Don't Get Me Wrong

Lemmy Caution #5

by Peter Cheyney

Proceed with caution ... to Mexico ... ... or at least Mexico as Lemmy Caution sees 'It's hot as hell. Away down the dirt road some guy's playin' one of them wailin' Mexican fandangles which give me that twilight feelin' ... maybe it'd be a relief to start dyin' ... ? Across the road some guy in a funny hat is handin' out a spiel to a dame about what a great bullfighter he used to be. Maybe she's his wife. If she is, then all I can say is she's a bad picker ... Me, I'd have married the bull ...'

Genres: Crime

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1939

About the author

Born Reginald Evelyn Peter Southouse Cheyney, he trained as a lawyer before getting tired of legal office work and joining the Army. He fought at the second Battle of the Somme in World War I and was wounded but when he returned to England he wrote songs, poems and short stories for various newspapers and magazines and used many pseudonyms.

He also turned his hand to journalism, was a newspaper editor and also owned a detective agency, Cheyney Research Investigations.

His first published novel was This Man Is Dangerous and this began his prolific novel writing career. Thereafter he averaged two mystery novels a year with his best known characters being Slim Callaghan and Lemmy Caution and he became one of the best known and most successful of British crime novelists. His success also brought with it financial rewards and he was recognised as one of the richest authors of the time.

There have been many film versions of his works, which helped spread his popularity, particularly to the United States.

His life-style, one of hard-living, much like his characters, and hard work eventually took their toll and he died at age 55. He was buried at Putney Vale Cemetery.

Michael Harrison published a biography in 1954 entitled Peter Cheyney Prince of Hokum and there have been a number of biographical essays over the years.

Gerry Wolstenholme
December 2010

Reviews

[Ευθυμία Δεσποτάκη · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ο Τζι-Μαν (πράκτωρ του Εφ-Μπι-Αι στην αργκό του μεσοπολέμου) Λέμμι Κώσιον αφηγείται σε πρώτο πρόσωπο και σε ενεστώτα με όλες τις φιοριτούρες που μπορεί να σκεφτεί, την υπόθεση δυο χημικών που ανακάλυψαν έναν νέο επικίνδυνο αέριο και βρίσκονται σε μπελάδες. Τελικά παραμεγάλωσα. Φράσεις όπως οι επόμενες:

Δε θέλω να με παρεξηγήσετε. Εσείς μπορείτε να πάτε στο Μεξικό. Κι αν πάτε έχετε τις καλύτερες ευχές μου. Όσο για μένα, δε θέλω να βλέπω ούτε τη σκόνη του στα παπούτσια μου. Θα πείτε, είμαι προκατειλημένος,. Μπορεί... Όμως σας λέω πως θα προτιμούσα να βρίσκομαι σ' ένα κλουβί με μια λυσσασμένη τίγρη, παρά να ξαναμπλέξω με τους Μεξικανούς που έμπλεξα. Κι ακόμη θα προτιμούσα να τραβάω από την ουρά ένα ζευγάρι κροκοδείλων παρά να πω σε μια Μεξικανή κούκλα ότι βαρέθηκα και δεν έχω πια όρεξη για έρωτες μαζί της. Όχι, δε θέλω να με παρεξηγήσετε. Όμως σας το δηλώνω με τιμή πως αν ο "γέρος" θελήσει να με ξαναστείλει στο Μεξικό για υπηρεσία -για να βρω λόγου χάρη κανέναν εξαφανισθέντα πράκτορα, καλή ώρα όπως τούτη τη φορά- θα παραιτηθώ από το FBI...

δε με κάνουν να γελάω ή να ενθουσιάζομαι πια. Πάντως ήταν ένα ευχάριστο, λίγο μπερδεμένο αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα, με μπόλικο ουίσκι και μπόλικες μπεμπέκες...

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just too many characters. Complicated to follow, so had to give up and get a decent book. Sorry

[Ian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Smooth-talking Super-Fed Lemmy Caution starts this pre-war pulp thriller in Mexico on the trail of another G-Man who has gone missing. From a clever and promising beginning, the mystery deepens and the plot gets more soupy than a re-fried chili. The problems surround an unfeasible chemical formula for poison gas and a bewildering number of dames, all of whom appear to possess curves that would put Stradivarius off his game. Any one of Georgette, Fernanda or Juanilla might be an honest good girl, but equally the sort of bad girl that chauvanist Caution really appreciates.

[Rog Harrison · Rating 2 out of 5]

I used to like Lemmy Caution when I was a teenager but I have no idea why I re-read this years later.

[Vítor · Rating 2 out of 5]

If we forget the racism, sexism, homophobia and xenophobia of the narrator/main character we can find some funny moments on this totally inconsequential and illogical crime novel.

[Philippos Zournatjis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Κάποτε, καμία εικοσαετία, εικοσιπενταετία, παλιότερα, μπορεί κ να είχα ενθουσιαστεί. Όχι: Δεν είναι για μένα πια. Ναι: τα βιβλία πρέπει να τα συναντάς ανάλογα με την αναγνωστική σου ηλικία. Το συγκεκριμένο για να το απολαύσεις πρέπει η συνάντηση να γίνει όταν είσαι -αναγνωστικά- μικρό παιδάκι.