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Tom Lepski #10
You Must Be Kidding
Corgi edition paperback, fine
Paperback
First published October 25, 1978
30 people are currently reading
295 people want to read
About the author
James Hadley Chase
653 books991 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 - 17 of 17 reviews
May 3, 2022
In his 1979 novel, written towards the end of Chase’s illustrious career, he returns once again to Paradise City and Detective Lepski. Yet, here, Chase does his best Stephen King with a bloody serial-killing maniac who preys on the hippies gathered on the beach. The plot starts with a mild-mannered insurance salesman who, though married, can’t resist the charms of his assistant, Karen, the boss’ daughter. This salesman is the humorous foil to the cold killer, nervous, bumbling, and definitely over his head. It’s no mystery fir much of the story who the killer is, but the fun is getting to the final deadly confrontation.
April 25, 2017
This is the story of a crazed, vicious killer who not only stabs his victims remorselessly, but also proceeds to dismember and mutilate them. He is a painter of sorts and gloatingly puts on canvas the horrific things he has done. His late father had an inkling into his character early on: "Crispin is not as other men". And his paintings hint at this: "A red blood moon! A black sky! An orange beach". Oh how his victims suffer, when they catch glimpse of the real Crispin: "She stared with horror his face, the face of a savage, terrifying demon" Of course the story also involves Tom Lepski the sharp, hard as nails cop who finally unearths the mad killer - but not until four lives have been horrifically snuffed out...
May 14, 2017
The main piece of information that could prompt the capture of a desperate executioner is a golf ball catch, torn from the coat the executioner was wearing, and found alongside the horrifyingly ruined body of a youthful hooker.
There are four proprietors of coats with golf ball catches living in the city. At the point when Detective Tom Lepski of the Paradise City Police looks at these coats, doubt falls on Ken Brandon, a protection specialist.
In any case, exactly when Lepski is certain he has his man, two all the more stunning killings happen, and he is confronted with the trickiest case he's at any point needed to understand.
There are four proprietors of coats with golf ball catches living in the city. At the point when Detective Tom Lepski of the Paradise City Police looks at these coats, doubt falls on Ken Brandon, a protection specialist.
In any case, exactly when Lepski is certain he has his man, two all the more stunning killings happen, and he is confronted with the trickiest case he's at any point needed to understand.
July 30, 2021
If Ken Brandon hadn't agreed to put up shelves in his secretary's remote cabin, nothing would have happened. But fearing another celebration with his in-laws, Ken gives into his baser instincts and the bodies start to pile up. This effort is another classic James Hadley Chase crime thriller. No mystery at all is involved. The main killer is revealed early on. No, the tension here is in seeing how everything plays out. And in Chase's world that means the guilty must suffer. And all of them do but one. That one ends up with a nice big addition to his bank account.
You Must Be Kidding introduces a new protagonist, Ken Brandon, but brings in almost a dozen of the usual Paradise City policemen as well as the old art fraud, Claude Kindriek, from the Al Barney novels Chase wrote. Somehow, Kindriek and his assistant, Louis, also come through to live to commit fraud another day. But they do lose out on a big sale. Finally, is Chase getting sloppy. He mentions the police lab expert who is called the best man on the Pacific coast. Paradise City is north of Miami, on the Atlantic coast. JHC seeing if we're paying attention???
You Must Be Kidding introduces a new protagonist, Ken Brandon, but brings in almost a dozen of the usual Paradise City policemen as well as the old art fraud, Claude Kindriek, from the Al Barney novels Chase wrote. Somehow, Kindriek and his assistant, Louis, also come through to live to commit fraud another day. But they do lose out on a big sale. Finally, is Chase getting sloppy. He mentions the police lab expert who is called the best man on the Pacific coast. Paradise City is north of Miami, on the Atlantic coast. JHC seeing if we're paying attention???
June 1, 2019
Trust Chase to describe the unhinged Murderer well: "His features were symmetrical: a long, thin nose, a wide forehead, a full lipped mouth. All this Kendrick took in at a glance, but the man's eyes not only held him, but startled him. Eyes like cloudy opals and as expressionless..."
May 2, 2020
I have just come out of a first class triller,
You Must Be Kidding
James Hadley Chase weaved this beauty in 1979.
The investigating officer Tom Lepski is clueless when a hooker is horribly ripped and mutilated by a maniac. Tension grips him when three more murders rock the coastal city. The killer acts in a cool way, known to the readers right from the beginning. The climax makes us skip a beat.
Join Lepski and his assistant to either lessen their tension or be caught with that.
You Must Be Kidding
James Hadley Chase weaved this beauty in 1979.
The investigating officer Tom Lepski is clueless when a hooker is horribly ripped and mutilated by a maniac. Tension grips him when three more murders rock the coastal city. The killer acts in a cool way, known to the readers right from the beginning. The climax makes us skip a beat.
Join Lepski and his assistant to either lessen their tension or be caught with that.
Read
December 13, 2013What a great thrill it is to be reading the maestro's books for the third time in 40 years. His books get you so involved, his description of the characters and the storyline makes you feel that you picture in your mind that you're actually involved in the story like real life, there's no other author like the master JHC and there never will be again, he's in a class all of his own....
December 26, 2020
This excellent work is one of the latest in the series of detective novels about the glorious but fictional Paradise City. This is great literary reading, in the world of which you will plunge headlong. It all starts with the found corpse of a poor girl found near the hippie camp in the vicinity of Paradise City. The cops (here we will meet again with a charming detective – Tom Lepski) think that only a maniac could have done this. So, the investigation and a series of just extremely interesting events begin.
March 2, 2022
3/5 stars
लेखक ने शानदार ट्रांसलेशन किया है औऱ कहानी भी बढ़िया तरीके से शुरू होती है जिसमें ब्रांडन+ कोरन का अफेयर होता है फिर बाद में जेनी का कत्ल होता है.
अफ़सोस तब होता है जब किताब थ्रीलर समझकर पढो औऱ निकले क्या सिर्फ औऱ सिर्फ एक मर्डर इन्वेस्टीगेशन+ पूछताछ की कहानी.
पर्सनली मुझे थ्रीलर की जगह मर्डर मिस्टरी ही लगी, its a good one time murder mystery.
लेखक ने शानदार ट्रांसलेशन किया है औऱ कहानी भी बढ़िया तरीके से शुरू होती है जिसमें ब्रांडन+ कोरन का अफेयर होता है फिर बाद में जेनी का कत्ल होता है.
अफ़सोस तब होता है जब किताब थ्रीलर समझकर पढो औऱ निकले क्या सिर्फ औऱ सिर्फ एक मर्डर इन्वेस्टीगेशन+ पूछताछ की कहानी.
पर्सनली मुझे थ्रीलर की जगह मर्डर मिस्टरी ही लगी, its a good one time murder mystery.
December 22, 2020
Another Masterpiece!
What can I say? This book is another one you want to own and read now and again. Enjoy it.
What can I say? This book is another one you want to own and read now and again. Enjoy it.
April 10, 2021
A very interesting novel by james Hardly chase in the back ground of paradise city ..it is one of the best by J H chase.
February 22, 2022
One of the best ....
September 23, 2024
One of the last of James Hadley Chase novels but also one of the best. A good detective thriller.
July 14, 2019
एक तेज रफ्तार कहानी
एक जबरदस्त थ्रिलर जिसको निश्चय ही सुरेंद्र मोहन पाठक ने सरल हिंदी में अनुवाद किया जिसके कारण मैं इस उपन्यास को शुरू से अंत तक एक ही सांस में पढ़ गया। वैसे भी जेम्स हेडली चेज के उपन्यास बीच में छोड़ना नामुमकिन है।
एक जबरदस्त थ्रिलर जिसको निश्चय ही सुरेंद्र मोहन पाठक ने सरल हिंदी में अनुवाद किया जिसके कारण मैं इस उपन्यास को शुरू से अंत तक एक ही सांस में पढ़ गया। वैसे भी जेम्स हेडली चेज के उपन्यास बीच में छोड़ना नामुमकिन है।
October 30, 2010
AN average or slightly above thriller. The climax is very exciting and racy.
May 13, 2019
Thriller
Very apt translation, racy,read it in one go. Characters are not wasted ,tight story line , money's worth, well knit.
Very apt translation, racy,read it in one go. Characters are not wasted ,tight story line , money's worth, well knit.
Read
April 20, 2011read it when i was way too young.i cannot remember it clearly but what i know is its a thriller.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews