Chase and Gardener are back!
Malathi Perera
The detective novels of James Hadley Chase and Erle Stanely Gardener
have been in style in the 1950s, and 1960s. Youngsters today concentrate
on stories based on new inventions and love.
 The
reading habit had also deteriorated due to the introduction of
computers. Sarasavi Book Shop has organized a separate section for the
rare works of Chase and Gardener at the Colombo International Book Fair.
Chase wrote mostly detective series and when writing most of his
books he used a dictionary of American slang, detailed maps,
encyclopedias and reference books on the American underworld.
Most of the books were based on events in the US. His fictional women
often play a significant role.
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Reviving old favourites for
the book season |
They are beautiful, clever and treacherous. The protagonist falls in
love with them and is prepared to kill someone at her behalf.
Only after the deed is done does he realize that the woman was
actually using him to get someone killed.
His plots typically centre on dysfunctional families and the final
denouement justifies the title. Unlike other detective writers, his
killer is found only at the end. This keeps the readers on their toes,
guessing what happens next. This was actually the byword in most of his
novels. 20 of his books were made into movies. He has written 91 books,
and they were all top sellers.
Erle Stanley Gardener, an American lawyer and author of detective
stories too published many detective series. He gave up law practice to
devote his time to writing.
He attended law school for approximately one month, was suspended
from school when his interest in boxing became a distraction, then
settled in California where he became a self-taught attorney and passed
the state bar exam in 1911.
His first story was published in 1923. He wrote more than 80 novels.
He wrote fictional and non fictional stories based on detectives, crimes
under judgment. Gardener’s Perry Mason mysteries made him the world’s
best selling author. |
