Like a Hole in the Head [Hardcover]

James Hadley Chase (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 23, 1970

Ex-army musketry trainer, Jay Benson and his wife Lucy's dream of running a shooting school turns sour as the school heads towards certain closure. They need money - quickly, and a lot of it. At the eleventh hour Augusto Savanto, head of a vast corporation in Venezuela, walks into their lives with a proposition they can scarcely refuse - he will pay them $50,000 to turn his son into an expert marksman, in nine days. Desperate for money they accept the challenge but find themselves in a deadly game of ruthless vendettas and vengeful murder.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

James Hadley Chase has been hailed as 'the thriller maestro of the generation', 'the king of all thriller writers' and a 'master of the art of his deception'. During his life, he wrote some eighty titles, each one thrilling and delighting his readers with their fast-moving tales of murder, intrigue, blackmail and espionage. Hadley Chase was born René Brabazon Raymond and he also wrote under the names of James L Dochery, Ambrose Grant and Raymond Marshall. He was born René Brabazon Raymond in London in 1906. Whilst working as a bookseller he was inspired by American crime-writers and went on to write his own thrillers and gangster stories, also set in the United States. Success came with No Orchids for Miss Blandish which was published in 1939 and was one of the most successful books of the thirties, selling several million copies. George Orwell described it as 'a brilliant piece of writing with hardly a wasted word or a jarring note anywhere'. It was subsequently dramatised and performed on London's West End, and also made into a film. Chase went on to gain popularity for his numerous other gangster stories, and by the end of the war he was one of Britain's most successful thriller writers. During his career he travelled widely and produced some ninety books, also writing under the names of James L Dochery, Ambrose Grant and Raymond Marshall, although ironically he only visited the USA late in life, relying previously upon knowledge gleaned from dictionaries of slang and encyclopedias for the novels set there. His interests included photography (he was up to professional standard), reading and listening to classical music, being a particularly enthusiastic opera lover. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Robert Hale Ltd (September 23, 1970)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 070911608X
• ISBN-13: 978-0709116080
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,271,028 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Where Chase books are available in abundance..., November 25, 1999

By 

A old Chase fan . (the great white north.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Like a Hole in the Head (Hardcover)

To the reader who asked about where Chase books are available. I grew up in India and in my youth spent many happy hours reading Chase books borrowed from an Uncle who had the complete collection. In fact he had "Cade" half open on his in his hands and a beatific smile on his face when he passed on.

As far as I know Chase books are still available in many of the older book stores in many Indian metros. If you can't find it in the bigger stores second-hand book stores will definitely be able to offer you the complete selection.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best book by James Hadley Chase, September 13, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Like a Hole in the Head (Hardcover)

I am interested in purchasing books written by Chase. Unfortunately I can't find them in the U.S. If some one knows where can I find his books or if some one wants to sell his Chase books, please let me know. E mail is [e-mail]

or

[e-mail]

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The Remix, December 13, 2003

By 

Michael Churchill Dibulo (l) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Like a Hole in the Head (Hardcover)

Jay Benson Ex-army musketry trainer, and his wife Lucy's dream of running a shooting school turns sour as the school heads towards certain closure. They need cash - badly, and more of it seems. At the last minute, Augusto Savanto, head of a vast corporation in Venezuela, walks into their lives with a proposition they can hardly reject; he has offered to pay them $50,000 to transform his son into an expert marksman, within a period of nine days. Jay and Lucy Benson, being desperate for the dough accepts the challenge but find themselves in a deadly game of ruthless and genuinely intense murder.