I'LL BURY MY DEAD

I'LL BURY MY DEAD (1953) is the first book by James Hadley Chase that I've read. It won't be the last. 

Chase (1906-1985), was a prolific author, with 90 novels to his credit. 50 of them have been made into films, most of them in foreign countries. Writing under a variety of pen names, Chase's novels were published in the United States and Europe and while never achieving universal critical acclaim, his books sold extremely well. 

BURY is the story of Nick English, a powerful, rich and influential entrepreneur with a number of ongoing business interests. When his estranged brother, a two-bit private detective is found dead, apparently by his own hand, English deices to investigate because even if the two siblings didn't get along, the dead man was family. 

English uncovers a blackmail ring headed by a cold-blooded murderer who kills anyone who gets in his way. The killer frames English for two murders and before things come to a smashing climax aboard a blazing yacht, seven corpses litter the landscape. 

BURY isn't a mystery novel because the killer is revealed midway through the narrative. But it's a solid piece of crime/suspense fiction, as English and his aides (his loyal secretary, his lawyer, another private detective and his chauffeur ) race against time to bring the killer to justice and clear English's name. 

Nice way to pass a hot summer afternoon. Thumbs up.