So What Happens To Me?

by James Hadley Chase

Hijacking aircrafts seems to have become the latest fashion. Everyone is at it. Colonel Bernie Olson, ex-bomber pilot, decides to cash in on this latest trend and enlists the support of his ex-flight mechanic, Jack Crane, to lend a hand. Planning a simple hijack shouldn't be that difficult, but they soon discover that they didn't account for every eventuality. This is no ordinary hijack and the plot twists and turns in true Hadley Chase style until it reaches a thrilling, nail-biting conclusion.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Novels

204 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1973

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

[Ionuț Anastasiu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cu adevărat extraordinar este acest roman publicat de James Hadley Chase în 1974 al cărui deznodământ m-a luat cu totul prin surprindere (trebuie menționat că punctajul maxim în steluțe nu se datorează intrigii acestui thriller, ci unei idei plină de umanitate pe care, în mod implicit, o conține acest roman, idee asupra căreia voi insista mai jos). Din nou, autorul britanic nu se dezminte în privința întorsăturilor de situație. Iar acestea sunt cu atât mai palpitante cu cât tema cărții este jaful unui avion privat, o bijuterie luxoasă în valoare de 10 milioane de dolari.
Jack Crane, 29 de ani, un priceput mecanic de aviație, ce s-a întors de șase luni din război și pierde vremea în orășelul său de provincie, realizează rapid că jobul oferit de fostul său șef din Vietnam ce constă în supravegherea lucrărilor de extindere a pistei unui aeroport privat are ceva suspect deoarece contribuția lui Jack este inutilă: nu are experiență în domeniu și echipa își face treaba excelent. Prin urmare, își pune întrebarea: ce anume se ascunde în spatele ofertei colonelului Bernie Olson, cu atât mai mult cu cât acesta îl plătește pe Jack din banii săi? Ușor de intuit, Bernie nu este tocmai angajatul ideal, căci și-a propus să fure avionul patronului său și are nevoie de Jack pentru a duce planul la îndeplinire. Planul nu este rău, însă are multe necunoscute și Jack preia frâiele afacerii pentru ca totul să funcționeze cum trebuie. Însă, ne putem întreba: ce plan are șanse să se realizeze în universul creat de James Hadley Chase? Cel mai probabil, niciunul. Iată cea mai bună dovadă: "Mie mi se părea o operaţie perfectă. Avusesem mult de furcă pentru a elimina toate riscurile posibile dar există întotdeauna ceva, repet, ceva, care nici măcar nu-ţi trece prin minte că s-ar putea întâmpla".
În final, o ultimă întrebare: de ce oare Jack Crane, spre deosebire de majoritatea eroilor din romanele lui Hadley Chase, va reuși să se salveze sau mai exact, va fi lăsat liber, fără să plătească pentru faptele sale? Jack nu este nici pe departe un personaj pozitiv, în războiul din Vietnam a ucis oameni nevinovați, iar pe timp de pace se comportă ca un descreierat. Prin urmare, autorul nu l-a salvat pentru că avea o mare simpatie față de personajul său, ci, cel mai probabil, în semn de apreciere pentru tatăl lui Jack, bătrânul director de bancă ce nu a încălcat legea niciodată și care-l iubește enorm pe fiul său cel tembel. Ne putem lesne imagina disperarea acestui om în situația în care unicul său fiu ar fi fost condamnat la închisoare sau chiar ucis. Lectură plăcută!

[Paul Cornelius · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting mix of adventure, crime, and suspense. For the first time, JHC pairs Paradise City and Florida with Mexico, the two places he had visited personally. In this case, he creates a caper to steal a $10 million dollar corporate jet that is to be turned over to Mexican revolutionaries. The foolproof plane, of course, falls apart because of the protagonist's, Jack Crane's, inability to avoid drinking too much and becoming involved with the femme fatale wife of the Essex Corporation's owner and president.

Scenes in Florida at hotsy totsy restaurants match with a jungle adventure in Mexico. Jack Crane and the femme fatale, Victoria, escape but become the victims of one of Chase's favorite and most often used plot devices, blackmail. In between, there is lots of fancy food--as Chase went on his writing, at least five to ten percent of his novels seem to be given over to menus from fance restaurants, expensive liquor, and champagne. Other times, characters are always gobbling food somewhere. (This seems to be a staple of many adventure/thriller writers, by the way.) People do die in this story. But not by an act of violence (at least it's plausible one death wasn't due to a fight as Jack fears.) But what is just over the horizon for a couple of them at the end may not be puppy dogs and ice cream cones.

[Kakha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do not know which works of James Chase are my favorite, so much I love them all and remember all of them. I have read almost everything he wrote. Nearly. In the near future, I plan to read absolutely everything.
I vividly remember the utterly interesting events taking place in this story. Jack Crane is recruited by a former commander with whom they were in Vietnam. He is tasked with overseeing the construction of a runway in the vicinity of Paradise City (the legendary city in the United States invented by the author). Jack does not understand everything in this matter, because he is an aircraft engineer. Soon he is initiated into a plan to steal a plane worth a lot of money, belonging to one tycoon. Well, then Jack began a very close relationship with the wife of that tycoon... Then everything is incredibly complicated and twisted. Excellent reading is waiting for those who have not yet got acquainted with this unforgettable author and his works.

[Giri Dv · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am giving 3 stars because of a lame plot. Readability is definitely good as it is with Chase always.

[W]

Sustained tension and excitement,as a plane is hijacked.

[Chinmay Hota · Rating 3 out of 5]

So What Happens to Me? builds up great expectations as the hijacking plot is discussed. The execution part fizzles out as sudden deaths of the pilots by heart attack and unexpected death due to fight were introduced without much conviction. Too many improbable, contrived and unexpected plot devices are used to carry the story forward.

Chase in 1970's appears to have lost some sting he had in the 40's to 60's. Nevertheless the Chase touch succeeds in making the proceedings gripping and juicy.

[Pulp fiction · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8/5

This is his most well written of the 3 books I've read but this too suffered with the 3rd act issue. JHC 3rd acts are never satisfactory but the set up and build up is too fun to read. this definitely had my favorite of the 3 protagonists.

[Sourav Ganguly · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Srinivasa Ramanujam · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the rare books by James in which the protagonist did not die, but has a normal life in the end.

[Manoj B Unni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pros: Engrossing
Cons: The story finishes quickly :(

To read more about my review, click here

[Naveed Nawaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first book of James that I ever read, so automatically a forever favorite :D