Just Another Sucker

by James Hadley Chase

A man will do almost anything when a rich and beautiful woman offers him fifty thousand dollars just to make a telephone call. But when that telephone call is part of a fake kidnap plan to extract five hundred thousand dollars from one of the richest men in the world, only a sucker would gamble on the deal paying off in his favour. Harry Barber is a sucker. After three and a half years in jail for a crime he didn't commit, with no job and no money, he is the perfect target of a brilliant plan to frame him for the brutal murder of a young girl.

Genres: Crime, Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Detective, Novels, Noir

190 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 1960

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

[Metodi Markov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Помня добре, как в края на миналия век този писател бе един от най-популярните в България. Криминалните му романи заливаха книжния пазар и съм сигурен, че за някои от излезлите с името му заглавия и той не е чувал, камо ли да ги е писал. :)

Хари Барбър, бивш разследващ журналист е прецакан жестоко в опита си да разкрие локална престъпна афера. Натопен за убийството на полицай, той е излежал присъдата си и излиза на свобода. За да открие, че за него няма ни работа, ни бъдеще в този край на света.

Появява се фатална жена, която му предлага сделка, която не може да откаже. Офертата е висока - лесни 50 000$. Планът бързо е готов и няма защо да се чудим, какво и как може да го обърка, нали?

Класически Чейс, чете се бързо и увлича.

[Paul Lothane · Rating 5 out of 5]

At last – a Hadley chase novel that makes one feel good at the end despite so many twists and turns that seemed to be ensuring that our narrator and protagonist would have his life shattered in the end. It does look as if everything is against him until the very end, as if there is no way out. When he even has to try to get rid of a decomposing body (of a female) which he “hides” in his car he looks as guilty as hell, enmeshing himself in trouble after trouble. Harry Barber the protagonist appears to be the most unlucky man in the world from the very beginning – when he finds himself in jail for years, despite the fact that he did nothing wrong and was even supposed to be a hero. He leaves jail a bitter man, and soon gets into more trouble. A faked plan to hold a young woman for ransom and collect a solid easy sum of money starts to come apart at the seams from the moment he puts the plan into operation. And when the kidnapped girl (Odette) is actually killed (by who? - find out)) Harry knows he is in deep deep trouble. Even what he thinks is the ransom money is just a stack of newspapers. Just another sucker indeed! Yet amazingly, at the end there is a reprieve for poor Harry, though of course his reputation is very much tainted by then, a diminished man. But heck – considering what could have happened to him, he would surely jump for glee at his diminished stature!

[Crime Addict Sifat · Rating 4 out of 5]

A man will do nearly anything when a rich and lovely lady offers him fifty thousand dollars just to make a phone call. Yet, when that phone call is a piece of a fake hijack plan to concentrate five hundred thousand dollars from one of the wealthiest men on the planet, just a sucker would bet on the arrangement paying off to support him.

Harry Barber is a sucker. Following three and a half years in prison for a wrongdoing he didn't confer, with no employment and no cash, he is the ideal focus of a splendid arrangement to edge him for the ruthless murder of a young lady.

[George K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Άλλη μια φορά κορόιδο", εκδόσεις ΒΙΠΕΡ.

Τέταρτο βιβλίο του Τζέιμς Τσέιζ που διαβάζω, με την σειρά του μου φάνηκε και αυτό καλογραμμένο, πολύ ενδιαφέρον και άκρως ψυχαγωγικό. Ακολουθεί σε μεγάλο βαθμό την κλασική και, κατά την γνώμη μου, πετυχημένη συνταγή μαύρων αστυνομικών θρίλερ της Αμερικάνικης σχολής του είδους (αν και ο συγγραφέας είναι Βρετανός).

Πρωταγωνιστής και αφηγητής της ιστορίας είναι ο Χάρι Μπάρμπερ, πρώην δημοσιογράφος, ο οποίος αποφυλακίστηκε μετά από τρία χρόνια για ένα έγκλημα που δεν έκανε. Όντας γενικά απένταρος και σύζυγος μιας γυναίκας που αγαπάει και θέλει το καλύτερο γι'αυτήν, θα δεχτεί να συμμετάσχει σε μια απαγωγή ενός πλουσιοκόριτσου, που θα είναι σκηνοθετημένη από το ίδιο το κορίτσι και την μητριά της. Δεν μπορεί να πει όχι σε πενήντα χιλιάρικα. Όμως ο καθένας έχει τα δικά του σχέδια και ο καημένος ο Χάρι θα βρεθεί μπλεγμένος σε μια πολύ βρόμικη ιστορία. Θα γλιτώσει τον θάλαμο αερίων; Η ιστορία είναι ό,τι πρέπει για τους λάτρεις του είδους, μιας και περιέχει αρκετή ένταση, αγωνία για την συνέχεια, ανατροπές στην πλοκή, ενδιαφέροντες χαρακτήρες και σούπερ ατμόσφαιρα. Η γραφή είναι καλή και άκρως ευκολοδιάβαστη, και ας μην αξίζει κάποιο βραβείο.

Γενικά πρόκειται για ένα παλπ αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα, που σαν φανατικό του είδους με άφησε απόλυτα ευχαριστημένο. Απόλαυσα έγκλημα, ανατροπές και νουάρ ατμόσφαιρα, ενώ συμπάθησα αρκετά και τον πρωταγωνιστή. Η ταινία Palmetto του 1998, με πρωταγωνιστή τον Woody Harrelson, βασίζεται στο βιβλίο αυτό και σίγουρα κάποια στιγμή θα την δω.

[Κώστας · Rating 5 out of 5]

ΒΙΠΕΡ Νο.205
ΑΛΛΗ ΜΙΑ ΦΟΡΑ ΚΟΡΟΙΔΟ

Βαθιά υπόκλιση στον μαέστρο.
Η σπεσιαλιτέ του Cul-de-sac * ήταν ακαταμάχητη.
Ας είναι ελαφρύ το χώμα που τον σκεπάζει.

Η μέθοδος του J.Chase φαίνεται απλή & αποδεικνύεται φοβερά εθιστική.
Σε αντίθεση με τα περισσότερα αστυνομικά που το στυλ τους είναι το "βρείτε το δολοφόνο" (ρίχνοντας έναν υπνάκο ενδιάμεσα από την κοιλιά που κάνει ο άτρωτος-τρισμέγιστος πρωταγωνιστής κατά την έρευνά του,ξενερώνοντας από τη γραμμική σειρά που ακολουθεί ή από την πρόωρη ανακάλυψη του δολοφόνου απ'τον αναγνώστη)εδώ έχουμε επιτέλους το κάτι διαφορετικό:
Αν υπάρχει φόνος ξέρουμε από την αρχή ποιός τον διέπραξε παρακολουθώντας την ατέρμονη προσπάθεια του να διαφύγει από τη λυσσαλέα καταδίωξη που υφίσταται εξ αρχής.
Συγχρόνως ξετυλίγονται οι χαρακτήρες όπου ο αναγνώστης μπερδεύεται βλέποντας την αβυσαλέα κακία στον κοινωνικά καλύτερο και την τόση καλοσύνη στον χειρότερο (το υπεραπλουστεύω για να γίνει πιο κατανοητό) ενώ,όσο συμβαίνουν αυτά,γίνεται κι άλλος φόνος από άγνωστο χέρι αυτή τη φορά.
Ταυτόχρονα...
Μια προδοσία υποσκάπτεται κάπου...
Τα αινίγματα αντί να λύνονται πολλαπλασιάζονται...ο κλοιός σφίγγει...πια δεν μας απασχολεί άμεσα το τι θα γίνει στο τέλος,καιγόμαστε να δούμε τι θα γίνει αμέσως μετά!
Διαβάζουμε με ταχυπαλμία και τα βάζουμε με τα μάτια μας γιατί δεν μπορούν να πάνε πιο γρήγορα!
Και όταν πια φτάνουμε στο τέλος...δεν βλέπουμε καμμία λύτρωση,καμμία κάθαρση,κανένα τραλαρί τραλαλά happy end.
Αντί όλων αυτών...
Cul-de-sac

Ακαταμάχητο.


*Cul-de-sac =Dead End Street

[Nutsa Khamkhadze · Rating 5 out of 5]

ეს წიგნი იმდენი ვეძებე, გუდრიდზე რომ დამემატებინა, ბოლოს უკვე აღარ მჯეროდა, რომ მართლა არსებობდა და რაღაც fever dream არ იყო ამის წაკითხვა.
ქართულად "უიღბლო" დაარქვეს ამ წიგნს და მთელს მის სიუჟეტს ისე იდეალურად ასახავს ეს სათაური, ვერც წარმოვიდგენდი, რომ ორიგინალში სხვა სახელი ექნებოდა.

წლების წინ წავიკითხე და მაშინ ძალიან ვისიამოვნე, ჰოდა იმდროინდელი შთაბეჭდილებით ვუწერ 5 ვარსკვლავს. ახლა შეიძლება ისე ძლიერ არ მომწონებოდა.
ისეთი წიგნია, რომ კითხულობ და ფიქრობ, ამაზე უარესი რა უნდა მოუვიდეს მთავარ გმირსო და სადღაც შორიდან ავტორის მზაკვრული სიცილი გესმის, "ცოტაც მოიცადე და ნახავო". იმდენს განერვიულებს, ისე შეგითრევს, წიგნის დადება აღარ გინდება.
მოკლედ, კარგი გასართობი იყო.

[ლიკა · Rating 5 out of 5]

საკმაოდ კარგი იყო,ძაან დაძაბული კი ვკითხულობდი😀

[Adebiyi Adedotun · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Harry Barber, a journalist got into trouble for selfish reasons at first, he realise he should have taken the money the DA gave him to keep his mouth shut. Some years later, out from Jail, picked up by his police friend and who also was also at the time trying to get him a police job. Harry with little or less to do got into a serious case where he had to fake a kidnapping which he would have refused if the money wasn't tempting and little did he know he was only been used as a smoke screen. Right in the middle of the negative act he got a job as a private journalist for the kidnapping case. Trouble looms. He's the kidnapper and the journalist for the kidnapping case but few people knew and someway, it still mattered. So intriguing... Thanks James

[Paul Cornelius · Rating 5 out of 5]

And I'm Just Another Sucker for these JHC novels. This one was goood! I haven't been so hooked on a thriller since I first read Dashiell Hammett's work almost 40 years ago. So many moving pieces in this one. And JHC keeps them all in balance working like a perfectly wound watch. Told from a subjective POV, this story of ex-con Harry had me rooting for him. I knew it was an impossibility, it always is with a JHC novel, but I hoped nonetheless. And guess what! There is a little reward for hoping at the end of this story. I can't spoil it by telling you what it is, but it's sitting there waiting for you.

[Samane · Rating 4 out of 5]

کیف دستی خانم موطلایی ناشناس در کابین تلفن جا مانده بود. در شیشه ای را باز کردم و برای آنکه تظاهر کنم در حال تلفن کردن هستم، گوشی را به گوشم چسباندم. با دست دیگرم کیف دستی را باز کردم و چشمم به یک دسته اسکناس افتاد. درست در لحظه ای که آن را در جبیبم فرو می کردم سایه ای در آیینه کوچک بالای کابین تکان خورد. سرم را بالا آوردم. خانم موطلایی آنجا بود.....پشت سرم ایستاده بود و نگاهم می کرد

[Sazzad Hossen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant! One of the best works of James Hadley Chase.

[Kakha · Rating 5 out of 5]

The novel was written long ago, at the beginning of the 60s of the last century. But the story is perceived as great and very fresh. You, the reader, will see this for yourself when you read it.
The main character, an unemployed journalist, participates in the preparation of the kidnapping of the daughter of a very, very rich, probably the richest man. This crime is unusual: the daughter of a millionaire and her stepmother conspire to simulate a kidnapping, hoping to get a ransom. But according to the law, kidnapping is punishable by death... The author of this magnificent book will have to unravel the most difficult task together with you, with the readers. And this is great!

[Shawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

So many of these books blend together, it's important for me to latch onto the standout characteristic trait of the story so I can remember it.

This is the one where everything goes wrong, but for once the guy is close to the investigation so the poor chump is sweating and jumping at practically everything said around him at work. It's somewhat tense but I can only fall for the same jack in the box so many times.

Oh and this one has a threat of acid throwing, too. Chase was a real fetishist.

[Derek Baldwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read loads of James Hadley Chase when I was a teenager, and would happily read more now if I could find them. There must be dozens but this is the only one whose title I remember! Pulp fiction but what's wrong with that!

[Jef · Rating 3 out of 5]

good, but i found the film ('palmetto') more appealing. i'll read other jhc books, when i get a chance - i like his style.

[Modi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good read, unpredictable. I really enjoyed the book!

[Chetan Jakkoju · Rating 5 out of 5]

Old book, but a real thriller. Made me come to home early from office!

[Sadiq M Merchant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harry Barber is the perfect sucker, the Good guy with the Bad luck, and of course, Greed.
And he isn't the only one.
Just vintage Chase.

[Наталия Станева-Пенева · Rating 5 out of 5]

Любимият Чейс, на един дъх!

[Ramzi Zaindeen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s another JHC classic absolutely great start for the new year!

[Adi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another thrilling Chase novel. I couldn't wait to see what would happen in the end. Highly recommended!

[Preetam Chatterjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don’t let the casual title fool you—Just Another Sucker is no laugh. It’s a dark, fast-moving thriller that drops you straight into a world where con artists, killers, and “businessmen” all wear the same three-piece suit—and everyone’s just waiting for the perfect sucker to step in and foot the bill.

Enter Kern, a tough, ex-G.I. with little left to lose and a whole lot of muscle to throw around. When he meets the enigmatic Redfern, a suave, dangerous operator with a gleam in his eye and a scheme in his pocket, it seems like easy money is on the horizon. The job? A high-stakes gold smuggling operation that could make everyone rich—or very, very dead.

But like any Chase setup, nothing is as it seems, and the deeper Kern goes, the more twisted and deadly the game becomes. Femme fatales, double agents, and backroom betrayals fill the pages until you can’t tell who’s playing who—or who’s left to trust.

Chase’s prose is lean and coiled, ready to strike. Dialogue snaps like electric wire, and the pacing is so tight you’ll feel like you’re reading while holding your breath. This isn’t a whodunit—it’s a how-long-until-everyone-snaps.

I first read this during my college break—sitting on the rooftop with a bowl of muri, dodging the occasional pigeon, while the Howrah breeze slapped the pages. I remember thinking, “Wow, this could be happening just around the corner—maybe not gold, but something just as shady.” It reminded me of those whispers you hear in small towns—someone’s uncle who made a fortune overnight, someone else who vanished after “a deal.” Chase knows those stories. He makes them hurt.

What stuck with me most was the inevitability. The way the con swallows everyone, even the conmen. No one is innocent, and everyone thinks they’re too smart to lose—until the bullets start flying.

In essence, Just Another Sucker is a razor-sharp noir about how ambition makes fools of us all. It’s a tale where every man thinks he’s the player—until he looks up and sees the strings. Brutal, fast, and fatally clever, it’s Chase telling us: if you think you’re the exception, you’re just another sucker.

[Trounin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Жизнь сложна для понимания. Ещё сложнее она становится, если пытаться понять логику писателей, переворачивающих обыденные явления с ног на голову. Вроде бы Чейз представил вниманию порядочного репортёра, некогда вступившего в противоречие с вороватой властью, из-за чего оказался в тюрьме. Теперь он вышел и не может найти работу. И оказывается, от чего он прежде воротил нос, теперь для него является лакомым куском. Даже власть изменит к нему отношение, пригласив на работу в качестве специалиста по связям с общественностью. Вот так, без объяснения причин, честный человек превращается в продажное создание, готовое за пятьдесят тысяч долларов выступить в роли похитителя дочери одного из богатейших людей планеты.

(c) Trounin

[WhiteKnight · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was good and intense at first….but when Odette was murdered right inside his rented cabin….He didn’t ask the right question?



*who else knew about the cabin and the plan.

*Why all of a sudden “Mrs. Malroux isn’t well”

*WHO MURDERED ODETTE?


this are the questions that should be burning in his mind….not the nonsense…this is where I stopped the reading.

When I have nothing important to do I'll continue and I hope the rest of it makes sense than this

[Matthew Binns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just Another Brilliant Read

Fast paced. Twisting.
With no boring descriptive stuff.
I can't recall enjoying books so much.
A classic mega popular writer seemingly largely forgotten these days.

[jaroiva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Další skvělá stará dobrá detektivka. Paráda. Doporučuji.

[Nikhil Kasarpalkar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is my initiation into the universe of Chase. Always a favourite and never bord of reading it a multiple times.

[Datta Nath · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book. When I started reading this the mental pictures in my brain were in Noir style films. You'll love this book if you love classic clock ticking films.

[Svetlin Jelqzkov · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10
Една от най-добрите на Чейс!

[Donald Mwale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did she Fool You Too? Quite a charming book really.