Carol Blandish was the daughter of Miss Blandish and a maniac killer. She was beautiful. She was the heir to six million dollars. And she was a prisoner in a mental home. All she had to do to inherit the money was escape, and stay out for fourteen days . . . . But a whole lot of other people were after the Blandish fortune — and that meant they were after Carol : once outside the mental home, she found herself mixed up in a deadly hide-and-seek of violence and sudden death . . . There was Roy Larson, who couldn't keep his hands off that beautiful body : and there were the Sullivans, professional killers who'd rather have their hands on the money. . .

Chet Carson, an escaped convict, arrives at "Point of No Return", a lonely desert filling station run by a good-natured Swede and his avaricious Italian wife. The Swede has a safe full of money."Open the safe and get me the money or you go back to jail," the wife tells Carson. It is this situation that James Hadley Chase develops with all his story-telling magic - a situation that will keep you on the edge of your chair and the nightlight burning.

Milly Lawes a Piccadilly streetwalker, found a strange ring in her room one day. An hour later she was dead, and the ring gone. Scotland Yard knew all about the ring though; so did the Secret Service, and before very long, did Martin Corridon, ex-Commando, ex-M15, ex-ethics of any kind . . . Corridon didn't really want to know, didn't want to work with the service again, but Milly had been a sort of friend, and the thought of her cut throat and blood soaked bed was enough to send him off on a trail of sabotage and murder. A trail that had him running as a hunter, and hunted . . .

The nightmare tale of the life and death of Dillon, American gangster. From the first to the last page, the ruthlessness of an inhuman killer is set down with stark realism. Chase’s second book.

aka The Marijuana Mob

Secret Agent Mark Kirkland has been given the task of locating and retrieving three pornographic films. His mission must remain top secret as the films, rather embarrassingly, feature the daughter of the future president of the United States. His quest leads him to the depths of Bavaria where he finds Soviet agent, Malik, and sidekick Lu Silk also rather interested in the whereabouts of the films. Who will find them first? And once found, who’s to say they won’t immediately disappear again?

A tale of addiction and obsession, and the dangers of both. Cade was at the top of his game. He was a photographer wanted by everyone. And then, on a beach in Acapulco, he met Juana Roca. Despite warnings that she is a danger to men, he proceeds to fall in love. From here things begin to spiral downwards for Cade as she saps the will out of him, drink begins to take hold and suddenly the money and the work are no longer there...

Get a load of this! The hardboiled world of James Hadley Chase, the thriller maestro, is recaptured in this new edition of tough and gritty tales. An early morning stroll in the park, or a lonely cross-country drive to Florida; evading arrest in war-torn Cuba, or sipping bourbon in the Bronx—it makes no odds, serious trouble lies just around the corner…. The sleazy jungle of lamp-lit streets, faded hotel lobbies and soulless freeways is the setting for a menagerie of typically brash Chase characters: all-metal blondes that weaken your resistance, merciless thugs in uniform and third-rate double-crossers. Fast-paced and crackling with cynical wit, this classic anthology shows why Chase is the unchallenged British champion of the tough American tradition. Publisher’s Note This remarkable collection of short stories was first published in 1942 and is now re-issued for the first time. It is a tribute to the vigour and storytelling ability of James Hadley Chase that after so many years these tales still shock and thrill the reader.

When journalist Nick Mason got a hot tip to investigate the frame-up of a man being executed for murder, he didn’t know what he was in for. At the gas chamber, it was Vessi’s last words that gave Mason the clue to a peculiar cover up at the respectable Mackenzie Fabric Corporation. But when Mason gets warned off by a cold-eyed gunman and a dangerous hooker called Blondie, he would have abandoned the whole investigation… if it weren’t for the irresistible Mardi, the girl from Mackenzie Fabrics who might be able to lead him to the truth.

Like most bank managers, Dave Calvin had acquired an irresistible charm that he could switch on whenever he felt the necessity. Underneath it, he was cold, calculating, brutal — a perfect murderer. He cooks up a plan to rob his own bank at Pittsville and make it look as if his secretary, Alice Craig and her boyfriend, had made off with the looted money. Alice, who is a spinster, with no parents, no relatives and nobody to care whether she lived or died…. Dave Calvin knew just how he could make her disappear. And to achieve his plan, he enlisted the support of his own landlady, Kit Loring, who was sensuously beautiful and also an ex- alcoholic. However, Dave Calvin  was soon to realise that a woman who is an ex- alcoholic, isn't the most reliable partner for murder…

HARD, RUTHLESS, AMORAL . . . that was Julie Holland - a good-time girl who would stop at nothing to get what she wanted. And when the chance came to play a major role in a furs robbery she jumped at it. Luck smiled on her for even when everything went wrong with the plot and the gang-leader was arrested for a murder of which he was innocent, Julie still emerged from it with a thousand a year and a Mayfair flat.But she was not satisfied yet — and the inevitable fate of the over-greedy awaited her.

Chris Burnett, successful, wealthy and married to the daughter of a multi-millionaire, receives severe brain injuries in a car accident. While convalescing, Burnett disappears for 24 hours, during which time a prostitute is brutally murdered and mutilated.

When Jack Sheppey ends up dead in a beach hut in a wealthy town on the coast of the Pacific, his former partner in their detective agency starts a desperate quest to find his killer. But as private investigator Lew Brandon soon learns, this becomes a non-stop, terrifying and deadly hunt that will take him right to the heart of gangster territory.

Unknown

Johnny Bianda is a man with a dream. He wants to own a boat off the coast of Florida and he only needs $186,000 to buy it. He steals the money from his firm, knowing that one day they’ll notice and one day they’ll kill him for it — after all, it is the Mafia. But for Johnny Bianda, the risk is worth taking and he knows it will be at least a year before they catch up with him…. Unfortunately for Bianda, the knock on his door comes sooner than he thinks.

George Fraser is a lonely man, and a bored man. But he has exciting dreams. In his dreams, he lives in a thrilling world of gangsters, guns, fast cars and beautiful women. And of course, in his dreams, he is the toughest gangster of them all. George Fraser prefers his dream world to his real, ordinary life so he begins to boast about it, pretending that he is, in fact, a hardened and ruthless gangster. But George Fraser boasts to the wrong people and suddenly his dream world becomes all too real.

International jewel thief, Paul Hater, knows a secret that everyone wants to know - and will go to any lengths to uncover. How long can he remain silent? When Hater is arrested in possession of a stolen necklace, the police use every possible means to persuade him to reveal the location of the rest of the collection. He remains silent and so begins his twenty-year prison sentence. Having exhausted all their leads, the International Detective Agency, acting on behalf of the insurers, must patiently await Hater's release before they can hope to find out more. But just as his day of release approaches, Hater is kidnapped by a ruthless international gang determined to force the secret from him and prepared to go to any lengths to do so….

Введите сюда краткую аннотацию

"This is a personal matter. Someone killed my brother. I don't like that. If the police can't take care of it, then I'll bury my own dead."Nick English meant every word, but his efforts to find his brother's killer started a chain reaction of murder and violence that would nearly end his own life.Here is a story of organized blackmail punctuated by sudden and gruesome murder. Written with the punch and speed of a rivet gun, I'll Bury My Dead confirms James Hadley Chase's reputation as a leading writer of all-action, edge-of-your-seat thrillers that demand to be read in a single sitting.

Chris Burnett, successful, wealthy and married to the daughter of a multi-millionaire, receives severe brain injuries in a car accident. While convalescing, Burnett disappears for 24 hours, during which time a prostitute is brutally murdered and mutilated.

MISS ARNOT IS IN THE SWIMMING POOL, MINUS HER HEAD… The brutal murder of June Arnot, famous screen actress, and the massacre of all her servants is just the curtain raiser to this chill-a-page novel.

The Editor of a monthly crime and detection magazine assigns to two of his staff writers, Sladen and Low, the investigation of the strange disappearance of an unknown showgirl. The disappearance was reported fourteen months earlier, but the trail is cold. The police, with nothing to work on, have lost interest. The assignment doesn't look hopeful. However, the investigators start asking questions and almost immediately things begin to happen. Witnesses are murdered, an attempt is made to do away with the investigators. The police once more open the case. The disappearance of the showgirl is found to be only a minor part of a ruthless murder plot. Safer Dead has the authentic James Hadley Chase touch, which has deservedly earned him the title of " Master of the Art of Deception ". It moves with the pace and power of forked lightning.

The two strands running through Clive Thurston's life are utterly incompatible. On the one hand is Carol, a rare bird in Hollywood, an actress with integrity and intelligence, and his own undistinguished literary output, a combination to bring him love, happiness and obscurity; on the other his fame, wealth and reputation-bringing play Rain Check, a one-off performance that cannot be repeated, and only Thurston knows why - and Eve. Even Carol does not know of the torments Thurston suffers on account of Eve. The dreadful counterpoint approaches its climatic cadence, driving him to the brink of despair, as he faces professional ruin, degradation and death, until at last, modulating the Eve-theme, he seeks to lead the melody back to Carol. Only James Hadley Chase could handle such a subject with such edge-of-chair assurance.

Helen Chalmers had the kind of looks and body, which could make a man do almost everything she wanted. So when she asked pressman Ed Dawson to spend a month alone with her, in a scheduled Italian villa, he found himself accepting—even though it was against his better judgment. Because Helen was the daughter of Sherwin Chalmers, owner of New York Western Telegram , where Dawson worked. Moreover, Sherwin had left Helen in Dawson’s care in Rome. But Dawson had not quite imagined that he would find Helen’s dead body, when he arrived at the villa. Chalmers entrusted Dawson with finding the killer of Helen—the rest would be taken care of by Chalmers himself. Dawson found himself in a race against time to find the true killer of Helen, before the Italian police accused him of killing Helen, and the mob, with whom Helen had associated, caught up with him...

When a woman turns up in Paris with information to sell to the CIA, is it for real? It soon becomes clear that it is, and the CIA aren't the only ones to realize it. As the tale sweeps from Paris to Africa, combining espionage with violence, sex and intrigue, this book from James Hadley Chase gives a new background for the spy thriller while maintaining the highest standards of readability.

A thrilling plot that involves a wayward heiress, an antagonistic police official, numerous shady characters and at least three murders…

A brilliant but sadistic safe-breaker, Fennel, a beautiful, professional seductress, Gaye, an expert young white hunter, Kennedy, and an ace pilot with a shady past, Garry—this was the team that undercover operator, Armo Shalik assembled to steal the priceless Borgia ring from millionaire Max Kahlenberg’s closely guarded personal museum in a remote and deadly African bush. But Kahlenberg knew they were coming and the gang’s expedition turned into a strictly one-way safari—to slaughter, with the Borgia ring claiming its victims once again….

Serge Maisky has a record as long as your arm. In and out of jail all his life, he has dreamed for years of the Big Steal, that would set him up good. He recruits four professional accomplices and bribes one of the girls who works in the underground vaults of the Paradise City casino - for the take is going to be real heavy. No one is going to stand in his way, including the punk of a guard who appears at the time of the robbery. And it is just the tough luck of one of his partners-in-crime, if he gets shot in the belly, by the girl he was trying to rape. Or another partner, who is shot down by the cops. In fact, the lesser the number of partners, the more the share for Maisky. So when lovely, but sluttish Sheila and her unassuming husband, unwittingly take off with Maisky’s loot and bury it in their own garden, Maisky gets mad. Real mad….

This is the job they have all been waiting for. The job that will set them up for life. A million dollars split five ways, who wouldn’t be interested? The only catch is that it’s the very definition of impossible…or is it? Armed with a brilliant plan, the four men and one woman think they can crack it. But as tensions in the group begin to mount and things start to go wrong, the million dollars feels more out of reach than ever. Even though it is right with them… FB2Library.Elements.CiteItem

aka Too Dangerous to Be FreeA thrilling plot that involves a wayward heiress, an antagonistic police official, numerous shady characters and at least three murders...

When a small-time clerk insures his life for $50,000 and then suddenly dies ten days later, it doesn’t take a genius to work out something suspicious is going on. So when Maddox, the top man in the insurance business, finds out, he is determined to get to the bottom of it. And this means trouble for someone. In fact it means trouble for the beautiful, auburn-haired Meg Barlowe, a woman with a serious past.

How come a New York reporter like Ross millan was combing half of Mexico looking for old man Shumway’s missing daughter? Millan had asked himself the question a dozen times-and when he found her, he asked himself a whole lot more questions. For the shapely blonde he’d seen in the photograph turned out to be a fast-talking lady who packed a punch like a prize-fighter, did a little magic on the side, and just happened to be a dip-a very efficient pickpocket. From the day little Miss Myra Shumway walked into Millan’s life things were never quite the same…

This is the story of Terry Regan, radio and T.V. salesman, who falls in love with Gilda, the wife of a hard drinking bully who spends his life in a wheel-chair. Because of Gilda's fatal fascination, Regan decides to get rid of her husband so that he himself can marry her; and he hits on an ingenious murder plan. The murderer is to be the television set that stands in the husband's lounge.But ingenious murder plans have habit of backfiring, and this one is no exception. Once again James Hadley Chase lives up to his reputation for sustained suspense, graphic and economical writing, and on the last page, a complete surprise.

Reckless Harry Griffin was an ex-pilot on the skids. But he had an ingenious scheme for hijacking a plane and heisting 3 million dollars worth of diamonds. Another hardfisted mystery by the author of NO ORCHIDS FOR MISS BLANDISH.

Jefferson Halliday leads a life of penury, playing a piano at a nondescript bar. Jeff’s troubles start when he rescues a junkie, Rima Marshall, from being cut open in the bar, by a drug-crazed maniac. After hearing Rima's voice, he is convinced that she can be groomed into a singer with himself as manager. But Jeff needs money to launch Rima, and what can be an  easier way than a quick robbery to get the money? But a guard gets in the way and is shot dead by Rima. Since then, both are on the run. Jeff manages to return home, complete his engineering education and land a coveted contract with the city administration. He is also happily married, when out of the blue, Rima appears with a blackmail proposition…..

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.

For years, the operations of a mysterious and ruthless extortioner, who called himself “The Tortoise”, had baffled Scotland Yard and the police forces of Europe. But the Tortoise made a mistake of interfering with Don Micklem, millionaire settled in London, with friends in high places. And once Micklem was aroused, he tracked down the Tortoise to his lair in a remote place in Italy….

Only one man could satisfy Glorie Leadler’s craving for love and affection. And though this golden-haired bit of feminine dynamite could have had a dozen men at her feet for the asking, it was a solitary Oriental who made her heart beat fast. When jealous rivals tore that midnight love from Glorie’s arms, her over-heated emotions burst forth in a volcano of love-stricken vengeance that rocked Florida and left a mark on many men’s souls. The characters of this novel are entirely fictional and any resemblance to actual persons or situations is accidental.

James Hadley Chase gives us a tough, hard-boiled story crammed with action, grotesque situations, and weird characters. Not a word is wasted. From the first page to the last you are involved in a sinister and compelling situation, that will hurtle you forward with the speed of an express train.

Lucille Aitkin was the kind of woman who encouraged men to run around after her and most men were more than happy to do so—so why did she suddenly want to learn to drive rather than being chauffer-driven in style? And why was Chester Scott's Cadillac covered with bloodstains on the wrong side? And at the same time, why was patrol officer O'Brien run over on a deserted beach road when he should have been on duty on the highway? It seems that somebody knows how these events are connected, and whoever it is seems intent on blackmail.

The Russians will pay $4,000,000 for the top secret formula of a revolutionary new metal... and the C.I.A. will do anything to stop them.American inventor Dr Paul Forrester is the man that both sides want. For he alone can decipher the vital code. But for two years Forrester has been in a mental asylum - ever since that bloody day he walked in on his beautiful wife and her lover...So pretty Nona Jacey, Forrester's former lab-assistant, becomes a helpless pawn in the power struggle to possess the scientist... for she is the key to unlocking Forrester's mind.

The nightmare tale of the life and death of Dillon, American gangster. From the first to the last page, the ruthlessness of an inhuman killer is set down with stark realism. Chase's second book.

The woman was in a Rolls Royce and she had that expensive look that wives of millionaires usually have. Her proposition to Harry Barber seemed easy and highly profitable. Because he was just out of jail, without funds or a future, he agreed to help her. But he took precautions for he didn’t quite trust this woman. His precautions didn’t go far enough. He guarded against the possibility of a double cross, but not against the possibility of murder. “Just Another Sucker” is yet another tense, swift thriller from the master hand of James Hadley Chase. It is to be read at a sitting on the edge of your chair…

From the moment Lee Dedrick, husband of the fourth richest woman in the world, disappears, believed kidnapped, Vic Malloy of Universal Services is snarled up in a vicious vortex of murder, glamorous women and violent non-stop action. The curtain goes up on the sprawled, lifeless body of Dedrick’s chauffeur, shot to death by an unknown hand. A frightened and lovely brunette flits across the scene, but vanishes almost immediately, shooting from a well-turned hip. Five hundred thousand dollars ransom is paid over to the invisible kidnappers, but Lee Dedrick is not returned. The whole of the country as far north as San Francisco and as far south as Los Angeles joins in the hunt for the kidnappers. Nick Perelli, gambler, is framed for the kidnapping and is arrested. Determined to save him and to find the real kidnappers, Vic Malloy, with his aides Paula Bensinger and Jack Kerman, takes a header into this mystery and intrigue which finally lands him in a situation of unparalleled danger and horror. Then, after the most gruesome and exciting experience of his already turbulent career, Malloy finds the key to the riddle of Dedrick’s kidnapping.