Double Shuffle

Steve Harmas #2

by James Hadley Chase

Why would an obscure blonde dancer who performed in a G-string - with a deadly snake for a partner - be insured for a million dollars?

That was what Steve Harmas, special investigator, had to try and find out. It was supposed to be simply a publicity stunt - a trick to get Susan Gellert's name in the newspapers - but somebody stood to gain an awful lot of money if she died.

And Steve was sure that whoever it was didn't intend to wait very long before collecting the compensation money...

Genres: Crime, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, British Literature, Novels, Detective

176 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1954

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 3 out of 5]

Steve Harmas, Insurance investigator extraordinaire, is a recurring character in Chase’s thrillers. Here, Harmas is asked to look into the peculiar case of the snake-dancing G-string wearing bombshell who does things with a rattler no same human would consider attempting. Thing is Susan the Snakedancer has taken out a cool million dollars of accidental death insurance and there’s got to be a catch that the commission-based salesman missed. Harmas jets to Hollywood with his insurance expert wife Helen in tow. At times, watching this couple investigate is like watching Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore go at it. Also amusing is Chase’s version of Los Angeles as a place where every single person is posing and playacting hoping each stranger they meet is a talent scout for a major studio.

It turns out that there’s a real convoluted scheme at play and the plot doesn’t quite hold together all the way through. Also,be forewarned that Chase occasionally throws in racial/ ethnic epithets that wouldn’t fly with a publisher today. But, otherwise it’s a decent read.

[W · Rating 3 out of 5]

A blonde dancer,who has a deadly snake for a partner,buys an insurance policy for a million dollars.

Insurance investigators Maddux and Steve Harmas,must now uncover a plot to defraud insurance companies of millions of dollars.

Interesting and fast paced.
3.5 stars

[Crime Addict Sifat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why might a dark blonde artist who performed in a G-string - with a dangerous snake for an accomplice - be safeguarded for a million dollars?

That was what Steve Harmas, unique specialist, needed to attempt and discover. It should be basically a reputation stunt - a trap to get Susan Gellert's name in the daily papers - however some person remained to pick up a horrendous parcel of cash in the event that she kicked the bucket.

What's more, Steve was certain that whoever it was didn't plan to hold up some time before gathering the remuneration cash...

[Paul Cornelius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vintage James Hadley Chase. All the elements are there: hard boiled prose and storyline, a kidnapping, confused identities, murders, killings, exotic American locales, and a dogged investigator who never gives up until all the pieces come together. And there are a lot of pieces in this novel. The is one of Chase's more complicated efforts. It's actually two crimes in one. And, yes, you should be able to see where things are headed from the very beginning. Nonetheless, that doesn't stop you from enjoying the ride and still getting a bit of a surprise at the end. It's also another Steve Harmas story. And Harmas is one of my favorite Chase protagonists. He doesn't disappoint, here.

[Kakha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in a great series of hard-boiled detective stories about the legendary (for me personally, yes) Steve Harmas. However, it doesn't matter at all, because absolutely all the works of this legendary master of a tough detective are magnificent, strong, and mega-interesting.
Steve Harmas is an investigator at an insurance agency, he is sent to investigate suspicious insurance... Of course, the agency does not want to pay a lot of money and in this case, it has very good reasons for doing so. Here is Steve Harmas and he must figure it all out in such a way as to do his useful, very important business for the insurance agency. He has a very cunning plan to unravel. And what for us, for the readers? We just need to read, observe all the twists and turns of this super interesting story, and enjoy!

[Srikanth R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good one.. But I was able to guess the villain in the middle of the story.. By nevertheless a great entertainer and page turner...

[Lorraine Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another corker of book by hadley chase - second time of reading as just as good

[Asuto · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Bản tiếng Việt: Cô gái múa rắn]

✨ Điểm mạnh của tác phẩm là nhịp độ nhanh gọn, cốt chuyện ly kì, tình tiết lôi cuốn, vụ án hấp dẫn, drama ngập tràn. Mạch truyện có kết cấu chặt chẽ với những khoảng lên xuống rõ rệt: có những phân đoạn mát mát tẻn tẻn nhưng cũng có những lúc bế tắc tột cùng. Càng về sau cuối, tác phẩm càng phơi bày rõ rệt những bất cập trong ngành bảo hiểm và sự lạc hậu của công nghệ xác thực danh tính trong xã hội đương thời.

👫 Ngoài ra, mình muốn đặc biệt khen cách tác giả xây dựng nhân vật chính. Hình tượng nhân vật phá án trong tác phẩm đúng chất "ngành bảo hiểm": nhạy bén, thảo mai, luồn cúi, khéo léo tận dụng các mối quan hệ và thao túng suy nghĩ của người khác để đạt được mục đích.

Cặp vợ chồng Harmas này vô cùng hoà hợp, cả trong cuộc sống lẫn công việc. Hai người đều tài giỏi mà xéo xắt, hơn thế còn kẻ tung người hứng, phối hợp ăn ý, gắn bó sâu đậm. Những phân đoạn đưa đẩy tình cảm giữa hai người quắn quéo mà không lạc quẻ so với mạch truyện. Cả hai cũng đã tạo nên những phân đoạn đá xéo xỏ xiên khó quên trong tác phẩm. Khả năng của hai người được duy trì ổn định. Tình yêu không khiến họ mất 🧠 như trong một số tác phẩm khác.

💥 Tuy nhiên ấn bản này có 2 điểm cần lưu ý:
1. Đây là bản dịch không chính thống, đã cũ, sử dụng nhiều từ địa phương.
2. NXB đã tóm tắt 377 trang sách, bao gồm cả twist và cái kết vào bìa sau của sách. Cho nên hãy nhớ KHÔNG ĐỌC BÌA SAU để tránh bị spoil.

[Ameen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprisingly, this story is captivating in spite of being boring and slow for the first half. There is really nothing other than sheer suspense and the lack of happenings prevails in the first half or so. Things get interesting as the story develops and adventures, thrill and fights come in to play. The plot is interesting but too obvious at times and the dialogues and body language of characters portrayed by the writer gives out the answers right away. You could easily guess the culprit(s) when the novel paced up.

This is a kind of novel that you can read during a train travel or in vacations when you're extremely bored (or when you're frustrated with excessively scrolling down the social networks). Although the story seems boring, you'll enjoy it and will want to finish it and it leaves a subtle flavour of film-noir elements of 1940s on your mind.

[Azim Bachani · Rating 5 out of 5]

A roller coaster ride from start to end. Never a dull moment!

[Malevis]

Enjoy it

[Macfar]

Aa0mm000mp

[Ochie Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice

[Arpita Das · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the reading as it was very fast paced and the plot kept me hold. The last few pages were a kind of predictable that's why can't give 4 stars.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twisty and turny all the way.

[Joydeep · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best JHC stories.

[Lili · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing.... just amazing

[Na'anmiap Hyacienth Michaels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good thriller.

[Mark Vickers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is a real crackerjack storyline about an insurance policy taken out by a professional dancer, that does her main act with a lethal snake around her neck. Pretty much, straight away, there are alarm bells ringing, you think you know what the plots all about, but in typical fashion, chapter after chapter the plot thickens...absolutely remarkable from the maestro, thriller, murder, mystery writer of all time....

[Mark Vickers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is a real crackerjack storyline about an insurance policy taken out by a professional dancer, that does her act with a lethal snake, and almost straight away there are alarm bells ringing.... you think you know what it's all about but chapter after chapter the plot thickens.....remarkable from the maestro thriller/ murder/ mystery writer of all time.....

[Ivana · Rating 3 out of 5]

It started being interesting some time around the middle of the story, but the ending was worth it :)

[C S · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best chase novels. Plot is twisting.

[Neville Krishnaswamy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Page turner for sure.

[Dorai Thodla]

I bought a bunch of books (after a family discussion) that I read in the late 60s and started re-reading them again. I still like the language and fast paced action but now I cringe when I read about the violence.