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Steve Harmas #3
There's Always a Price Tag
Small time freelance worker Glyn Nash rescues a drunken billionaire film director Dester from being run over, and soon gets appointed by the latter at his Hollywood residence, much against the wishes of Dester's glamorous and shady wife, Helen Dester. Glyn sees the employment as an opportunity to become rich and famous, not knowing what is in store for him.
(wikipedia.org)
(wikipedia.org)
Paperback
First published January 1, 1956
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About the author
James Hadley Chase
644 books1,002 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.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
September 26, 2022
Even though there is no novelty in the plot and it has all the typical elements of a Chase novel (beautiful wife desperate for husband’s money, a marriage gone wrong, entry of third person who is attracted by the wife, the scheming lovers and a well-planned murder going wrong), it keeps you rivetted till the end. Engrossing read for Chase lovers.
December 1, 2024
One of the most underrated books on Goodreads, it hasn't even a proper cover, as it really should deserve.
The first half is not quite the brightest piece of art, but the second makes all the money, keeping you curios and alert. A classical...
The first half is not quite the brightest piece of art, but the second makes all the money, keeping you curios and alert. A classical...
October 17, 2025
‘What do I care? I’ve had fun. I’ve travelled. I’ve owned a Rolls. I’ve married the loveliest woman in Hollywood. What more can a guy want? Now it’s time to pay up; that’s okay. I’ll pay what I can, and they’ll have to whistle for the rest of it.’
Erle Dester is one of the Hollywood big boys: a successful producer, living in one of the best neighborhoods, married to one of the hottest women in town. And he has been drinking himself into an early grave for the past year or so, right after his marriage to the bombshell Helen.
In an opening gambit that looks ‘borrowed’ right out of a Raymond Chandler story [The Long Goodbye], Dester barrels out of a night club soused to the gills and is saved from being run over by a passing car by Glyn Nash, a stranger in the right place at the right time.
Nash takes the drunk millionaire home in the fellow’s sky-blue Rolls Royce and puts him to bed, not before Dester waking up and offering him a job as his chauffeur.
Glyn Nash, an unsuccessful free-lance advertising salesman who worries where his next meal or the rent money will be coming from, jumps at the chance of steady employment, even before he lays eyes on his employer’s wife Helen.
Have you ever fiddled with an electric fitment and got a shock up your arm?
‘Sensational’ is the word that comes to Glyn Nash’s mind on meeting this redhead avatar of the ‘femme fatale’ template. That electric jolt he feels deep in his bones should have been a warning to steer clear of the icy beauty that destroyed Erle Dester’s life, , but Nash thinks of himself as a tough guy and a lady-killer so he mentally says: ‘bring it on!’
>>><<<>>><<<
René Lodge Brabazon Raymond, better known by his James Hadley Chase pen name, was a hack, but one of the best in the business. He was working in the sales department at a publishing house in London, when he noticed the popularity of gangster stories and decided he can do better at writing the books instead of only selling them. Chase has never visited the America he wrote about, just like Burroughs never visited the Africa of his Tarzan stories, but he aced his research, with a little help from a friend who provided him with a slang dictionary, detailed maps of major cities and other material on the gangster culture he will use for inspiration.
He was a middle-aged bird with a complexion like an overripe plum, raven black hair with a white streak in it and a moustache not much bigger than a well-fed caterpillar.
Instead of original ideas, Chase focused on very tight writing, eliminating all of the extraneous materials like weather or scenery descriptions, spiced up his text and dialogues with all the slang expressions he could dig out and, most importantly, coming up with clever twists, unreliable narrators and dangerous females.
He never struck sales gold in America, probably because of the competition from the original pulp and hard-boiled writers of the time, but Chase is still one of the big names across the ocean, in particular in France and in my own country, Romania.
There’s Always a Price Tag has been filmed at least twice, mostly because of the clever twists on the classic insurance scam plot. So have at least 50 of the 90 titles in his catalogue, which kind of negate the hack labels and confirm that the guy who relaxed building complex Meccano contraptions was really good at coming up with cool ideas for his thrillers.
‘If the police say I have killed myself, the insurance company won’t pay out. But if the police say I have been murdered, then the insurance company will have to pay out. Are you following all this? Can you see the trap I am setting for you?’
Erle Dester signs a one million dollars life insurance policy before he takes a diving jump into a pool filled with whiskey. He made it out in the name of his ‘dear’ wife Helen, to make sure she is protected in case something happens to him, but Dester is also a clever chap who resents the way she has treated him after marriage, so he takes some extra steps to make sure Helen has no incentive to speed up his departure from this world.
Glyn Nash walks right into the trap set by Dester. He’s a decent guy, at least in his own eyes, and he believes himself clever, but this novel was written in 1956, a time when the Hays Code for self-censorship in the entertainment industry was still enforced. One of the main tenets of this rule was that crime doesn’t pay.
The title already suggests that Glyn Nash’s clever scheme will have a high price tag. I’m not going to spoil it here, other than to say it was really well scripted by the author. The reason I mentioned this old code, was a recent movie [ Caught Stealing ] that is a complete reversal of the rule. Most of the modern stories [written or filmed] have completely abandoned any moral considerations and choose instead the ‘take the money and run’ ethos. I found it refreshing to read about the old days in this thrilling package from Chase.
Erle Dester is one of the Hollywood big boys: a successful producer, living in one of the best neighborhoods, married to one of the hottest women in town. And he has been drinking himself into an early grave for the past year or so, right after his marriage to the bombshell Helen.
In an opening gambit that looks ‘borrowed’ right out of a Raymond Chandler story [The Long Goodbye], Dester barrels out of a night club soused to the gills and is saved from being run over by a passing car by Glyn Nash, a stranger in the right place at the right time.
Nash takes the drunk millionaire home in the fellow’s sky-blue Rolls Royce and puts him to bed, not before Dester waking up and offering him a job as his chauffeur.
Glyn Nash, an unsuccessful free-lance advertising salesman who worries where his next meal or the rent money will be coming from, jumps at the chance of steady employment, even before he lays eyes on his employer’s wife Helen.
Have you ever fiddled with an electric fitment and got a shock up your arm?
‘Sensational’ is the word that comes to Glyn Nash’s mind on meeting this redhead avatar of the ‘femme fatale’ template. That electric jolt he feels deep in his bones should have been a warning to steer clear of the icy beauty that destroyed Erle Dester’s life, , but Nash thinks of himself as a tough guy and a lady-killer so he mentally says: ‘bring it on!’
>>><<<>>><<<
René Lodge Brabazon Raymond, better known by his James Hadley Chase pen name, was a hack, but one of the best in the business. He was working in the sales department at a publishing house in London, when he noticed the popularity of gangster stories and decided he can do better at writing the books instead of only selling them. Chase has never visited the America he wrote about, just like Burroughs never visited the Africa of his Tarzan stories, but he aced his research, with a little help from a friend who provided him with a slang dictionary, detailed maps of major cities and other material on the gangster culture he will use for inspiration.
He was a middle-aged bird with a complexion like an overripe plum, raven black hair with a white streak in it and a moustache not much bigger than a well-fed caterpillar.
Instead of original ideas, Chase focused on very tight writing, eliminating all of the extraneous materials like weather or scenery descriptions, spiced up his text and dialogues with all the slang expressions he could dig out and, most importantly, coming up with clever twists, unreliable narrators and dangerous females.
He never struck sales gold in America, probably because of the competition from the original pulp and hard-boiled writers of the time, but Chase is still one of the big names across the ocean, in particular in France and in my own country, Romania.
There’s Always a Price Tag has been filmed at least twice, mostly because of the clever twists on the classic insurance scam plot. So have at least 50 of the 90 titles in his catalogue, which kind of negate the hack labels and confirm that the guy who relaxed building complex Meccano contraptions was really good at coming up with cool ideas for his thrillers.
‘If the police say I have killed myself, the insurance company won’t pay out. But if the police say I have been murdered, then the insurance company will have to pay out. Are you following all this? Can you see the trap I am setting for you?’
Erle Dester signs a one million dollars life insurance policy before he takes a diving jump into a pool filled with whiskey. He made it out in the name of his ‘dear’ wife Helen, to make sure she is protected in case something happens to him, but Dester is also a clever chap who resents the way she has treated him after marriage, so he takes some extra steps to make sure Helen has no incentive to speed up his departure from this world.
Glyn Nash walks right into the trap set by Dester. He’s a decent guy, at least in his own eyes, and he believes himself clever, but this novel was written in 1956, a time when the Hays Code for self-censorship in the entertainment industry was still enforced. One of the main tenets of this rule was that crime doesn’t pay.
The title already suggests that Glyn Nash’s clever scheme will have a high price tag. I’m not going to spoil it here, other than to say it was really well scripted by the author. The reason I mentioned this old code, was a recent movie [ Caught Stealing ] that is a complete reversal of the rule. Most of the modern stories [written or filmed] have completely abandoned any moral considerations and choose instead the ‘take the money and run’ ethos. I found it refreshing to read about the old days in this thrilling package from Chase.
August 9, 2019
MADDUX!!! That is the beauty of excellent creative writers like Chase. They create larger than life individuals who live on long after the creator is gone ((Chase died decades ago). But can we forget his great characters like Mark Garland or Tom Lepski? Maddux, the Insurance boss of National Fidelity is one of such creations. We have this gripping feeling of fear when he is featured in any of the author's books; whether we are innocent or guilty... vicariously of course. We know Maddux's reputation of sending "swindlers" to the gas chamber, or to jail for a long time. One flinches at the very idea of trying to swindle his insurance company. His physical description is invariable, as we see from this work: "The man had the shoulders of a prize fighter and the legs of a midget. He wasn't more than 5 feet six in height. His thinning grey hair was unruly, and his face... was as bleak and as hard as a Siberian winter. He wore his well cut clothes carelessly. His shirt collar was rumpled, his tie hung askew, but I could see he was the important member of the party..." Poor Glynn Nash, the protagonist here could have had it all; including the sweet lovely Marian, but not only greed and rank bad luck ensure that in the end his life, future is ruined... mainly because of Maddux!
April 27, 2025
In “There’s Always a Price Tag,” Chase takes the old tried-and-true double indemnity James Cain insurance scam and twists it a bit. Chase sets this novel in Hollywood and, as our story opens, Glyn Nash sees a drunk wander from the nightclub into the street and, after rescuing Erle Dester, drives him home in his Rolls Royce and accepts a job as a chauffeur. “He was a middle-aged bird with a complexion like an overripe plum, raven black hair with a white streak in it and a moustache not much bigger than a well-fed caterpillar. Before his complexion had turned sour on him, he must have been handsome, but that raw mauve skin spoilt any claim he might now have had to a Hollywood Adonis.”
Nash tells us: “I should have minded my own business and let him walk to his death. If I had done so I should have kept out of a lot of trouble, but instead, just as he reached the kerb, still going fast, and just as a big Packard, going a lot faster, would have nailed him if he had taken another step forward, I reached out, grabbed his arm and jerked him back.” But hindsight is always twenty-twenty. How was Nash to know Dester, despite the Rolls and the Hollywood mansion and the trophy wife, was a washed up, used up, on his way out producer whose contract was winding down and never got any projects except drinking from morning to night. How was Nash to know the wife wanted Dester drunk and driving so that one night she could collect on his $750,000 life insurance policy?
The trouble starts when Nash gets Dester home and sees Helen who is something else: “Have you ever fiddled with an electric fitment and got a shock up your arm? Of course you have; you know the kind of jolt it gives you: something you can’t control; a jolt that hurts, but doesn’t bruise; something that hits your muscles and leaves you a little breathless. She was around twenty-six or seven, tall and slim with copper coloured hair and the cream-white complexion that goes with that coloured hair. Her eyes were large, and as green and as bright and as hard as emeralds. She wasn’t beautiful in the accepted Hollywood standard of beauty. She had too much character, and her mouth was a shade too thin and firm for real beauty, but there was that thing about her that lifted her right out of the usual run of beautiful women and made her sensational.” And, of course, Nash has to have her -the woman Dester calls the ice queen. He tells us: “‘There’s a sucker born every minute, but don’t think you’re the only one. I kidded myself I had landed on the gravy train when I took that job: I know a lot better now.”
Thus, starts an odd threesome with Helen trying to give Nash the boot and Dester keeping him around. And, Dester has a moment of clarity and gets the insurance company to remove the suicide clause so that, if he blows his brains out, Helen can’t collect a dime. That just sets the wheels in motion for Nash who, like a good conniving sleazeball, wants half of the $750,000 for himself. Nash decides they can’t report the suicide. Instead, he’ll put the damn corpse in a giant icebox to stop rigor mortis while he plots how to make it look like Dester was murdered elsewhere.
And now you get the comedy of errors as the newly hired maid pulls the plug on the supposedly- empty freezer unit to save electricity and then the police detective sizes up the freezer for purchase, inquiring about the shelving. And, of course, the newly hired maid has to think Dester is still alive for a week while Nash figures out how to pull off the caper and his to sneak the corpse out of the house (and properly thaw it too).
But. As luck would have it, Nash is way too clever for his own good and everything goes south as far as his plot. Unlike other such novels, you never quite get the sense Nash and Helen are in love with each other – just that they are two greedy people who want the insurance money, but of course they are stuck with each other.
Nash tells us: “I should have minded my own business and let him walk to his death. If I had done so I should have kept out of a lot of trouble, but instead, just as he reached the kerb, still going fast, and just as a big Packard, going a lot faster, would have nailed him if he had taken another step forward, I reached out, grabbed his arm and jerked him back.” But hindsight is always twenty-twenty. How was Nash to know Dester, despite the Rolls and the Hollywood mansion and the trophy wife, was a washed up, used up, on his way out producer whose contract was winding down and never got any projects except drinking from morning to night. How was Nash to know the wife wanted Dester drunk and driving so that one night she could collect on his $750,000 life insurance policy?
The trouble starts when Nash gets Dester home and sees Helen who is something else: “Have you ever fiddled with an electric fitment and got a shock up your arm? Of course you have; you know the kind of jolt it gives you: something you can’t control; a jolt that hurts, but doesn’t bruise; something that hits your muscles and leaves you a little breathless. She was around twenty-six or seven, tall and slim with copper coloured hair and the cream-white complexion that goes with that coloured hair. Her eyes were large, and as green and as bright and as hard as emeralds. She wasn’t beautiful in the accepted Hollywood standard of beauty. She had too much character, and her mouth was a shade too thin and firm for real beauty, but there was that thing about her that lifted her right out of the usual run of beautiful women and made her sensational.” And, of course, Nash has to have her -the woman Dester calls the ice queen. He tells us: “‘There’s a sucker born every minute, but don’t think you’re the only one. I kidded myself I had landed on the gravy train when I took that job: I know a lot better now.”
Thus, starts an odd threesome with Helen trying to give Nash the boot and Dester keeping him around. And, Dester has a moment of clarity and gets the insurance company to remove the suicide clause so that, if he blows his brains out, Helen can’t collect a dime. That just sets the wheels in motion for Nash who, like a good conniving sleazeball, wants half of the $750,000 for himself. Nash decides they can’t report the suicide. Instead, he’ll put the damn corpse in a giant icebox to stop rigor mortis while he plots how to make it look like Dester was murdered elsewhere.
And now you get the comedy of errors as the newly hired maid pulls the plug on the supposedly- empty freezer unit to save electricity and then the police detective sizes up the freezer for purchase, inquiring about the shelving. And, of course, the newly hired maid has to think Dester is still alive for a week while Nash figures out how to pull off the caper and his to sneak the corpse out of the house (and properly thaw it too).
But. As luck would have it, Nash is way too clever for his own good and everything goes south as far as his plot. Unlike other such novels, you never quite get the sense Nash and Helen are in love with each other – just that they are two greedy people who want the insurance money, but of course they are stuck with each other.
March 20, 2021
Another quintessential James Hadley Chase thriller. Strong story. If you've read enough of Chase, you know where things are headed. But as usual, the catch, the hook, for the story is to see things play out. Moral of the story: even when you get a break in life, you'll only be able to take advantage of it if you're moral and truthful. Amazing, all the people who thought/think Chase is a threat to the social order. He never was. He's one of its staunchest upholders. The story of Glyn Nash this novel is just another example of it.
November 4, 2020
Another super interesting detective story about our favorite insurance agent, Steve Harmas. All these novels created by the master of the literary word are magnificent. The texts written by Mr. Chase, have their own completely unique flavor, have something great, peculiar only to this unforgettable and unique author in the whole wide world. And we love it so dearly!
The story begins in Chase's signature, coolest style. It all starts suddenly, the actions begin immediately, without slowing down, and the reader immediately gets into the book, immediately plunges into it with his head! And it all starts exactly like this: "Once, on a sultry June evening, Steve Harmas accidentally stops at the entrance to a luxurious Hollywood club, looking for an empty table, and just at that moment a tall man in a tuxedo flies out through the open door..." What, did you feel how swiftly and crazy interesting things should develop after? Exactly! And so it will be. Guaranteed.
The story begins in Chase's signature, coolest style. It all starts suddenly, the actions begin immediately, without slowing down, and the reader immediately gets into the book, immediately plunges into it with his head! And it all starts exactly like this: "Once, on a sultry June evening, Steve Harmas accidentally stops at the entrance to a luxurious Hollywood club, looking for an empty table, and just at that moment a tall man in a tuxedo flies out through the open door..." What, did you feel how swiftly and crazy interesting things should develop after? Exactly! And so it will be. Guaranteed.
November 6, 2014
You wouldn't think you could get into trouble if you just safe a man's life, but that was the way it all started for Glyn Nash. He didn't pay attention to the danger signals that where sounding all around and he couldn't leave or decline the job offer when he saw the man's wife.
I can't say more except that every time that I try to put this book down something happened to keep me stick to the last page...
I can't say more except that every time that I try to put this book down something happened to keep me stick to the last page...
March 16, 2020
Read it for nostalgia, as I picked it off a bookstore for Rs. 50.
Typical Hadley Chase about a sucker for hot women wanting to make a fast buck. You know even best laid plans unravel, as is the case with most Hadley Chase protagonists...but the ride is worth it.
Typical Hadley Chase about a sucker for hot women wanting to make a fast buck. You know even best laid plans unravel, as is the case with most Hadley Chase protagonists...but the ride is worth it.
March 11, 2015
Somewhat unbelievable plot. The guy just doesn't give up and keeps doing more foolish things. Hiding the body in the freezer? Not convincing.
November 21, 2025
A Noir That Collapses Under Its Own Misogyny and Illogic
I started There’s Always a Price Tag hoping for a sharp, suspenseful thriller, but by chapter eleven, I’ve realized that this book collapses under its own illogic and outdated worldview. James Hadley Chase seems more interested in forcing a shocking twist than in writing coherent characters or believable crime plotting.
First, the so-called “femme fatale” Helen is a deeply problematic character. She is not written as a real woman, but as a symbol of “beautiful evil.” Chase repeatedly punishes logic and believability to make her succeed. For example:
She had a previous insurance case with her first husband, which should have raised red flags for the police.
She fired Simmonds, the driver, and other servants — all potential witnesses — yet the narrative ignores the danger this creates.
She attempted to bribe Nash to leave the house on the very first page, demonstrating early manipulation and intent.
Nash hadn't worked for Dester for two weeks, yet he could commit the perfect murder.
Meanwhile, the male characters — especially Nash — act implausibly. He supposedly participates in crimes, sees all of Helen’s lies, witnesses the chaos, yet remains silent. How could a man facing death, execution, or imprisonment not reveal the truth that could free him and expose Helen? How could Nash keep quiet about the club incident and the teenager who brought him home after being stranded? How could he ignore the salary advance given by Dester, which itself is an obvious clue to Dester’s trust in Nash and possible suicidal tendencies? All of this strains credibility beyond reason.
The plot itself is recycled and forced. Chase uses convenient devices like placing Dester’s body in a refrigerator to “alter the time of death,” a move that is medically absurd — any autopsy would reveal the time and even confirm whether the wound was self-inflicted. Dexter’s supposed suicide and Nash’s handling of the body make no sense, yet the narrative pretends these details don’t matter.
Even the relationships are absurd. Anyone could see that there was no real romance or loyalty between Helen and Dester; her infidelity and manipulation could have been proven simply by talking to former staff. The physical altercation when she discovered the letter should have exposed her further, yet it is ignored in the story. And the claim that Nash remained silent and complicit at critical moments — even at the point of death — is entirely unrealistic.
Chase’s world also presents a problematic and outdated view of women: Helen, like many of his femme fatales, exists purely to manipulate, seduce, and destroy men. Women are either helpless victims or inherently dangerous, clever only in order to ruin men. There is no nuance, no humanity, no realism. This narrative reinforces a deeply misogynistic perspective under the guise of suspense. Not to mention the lazy police!
In short, the book is frustrating on every level. The plot is illogical, the characters behave unrealistically, the forensic and legal details are nonsensical, and the depiction of women is deeply anti-feminist. I can see the shock value Chase was aiming for, but it comes at the expense of intelligence and fairness. I won’t be finishing it.
If you want noir thrills, you may enjoy the tone. But if you value logic, realistic character motivation, or a feminist perspective, this book will leave you frustrated and exhausted.
I started There’s Always a Price Tag hoping for a sharp, suspenseful thriller, but by chapter eleven, I’ve realized that this book collapses under its own illogic and outdated worldview. James Hadley Chase seems more interested in forcing a shocking twist than in writing coherent characters or believable crime plotting.
First, the so-called “femme fatale” Helen is a deeply problematic character. She is not written as a real woman, but as a symbol of “beautiful evil.” Chase repeatedly punishes logic and believability to make her succeed. For example:
She had a previous insurance case with her first husband, which should have raised red flags for the police.
She fired Simmonds, the driver, and other servants — all potential witnesses — yet the narrative ignores the danger this creates.
She attempted to bribe Nash to leave the house on the very first page, demonstrating early manipulation and intent.
Nash hadn't worked for Dester for two weeks, yet he could commit the perfect murder.
Meanwhile, the male characters — especially Nash — act implausibly. He supposedly participates in crimes, sees all of Helen’s lies, witnesses the chaos, yet remains silent. How could a man facing death, execution, or imprisonment not reveal the truth that could free him and expose Helen? How could Nash keep quiet about the club incident and the teenager who brought him home after being stranded? How could he ignore the salary advance given by Dester, which itself is an obvious clue to Dester’s trust in Nash and possible suicidal tendencies? All of this strains credibility beyond reason.
The plot itself is recycled and forced. Chase uses convenient devices like placing Dester’s body in a refrigerator to “alter the time of death,” a move that is medically absurd — any autopsy would reveal the time and even confirm whether the wound was self-inflicted. Dexter’s supposed suicide and Nash’s handling of the body make no sense, yet the narrative pretends these details don’t matter.
Even the relationships are absurd. Anyone could see that there was no real romance or loyalty between Helen and Dester; her infidelity and manipulation could have been proven simply by talking to former staff. The physical altercation when she discovered the letter should have exposed her further, yet it is ignored in the story. And the claim that Nash remained silent and complicit at critical moments — even at the point of death — is entirely unrealistic.
Chase’s world also presents a problematic and outdated view of women: Helen, like many of his femme fatales, exists purely to manipulate, seduce, and destroy men. Women are either helpless victims or inherently dangerous, clever only in order to ruin men. There is no nuance, no humanity, no realism. This narrative reinforces a deeply misogynistic perspective under the guise of suspense. Not to mention the lazy police!
In short, the book is frustrating on every level. The plot is illogical, the characters behave unrealistically, the forensic and legal details are nonsensical, and the depiction of women is deeply anti-feminist. I can see the shock value Chase was aiming for, but it comes at the expense of intelligence and fairness. I won’t be finishing it.
If you want noir thrills, you may enjoy the tone. But if you value logic, realistic character motivation, or a feminist perspective, this book will leave you frustrated and exhausted.
February 7, 2024
4,5 stele.
Un thriller aproape perfect, foarte bine construit, extrem de tensionat și binențeles cu un final marcă înregistrată James Hadley Chase, ce nu are cum să nu te ia prin surprindere.
Sunt prezente aici toate ingredientele cunoscute cititorilor romanelor scriitorului britanic: ratatul care dorește să se îmbogățească peste noapte, fără să muncească, femeia fatală care se alătură viselor de mărire ale acestuia sau chiar reprezintă un factor declanșator și mai ales existența unui plan "genial" de care se alege invariabil praful. Însă, modul în care se prăbușește respectivul plan, ce, de altfel, părea foarte solid construit, este cu adevărat memorabil.
Așa cum spuneam, miza este aceeași dintotdeauna: obținerea pe cale frauduloasă a unei mari sume de bani. Elementul de noutate este constituit de faptul că, pentru a obține banii, o sinucidere așteptată de toată lumea trebuie convertită în crimă.
Întrebare pe care și-o pune Glyn Nash, treizeci și trei de ani, un terchea-berchea fără porniri criminale, ajuns șoferul unui regizor alcoolic, este cum anume să transforme sinuciderea șefului său - pe care, de altfel, l-a salvat de la moarte, într-o crimă, cu scopul de a încasa asigurarea de viață a văduvei sinucigașului. Văduva, Helen, douăzeci și șase de ani, are aceeași dorință ca și Glyn, așa că își unesc forțele. Dar mai este cale lungă până la reușită. Lectură plăcută!
Un thriller aproape perfect, foarte bine construit, extrem de tensionat și binențeles cu un final marcă înregistrată James Hadley Chase, ce nu are cum să nu te ia prin surprindere.
Sunt prezente aici toate ingredientele cunoscute cititorilor romanelor scriitorului britanic: ratatul care dorește să se îmbogățească peste noapte, fără să muncească, femeia fatală care se alătură viselor de mărire ale acestuia sau chiar reprezintă un factor declanșator și mai ales existența unui plan "genial" de care se alege invariabil praful. Însă, modul în care se prăbușește respectivul plan, ce, de altfel, părea foarte solid construit, este cu adevărat memorabil.
Așa cum spuneam, miza este aceeași dintotdeauna: obținerea pe cale frauduloasă a unei mari sume de bani. Elementul de noutate este constituit de faptul că, pentru a obține banii, o sinucidere așteptată de toată lumea trebuie convertită în crimă.
Întrebare pe care și-o pune Glyn Nash, treizeci și trei de ani, un terchea-berchea fără porniri criminale, ajuns șoferul unui regizor alcoolic, este cum anume să transforme sinuciderea șefului său - pe care, de altfel, l-a salvat de la moarte, într-o crimă, cu scopul de a încasa asigurarea de viață a văduvei sinucigașului. Văduva, Helen, douăzeci și șase de ani, are aceeași dorință ca și Glyn, așa că își unesc forțele. Dar mai este cale lungă până la reușită. Lectură plăcută!
August 5, 2021
Many years ago when I was visiting my dad's house and had nothing to read, I stumbled onto a few James Hadley Chase books on his bookshelf. This was one of them and it is still just as good as I remember it. Putting the main protagonist on the wrong side of the law is one of his favourite plot types, and it works great here. Only a great talent can take a deeply unlikable character, make him break some serious laws, and still have the readers cheer for him.
June 23, 2020
Mr Dester: Smart drunk with the heart of gold. I learnt a lot from his magnanimous will.
Helen: Desperate and impatient sex worker.
Nash: Cheap stupid servant destroyed by greed- to have Helen as well as Dester's money.
Helen: Desperate and impatient sex worker.
Nash: Cheap stupid servant destroyed by greed- to have Helen as well as Dester's money.
January 12, 2020
Univers Enigma 1969 ebook
August 15, 2020
What a thriller! Fast paced, gripping story, easy read. Again James Hadley Chase proved he is the king of thrillers. It is full of twists. This is what called perfect page-turner.
December 13, 2020
Good writer of the time
February 11, 2025
Another gem from JHC.
June 5, 2024
ספר נחמד להעביר את הזמן. קצת אירוני איך שהדברים התגלגלו.
August 6, 2022
One of those Chase Novels wherein the get rick quick scheme of the protagonist comes to a naught.
Fast action as always. You simply can't escape justice.
Easy money, beautiful women and characters with low moral fiber, well you have all the typical Chase ingredients in this one too, all blended together in what is called as machine gun action of Chase's novels.
Fast action as always. You simply can't escape justice.
Easy money, beautiful women and characters with low moral fiber, well you have all the typical Chase ingredients in this one too, all blended together in what is called as machine gun action of Chase's novels.
July 24, 2012
Yes, indeed!
October 2, 2012
Looked fine right from the beginning but in the end... Didn't look like a great finisher !
June 16, 2013
Complete waste of time,obvious and predictable..
February 10, 2016
Thrilling!!!
September 29, 2016
One of the best from James Hadley Chase. Highly recommended for his fans as well as fans of suspense/thriller genre.
October 15, 2016
James Hadley Chase at his best
December 29, 2016
Well written ,slowly paced ,but engrossing
February 14, 2009
someone is always watching, no such thing as a perfect murder!!
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