You Can Say That Again

by James Hadley Chase

Jerry Stevens, an out-of-work bit-part movie actor, is offered a job at a thousand dollars a day to impersonate John Merrill Ferguson, one of the richest and most powerful men in the world.

Ferguson needs to finish a secret deal but hungry journalists are continually watching every move he makes. In order to complete it, Ferguson needs a 'stand-in'. For Stevens, the money is beyond his wildest dreams.

But from the moment Steven's steps into Ferguson's shoes, he is thrown into a nightmare of intrigue, murder and stark terror.

Genres: Crime, Noir, Audiobook, Novels, Fiction, Thriller

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1979

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

[W · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was published just a few years before the death of James Hadley Chase,but in his old age,he was still pretty sharp.

An out of work actor is desperately looking to find some way to pay the bills. Then,suddenly he is hired to impersonate one of the richest men in the world and the money is very attractive too.

But there is also a web of secrecy,double cross and deceit.Things get dangerous.

A quick read,with a surprise ending.There are some plot loopholes,but those can be overlooked,as it's very entertaining.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

You Can Say That Again was published near the end of Chase’s long writing career. It’s an unusual plotted story featuring as its main character, an unemployed Hollywood actor Jerry Stevens who receives a most unusual job offer: to play the part of a reclusive Howard Hughes type of billionaire, able to fool even the butler. The explanations for the job are necessarily varied and might lead one to believe he’s entered an insane asylum. There are numerous family members plotting to take over the corporation and each one wants to enmesh Jerry in their schemes.

[Lupna Avery · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is almost something of a pity that a friend of mine keeps on lending me Hadley Chase books (my friend has a very impressive private collection that is out of odds with the/my society)

This particular (Chase) novel is quite infuriating, with the mystery elements taken too far. We hardly know the truth even by the end of this work. Eg, is it Ella the tycoon's wife who has been telling the truth, or the old woman (Harriet)?. Since Ella is cruelly murdered, we might assume that despite her eccentricities she has been the honest one; so what about the convincing photos showing she had been formally married to her very rich husband?

Even the death of the narrator at the end- we are supposed to take it that he is silenced (killed) by Harriet and Co, but then again it might have been an accident. We, eg assume throughout the work that Larry (another actor) had been killed much earlier, before he resurfaces late in the book). Certainly there are so many loose ends, and the callousness of the main antagonists cries out for some form of justice. But there is none.

[Paul Lothane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I almost always enjoy reading a James Hadley Chase novel, but I do not like this one. Not that the work is not exciting in its own way; but I am dissatisfied with the way it unravels and ends. I hate it when the baddies win, no matter how rich and powerful they are, and the ruthless baddies take it all here. Mrs Harriet and Durrant, evil people. They use and dispose of the likes of Charles Duvine, Larry Edwards, Loretta, and Jerry Stevens, the hapless (first person) narrator of this story. And quite a number of loose ends are not tied up - relating to many of the characters; eg is Mazzo really a killer, and is he also impotent? The work seems to be a celebration of the forces of darkness - pardon my being grouchy!

[Кремена Георгиева · Rating 4 out of 5]

Корицата на българското издание е потресаващо грозна и неадекватна спрямо съдържанието!
Като се абстрахираш от това, история е доста увлекателна, напрегната, непредсказуема и оплетена. Както главния герой, така и читателя не знае на кого да вярва и не смее да се довери на никого. Впечатляващи обрати!

[Kristin]

I had the row of James Hadley Chases that had not been read as I thought they were just easy criminal stories. My o my, was I wrong. Each one has proved to be written differently with completely different gist. Not to spoil you, I advise you to read it. Takes about 6 hours and is worth it.

[Kakha · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the brilliant books of the great master of the detective literary genre, we almost always meet with simple, down-to-earth people who become the protagonists of the story for one reason or another that is very interesting to the reader. I really appreciate that. In the vast majority of books, the protagonist is not a hero in the literal sense of the word. He or she is a person, just a person, with many weaknesses, so inherent in all of us, with its passions, expectations, hopes... This makes Mr. Chase's books even more authentic, super realistic, which the reader is madly in love with. So in this case, in this book, the main character, an unemployed actor, was hired to play the role of a famous businessman during his absence. But why is he constantly watched and looked after? Why is it locked up? Why don't the people around him say something? He needs to sort out all this. Whether he succeeds in this, the reader will find out in the shortest time, because he will not break away from reading until he reaches the last word of the very last page of this magnificent, interesting story. Yes, I will note that this is one of the author's many books, where the action takes place in the great but fictional Paradise City – an imaginary location on the Florida coast of the US.

[Paul Cornelius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Late in his career, James Hadley Chase came out with a bit of a change-up when he wrote You Can Say That Again. Not always, but usually, JHC writes crime thrillers that simply unfold as crooks' plans go bad, although he occasionally diverts his interests to psychological studies and espionage stories. It's not that often that he writes mysteries. But You Can Say That Again is just that, a first rate mystery. It's a novel that pretty much keeps you guessing until the end, except for the fate of one of the earlier characters who comes back at the end. Chase wanted to make that character's role an explosive reveal. But most readers should see it coming. Writers don't introduce characters for nothing after all, and just leave them hanging. They must have a purpose, especially when they have been built up. (I say that and I do remember JHC investing in a pair of criminals in one story who simply disappear from the scene, never to be seen or their stories to be resolved.) So it is, here. Then, there is the ending. I thought only the guilty got their just deserts in a Chase novel. That's not the case this time.

[Rupali Rotti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it in one sitting. Short book, very gripping!

[Saranya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Has a very interesting plot. Quick read.

[Petrus Forsgren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jagat byte (Engelska titeln You can say that again – 1980) av James Hadley Chase, (Utgivningsserie Manhattan pocket nr 361) handlar om en B-skådespelare Jerry som befinner sig på karriärens botten. Han har främst haft bakgrundsroller i westernfilmer. Han är skyldig pengar samt har inte längre några vänner (andra än som enbart är ute efter pengar eller status, kanske lite en spegling av hans själviska beteende) eller nära familj. Plötsligt erbjuds en roll om han klarar en audition till hans manager Lu Pretz. Han erbjuds att spela stand-in för en av världens rikaste män John Merill Ferguson. Men det visar sig att han är kidnappad redan på auditionen och handlingen tar oväntade vändningar.. Blandning mellan action, såpopera och Kafkaesquesk handling. Bisarrt – samtidigt som huvudpersonen Jerry agerar fullständigt rimligt utifrån vem han är (Adaptiv, självsäker, charmig men dålig på att lyssna/följa instruktioner, manipulativ, gillar att slåss, stundvis introspektiv, ytlig osv). Interaktionerna mellan honom och underhuggaren Mazzo, den charmerande men farliga kvinnan Loretta eller Fergusons bestämmande mamma Harriet. Exempel på spännande handling citat från boken, sammanfattar lite Jerrys livsinställning;

”Lite bättre till mods satte jag på mig mina egna kläder och mina egna skor. När jag nu vant mig vid att gå klädd i John Merrill Fergusons eleganta kostymer, såg min egen helt beklämmande ut när jag tittade mig i spegeln. Jag hade hunnit glömma hur nött och sliten den var. Inte undra på att Lu Prentz hade slutat bjuda mig på lunch. Mitt utseende talade sitt tydliga språk: jag var ingenting annat än en sjaskig arbetslös B-skådis. Så kom jag ihåg att jag hade sjutusen dollar på banken. Om jag klarade mig levande ur den här härvan, skulle jag skaffa mig en uppsättning nya kläder och sätta i gång och tjata på Lu tills han skaffade mig ett jobb. Men först gällde det alltså att klara livhanken”.

Högt betyg på denna korta bok på 197 sidor. Ett spännande mysterium. Blir mycket nyfiken att läsa fler böcker av James Hadley Chase – Författaren har en god berättarteknik.

[Dineshsanth S · Rating 3 out of 5]

வாய்ப்புகளுக்காக ஏங்கிக் கொண்டிருக்கும் நடிகரான ஜெரி ஸ்டீவன்ஸிற்கு லூ ப்ரெண்ட் ஊடாக ஜோன் மெரில் பேர்குஸன் என்ற பில்லியனரை போல் ஆள் மாறாட்டம் செய்யும் பணி கிடக்கின்றது. பணத்துக்காகவும் ஹரியட்டின் மிரட்டலுக்கு அஞ்சியும் பணியை ஏற்றுக்கொண்டு ஆள்மாறட்டத்தை திறம்படச் செய்யும் ஜெரி, லாரி எட்வர்ட்ஸ், ஒப்பனையாளர் சார்லஸ் ட்வைன் போல தானும் கொல்லப்படலாமோ என்று அஞ்சுகின்றான்; லொரெட்டா, ஹாரியட், மாசோ ஆகியோருக்கு இடையே சிக்கி எதை நம்புவது? யாரை நம்புவது? என்ற குழப்பத்தில் தவிக்கின்றான்; எப்படியாவது வீட்டில் இருந்து தப்பி விடத் துடிக்கிறான். ஜெரி தன்னை பாதுகாக்க செய்யும் முயற்சிகளையும் பின்னர் "பெர்குசனின்" அந்தரங்க செயலாளராக நியமிக்கப்பட்ட பின்பு நடைபெறும் நிகழ்வுகளையும் திடீர் திருப்பங்களையும் சுவாரஸ்யமான முறையில் சொல்லியிருக்கிறார் ஆசிரியர். ஜோன் மெரில் பெர்குஸனுக்கு உண்மையில் என்ன நடந்தது? லொரெட்டா, ஹரியட் சொன்ன விடயங்களில் யார் சொன்னது எவ்வளவு தூரம் உண்மை போன்ற வினாக்களுக்கும் விடை கிடைக்கின்றது. இறுதி முடிவை மாற்றியிருக்கலாம் என்பது என் எண்ணம்.

[Κώστας · Rating 5 out of 5]

Πιό έμπειρος από ποτέ, στα 74 του, ο Τσαίηζ επιλέγει και ταβανώνει αυτό το σενάριο.
Η αγωνία είναι διάχυτη παντού, ο αναγνώστης πλημμυρίζεται από απορίες, ενώ ο κάθε χαρακτήρας είναι πιό ύποπτος από τον άλλον.
Όλα μέσα, η σπεσιαλιτέ (cul de sac) τυλίγεται σαν σάλτσα ενώ η αγαπημένη του αστυνομία τού paradise city...να το πω; Δεν προλαβαίνει ούτε καν να μπει στο γήπεδο!
Σπορ και θέαμα, για έναν αναγνώστη σαν κι εμένα που έχει διαβάσει κοντά στα 70 βιβλία του και νόμιζε ότι είχε πάθει ανοσία να μένει συνεπαρμένος για πολλοστή φορά!
Προσκυνώ τον πρύτανη με σαγόνι στο πάτωμα!
Και, πέρα από περήφανος συλλέκτης, χαίρομαι ιδιαίτερα που έχω ακόμα κάποια λίγα εναπομείναντα δικά του να διαβάσω.

[Eti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Добра история с интересни обрати и неочаквани разкрития. Игра на търсене на истината, но сякаш всички са виновни и невинни едновременно.

Персонажите обаче бяха плоски и без дълбочина. Общо взето всичко, което трябва да знаеш за тях ти се казва в едно изречение! Клишета и неприятно усещане, че тези герои няма да се развият въобще.

Финалът беше претупан.

PS Ужасна корица (на българското издание), която няма нищо общо със сюжета

[Akinola Akinyemi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

That's the trouble with reading this guy's books. You think you have just read his best, only to find out you haven't seen anything. This is one heck of a book and you can say that again.

[Lesa Lunda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poor Jerry Stevens!

[Fernando · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sueño de ser el rico que no aprovecha sus bienes, a qué costo. La fuente narrativa de Chase al parecer son los trabajos desesperados. No tuve empacho con los loopholes.

[Δήμος Καραχάλιος · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ελληνικός τίτλος: Εφιάλτης, Εκδόσεις Βίπερ 677

[Installshield Wizard · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of Chase's best. Full of suspense it keeps you guessing what's going on until the final chapters and when you think you can understand, it twists again. ends kinda abruptly tho

[Mark Vickers · Rating 4 out of 5]

What another fantastic masterpiece from the maestro about a down and out Bgrade movie actor Jerry Stevens who is offered a thousand bucks a day to impersonate one of the richest men in the world for a month of mystery, suspense, intrigue and murder that just keeps the pages turning, ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT from who else but the MASTER himself.....

[Samuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

impersonation

[Georges · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good one

[Prasad Karnik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Read

Good read time catching and a good thrillers bj bj hfj hgfu xf guyf jjh bb gg g jj g