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Miss Callaghan Comes to Grief
Banned in the UK! Author and Publisher Fined! Not seen in 70 Years!
This is the story of Miss Callaghan. Not of any particular Miss Callaghan, but of the hundreds of Miss Callaghans who disappear from their homes suddenly and mysteriously and are seen no more by those who knew and loved them.
This is also the story of Raven, who played with clockwork trains, the leader of the White Slave Ring in East St. Louis, who was responsible for the keeping to full strength the army of women for the service of men.
James Hadley Chase needs no introduction now. He has established a reputation for unmitigated toughness and plain writing. Under his blunt treatment, the traffic of women in America is shown to be what it is--a loathsome, corrupt stain on the pages of American history.
This is the story of Miss Callaghan. Not of any particular Miss Callaghan, but of the hundreds of Miss Callaghans who disappear from their homes suddenly and mysteriously and are seen no more by those who knew and loved them.
This is also the story of Raven, who played with clockwork trains, the leader of the White Slave Ring in East St. Louis, who was responsible for the keeping to full strength the army of women for the service of men.
James Hadley Chase needs no introduction now. He has established a reputation for unmitigated toughness and plain writing. Under his blunt treatment, the traffic of women in America is shown to be what it is--a loathsome, corrupt stain on the pages of American history.
226 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1941
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220 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.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 13, 2021
Raven, the ruthless, unconscionable protagonist here reminds us of the evil, blood thirsty Dillon of The dead stay dumb ( one of Chase's books).
Raven has no qualms about using women, young fresh girls, trafficking them for his own personal profits, rendering them worthless all in a bid for the accretion of his lucre. And of course Raven has no respect for human life at all. By killing at will he becomes the king of vice. And more and more women are de-humanised and debased.
How appropriate one finds it, then when the the two main lieutenants of Raven ( their names hardly matter here) are avenged by such women in the end, literally torn to pieces by the "harpies" who set about them limb to limb with a knife, with ribbons of blood surrounding them.
And as for the kingpin Raven himself, he is finally arrested when another woman he is despoiling bravely gets to grips with him with a handy stone... pity she does not smash his head to smithereens though ...
But the abiding impression is how Raven destroys so many young women, crippling their resistance to prostitution in many ways. This paves the way for some old fashioned racism as in the case of poor Sadie who is incensed when she has to get so close to a negro....
We read: "...And then he was on her. The horrible rancid nigger smell of him sickened her... before he pinned her hands..." So sad for such ladies that we blacks have to stink so much, eh!
But it hardly matters. The important thing is that the evil Raven and his organisation collapse in the end... and we can see that so many women embroiled in prostitution are actually victims. Who says we don't learn everyday?
January 2, 2021
Miss Callaghan Comes to Grief, a misdirecting title if there ever was one, seems to build on the psychotic character, Slim, introduced in Chase's first novel, No Orchids for Miss Blandish. It also takes the White Slavery plot in the background of Twelve Chinks and a Woman and puts it in the center of the action. And it also got JHC and his publisher in trouble with British authorities, who banned the book for obscenity. It is very vivid in many instances. But if I had to put my money on what pushed it over the edge for the book censors, I would say it was the passage where the emasculation and castration take place. Funny enough, however, my clinical description just this moment is more direct than Chase's actual words, which mainly imply and never state what happens, just remarking about certain patterns of blood flow. (Opening the story in a morgue with a necrophilia-prone driver probably didn't help with the censors either!)
White Slavery and the legislation used to stop it, the Mann Act, is the center of action for this book. The Mann Act, along with Women's Suffrage, was one of the key landmark pieces of legislation of the Progressive Era. In fact, Suffragettes were the main force behind the demand for its enactment in 1910. By the time of this book's publication, it was still headline news and had been so for over 20 years, as organized crime, human trafficking for prostitution, and the proliferation of brothels/gambling houses continued to grow. Many attempts at revisionist historians have attempted to downplay the act's impact and even criticize it for its interference in consensual sex or use in extortion and blackmail. But the act is still in place, although amended to be gender neutral, and plays an important role even today in human trafficking cases. So, for JHC, a British national who had very little direct exposure to the US, for him to have picked up on this theme as the central plot for his book and do so convincingly, is pretty impressive. He seemed to be on a crusade with this one.
White Slavery and the legislation used to stop it, the Mann Act, is the center of action for this book. The Mann Act, along with Women's Suffrage, was one of the key landmark pieces of legislation of the Progressive Era. In fact, Suffragettes were the main force behind the demand for its enactment in 1910. By the time of this book's publication, it was still headline news and had been so for over 20 years, as organized crime, human trafficking for prostitution, and the proliferation of brothels/gambling houses continued to grow. Many attempts at revisionist historians have attempted to downplay the act's impact and even criticize it for its interference in consensual sex or use in extortion and blackmail. But the act is still in place, although amended to be gender neutral, and plays an important role even today in human trafficking cases. So, for JHC, a British national who had very little direct exposure to the US, for him to have picked up on this theme as the central plot for his book and do so convincingly, is pretty impressive. He seemed to be on a crusade with this one.
December 29, 2020
In fact, none of Chase's magnificent novels is like the other, and there are almost hundreds of novel stories by this incomparable master of crime fiction literature.
This book is also completely unique. I love it very much. This is a truly frightening book... So, this is a story told in the morgue, where the motivated friends came to save themselves from the heat. Seeing there the corpse of the prostitute Julie Hallagen, one of them suggests that this is one of the girls of the famous Raven's gang. And then the book tells how a reporter helped expose this criminal gang. Those scoundrels kept brothels where they supplied abducted poor girls... By the way, this problem still exists in our world aggravated by the terrible deeds of man. So, unfortunately, the topic is still relevant now.
This book is also completely unique. I love it very much. This is a truly frightening book... So, this is a story told in the morgue, where the motivated friends came to save themselves from the heat. Seeing there the corpse of the prostitute Julie Hallagen, one of them suggests that this is one of the girls of the famous Raven's gang. And then the book tells how a reporter helped expose this criminal gang. Those scoundrels kept brothels where they supplied abducted poor girls... By the way, this problem still exists in our world aggravated by the terrible deeds of man. So, unfortunately, the topic is still relevant now.
May 19, 2011
Just FYI - there is racist language in this book. (Not surprising, considering who some of the characters are and the time period in which it was written. Just wanted you to be prepared.)
The plot revolves around sex-slavery - girls being kidnapped or tricked and forced into prostitution. This probably *wasn't* really happening in America at the time (1941). The British author was writing sensationalistic stuff to take people's minds off the war. So it's interesting that bits of that story are sadly relevant today.
I thought it was a quick, entertaining, noir-type read.
The plot revolves around sex-slavery - girls being kidnapped or tricked and forced into prostitution. This probably *wasn't* really happening in America at the time (1941). The British author was writing sensationalistic stuff to take people's minds off the war. So it's interesting that bits of that story are sadly relevant today.
I thought it was a quick, entertaining, noir-type read.
August 6, 2018
Неприятный сюжет
June 14, 2021
Al igual q otros libros q e leído del autor ..un libro fácil y entretenido .sin ser una maravilla literaria pero se disfruta bien
July 20, 2023
James Hadley Chase at his best.
March 22, 2012
A very dark novel set in 1967. The onset of the mafia, gangs wars and prostitution.
The story of any Miss Callaghan who has been kidnapped or trick by heartless men into selling their bodies on the street. The way in which these women were view and treated back then and even now was with hatred, loath and dehumanizing eyes. James gave us a picture of this dark undercurrent so maybe we can understand or perhaps emphasis with these Miss Callaghans.
Raven is a symbol of men in those days who believes in the power of money and will do anything to get it even if it mean breaking the law. Maybe we should give Raven some sympathy and forgive him in what he did.
The story of any Miss Callaghan who has been kidnapped or trick by heartless men into selling their bodies on the street. The way in which these women were view and treated back then and even now was with hatred, loath and dehumanizing eyes. James gave us a picture of this dark undercurrent so maybe we can understand or perhaps emphasis with these Miss Callaghans.
Raven is a symbol of men in those days who believes in the power of money and will do anything to get it even if it mean breaking the law. Maybe we should give Raven some sympathy and forgive him in what he did.
February 15, 2014
This one is a short suspense, action packed thriller set in the 1940's about young beautiful girls being kidnapped and forced into prostitution to service the American Soldiers by a gang of mafian thugs.......
August 19, 2015
This one is a short suspense, action packed thriller set in the 1940's about young beautiful girls being kidnapped and forced into prostitution to service the American Soldiers by a gang of mafian thugs...
December 15, 2020
A document of a corrupted society
No wonder this book was banned for 70 years in the UK. Chase takes us to understand what there is behind the racket in the US in the forties. Dreadful, spine-chilling and written in a way that will keep you there until the end.
No wonder this book was banned for 70 years in the UK. Chase takes us to understand what there is behind the racket in the US in the forties. Dreadful, spine-chilling and written in a way that will keep you there until the end.
October 31, 2012
1940s tale of prostitutes, villains (with rods) and G men in St Louis. Love the style.
September 15, 2014
OK JHC novel. Didn't turn me off from reading more of his work.
October 25, 2013
OK not great
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews