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James Hadley Chase

1 series 10 books in order 5 standalone books

René Lodge Brabazon Raymond was born on 24 December 1906 in London, England, the son of Colonel Francis Raymond, a veterinary surgeon in the colonial Indian Army. He was initially educated at King's School, Rochester, Kent. At the age of 18, he left home and worked as a children's encyclopedia salesman, a bookshop salesman, and an executive for a book wholesaler before beginning a writing career that produced more than 90 mystery books. His interests included photography, reading, classical music, and assembling complex Meccano models. In 1932, he married Sylvia Ray, with whom he had a son. They remained together until his death in 1985. Raymond wrote under several pseudonyms, including R. Raymond, James Hadley Chase, James L. Docherty, Ambrose Grant, and Raymond Marshall. During World War II, he served in the Royal Air Force and reached the rank of Squadron Leader. He edited the RAF Journal with David Langdon and had stories published in the postwar collection Slipstream: A Royal Air Force Anthology. In 1956, he moved to France and later to Switzerland, where he lived in seclusion in Corseaux-sur-Vevey on Lake Geneva from 1974 until his death on 6 February 1985.

Born
1906
Known for
Polnoe sobranie sochineniĭ

Where to start with James Hadley Chase

Begin with Figure it out for yourself, the first book in the Polnoe sobranie sochineniĭ series, published in 1942. This marks the start of a sequence of works written under the James Hadley Chase pseudonym, following the chronological order of publication within the series. Proceed through the series in publication order, as each book builds on the established style and narrative patterns of the author’s early crime fiction. For a standalone introduction to Chase’s distinctive voice, consider No Orchids for Miss Blandish, a well-known work from 1973 that exemplifies his direct, fast-paced storytelling. The book stands independently and offers a clear entry point outside the series. Both paths are grounded in the author’s published output as documented in the catalog.

Series by James Hadley Chase

Polnoe sobranie sochineniĭ

13 books in order · 1942–1984

  1. Cover of Owls don't blink

    Owls don't blink

    1942 · Erle Stanley Gardner

    In this 1942 Cool & Lam mystery, New York lawyer Emory Hale hires Los Angeles detectives Bertha Cool and Donald Lam to find Roberta Fenn, a person of…

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  2. Cover of The D.A. takes a chance

    The D.A. takes a chance

    1948 · Erle Stanley Gardner

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  3. Cover of Bedrooms Have Windows

    Bedrooms Have Windows

    1949 · Erle Stanley Gardner

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  4. Cover of The Case of the Cautious Coquette

    The Case of the Cautious Coquette

    1949 · Erle Stanley Gardner

    A hit-and-run accident and a cautious, evasive woman witness draw Mason into a case where finding the coquette who saw the crash becomes key. As the…

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  5. Cover of The Case of the Dubious Bridegroom

    The Case of the Dubious Bridegroom

    1949 · Erle Stanley Gardner

    A complicated case of a dubious bridegroom and a questionable Nevada divorce draws Mason into intertwined marriages and disputed identities. When…

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  6. Cover of Figure it out for yourself

    Figure it out for yourself

    1950 · James Hadley Chase

    Serena Marshland, the fourth richest woman in the world with a cold, diamond-hard beauty, hires tough private investigator Vic Malloy after her…

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  7. Cover of The Case of the Nervous Accomplice

    The Case of the Nervous Accomplice

    1955 · Erle Stanley Gardner

    A wife hires Mason to win back her straying husband through a clever stock-buying maneuver involving his business partners. The financial scheme…

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  8. Cover of Hit and Run

    Hit and Run

    1958 · James Hadley Chase

    Lucille Aitkin is the kind of woman who encourages men to run around after her, so it's odd when she suddenly wants to learn to drive instead of…

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  9. Cover of The Joker in the Pack

    The Joker in the Pack

    1975 · James Hadley Chase

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  10. Cover of Have a nice night

    Have a nice night

    1982 · James Hadley Chase

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Show all 13 Polnoe sobranie sochineniĭ books in order →

Standalone books

  1. Cover of No Orchids for Miss Blandish
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  2. Cover of An ace up my sleeve
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  3. Cover of The soft centre
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  4. Cover of Tiger by the tail
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  5. Cover of The dead stay dumb
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Frequently asked questions

How many books has James Hadley Chase written?

We list 10 books by James Hadley Chase across 1 series, published between 1939–1984 — each shown in full reading order.

What order should I read James Hadley Chase's books?

Read each series in publication order. A good place to start is “Figure it out for yourself.” Open any series above for its complete numbered reading order.

Where can I buy James Hadley Chase's books?

Every title links to Amazon from its series page — see our affiliate disclosure in the footer for how that supports the site.

Reading order compiled from author/publisher guidance and verified bibliographic data. Spotted a wrong order, a missing book, or any other mistake? and we'll correct it.