Read between January 3rd 2018 and January 5th 2018
Edition Details:
Format: paperback
Page Count:
Publisher: Mastermind Books
ISBN:9788184680973
First Sentence:
I saw him through the glass wall of my office as he came into the outer office.
Clay Burden had never thought he would meet Val again. Val, the woman, he had loved with all his heart and whom he considered his soul mate. It had been six years since Val had broken up with him and had left. But for Clay moving own had been a task. He had moved to Paradise city and was now married to Rhoda but he was not able to forget Val.
So when Clay met Val again it was a shock for him. He had been carrying a torch for her and now she was in the same city. It seemed she too had feelings for him. He had decided he wouldn’t let her go this time.
But there was this tiny problem. Val was married to the very rich and very powerful Henry Vidal. And Val had also changed a little. She was scared and had notions which couldn’t be called normal. She thought Henry was the devil incarnate and he had trapped Val with his evil powers.
Whatever may be the truth, Clay knew that he wanted Val and would do anything to have her. Even murder.
Was Henry really the devil? Will Clay be finally able to get his long lost love? What will Clay do?
Major Characters:
Clay Burden: A travel agent
Sue Douglas : Clay’s secretary
Henry Vidal: A very rich and important man in Florida
Vernon Dyer: Henry Vidal’s personal aide
Valarie aka Val : Wife of Henry Vidal. ex-girlfriend of Clay.
Gesetti – The trouble shooter of Henry Vidal
I have loved reading James Hadley Chase’s books. But i think this one may be his weakest. It’s not that the book is bad but just that it’s not up to the standard of other books that i have read by him. I have got two major problems with this one.
The book is 172 pages long and i think it could have been a few pages shorter. I felt it was unnecessarily stretched and hence the story loses it’s pace which is bad for a thriller. I think there are a couple of pages that could have been removed from it or could have been shortened.
Secondly, i don’t know if it’s because such stories have been told a lot of times or i have seen such stories but i kinda knew what was going on between Clay and Val. I knew where it was headed and was right for most of the part. So the big surprise wasn’t a such surprise for me.
But I must say the ending was really good and i had no idea it would go that way. But i was glad that it did and that saved the book for me. There were few other twists and turns near the end which save the story. I also really liked the way the ending has been set by Mr Chase. There is a hurricane that’s coming which coincidentally something akin to the emotional turmoil that our main character is facing. This mimicking of outer environment with the inner feelings of the character was something i liked. Plus, it creates a really sinister atmosphere which i liked.
Now, about the characters i really despised Rhoda. But i also knew she was not at fault. It was Clay who had married her and he knew what she was before marrying her. So it was really Clay who was to be blamed. So his bitching about her was something that i couldn’t care for even though i agreed that Rhoda was not the best life partner that one could have. Clay is a normal guy. He’s no hero and it’s passion that forces him. He gets scared too and knows his limitations and knows when he has lost. I could understand how he felt for Val but there were times when i wanted to knock sense into him.
The other characters were according to the story. Vidal was an enigma throughout the story. He’s ruthless and we get to see his ruthlessness in the end. I wanted to hate Val but really couldn’t. I don’t know why i imagined Lena Headey(Cersei Lanister) as Val.Vidal’s henchman Gesetti was really menacing. I liked him.
In totality i would say it was a little more than an okay read for me.I guess i would have liked it more if it would have had some pace which it was lacking.
Have you read this one? If you have then do drop a comment regarding your views about this book. If you haven’t and want to then you could get the book from the following link:
Paperback
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