Goldfish Have No Hiding Place

by James Hadley Chase

Eastlake is the kind of place where ‘nice’ people live – nice, well-off, civilised people. People who know all about each other and where everyone knows everyone else’s business – rather like living in a goldfish bowl. So when scanners are set up in the self-service shop in an attempt to catch petty shoplifters, it comes as rather a surprise when some dark secrets begin to emerge. A perfect opportunity for blackmailers….

Genres: Crime, Novels, British Literature, Noir, Mystery, Classics

204 pages, Paperback

First published July 2, 1975

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

[Crime Addict Sifat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eastlake is the sort of place where "decent" individuals live – pleasant, well-off, enlightened individuals. Individuals who thoroughly understand each other and where everybody knows every other person's business – rather like living in a goldfish bowl. So when scanners are set up in the self-benefit shop trying to catch insignificant shoplifters, it comes as rather an unexpected when some dim privileged insights start to rise. An impeccable open door for blackmailers… .

[Paul Lothane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite an interesting story, emphasising how personal interests, pressures and greed exert a great influence on us in this world.

We do all we can to hang onto our jobs, position, status etc; even onto our beloved wives and partners (as a policeman here illustrates in this novel)

And the foibles and weaknesses of mankind... many of them seemingly unnecessary; eg why is it that even comfortable people are tempted to steal, or get something for nothing, as it were? And people can be moved to murder under certain conditions.

And love too. How people can fall in and out of love, the initial incredible excitement suddenly dissipating. It happens to the main character (Manson) here at least twice in this story; as we read late on:

"As I stared at her the thought came into my mind...was this the woman I was in love with?

"I continued to look at her and as I looked, the fragile light of love flickered and went out. I was facing a stranger, white faced, gaunt, hard and perhaps even dangerous... "

[Kovaxka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nagyon pörgős krimi, száguldunk végig az eseményeken. A tempója mellett a sztori is jó, fordulatos. Véres jelenetek helyett pörgős párbeszédeket kapunk. Igaz, hogy sikerült kitalálnom, ki a hunyó, de közben elbűvölt, hogy oknyomozó/leleplező újságírásból fent lehetett tartani egy magazint a nyolcvanas évek Amerikájában. Chase remek stílusa már Miss Blandishnél is feltűnt, keresek még tőle Albatroszos olvasmányt.

[Paul Cornelius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Irritating Steve Manson falls in love easily and stupidly. First, with a shoplifting spendthrift wife who puts him debt and makes him subject to blackmail and, second, with a remote and cool secretary who constantly warns him off. Steve doesn't listen. Steve gets in trouble. The cops come after Steve. That's the story in a nutshell. The thing is anyone reading this can see clear as day who the murderer is--except for Steve. And I'm sure this must have been JHC's intention, for all of us reading Goldfish Have No Hiding Place to be tortured with Steve's blundering stupidity. It's like watching a horror movie, where there are noises on the second floor but the victim nonetheless walks up the darkened staircase to encounter their doom.

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 3 out of 5]

জেমস হেডলি চেজ হলেন ইংরেজি ভাষায় বিপুল জনপ্রিয়তা পাওয়া সেই বিখ্যাত লেখক, যার কোনো বই-ই আমি ইংরেজিতে পড়িনি। এই লেখাটিও আমি শেখ আবদুল হাকিম-এর স্বচ্ছন্দ ভাবানুবাদে "পালাবি কোথায়" নামে পড়লাম। টানটান, প্রচুর মোচড়ে ভরা এই কাহিনিতে খুন, চুরি, ব্ল্যাকমেল, অন্যান্য ভায়োলেন্স ও প্রাপ্তবয়স্ক উপাদান সবই আছে। নেই শুধু মস্তিষ্কের পুষ্টি ঘটানোর মতো কিছু। প্রথম থেকেই আমরা জানি, কী ঘটতে চলেছে। প্রথম থেকেই বিভিন্ন চরিত্রের কাঠবোকামি দেখে স্তম্ভিত ও তিতিবিরক্ত হচ্ছি। এবং এইসব ধুমধাড়াক্কার মধ্য দিয়ে গল্পটা শেষও হয়ে গেল।
বুঝলাম, বিরিয়ানি তো কোন ছাড়, এটা এগ রোলও নয়। বড়োজোর মশলামুড়ি বলা যেতে পারে একে।
খেতে ভালো বলে তিনটে তারা দেওয়া গেল।

[विकास 'अंजान' · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining page turned. It kept me guessing the culprit till the end.

[Nira Ramachandran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young journalist, Steve Manson is swept into big time when he is offered the opportunity to setup an investigative magazine with the backing of a multi-millionaire businessman. But his social-climber wife insists on moving into a high end housing estate, and soon pulls him into financial difficulties. Her society friends also lead her into escapades like shoplifting for fun, and Steve soon finds himself open to blackmail. Things come to a crunch when he visits the blackmailer to pay an advance, and finds him murdered. There are a number of potential murderers, who are likely to be on the blackmailer’s list, and Steve sets out to investigate each not for the magazine this time, but to save his own life and career. An exciting story, with an unexpected twist. Well worth reading.

[Kakha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this great crime fiction novel decades ago, but I remember it vividly. This work of my favorite author was published in the year of my birth. That is, we are the same age.
The book tells in the most interesting way the story of a reporter, Steve Manson, who was offered the post of editor-in-chief at the publishing house of one magazine by a millionaire, the founder of the magazine. And this magazine was created to fight corruption... So, its founder warned our protagonist of the book that his (that is, the future editor-in-chief) reputation must be impeccable. But how can this be, when on the part of the wife, this unfortunate man has incredibly serious problems. In connection with these problems, Steve even becomes a victim of blackmail. Then there is murder... Reader, congratulations, an extremely exciting reading awaits you.

[Vikranth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice Suspense

James Hadley chase is my favorite writer and I love the way he brings twists in the story. I have read many of his books but still can’t predict how the story ends. I love reading this book again after few months.

[Eleanora · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good book. It had a great suspense. It had a lot of twists in between. It kept me turning pages and I read it in 2 hours. I would certainly recommend it to my friends.

[Seun Odukoya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Chase masterpiece with more twists than a contortionist. It's a gripping read - and has the usual twist of how a simple story becomes something more and more dirty. Chase style!

[Jiří Pavlovský · Rating 4 out of 5]

Na Rudou žeň si připravuju další studium. Původně jsem měl v plánu od Chase pouze jednu knihu, ale přiznám se, nějak mě to strhlo a ve finále jsem přečetl pět a další si objednal. Možná je to tím, jak jsem se nedávno prokousával Nesboem, takže mě potěšilo něco, co se četlo v podstatě samo a ještě jsem se u toho bavil. Jasně, hraje tady roli nostalgie, jasně, starší knize nenastavuju laťku tak vysoko, a ano, jasně, spousta motivů je jen nakousnutá a dál nerozvíjená a v mládí mi ti přišlo mnohem dramatičtější… ale i tak to bylo lepší, než jsem čekal a neuráželo to mou inteligenci.

James Hadley Chase byl anglán, který využil ostrovní poptávku po americké literatuře a začal psát příběhy američtější než Socha svobody. S údernými názvy, gangstery, amorálností, sadismem, a americkými slangovými výrazy opsanými ze slovníku. Jeho obvyklým tématem byl buď muž podezřelý z vraždy, kterou nespáchal… nebo muž, podezřelý z vraždy, kterou spáchal. Já se při čtení soustředil na ty pozitivnější díla (ty s vrahy v hlavní roli mě moc nebavily ani při prvním čtení, bylo to moc jasně nalajnované), a překvapivě byly pestřejší, než jsem očekával.

Zlaté rybičky jsou klasickým případem „muž v maléru“. Tady hrdina nepodlehne pokušení zase tak moc, takže má ještě šanci na záchranu. Vlastně se jen blbě ožení, žena ho donutí k přestěhování do luxusní čtvrti, zadluží se… a když se mu to povede vyřešit, ukáže se, že žena kromě toho kradla v luxusním obchodě. A vyděrač z obchoďáku chce za důkazy o její krádeži peníze.

Než ho někdo zabije.

Pokud hrdina rychle nezjistí, kdo vraždu doopravdy spáchal, hrozí nebezpečí, že skončí na elektrickém křesle. Naštěstí má po ruce úplatného policistu, který má taky máslo na hlavě. Zdá se, že co manželka, to kleptomanka. A co manžel, to potencionální vrah.

Je to psané v něčem, co bych nazval „anglický styl“. Čili lehký a svižný, který sice s hrdinou mává, ale nějak se do toho nezabředává, má nadhled a vlastně hrdina je stále aktivní a řeší problémy. Do toho je docela zajímavé využití prostředí, kde si všichni vidí do talíře a pokud se hrdinovi rozpadá manželství, okamžitě mu všichni vyjadřují upřímnou soustrast. Není ani špatné odhalení pachatele, kdy sice autor provede to, co čekáte… ale ne úplně tak, jak to čekáte. Což mi přijde, že se objevuje i v dalších románech, ale pořád je to fajn.

Kniha má velmi uspokojivé tempo, správně mírný počet stránek (což člověk ocení hlavně v době dnešní rozkecanosti) a dost funguje i navozování napětí. Zajímavé je i to, že tady vlastně ani nedojde k završení případu, k zatčení pachatele, k ničemu, co člověk čeká. Prostě se vyřeší hrdinovy problémy a to stačí.

Rozhodně to bylo nápaditější a zábavnější, než jsem čekal... a byl to taky důvod, proč jsem sáhl po dalších knihách.

[Leonardo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mi aspettavo di più da questo romanzo di Chase, siccome Furia Omicida ed Elettroshock mi erano piaciuti moltissimo. Anche in questo romanzo la struttura è molto simile: il protagonista si trova inguaiato in un caso di omicidio (questa volta non commesso da lui) e si seguono le vicende attraverso le quali il protagonista tenta di sfuggire alla polizia. Il problema però è che, se negli altri romanzi che ho letto, questa "fuga dalla polizia" era molto frenetica e razionale, in questo libro ciò che accade non è mai molto interessante, anzi perfino prevedibile in certi punti (come il colpevole) e il protagonista non è poi così assennato nelle scelte. La scrittura come sempre è scorrevole, però i personaggi sono molti e poco caratterizzati: a fine libro ancora confondevo i nomi di due personaggi, proprio perché sembrano tutti uguali! Insomma, una delusione: mi aspettavo di più da Chase, le sue potenzialità non sono state espresse appieno in questo suo romanzo. Speriamo che sia solo un'eccezione

[Isabel Luna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Cuando el poderoso Henry Chandler le le ofrece a Steve Manson la jefatura de la redacción de una revista destinada a denunciar la corrupción en California, el periodista comprende que su vida acaba de girar bruscamente. Se ha convertido, de pronto, en un profesional generosamente remunerado, pero a cambio de ello deberá llevar una irreprochable vida privada, porque como afirma Chandler: "Los peces de colores no tienen escondite, y usted vive en una pecera de cristal". Manson comienza su tarea de denuncia, pero pronto comprende la enorme exactitud de la metáfora de Chandler. Linda Manson, su esposa, es una mujer fría, ambiciosa y cleptómana, y esto será motivo de un chantaje... y de una muerte.
Encontré esta reseña en Google. No dice gran cosa y no recuerdo otros detalles de la trama, así q obviamente no me gustó.

[Haha1 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Priehľadné, nedomyslené. Súdiac podľa troch diel, ktoré som už od autora čítala, môžem spokojne tvrdiť, že v sebe nesie nedoriešenú traumu so ženami. Obraz krásnej, no morálne absolútne skazenej ženy sa tematizuje aj tu a, typicky pre autora, aj tu ju v závere "dobieha" vyšší princíp a umiera. Nuda, povrchnosť, vrah absolútne zjavný, hlavná postava nepremýšľajúca. Nie, ďakujem.

[Fuad · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book moves at a brisk pace, filled with shocking twists and turns. True to James Hadley Chase’s signature style, it introduces tough, hard-boiled characters—each with something at stake—leading to a gripping, edge-of-your-seat climax. A timeless classic.

[Meghana Vuppala · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent, interesting, page turner.
Not impressed by the climax though.

[Amrutha · Rating 5 out of 5]

One hell of a fast- paced book for people who love murder. I would definitely recommend it to people who love thrillers with a touch of journalism.

[আহসানুল শোভন · Rating 2 out of 5]

সেইম ওল্ড জেমস হ্যাডলির বই আর তার প্লট। নারী সঙ্গে সর্বনাশ। নামী সম্পাদকের স্ত্রী কিনা চোর। ডিপার্টমেন্টাল স্টোর থেকে চুরি করে। আর সে কারণে ব্ল্যাকমেইলের হ্যাপা পোহাতে হয় সম্পাদককে। সম্পাদক সাহেব আবার তার অফিসের সেক্রেটারির প্রতিও কিঞ্চিৎ দূর্বলতাবোধ করেন। জেমস হ্যাডলির প্রতিটা বইতে নায়কদের নৈতিক চরিত্র এত দূর্বল থাকে কেন, আমি ভেবে পাই না। আর মানুষের বাসার দরজা লক করা থাকে না। অন্য কেউ এসে পিস্তল নিয়ে যায়। খুন করার পর আবার সুন্দরমত রেখেও যায়। আজগুবির কোনো সীমা পরিসীমা নেই। সৌরেন দত্তর অনুবাদ মোটামুটি ভালো।

[Ajmal Khan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Such a damn story...waste of time.

[Sudha Narayanan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice fast paced murder mystery. Not the best from Chase, but pretty good.