Make the Corpse Walk

by James Hadley Chase

Crazed millionaire Kester Weidmann believes money can buy everything - even life and death. So when his brother dies, Weidmann seeks the services of a voodoo expert to bring him back to life. He finds Rollo, a crooked nightclub owner who seizes the opportunity for the biggest con of the century. But Rollo had not reckoned for the involvement of Celie, his exotic mistress, and Butch, the nightclub's bouncer. And he had certainly not reckoned they would decide the Weidmann fortune was more important than his own neck....

Genres: Fiction, Crime, Mystery, Novels, Thriller

248 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1946

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

[Paul Lothane · Rating 4 out of 5]

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...

[Dave · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Sanjeev Chhabra · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Crime Addict Sifat · Rating 4 out of 5]

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....

[Sofi Bru · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Paul Cornelius · Rating 4 out of 5]

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?

[Richa · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Haddiru Muhammad · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Paritosh Vyas · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Timo · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Ancie Wilfred · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I remember about this is the part with voodoo.

[Blessing Olarewaju]

Very exciting plot. I got scared at some point.

[Rohan Monteiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Mark Vickers · Rating 4 out of 5]

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....

[Lidiya Vasileva · Rating 4 out of 5]

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. :)

[Salihu · Rating 2 out of 5]

magic is something you believe.................

[Praveen Menon · Rating 1 out of 5]

A boring one

[Al-amin Zanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I know money buys anything but exclude life even it buys not the real life my be the corpse"

[Suby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first heard about Voodoo and Zombies when I read this book some 40 years back.