What do you think?
Rate this book
Tiger by the Tail
Kenway Holland, a respectable, married bank official, jeopardises his happiness and his future by one night of midsummer madness. The sudden temptation to kick over the traces while his wife is away lands Holland up to his ears in a vortex of political intrigue and murder. Set against a background of gangster politicians, blackmailers, gunmen and hard-boiled characters, the action of this explosive thriller takes place over a period of only thirty hours!
One night of midsummer madness... and Ken Holland, a respectable, married bank official, jeopardises his happiness and his future. The sudden temptation to kick over the traces while his wife is away lands Holland up to his ears in a vortex of political intrigue and murder. Set against a background of gangster politicians, blackmailers, gunmen and hard-boiled characters, the action of this explosive thriller takes place over a period of only thirty hours.
But what hours they are !
One night of midsummer madness... and Ken Holland, a respectable, married bank official, jeopardises his happiness and his future. The sudden temptation to kick over the traces while his wife is away lands Holland up to his ears in a vortex of political intrigue and murder. Set against a background of gangster politicians, blackmailers, gunmen and hard-boiled characters, the action of this explosive thriller takes place over a period of only thirty hours.
But what hours they are !
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1954
73 people are currently reading
1645 people want to read
About the author
James Hadley Chase
649 books997 followersRené 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.
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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
April 8, 2023
James Hadley Chase wrote dozens of pulp crime novels in the wake of WWII, set mostly in America although he only visited the country twice, and several of his books were adapted to films. He was even pals with Graham Greene with whom he shared a publisher. So why have most people never heard of him? In this story, Chase takes a trashy-fun set-up that would make Gil Brewer proud (a guy whose wife is on an extended trip out of town decides to go out for some fun one night and things go horribly wrong) and mixes in suspense worthy of David Goodis. The characters are archetypes without much depth and some of the plot twists are a little silly – and the CreateSpace dead tree copy available on Amazon is full of typos – but fans of post-WWII pulp stories will enjoy it and look for more.
April 14, 2023
“My old man had a saying that applies to you. Whenever I wanted to do something risky, he would tell me to watch my step. ‘Be careful,’ he would say, ‘you might be catching a tiger by the tail.’ Don’t you forget it either, Buster.
Buster, aka Ken Holland, a modest bank clerk and loving husband whose wife is at the moment away at her mother’s, has got the seven years itch. Goaded by a co-worker, Ken decides to take a classy call girl for a night out on the town. His trip down the wild side takes a turn for the horror show instead of the comedy style of Marilyn Monroe and Tom Ewell [Billy Wilder, 1957]. Ken has the proverbial tiger by its tail.
James Hadley Chase is one of mu childhood heroes, being one of the first modern crime writers I’ve read as a teenager, and I still find it hard to be critical of his novels.
He has an engaging, straight-up, no frills delivery that sucks you into the story and never lets go until the final page. Yet there is something artificial about his plots and his characters, something theatrical. I think this is because Chase is writing high quality fan-fiction for American hard-boiled authors. His knowledge of the setting and of the slang comes from books and movies, Chase being a true blue Limey who never lived in the US.
Having said that, I still enjoy his stories, this one included, for the fast pace and the bleak portrait of the urban jungle.
The case of Ken Holland starts predictably enough, with a horny man who asks out a beautiful girl, who then proceeds to become a beautiful corpse before they can get down to business, leaving our bank clerk as the principal suspect in the eyes of the police and of the powerful kingpin who runs the city from the shadows. As Ken tries to stay ahead of the cops and of the mobsters, the body count rises sharply, as most of the witnesses and bit time players end up dead. The whole town is about to blow up into a monumental scandal, just as Ken’s wife is about to return from her holiday.
You don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes at the moment, and you don’t need to know, but this killing could be dynamite: a lot of people in the Administration could lose their jobs. It only wanted this to happen to set off the spark.
‘Politics is a dirty game, kid. Everyone is on the look-out to cut someone’s throat. The quickest way to upset a political machine is to dig up a scandal that is big enough to hit the headlines. Then the voters take notice. Do you understand?’
I liked the classic setup of an innocent man on the run from both the police and the underworld criminals, and I liked the several twists on the main suspect in the murder of the call-girl, leading up to a spectacular, and bloody, final confrontation. I’m not saying anything more in order to avoid spoilers, but the plot has a certain cinematic quality that begs to be turned into a script.
The French did an adaptation of the novel in 1957, by the great director Julien Duvivier, but it is rather hard to find, and Fernandel is basically a comedy actor, unsuited to the role needed here. [ ‘L’homme a l’impermeable’]
>>><<<>>><<<
I liked this story well enough to continue to explore the back catalogue of the author, not as a priority, but as a fallback option on a lazy weekend or holiday.
‘It’s all right with me if I never see another Pekinese again in my life.’ says Ken Holland by the end of the book, suggesting to the reader these tiny beasts might be even more dangerous than tigers.
March 24, 2023
Grab the Tiger By the Tail
Be careful when you grab a tiger by the tail, you might just be waking up a whole lot of trouble you aren't prepared to handle. In Chase's 1954 crime thriller "Tiger by the Tail," (one of four he put out that year), Chase offers us a twist on the old plot device of the innocent man waking up with a corpse and blood all over him. Here, a mild-mannered Clark Kent type bank teller, Ken Holland, reluctantly takes out a call girl while his wife is out of town.
Seen with her by all sorts of people, Holland finds that wiping down his fingerprints doesn't get him in the clear from either the law or the blackmailers who make use of his troubles. But what really sets this thriller over the edge is the politically connected, mob-connected serpents that have been awakened. As Holland desperately and at times ridiculously attempts to destroy evidence, half the town is looking for him and the other half trying to cover up what they think really happened.
Through a comedy of errors, the entire town drowns in an explosion of violence so complete that only Chase could have dreamed it up. Slow to start, this novel picks up the pace as it moves along, gathering up speed and momentum as it barrels toward the conclusion.
Be careful when you grab a tiger by the tail, you might just be waking up a whole lot of trouble you aren't prepared to handle. In Chase's 1954 crime thriller "Tiger by the Tail," (one of four he put out that year), Chase offers us a twist on the old plot device of the innocent man waking up with a corpse and blood all over him. Here, a mild-mannered Clark Kent type bank teller, Ken Holland, reluctantly takes out a call girl while his wife is out of town.
Seen with her by all sorts of people, Holland finds that wiping down his fingerprints doesn't get him in the clear from either the law or the blackmailers who make use of his troubles. But what really sets this thriller over the edge is the politically connected, mob-connected serpents that have been awakened. As Holland desperately and at times ridiculously attempts to destroy evidence, half the town is looking for him and the other half trying to cover up what they think really happened.
Through a comedy of errors, the entire town drowns in an explosion of violence so complete that only Chase could have dreamed it up. Slow to start, this novel picks up the pace as it moves along, gathering up speed and momentum as it barrels toward the conclusion.
April 10, 2017
Readers of Chase know that it is quite possible for a woman be so cruel, ruthless and unconscionable that she can even take multiple, brutal murders in her stride. And so is the case here. It starts with poor guy, Ken Holland out for a night of excitement and fun with an intriguing, lovely lady; and his life suddenly becomes a nightmare! Murder, mayhem, political chicanery, and the type of brutality that Chase specializes in. It seems there is no way out for Ken as the plot thickens and sickens - but surprise, surprise! After spine-tingling "adventures" he manages to smile in the end. A very appropriate title by the way; imagine grabbing a tiger by the tail!!! Oh my...
May 12, 2023
“You took an awful risk tonight, Buster. Do you realize that?”
In the opening chapters of James Hadley Chase’s Tiger by the Tail, neighbor Parker plants the seed in everyman Ken Holland’s mind. Ken, in a moment of weakness, decides to have a fling with a prostitute when he is coerced. After all, his wife is out of town, right? “One night, nothing more, what’s the big deal?”, thinks Ken, but things pretty much get out of hand rather quickly when the prostitute winds up dead in another room hours later, and Ken is square in the thick of trouble from many different angles. This murder sets events in motion, but the plot progressively becomes a convoluted web and storyline as we move along with each chapter.
This was not the novel I thought it would be. Once we get past Ken’s decision and the ultimate death of the prostitute, the book treks into all sort of territories: corruption in various agencies, a bunch of nefarious types out for their own interests, dirty politics, crooked police, and various other shady characters.
The initial set up with Ken was quite interesting. It makes sense that this type of scenario has been played out on screen before: the regular guy in over his head from reprehensible characters on all sides all the while a mystery must be solved. I found that once Ken’s predicament took a back seat to the multiple other subplots involving O’Brien, etc. after a few chapters in, everything else was pretty much less interesting and meh.
The ”baddies” in this book are pretty much too numerous to name, and they are mostly your generic, derivative and predictable, and their dialogue and actions are proof.
I guess this is one where the actual initial premise of the book was fascinating and engaging, but everything else about it falters and renders the rest of the novel a ho hum experience as we head towards a mediocre resolution.
Still, I’m interested in the film adaptation, and I could see how the premise would be inspiration and influential for many of the innocent man “in over his head” scenario we see played out in so many crime novels and films.
In the opening chapters of James Hadley Chase’s Tiger by the Tail, neighbor Parker plants the seed in everyman Ken Holland’s mind. Ken, in a moment of weakness, decides to have a fling with a prostitute when he is coerced. After all, his wife is out of town, right? “One night, nothing more, what’s the big deal?”, thinks Ken, but things pretty much get out of hand rather quickly when the prostitute winds up dead in another room hours later, and Ken is square in the thick of trouble from many different angles. This murder sets events in motion, but the plot progressively becomes a convoluted web and storyline as we move along with each chapter.
This was not the novel I thought it would be. Once we get past Ken’s decision and the ultimate death of the prostitute, the book treks into all sort of territories: corruption in various agencies, a bunch of nefarious types out for their own interests, dirty politics, crooked police, and various other shady characters.
The initial set up with Ken was quite interesting. It makes sense that this type of scenario has been played out on screen before: the regular guy in over his head from reprehensible characters on all sides all the while a mystery must be solved. I found that once Ken’s predicament took a back seat to the multiple other subplots involving O’Brien, etc. after a few chapters in, everything else was pretty much less interesting and meh.
The ”baddies” in this book are pretty much too numerous to name, and they are mostly your generic, derivative and predictable, and their dialogue and actions are proof.
I guess this is one where the actual initial premise of the book was fascinating and engaging, but everything else about it falters and renders the rest of the novel a ho hum experience as we head towards a mediocre resolution.
Still, I’m interested in the film adaptation, and I could see how the premise would be inspiration and influential for many of the innocent man “in over his head” scenario we see played out in so many crime novels and films.
May 14, 2017
Another fascinating read! "Tiger by the Tail" is, in the expressions of "The Observer," another of Chase's 'madly lucid' stories: A respectable, wedded, bank officer offers into enticement one night in midsummer while his better half is away. In this manner he dives himself into interest and murder that undermine his bliss and future. Criminal government officials, blackmailers, shooters, and other hardboiled characters set the foundation for thirty hours of touchy activity.
March 26, 2023
James Hadley Chase was a British crime novelist who wrote Tiger by the Tail in 1954. It concerns a regular Joe who gets way out of his comfort zone by visiting a prostitute while his wife is on a long trip taking care of her sick mother. The prostitute is murdered that same night, and Ken Holland soon becomes a suspect. One thing leads to another, and in Ken's frantic efforts to untangle himself from the crime and keep his wife from finding out about his excursion, he gets involved with unsavory characters and his life is on the line.
OK, what ? I was a third of the way into the novel before I noticed that we were in a town in California, not England. Did I miss a setting marker earlier ?
Chase puts Ken into a moral dilemma right away - when he sees that the prostitute has been murdered, having some of the clues at his disposal, should he make himself available to the police, or should he slink off and forget everything, since he is innocent of the crime and getting involved will expose him to major consequences in his marriage and even potentially in his job ?
On the plus side, Chase is pretty adept at depicting low-life characters. The only thing worse than a family leech is an ungrateful family leech, and so many of them are just that. Chase sustains plot developments: 80% of the way into the book completely new complications continue to occur. It was amusing to see that Chase named the big beauty in the story Gilda, after one of the most famous characters in Film Noir. And guess what - she's a nightclub singer like the other Gilda. The title refers to a warning that the prostitute said she had often been given by her old man. It reminded me of a surgery professor I trained under who used to say, "Complications are prevented in the operating room. If such and such happens, we'll never see the end of it !"
There were difficulties. I was not a fan of the police department politics side-story, although I can certainly see that some readers would be highly interested in that aspect of it. Chase shies away from some of the violent scenes that his story sets up and leaves the gory details to the imagination - not my style of pulp writing. And I feel that the conclusion vis-a-vis what Ken's wife blindly accepted despite all the local excitement over the case was completely unrealistic.
OK, what ? I was a third of the way into the novel before I noticed that we were in a town in California, not England. Did I miss a setting marker earlier ?
Chase puts Ken into a moral dilemma right away - when he sees that the prostitute has been murdered, having some of the clues at his disposal, should he make himself available to the police, or should he slink off and forget everything, since he is innocent of the crime and getting involved will expose him to major consequences in his marriage and even potentially in his job ?
On the plus side, Chase is pretty adept at depicting low-life characters. The only thing worse than a family leech is an ungrateful family leech, and so many of them are just that. Chase sustains plot developments: 80% of the way into the book completely new complications continue to occur. It was amusing to see that Chase named the big beauty in the story Gilda, after one of the most famous characters in Film Noir. And guess what - she's a nightclub singer like the other Gilda. The title refers to a warning that the prostitute said she had often been given by her old man. It reminded me of a surgery professor I trained under who used to say, "Complications are prevented in the operating room. If such and such happens, we'll never see the end of it !"
There were difficulties. I was not a fan of the police department politics side-story, although I can certainly see that some readers would be highly interested in that aspect of it. Chase shies away from some of the violent scenes that his story sets up and leaves the gory details to the imagination - not my style of pulp writing. And I feel that the conclusion vis-a-vis what Ken's wife blindly accepted despite all the local excitement over the case was completely unrealistic.
August 4, 2015
So this is James Hadley Chase!!
I had thought that I knew what a 'thriller' is. That was before I read this book. Now I understand why he was a bestseller, once upon a time!
This book keeps you at the edge throughout. The thrill is there... palpable, within easy reach. The moment you relax, there is a new event placing you on tenter hooks, wanting to know what next?
The story has a good pace. The characters are interesting. Atleast, I was really keen to finish the book. A proper page turner!
Really liked it!
I had thought that I knew what a 'thriller' is. That was before I read this book. Now I understand why he was a bestseller, once upon a time!
This book keeps you at the edge throughout. The thrill is there... palpable, within easy reach. The moment you relax, there is a new event placing you on tenter hooks, wanting to know what next?
The story has a good pace. The characters are interesting. Atleast, I was really keen to finish the book. A proper page turner!
Really liked it!
April 24, 2020
Fun fact: There are 44 film adaptations from the books of James Hadley Chase which is one of the pseudonyms of René Lodge Brabazon Raymond.
A book salesman tried to sell me this book at a railway station. Looking at the cover and the condition of the book, I wasn't interested at all. Moreover, I had never heard about the author. The salesman insisted that this will be the best thriller book I ever will read. Well, I feel that he had hit the bull's eye.
On the surface, the plot seems simple. However, it becomes way too complex. Additionally, half way through the book, the book goes hell for leather. All characters (including the dog) are gray in nature. Everyone has its own interest and that seesawes the plot. And it is mindblowing!
I felt the author must have like -
This is one of the best whodunits I have ever read.
A book salesman tried to sell me this book at a railway station. Looking at the cover and the condition of the book, I wasn't interested at all. Moreover, I had never heard about the author. The salesman insisted that this will be the best thriller book I ever will read. Well, I feel that he had hit the bull's eye.
On the surface, the plot seems simple. However, it becomes way too complex. Additionally, half way through the book, the book goes hell for leather. All characters (including the dog) are gray in nature. Everyone has its own interest and that seesawes the plot. And it is mindblowing!
I felt the author must have like -
This is one of the best whodunits I have ever read.
June 6, 2024
This was an exceptionally good story. Ken's wife has been away for 5 weeks looking after her poorly mother, and his friend gives him a card for a call girl. He tears in in two and throws it away but then realises he remembers the number and gives the girl a bell. Tragedy strikes and Ken finds himself being hunted for murder!
November 2, 2016
My interest is waning on this one. It started out as a kind of neo-Cornell Woolrich suspense story, but then sank into a sort of WR Burnett tale of how a murder affects the underworld and Scotland Yard with an overly wide cast of characters so endless you'll eventually tire of who did what and why they did it. Nothing kills a good story than the introduction of too many characters. I'm not even sure if I'l finish this one. Postscript: I couldn't.
March 5, 2021
Each segment and chapter of Tiger by the Tail ends on a cliffhanger, including the end of the story. Nevertheless, for well over half the book, things move pretty slowly. The thing that saves Chase in this instance, however, is the last third. Everyman Ken Holland, a fearful timid bank teller living in a not so paradisiacal suburban neighborhood, finds himself tempted with a one-night stand while his wife is away caring for her sick mother. Murder and mayhem erupts out of nowhere, however, and Ken is turned into the mean streets as well as being made a pawn in a city full of corrupt politicians and cops vying for influence and control. It's all a bit like a sort of mid 1950s version of The Bonfire of the Vanities.
November 19, 2017
One of my favourite Chase novels, which I’ve read countless times and still enjoy. Bank official Kenway Holland decides to kick over the traces and have a night out, while his wife is away. But that one small lapse on the part of this happily married man turns into a nightmare of murder, blackmail, manhunt, and local politics. But Ken is born under a lucky star, and finds a protector in Lieutenant Adams, who has his own axe to grind. Holland, himself shows his true caliber by breaking out of the conventional, rather timid, mould of respectability, and launches into action to save himself; stealing a dinghy from the waterfront, rowing out to a boat manned by known desperadoes, single-handedly rescuing his only witness, and running for his life across sloping rooftops and narrow alleys in the small hours. Peopled by a colourful range of characters- the bubbly, effervescent hostess Fay Carson, the glamorous blonde nightclub singer Gilda Dorman, the dangerous political manipulator and ex-drug dealer Sean O’Brian, the oily slug like blackmailer Rafael Sweeting to name a few. The mystery unfolds with unexpected twists and turns amid the surrounding mayhem, and ends with a surprise. A really good read.
June 3, 2017
I dunno why but I was suddenly seized by a compelling desire to revisit this stunner from the Chase stable. I still remember the first time I read this book over a decade ago. Transfixed is putting it mildly. I have read many great Authors and run through pretty much the whole gamut. Funny, disturbing, thought provoking, nakedly entertaining, fiendishly clever, sharp as a tack, soul searching, soul destroying, compassionate, brutal.....I've seen it all.
Decades and hundreds of books later, I have never quite managed to experience again, the orgasmic rush that seized me whilst reading this for the first time. For once, words completely fail me. Your genre preferences and tastes count for shit as regards this one. Never has reservations against the literary merits of an Author been so irrelevant/obsolete. Just read this once before you die. You can thank me later whilst you marvel at the white hot talent of a great Man working at the ABSOLUTE zenith of his considerable creative powers.
Decades and hundreds of books later, I have never quite managed to experience again, the orgasmic rush that seized me whilst reading this for the first time. For once, words completely fail me. Your genre preferences and tastes count for shit as regards this one. Never has reservations against the literary merits of an Author been so irrelevant/obsolete. Just read this once before you die. You can thank me later whilst you marvel at the white hot talent of a great Man working at the ABSOLUTE zenith of his considerable creative powers.
January 28, 2016
One of the very best to come out of Mr. Chase’s stable, “Tiger by its Tail” has got all the necessary ingredients which make up the hard boiled thriller genre.
A bank executive reluctantly decides to take a fling with a call girl when his wife is away. He lands up being hunted by the police for murder and gets entangled in a web of deceit, double cross, corrupt cops, shady characters, politics, damsels in distress, blackmailers and murderers.
This is a classic thriller/mystery work from JHC, the guru and master. As I have mentioned earlier in my reviews, nobody, repeat nobody writes page turners like Mr. Chase, period.
A bank executive reluctantly decides to take a fling with a call girl when his wife is away. He lands up being hunted by the police for murder and gets entangled in a web of deceit, double cross, corrupt cops, shady characters, politics, damsels in distress, blackmailers and murderers.
This is a classic thriller/mystery work from JHC, the guru and master. As I have mentioned earlier in my reviews, nobody, repeat nobody writes page turners like Mr. Chase, period.
June 1, 2021
UN-F**KING-PUTDOWNABLE
This is one of those fast-paced thrillers which you can't put down till you reach the last page. The story starts slowly and looks like just another tale of a meek husband who wants to have some fun on the sidelines.
But all hell breaks loose when the meek hubby Ken finds the girl dead after he had done his thing.. There are gangsters, dirty politicians and corrupt cops who want him framed for murder or dead. There starts a cat and mouse game which leaves in its trail countless dead bodies.
Thye pacing is fast and the pace is breathtaking. Everything takes place in one night and ends just before Mrs Ken returns.
Check out some passages:-
“It wasn’t as bad as that. You were recommended to me by a friend.”
“He wasn’t much of a friend, Buster,” she said seriously. “My old man had a saying that applies to you. Whenever I wanted to do something risky, he would tell me to watch my step.
‘Be careful,” he would say, ‘you might be catching a tiger by its tail.’ I’ve never forgotten that saying. Don’t you forget it either, Buster. You’re going to forget all about me after tonight. If you get the wayward feeling again, don’t call me up. I won’t see you.” She took his hand and squeezed it. “I wouldn’t like you to get into trouble because of me.”
Ken was touched. “You’re a funny girl: too good for this racket.” She shook her head. “I wish I was. It just happens, Buster, there’s something about you that’s made me soft tonight.” She laughed. “We’ll be letting our hair down in a moment and sobbing over each other. Well, here we are.”
......
“Maybe it’s not so ancient. Now look, Gilda, before I say anything more about Johnny, I want you to understand our position. I don’t have to tell you I’m crazy about you, and I’ll do anything for you. Always remember that. You’re the only woman I’ve ever loved. Oh, mere have been plenty of the other type, but with you, it’s different. You mean more to me than anything else in life. We are going to get married soon. As you know, I am in control of the administration of this City. It’s important to me that I should remain in control. Politics is a dirty game, kid. Everyone is on the lookout to cut someone’s throat. The quickest way to upset a political machine is to dig up a scandal that is big enough to hit the headlines. Then the voters take notice. Do you understand?” She sat on the arm of the chair, her hands clenched tightly between her thighs; still, white-faced and frightened.
“Yes, Sean, but what has this to do with Johnny?” He faced her. “I told you Howard brought some bad news. Fay Carson was murdered last night.”
......
Louie beamed. Any other man would have been instantly suspicious, but Louie had an enormous opinion of his charms. He believed all women found him irresistible, and he accepted Gilda’s apparent surrender as his due.
“You’re being smart, baby,” he said, got up and went over to her. “This could be the beginning of a long and beautiful friendship.” He caught hold of her, pulled her upright and made an attempt to kiss her. Gilda shoved him off with strength that startled him. “You’ll spoil my make-up!” she said sharply. “Keep away from me!”
“Take it easy, baby,” he said, grinning at her. “None of those tricks tonight.” She gave him a long, steady stare. “Meet me at the stage door in an hour,” she said, crossed the room and opened the door. “I have to change.”
This is one of those fast-paced thrillers which you can't put down till you reach the last page. The story starts slowly and looks like just another tale of a meek husband who wants to have some fun on the sidelines.
But all hell breaks loose when the meek hubby Ken finds the girl dead after he had done his thing.. There are gangsters, dirty politicians and corrupt cops who want him framed for murder or dead. There starts a cat and mouse game which leaves in its trail countless dead bodies.
Thye pacing is fast and the pace is breathtaking. Everything takes place in one night and ends just before Mrs Ken returns.
Check out some passages:-
“It wasn’t as bad as that. You were recommended to me by a friend.”
“He wasn’t much of a friend, Buster,” she said seriously. “My old man had a saying that applies to you. Whenever I wanted to do something risky, he would tell me to watch my step.
‘Be careful,” he would say, ‘you might be catching a tiger by its tail.’ I’ve never forgotten that saying. Don’t you forget it either, Buster. You’re going to forget all about me after tonight. If you get the wayward feeling again, don’t call me up. I won’t see you.” She took his hand and squeezed it. “I wouldn’t like you to get into trouble because of me.”
Ken was touched. “You’re a funny girl: too good for this racket.” She shook her head. “I wish I was. It just happens, Buster, there’s something about you that’s made me soft tonight.” She laughed. “We’ll be letting our hair down in a moment and sobbing over each other. Well, here we are.”
......
“Maybe it’s not so ancient. Now look, Gilda, before I say anything more about Johnny, I want you to understand our position. I don’t have to tell you I’m crazy about you, and I’ll do anything for you. Always remember that. You’re the only woman I’ve ever loved. Oh, mere have been plenty of the other type, but with you, it’s different. You mean more to me than anything else in life. We are going to get married soon. As you know, I am in control of the administration of this City. It’s important to me that I should remain in control. Politics is a dirty game, kid. Everyone is on the lookout to cut someone’s throat. The quickest way to upset a political machine is to dig up a scandal that is big enough to hit the headlines. Then the voters take notice. Do you understand?” She sat on the arm of the chair, her hands clenched tightly between her thighs; still, white-faced and frightened.
“Yes, Sean, but what has this to do with Johnny?” He faced her. “I told you Howard brought some bad news. Fay Carson was murdered last night.”
......
Louie beamed. Any other man would have been instantly suspicious, but Louie had an enormous opinion of his charms. He believed all women found him irresistible, and he accepted Gilda’s apparent surrender as his due.
“You’re being smart, baby,” he said, got up and went over to her. “This could be the beginning of a long and beautiful friendship.” He caught hold of her, pulled her upright and made an attempt to kiss her. Gilda shoved him off with strength that startled him. “You’ll spoil my make-up!” she said sharply. “Keep away from me!”
“Take it easy, baby,” he said, grinning at her. “None of those tricks tonight.” She gave him a long, steady stare. “Meet me at the stage door in an hour,” she said, crossed the room and opened the door. “I have to change.”
March 21, 2023
Well, this started out as a perfectly average crime pot-boiler, but about half-way through, it takes a turn for the improbable, and eventually becomes preposterous. An adept film-maker could make a nice Hitchcock movie from this fish-out-water story - an ordinary Joe ends up in extraordinary circumstances, a la North By Northwest. Alas, while Chase seems to handle the convoluted details OK, it's still an improbable and preposterous story.
July 23, 2012
This is one of the best of Chase!
April 19, 2014
This is probably one of the best by JHC.Plot was realistic and same were the characters.Loved the ending too which is not like his usual ending.
October 3, 2016
Obviously Chase is the monarch when it comes to thrillers. And an unexpected ending as well. A must read for all fans.
November 14, 2016
#Throwback2013#
It all started here.. My favourite genre! :)
My First Thriller Novel <3
It all started here.. My favourite genre! :)
My First Thriller Novel <3
March 28, 2024
Poslední Chase přečtený před Rudou žní… a zase něco o chlup jiného. Ano, je to opět příběh chlápka, co využije nepřítomnost manželky a jde si vyrazit s lehkou holkou, ovšem někdo mu do toho hodí vidle tím, že do holky hodí nůž. Samozřejmě, hrdina se snaží zahladit stopy a zmizet, což se mu zrovna tak úplně nepodaří.
Do té doby celkem klasika… ovšem pak najednou opustíme hrdinu a začneme sledovat policisty, jak mu jsou na stopě… i když spíš se snaží navzájem vyšachovat. A pak opustíme policisty a vidíme šéfa podsvětí, který je s těmi policisty zadobře. A pak…
Ono bych tohle mohl skoro označit za pre-tarantinovku (nebo pre-elmoreleonardovku), prostě příběh, kde sledujeme různé skupiny, jak na sebe naráží a komplikují si život (a někdy si ho i ukončují). Sledujeme vyšetřování policistů, které skončí přestřelkou s neznámými jedinci… abychom pak skočili v ději zpátky a zjistili, že jeden z těch jedinců je hlavní hrdina, a ten druhý je člověk, který mu může coby jediný zajistit alibi.
Je to kniha, která sice hraje s celkem otevřenými kartami a vrah si je na tolik jistý v kramflecích, že se ani nenamáhá lhát, ale i tak má schovaných pár drobných překvápek. A i když je první půlka spíš konverzačkou s občasnými záchvaty napětí, tak v druhé už dojde i na akci a oblíbené pobíhání po střechách.
Po pěti přečtených knihách padá můj předsudek, že byl Chase autor dvou typů příběhů. Tedy… byl, ale dokázal je variovat a pracovat s nimi. A to se u brakové (či odpočinkové, chcete-li) literatury cení.
Mimochodem, člověk se nediví, že Chase dost vycházel za dob socialismu, protože se jeho knihy (a tohle zvlášť) dají vykládat jako společenská kritika, kdy jsou všichni více či méně zkorumpovaní. (I když tady to není poselství, ale slouží to rychlejšímu spádu děje.) I hrdina je v podstatě dost hajzl, který ve finále pochopí, že se manželce musí lhát a kdo to nedělá, je idiot
Do té doby celkem klasika… ovšem pak najednou opustíme hrdinu a začneme sledovat policisty, jak mu jsou na stopě… i když spíš se snaží navzájem vyšachovat. A pak opustíme policisty a vidíme šéfa podsvětí, který je s těmi policisty zadobře. A pak…
Ono bych tohle mohl skoro označit za pre-tarantinovku (nebo pre-elmoreleonardovku), prostě příběh, kde sledujeme různé skupiny, jak na sebe naráží a komplikují si život (a někdy si ho i ukončují). Sledujeme vyšetřování policistů, které skončí přestřelkou s neznámými jedinci… abychom pak skočili v ději zpátky a zjistili, že jeden z těch jedinců je hlavní hrdina, a ten druhý je člověk, který mu může coby jediný zajistit alibi.
Je to kniha, která sice hraje s celkem otevřenými kartami a vrah si je na tolik jistý v kramflecích, že se ani nenamáhá lhát, ale i tak má schovaných pár drobných překvápek. A i když je první půlka spíš konverzačkou s občasnými záchvaty napětí, tak v druhé už dojde i na akci a oblíbené pobíhání po střechách.
Po pěti přečtených knihách padá můj předsudek, že byl Chase autor dvou typů příběhů. Tedy… byl, ale dokázal je variovat a pracovat s nimi. A to se u brakové (či odpočinkové, chcete-li) literatury cení.
Mimochodem, člověk se nediví, že Chase dost vycházel za dob socialismu, protože se jeho knihy (a tohle zvlášť) dají vykládat jako společenská kritika, kdy jsou všichni více či méně zkorumpovaní. (I když tady to není poselství, ale slouží to rychlejšímu spádu děje.) I hrdina je v podstatě dost hajzl, který ve finále pochopí, že se manželce musí lhát a kdo to nedělá, je idiot
June 21, 2025
Tiger by the Tail is one of those crime thrillers that starts with a casual, almost laughable mistake—and then spirals so fast and so violently, you're gasping by Chapter Three. The plot follows Ken Holland, a respectable, dull accountant with a routine life and a wife who thinks he’s about as thrilling as cold toast. So, naturally, he makes the fatal decision to try and spice things up by visiting a call girl.
Big mistake. Huge.
When Ken arrives at her apartment, he finds her dead—and himself caught in a web of suspicion, blackmail, and cold-blooded killers. With no alibi, no allies, and no idea how to navigate this jungle, Ken becomes the mouse in a game where every cat has claws and none of them are cute. As the police close in and gangsters start circling, Ken has to decide whether he’ll stay prey—or become something even more dangerous.
Chase’s writing is fast, brutal, and razor-clean. Dialogue zips, bullets fly, and every twist comes like a punch to the ribs. But what really hooks you is how ordinary Ken is—and how quickly his carefully built life unravels. It’s not about the crime, really. It’s about how easy it is to fall.
I remember reading this one during a family trip—half-asleep on a creaky train, with a flask of lukewarm tea, the windows foggy with Bengal monsoon drizzle. The tension in the story matched the clack-clack of the rails perfectly. Somewhere around the chapter where Ken starts panicking and considering suicide, I realized: Chase knew how to trap you in the character’s fear. I was hooked—and I think I stayed up till Bardhaman just to finish it.
There’s a grim poetry to the way Chase dismantles his protagonist. And yet, there’s hope too—a flicker of fight, of someone trying to claw back his life from the abyss.
Big mistake. Huge.
When Ken arrives at her apartment, he finds her dead—and himself caught in a web of suspicion, blackmail, and cold-blooded killers. With no alibi, no allies, and no idea how to navigate this jungle, Ken becomes the mouse in a game where every cat has claws and none of them are cute. As the police close in and gangsters start circling, Ken has to decide whether he’ll stay prey—or become something even more dangerous.
Chase’s writing is fast, brutal, and razor-clean. Dialogue zips, bullets fly, and every twist comes like a punch to the ribs. But what really hooks you is how ordinary Ken is—and how quickly his carefully built life unravels. It’s not about the crime, really. It’s about how easy it is to fall.
I remember reading this one during a family trip—half-asleep on a creaky train, with a flask of lukewarm tea, the windows foggy with Bengal monsoon drizzle. The tension in the story matched the clack-clack of the rails perfectly. Somewhere around the chapter where Ken starts panicking and considering suicide, I realized: Chase knew how to trap you in the character’s fear. I was hooked—and I think I stayed up till Bardhaman just to finish it.
There’s a grim poetry to the way Chase dismantles his protagonist. And yet, there’s hope too—a flicker of fight, of someone trying to claw back his life from the abyss.
April 24, 2019
'Kashmakash' was a Hindi movie of 1973, an average hit which I saw in youtube today. The movie plot was neatly copied from "Tiger by the tail," one of the best novels by James Hadley Chase. Aar ya Paar was yet another movie based on Chase's yet another novel "The sucker punch." Don't know how many films are made.
March 20, 2019
Not almost but absolutely every book of Chase is unique for me and I remember them all in my own way. They are all different for me. And this work, I remember, is completely peculiar. Great, interesting, tense story.
June 21, 2019
It's pretty good actually. Another James Hadley Chase Novel. "But oh, how could a woman be so cruel". Damn
July 10, 2019
Na můj vkus je konec už docela překombinovaný, ale jinak taková Chasova klasika. Prostě gengsterka, oddychovka.
March 24, 2020
I mean wow! This is an epic thriller and I thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns.
A definite favorite of JHC!
A definite favorite of JHC!
April 18, 2020
Great story by jhc. The plot was good and the diversity in the characters are amazing. No dull moment and the pace was good.. One of my favourites by jhc.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews