, fondatorul agenției a cărei titulatură lasă mult loc de discuție: Universal Services. De altfel, este foarte interesant modul în care lui Vic i-a venit ideea înființării acestei agenții atât de aparte: "Într-o zi, cineva mi-a spus că bogaţii au nevoie de oameni care să le stea la dispoziţie. Cu cât eşti mai bogat, cu atât mai mult depinzi de alţii; asta mi-a spus tipul ăla, şi avea al naibii de multă dreptate! Când am terminat armata, n-aveam nici planuri de viitor, nici bani, dar mi-am amintit de vorbele alea. Aşa că am pus pe picioare o firmă care răspunde la toate nevoile celor bogaţi. Şi iată rezultatul: săptămâna viitoare, „Universal Services” îşi sărbătoreşte cea de-a treia aniversare. Nu spun că a fost o idee genială, nu, dar am câştigat ceva bani şi m-am distrat binişor". Prin urmare, o firmă care slujește nevoia celor bogați de a avea oameni care să le stea la dispoziție, dar care e și profitabilă și amuzantă. Asta chiar e ceva. Dar partea cu adevărat interesantă abia urmează: "Firma mea se ocupă de orice treabă, pentru orice client. Cu condiţia să nu depăşească prea mult limitele legalităţii. Putem să ne ocupăm la fel de bine de un divorţ, cât şi de procurarea unui elefant alb. De când am început, împreună cu asociaţii mei am închis pliscul la şantajişti, am supravegheat drogaţi, am însoţit un grup de tineri în jurul lumii, am făcut cercetări privind nişte copii din flori, am prins un urs grizzly pentru un client care voia cu tot dinadinsul să împuşte unul şi am aranjat lucrurile pentru o tânără care avea prostul obicei să se plimbe noaptea pe acoperişuri, în timp ce dormea. Asta am făcut noi pentru clienţii care voiau ceva, fără ca ei să fie amestecaţi. Din clipa în care sunt angajat de cineva, îl şi protejez, iar dacă mi se plătesc onorariile – şi să ştiţi că sunt consistente – nu mai există alte cheltuieli. Este o treabă bine făcută pentru cei cu mulţi bani, la care garantăm discreţie totală". Însă, atunci când un milionar, ce suspectează faptul că soția sa este cleptomană, îl va angaja pe Vic și echipa sa pentru a o supraveghea, lucrurile se vor complica foarte mult. Lectură plăcută!

[Paul Cornelius · Rating 5 out of 5]

With You're Lonely When You're Dead, James Hadley Chase returns to an American based crime thriller, an action filled detective story, with Vic Malloy as its private investigator bent on finding vengeance and justice. The book is also a bit of a shock, especially if you read through Chase's books in the order they are written. Which is one of the things I like to do with authors I find interesting after having sampled several titles. In the case of Chase, he had spent a great deal of the postwar years of the 1940s writing London centered thrillers that crossed a variety of genres, political, black comedy, tragicomedy, psychological expose, and, when he put his setting in Mexico, even outright comedy. He experimented, and it showed in his style. The novels placed in England contain elegant, sophisticated, layered passages, elevated prose, and complex dialog and syntax. It is the complete opposite to the hard-boiled fiction You're Lonely When You're Dead represents. It proves, moreover, that Chase could be a serious writer, when he wanted. Not that the hard-boiled entries are not serious, but they do eventually become a recurring franchise that no doubt gave JHC a good and steady income. This novel is a prototype for the books that will follow.

It became a prototype because it not only contrasts thematically and formally with the more literary minded works of the 1940s but because it moves the plane of the novel to an entirely different level. By that, I mean the novels with the English settings depicted a grim realistic world, that reflected their psychology. People walked around with a feeling of grit and grime about them. Something seemed always unwashed, whether the person depicted was a shallow tart or a member of the fading upper class. These books are filled with detail and an authenticity of place. You're Lonely When You're Dead is different. Instead of a dark realism, which always seems damp in England, these American-based works seem to express themselves in a bright glow. They are so bright, they seem like something mythical. Cabins and sand and surf become something the reader allows his mind to fill in, instead of being given elaborate embellishments. For example, the verandahs and porches seem never to have screens or screen doors. And if they do, the rusting springs on the doors never squeals or pops back into place. I pick that out as but one example, because it is the exact sort of entrance description for an English pub or flat that Chase would never lapse into mere concept.

Concept drives these American thrillers. The police are "the police," not Inspector This or That. The owners of restaurants and hotels and acting agencies are ethnic types, not people with a familiar background. And, finally, these American stories depict a class of people who act out their lives in lush vegetation and glaring sunlight, symbolizing, perhaps, the very ease of mobility from the working class to more restricted social places. That is how one time O.S.S. agent Vic Malloy, for example, acts in this story. Finally, the American stories, where individually owned cars replace reliance on taxis, emphasize the inherent freedom to move that Chase captures in his vision of America. So different from the ever drab, dark, and claustrophobic London of the British novels.

[Crime Addict Sifat · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the point when Vic Malloy, head of Universal Services - an association undertaking any employment that a customer needs done - is contracted to watch a tycoon's significant other associated with compulsion to steal, it is simply one more standard task - until the point when an administrator chipping away at the case is all of a sudden and severely killed. At that point the tycoon's significant other vanishes; and the spouse denies he has ever contracted Malloy, and debilitates to sue him on the off chance that he goes to the police. Appearances with this uncommon circumstance, Malloy is resolved to vindicate the demise of his administrator and , playing a solitary hand, embarks to discover the executioner. From that minute, he and his two assistants, Paula Bensinger and Jack Kerman are included in a progression of savage killings and horrifying circumstances. Abnormal individuals dance over the scene; any of them could be the executioner. There is the ex-prize warrior, Caesar Mills; the mogul's injured little girl, Natalie; the dance club proprietor, Banister; the playboy, George Barclay; the picture taker and blackmailer, Louis, the cowpoke sharpshooter, Thayler; and the red-haired, green-looked at Gail Bolus, a young lady with a past.

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Hadley Chase is British. In this book - "You're Lonely When Your Dead" Mr. Chase is writing about a California PI, and he does a fairly good job. His ingredients contain the proper mixture of good lookin' dames, an abundance of bad guys, bumbling cops and lots of wealthy characters.

When I read a bit of background on Chase it was intimated that he wanted to emulate Mickey Spilane. I really did not see that comparison, to me Mr. Chase read more in the vain of Raymond Chandler. With out the depth or character development.

There must be enough Privet Investigators running around the LA area in the late fourties and fifties were they can not help but trip over each other. The book was quite entertaining, however Chase got some of the dialog wrong, showing his European Education. But I shant quibble.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Breezy Raymond Chandler-by-numbers thriller from 1950 by the prolific Chase. Set in Orchid City and San Francisco, there is a PI with a tough moniker, Vic Malloy, a millionaire to hire him to spy on his gold-digging wife, plenty of dames (mainly of the "no-good" type), world-weary cops, a couple of murders, a sprinkling of seediness and some snappy dialogue. Very much like a second-feature thriller, and best consumed as a single-sitting, fast-paced, undemanding piece of entertainment.

[Kakha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This excellent work in the genre of crime fiction was published almost exactly in the middle of the twentieth century. But its author is the unsurpassed James Hadley Chase and the fact that the book is more than seventy years old is invisible at all! This author is my favorite, the outstanding master of detective intrigue, the king of unexpected plot twists. This is one of the novels from a series of books about Vic Malloy, who owns a private company that performs any services, a company that does not shun any work, even trains poodles, or, for example, is engaged in the correspondence of banknote numbers... On their account was even a murder investigation. So, a big businessman suspects that his wife is being blackmailed. He contacts Vic Malloy's agency. And then the matter takes an extremely dangerous, very serious turn. The reader of this book is just very lucky, he/she will have to observe an extremely interesting and dynamic development of events.

[Seun Odukoya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book - another Vic Malloy special. This time, he's hired by some man who thinks his wife might be a pickpocket. But after two murders and a frame that nearly gets Vic hung, he starts to think there's more at play than mere pilfering...

Damn good read.

[Gerard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice read!

[Jiří Pavlovský · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nějak jsem se při čtení na Rudou žeň namlsal Jamese Hadleye Chase, Angličana imitujícího americké kriminálky a přečet si jeho „třikrátku“ s Vicem Malloeym: Ve smrti je každý sám, Chytrému napověz a Položte ji mezi liliemi. A ano, i když je to ryzí drsná škola, s hláškujícím soukromým očkem, kterého pořád někdo mlátí do hlavy, tak pořád je to zábavná a řekl bych i nápaditá série.

Zajímavý je už jen to, že agentura Vic Malloye pracuje čistě pro pracháče a zařizuje v podstatě cokoliv. Od řešení problémů s policií až po učení dcerušku jezdit. Druhá zajímavá věc, že v prvním příběhů je seznámení s jeho sympatickým týmem detektivů… jehož členové jsou ovšem zabití jako první. I to je zvláštní, že první oběti jsou z řady pátračů, a hrdina neví proč. A drobná odchylka je tu i v tom, že hrdina nemá sekretářku, která je do něj tajně zamilovaná… ale má v podstatě šéfovou, která se ve firmě o všechno stará, aby mužská část sekce mohla nasávat whisky, chodit za ženskýma a nechávat se mlátit. Ale jo, taky tajně hrdinu miluje.

Ve smrti je každý sám, je solidní, klasická detektivka, která začíná drobnými krádežemi a končí haldou mrtvol… a slušně zamaskovaným pachatelem.

Chytrému napověz řadím mezi nejlepší Chaseho romány, hlavně proto, že po půlce nastupuje mohutná akční scéna, která obsahuje únik z jeskyně plné krys, zdrhání před pašeráky, přestřelku, další přestřelku… Žádná z těch akční scén nepřináší nic převratného, ale jak se řetězí, působí to bombasticky. A taky je to detektivka, která sloužila v rodině mé ženy jako takový večerníček při cestách autem… hlavně ta pasáž s krysami.

Plus to má ještě jedno plus. I když to začíná obvyklým obdržením zakázky na vytažení dcery z drogového doupěte, u kterého člověk čeká, že se to nějak zvrtne, tak celá tahle sekvence slouží jen k tomu, aby hrdina mohl někomu dlužit laskavost… a brzo jí musel splatit.
Třetí příběh, Položte ji mezi liliemi, přináší taky zajímavou zápletku a spoustu mrtvých (v celé téhle trilogii, když jde hrdina navštívit člověka, který je do případu zapletený, můžete si být jistí, že ho najde mrtvého), ale i hrdinu uvězněné v blázinci, v jedné místnosti s člověkem, co občas jí lidi. A opět je tu souboj s časem… a navíc pak ještě šplhání po útesu a dobývání lodi.

Řešení nejsou zrovna překvapivá, ale nejsou ani urážlivě pitomá a autor kolem nich nedělá zase tak velký čurbes. Vlastně jediné, co mě na téhle knize štvalo, byl překlad. Ne, nebyl z těch, co byste si museli záhadné věty překládat zpátky do angličtiny, abyste pochopili, co tam bylo řečené – ale poté, co jsem četl Za tohle tě dostanu přeložené Tomášem Hráchem, tak jsem si říkal, o kolik by tomhle mohlo být lepší, kdyby se toho chytnul opravdu talentovaný překladatl a ne sice snaživá, ale už zřejmě stará a konzervativní osoba, která většinu hlášek lehce vykastrovala. Jo, pořád to nějak funguje, ale ne tak, jak by mohlo.

[Socrate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cred că era aproape unsprezece. Era o dimineaţă însorită de martie şi rulam spre reşedinţa de la „Santa Rosa”, unde eram aşteptat de proprietarul ei, Jay Franklin Cerf.

Când m-a sunat, nu mă aflam în birou, dar Paula Bensinger, care se ocupă de afacerile mele – şi care s-ar fi ocupat la fel de bine şi de mine, dacă n-aş fi deschis ochii la timp – l-a asigurat că voi fi la el peste o oră. Cerf nu dăduse nici cea mai mică explicaţie, în afară de faptul că era vorba de o chestiune urgentă şi confidenţială, dar amănuntul că era proprietarul de la „Santa Rosa” îi fusese suficient Paulei. Îţi trebuie bănet, nu glumă, pentru a-ţi permite o proprietate ca aia, iar banii au audt întotdeauna darul de a o face pe Paula extrem de serviabilă.

Când am ajuns la birou, deja răscolise peste tot pentru a obţine informaţii despre Cerf şi, în timp ce-mi aranjam ţinuta, îmi povesti tot ce aflase despre el din colecţia noastră de tăieturi din ziare, referitoare la personalităţile din Ocean City. Cerf era preşedintele lui „Red Star”, o imensă societate de transporturi şi navigaţie, care acoperă coasta Pacificului. Era văduv de doi ani (soţia sa murise într-un accident de maşină) şi viaţa sa particulară era aproape la fel de agitată ca şi a mumiilor de la muzeul de etnografie. Se căsătorise recent cu un manechin şi, după cum bănuia Paula, cam ăsta ar fi fost motivul pentru care voia să mă vadă. Când un bărbat ca el, în vârstă şi bogat, se îndrăgosteşte de un manechin, îmi explică Paula cu cinismul ei obişnuit, şi este şi suficient de nătărău să o ia de nevastă, atunci cu siguranţă că este încornorat.

Iar în cazul în care nu nevastă-sa i-ar provoca neplăceri – Paula are întotdeauna pregătită o teorie de rezervă – atunci probabil că era vorba despre fiica sa, Nathalie, o puştoaică de douăzeci de ani, infirmă în urma accidentului în care îi murise mama, şi care îşi făcea duşmani cu uşurinţa cu care taică-său câştiga dolarii.

[Preetam Chatterjee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in a glitzy, grimy Los Angeles that oozes charm by day and corruption by night, You're Lonely When You're Dead stars Vic Malloy, a private detective whose moral compass doesn’t always point north, but who still manages to walk straighter than most of the crooks he deals with. When Vic is hired to dig into a missing starlet case, what he uncovers is a spiderweb of deceit, blackmail, and more bodies than he bargained for.

This is Hollywood noir at its filthiest and finest—where glamour masks rot, every favour has a price, and fame is just another word for danger. The narrative unfolds like a slow-burning reel of film—each chapter snapping with tension and atmosphere. The glitz dazzles—but it’s all just a smokescreen for the rot underneath.

The case gets messy fast: a manipulative actress, a washed-up producer, mob connections, secret lovers, and a series of mysterious deaths that all lead back to a scandal no one wants unearthed. Vic, ever the cynic with a hint of chivalry, keeps digging—because someone has to, and because someone always pays.

I read this one on a sultry night during a load-shedding marathon, lying flat on the bed with a flashlight balanced on my chest and sweat making the pages curl. The title drew me in—it felt like something someone would scribble on a bathroom wall after too many broken dreams. I remember thinking, “Only Chase could make loneliness feel like a murder weapon.” The twist? Sharp. The mood? Straight-up Hitchcock-meets-Humphrey-Bogart.

The book made me nostalgic for old-school black-and-white movies, but with that Chase edge—grittier, more violent, and unapologetically raw.

In essence, You're Lonely When You're Dead is a masterclass in noir fiction, dripping with atmosphere, moral ambiguity, and that haunting truth: when your lies catch up with you, you won’t just die—you’ll die alone. It’s a dark, elegant dive into the cost of fame, desire, and selling out your soul for one more spotlight.

[Diana Szaiak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vic Malloy deține agenția Universal Services. Prestează orice tip de serviciu, singura condiție fiind ca cererea să nu depășească cu mult limitele legale. Dacă-i pe muchie, cu atât mai bine, este mult mai distractiv pentru el.
Cum anumite contracte necesită personal numeros și el este un tip practic, are o mână de colaboratori de nădejde.
Un mare mahăr contractează serviciile companiei pentru a-și pune soția sub urmărire. El are banii, ea este un fost model și are și tinerețea de partea sa, situația este limpede. Problema este că s-a descoperit un geamantan cu obiecte furate în dulapul doamnei iar soțul o bănuiește de cleptomanie. Cum obrazul trebuie menținut curat, îl angajează pe Vic.
Pare o treabă cât se poate de simplă și sarcinile sunt împărțite. A doua zi însă unul dintre agenți este găsit mort, ucis și abandonat nu departe de cabana sa. Lucrurile se precipită și situația devine de-a dreptul explozivă și ancheta poliției dezvăluie detalii mai mult decât interesante.
Mi-a plăcut la nebunie atmosfera romanului. Te simți purtat in America anilor ‘50, limbajul și comportamentul personajelor te duc cu gândul la Al Capone și cadrul este grozav conceput.
Am fost surprinsă de cât de realiste și interesante sunt personajele, cursul evenimentelor te ia prin surprindere, moleșeala specifică Californiei răzbate tare fain dintre pagini.
Singura mea nemulțumire este detașarea și neimplicarea emoțională de nici o culoare. Am priceput că Vic este detectiv, este pragmatic și trebuie să-și țină firea, dar avea o relație relativ strânsă cu agenții săi, putea să sufere măcar puțin atunci când unul dintre ei și-a pierdut viața.
În rest, doar laude, sunt tare încântată de poveste!

[Matias Cerizola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Estás Solo Cuando Estás Muerto.- James Hadley Chase⁣
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"Una vez que lo tuve de espaldas en el suelo, le puse el taco de mí zapato sobre la nariz y la boca y eché todo mi peso encima.⁣
No hay cosa que me fastidie más que un tipo que le pegue a las mujeres"⁣
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Un millonario maduro en edad sospecha que su joven esposa padece de cleptomanía. Para confirmarlo sin que se haga público, contrata los servicios de Vic Malloy, dueño de la agencia Servicios Universales conocida por su discreción, para hacerla seguir. Hasta ahora un trabajo normal para Vic, pero todo se complica cuando una de sus colaboradoras aparece brutalmente asesinada y al mismo tiempo la joven esposa del millonario se esfuma misteriosamente. Ahora Vic se encuentra en el medio de una investigación policial mientras los cadáveres se siguen apilando….⁣
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Chase siempre cumple. Con un estilo simple, pero lleno de descripciones, sus historias de policial negro siempre son entretenimiento puro, con vueltas y giros suficientes para mantenerte expectante. Obviamente por la época en que fueron escritos, sus libros están plagados de estereotipos que hoy pueden resultar cavernícolas. Hombres recios fumadores y bebedores de hectolitros de whisky y femmes fatales dispuestas a todo. ⁣
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La edición que leí pertenece a la colección craneada por Borges y Bioy Casares, El Séptimo Círculo (en alusión al infierno de Dante), siendo el volumen n°265 (Borges y Casares se ocuparon de la selección hasta el n°120), con la portada inconfundible del artista Bonomi.⁣
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🤘🤘🤘

[Iyekekpolo Osato Justus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am happy

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast paced quick read. The story progressed and became predictable in the last few chapters. The ending seemed abrupt and left me wondering about some loose ends.

[Ahmed · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many bullets flying around I kept wondering if anyone would be left standing by the end. I even half expected the detective to get shot before solving the case.

[Ayyorama · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a drama + murder mystery I enjoyed reading after a long time. It is a story of Malloy, a service provider for millionaires who gets embroiled in a murder investigation when his associate is murdered on the job. The story is set in Frisco and Orchid City and the writing style is breezy albeit not as fast as it could have been. Some of the plot points are tacky, descriptions are in-your-face,his crime solving methodology extremely naive and contrived and for the most part, predictable.

Considered quite salacious for his times, Chase's characterisation and story reeks of objectification of women, with deeply sexist attitude pervasive throughout the book. It is enlightening since it provides us an understanding of the social dynamics prevailing then and makes one feel good to be alive today.

"She couldn't have killed him because a dame simply cannot have her dainty fingers handle a 0.45 calibre pistol." Sure.

However, I must admit I was completely taken unawares by the ending even though a lot of the plot points were extremely predictable. That in itself earns this book one star. This was my first Hadley Chase book and I was told that it was one of the "less intellectual" thrillers one opted for when my parents were in grad school and now I know why. But I enjoyed it all the same reading it so many years later. I probably won't pick up another Hadley Chase novel very soon but I am not closed to the idea as a plan in the farther future.

Oh, and look at how delicious this cover wanted to look! Cute. :D

[Mark Vickers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one's another crackerjack from the maestro, which features one of his main characters, Vic Malloy, Head of Universal Services, Orchid City. Malloy had been hired to watch the lovely Anita Cerf, whose millionaire husband suspected her of being a kleptomaniac. Although she had a shady past, she was an ex-show girl, but she was definitely not a kleptomaniac. However, things really stirred up when one of Vic's operators, Dana, was found naked and murdered behind a dune on the beach. The case had now become personal for Malloy, and he had no leads, except for a geogeous red head, Gayle. But Gayle had her own dark secrets, and Malloy came to know in the very end that she held the key to the whole affair.....

[Daniele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Primo libro della serie Vic Malloy
Trama intrigante e sempre avvincente anche se non da 5 stelle. I personaggi di Chase sono sempre all'altezza del compito assegnato loro. Non mancano i colpi di scena e alla fine capiamo il motivo di questo titolo.

[Vijay Ramdu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never ever disappointed with james hadley chase...

[Srikanth R · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked it. The story kept me guessing till the end. But few knots were left untied at the end.. But worth a read typical JHC... keeps u guessing till the end...

[Gregory Olivier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly enjoyable. Great plot.

[Athul Raj · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never get tired of reading Chase thrillers. They all are same, yet different. This one had a climatic twist in addition to the usual suspense and thrills. And it was good.

[Vastta · Rating 3 out of 5]

a nice detective story. lots of shooting, chasing and love making. The plot is too straightforward though and not so elaborate I think.

[Shardulvyas · Rating 2 out of 5]

gets boring by the time of getting all threads together

[Κώστας · Rating 2 out of 5]

ΒΙΠΕΡ Νο.95
ΔΕΝ ΕΙΜΑΙ ΕΓΩ Ο ΔΟΛΟΦΟΝΟΣ

[Ademola 'G']

Nature man