James Hadley Chase

1906–1985

1 series 6 books in order 1 standalone book

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