Let me quickly put a disclaimer that I do not intend to delve upon the story of this book - one of the finest of Chase’s works - but I am going no deeper into the actual story. This again will be more of the author than on the story line. For the die-hard fans of Chase, this will be trip down nostalgia. For the fans who are new to Chase - his works are fast paced and will grip till the last page. For the occassional reader - the books are not so bulky, a quick light and fast read. What I am trying to convey is that Chase is for all readers and cuts across gender, age etc. His works are fascinating, crisp, to the point and extremely well reasearched.
So here goes.
I am in yet another book stall, one of the countless number of stalls that I have visited, I make a quick beeline to the humour section - glance at the Wodehouse, have my fill of glancing through them(incidentally I own the full collection) and with a rueful glance at my favorite literature, I proceed to the THRILLER section. The usual books adorn the shelves - Agatha Christie’s works dominates the shelf. Slowly my discerning eyes rove around the other works and tucked neatly into a bundle appear the books written by JAMES HADLEY CHASE. I pick one at random, dont even bother to see the name and walk out with that. I repose my full trust in his works and know that what I am buying is good value for money.
With Chase you enter the world of sleaze, the rich and the tough. At one end of the spectrum are the shady characters - strong muscled with toned bodies, these are the tough nuts who can withstand any amount of physical torture. They appear in their most menacing forms - they unleash terror in the hearts of a few characters. They are made to appear so tough and so hungry for money that they would not hesitate to kill their own’grandparents and relations’ if the money was good. They are the tough characters who will go any extreme to get a whiff of money.
You encounter the rich people - the real rich who live on Swanky beaches and apartments of the American states, whose net worth run into millions and millions of pounds. Prima facie they appear soft - however the characters are disguised this way. Beneath the soft exterior lies a calculating brain that trusts no one including spouses and close relatives.
You encounter the invisible characters - they are more of one line instructions that are passed on to the goos who do the dirty work for millions. these characters ooze menace, talk in monosyllables and are always behind the scenes - but you always feel their cold presence hanging, you always knows that danger lurks behind and that constant shadows are watching every move of these central characters. These are the characters that lend colour to these novels. These are the characters that change sides at the drop of a hat!.
You also come across the sensual beauties - no Chase book is complete without these graceful feminine characters - from sensuos strip tease dancers to cabaret dancers to women of power to prostitutes, you encounter these long legged, curvaceous beauties who do not mind bedding a man for money - money is central to all the plots that Chase draws on.
The motive is beautifully brought out - money. The whiff of money leads to mayhem and an interwoven tale of deceit, guile, plots etc. There is more than one interested party who wants to lay claim to solid cash - how they plot and execute their plans, how they plan for contingencies and still meet with unforeseen glitches is part of the spellbinding narrative.
From the swanky offices of the rich to the hot deserts of Senegal, from the raunchy night clubs of Paris to the calm evenings of the Ritz and other 5 star hotels, from boardrooms to bed rooms, from thick undergrowth to barren moors, Chase’s novels span across tapestries. Each character has a part to play and is required to complete the canvas. The painting starts with a mere brush stroke and the colors are splashed on the canvas. The brush works busily and moves across the canvas - the frenzied motions of the brush strokes, the precision of the thin strokes, the blending of colors finally culminate in a beautiful piece of art - thats what Chase’s novel are - great art.
The language flows pristine - every character has a different language. The characters change language based on the surroundings and the up bringing. The monosyllables are menacing and spell impending doom. You encounter gun shots which are mortal, you encounter unimaginable torture, the dead bodies in the cupboard, in isolated cottages.
The best thing about Chase is that the story rarely meanders. The characters are introduced - he recreates the scenes at different locations but maintains continuity. The coherence of the plot strikes you, you decipher some clues and then when you feel you are on the verge of solving the crime, you realise with a thud that you have been drawn in to a cul-de-sac(meaning a blind alley, a favorite word with Chase and many of his novels carry this word) and that the twists and turns have left you far from the plot. Thats the beauty of Chase - he manages to twist the stories in a beautiful way, but maintains the coherence - never does he waver from the central theme.
In the end, good always triumphs over evil. But you will be left breathless and speechless at the wonderful way in which the plots and sub-plots turn and the final climz reaches a crescendo. You know that you have skimmed through the pages of one of the modern greats of literary fiction. In his presence the outside world fades and a dim suffuse warmth of racing along a fast track grips you.
Enjoy the journey and enjoy the feeling of being cartwheeled along at the frenetic pace.
Among his works, all are equally good, however some of my favorites are:
We will share a double funeral
The dead stay dumb
The Vulture is a patiengt Bird
No orchids for Miss Blandish
An ear to the ground
I have just named a few of his famous works.
Enjoy!
So long!