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Blandish's Orchids and Dave Fenner #2
The Flesh of the Orchid
Carol Blandish was the voluptuous daughter of Miss Blandish, and only granddaughter of millionaire John Blandish. The trouble was that she had been conceived when her mother had been kidnapped and repeatedly raped by mentally degenerate Slim Grissom. Carol herself suffers from a split personality and has to be confined in a high security mental asylum. She is the only heiress to the Blandish millions, and all she has to do, to inherit the inheritance money, is to escape and stay out for fourteen days. But a whole lot of people are also after the Blandish fortune - and that means that they are after Carol. Once outside the asylum, she finds herself mixed up in a deadly hide-and-seek game of violence and sudden death. There is Roy Larson, who cannot keep his hands off her beautiful body; there are the Sullivans, professional killers, who'd rather have their hands on the money. And there is newspaperman, Phil Magarth and his girlfriend, Veda, well-meaning, but as greedy as they come....
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1940
35 people are currently reading
574 people want to read
About the author
James Hadley Chase
648 books996 followersRené Lodge Brabazon Raymond was born on 24th December 1906 in London, England, the son of Colonel Francis Raymond of the colonial Indian Army, a veterinary surgeon. His father intended his son to have a scientific career, was initially educated at King's School, Rochester, Kent. He left home at the age of 18 and became at different times a children's encyclopedia salesman, a salesman in a bookshop, and executive for a book wholesaler before turning to a writing career that produced more than 90 mystery books. His interests included photography (he was up to professional standard), reading and listening to classical music, being a particularly enthusiastic opera lover. Also as a form of relaxation between novels, he put together highly complicated and sophisticated Meccano models.
In 1932, Raymond married Sylvia Ray, who gave him a son. They were together until his death fifty three years later. Prohibition and the ensuing US Great Depression (1929–1939), had given rise to the Chicago gangster culture just prior to World War II. This, combined with her book trade experience, made him realise that there was a big demand for gangster stories. He wrote as R. Raymond, James Hadley Chase, James L. Docherty, Ambrose Grant and Raymond Marshall.
During World War II he served in the Royal Air Force, achieving the rank of Squadron Leader. Chase edited the RAF Journal with David Langdon and had several stories from it published after the war in the book Slipstream: A Royal Air Force Anthology.
Raymond moved to France in 1956 and then to Switzerland in 1969, living a secluded life in Corseaux-sur-Vevey, on Lake Geneva, from 1974. He eventually died there peacefully on 6 February 1985.
In 1932, Raymond married Sylvia Ray, who gave him a son. They were together until his death fifty three years later. Prohibition and the ensuing US Great Depression (1929–1939), had given rise to the Chicago gangster culture just prior to World War II. This, combined with her book trade experience, made him realise that there was a big demand for gangster stories. He wrote as R. Raymond, James Hadley Chase, James L. Docherty, Ambrose Grant and Raymond Marshall.
During World War II he served in the Royal Air Force, achieving the rank of Squadron Leader. Chase edited the RAF Journal with David Langdon and had several stories from it published after the war in the book Slipstream: A Royal Air Force Anthology.
Raymond moved to France in 1956 and then to Switzerland in 1969, living a secluded life in Corseaux-sur-Vevey, on Lake Geneva, from 1974. He eventually died there peacefully on 6 February 1985.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
April 2, 2018
Sbranato in una giornata!
Un hard-boiled con i controfiocchi: duro, secco, violento. Proprio come quelli che piacciono a me.
Ma quanto è bravo James Hadley Chase!
Un hard-boiled con i controfiocchi: duro, secco, violento. Proprio come quelli che piacciono a me.
Ma quanto è bravo James Hadley Chase!
January 19, 2022
Carol Blandish is a violent maniac locked up in a sanitarium, screaming for endless hours. She is also the heir to her grandfather's $6 million dollar fortune, has brilliant red hair, and a traffic-stopping figure. What happens when she breaks out of the sanitarium? What man could resist giving her a ride? What happens when her path crosses that of a man on the run from the Mob's two deadliest contract killers, the Sullivan brothers? And what about the fact that half the County wants to capture her and take control of her money? This is a terrific thriller by James Hadley Chase that is a crime story, a love story, a tale of brotherly togetherness, and filled with retired circus performers, fortune hunters, and the like. It is solidly written and just filled with action and fights and gun battles. Great fun to read.
May 14, 2017
THE FLESH OF THE ORCHID is a wild, excite ride of a spin-off of NO ORCHIDS. Taking up the story 22 years after the fact, the focal figure is at the end of the day a Blandish young lady, yet Carol Blandish is not the powerless casualty that her mom was. Undoubtedly, she is an unstable mix of stewing sexuality, stressed honesty and hair-trigger mercilessness. Her touchy upheavals of savage savagery make her a compel to be figured with. Getting away from a mental foundation amid a furious tempest, and certainly off her meds, Carol Blandish is soon sought after by a decrepit thrown of characters who all need a bit of the Blandish fortune. The novel swarms with insane plot turns, edge-of-the-seat anticipation and interesting low-life's who blend it up for a immensely enjoyable read."
May 28, 2020
This is the sequel to the controversial,No Orchids for Miss Blandish.That book made Chase famous and also made headlines because of its graphic portrayl of extreme violence.
Carol Blandish is the daughter of Miss Blandish.She is the heir to a six million dollar fortune,but finds herself locked away in a mental asylum.
To inherit her fortune,she must get out of there.But there are other people including professional killers,who also want to get their hands on her,and her fortune.
Another chilling thriller by James Hadley Chase.
3.5 stars
Carol Blandish is the daughter of Miss Blandish.She is the heir to a six million dollar fortune,but finds herself locked away in a mental asylum.
To inherit her fortune,she must get out of there.But there are other people including professional killers,who also want to get their hands on her,and her fortune.
Another chilling thriller by James Hadley Chase.
3.5 stars
March 2, 2024
Continuarea celebrului roman de debut al scriitorului britanic, Nici o orhidee pentru Miss Blandish, este o carte cu o atmosferă aproape halucinantă, de parcă intriga ar fi cumva complet ruptă de realitate. Din multe puncte de vedere, Orhideea ucigașă este foarte diferit de romanul publicat cu nouă ani mai devreme: mai întâi, așa cum am spus, atmosferă brutală, dar foarte realistă este înlocuită cu una mult mai puțin conectată la realitate, plină de ambiguitate; pe de altă parte, Orhideea...este centrat puternic pe personajul principal, Carol, nepoata milionarului John Blandish și fiica maleficului Slim Grisson și a lui Miss Blandish; în fine, din punctul meu de vedere, romanul acesta este mai emoționant decât primul, dat fiind faptul că tânăra Carol este atât victima părinților săi, cât și a societății în ansamblu.
În final, trebuie menționate reflecțiile unuia dintre cei doi asasini plătiți care vor deveni dușmanii de moarte ai lui Carol: "Mă întreb ce senzaţie ai când te spânzură...Să fii închis şi să auzi loviturile astea de ciocan, ştiind că sunt pentru tine… Să-i auzi venind pe culoar şi să nu poţi face nimic!... Ca o fiară în cuşcă…". Lectură plăcută!
În final, trebuie menționate reflecțiile unuia dintre cei doi asasini plătiți care vor deveni dușmanii de moarte ai lui Carol: "Mă întreb ce senzaţie ai când te spânzură...Să fii închis şi să auzi loviturile astea de ciocan, ştiind că sunt pentru tine… Să-i auzi venind pe culoar şi să nu poţi face nimic!... Ca o fiară în cuşcă…". Lectură plăcută!
May 17, 2013
james hardley chase has always written decent stories...this was too also a good one.
January 19, 2021
Sort of a clumsy story that kept twisting and turning in on itself until all its major characters were gone. Not nearly as violent as the novel it serves as a sequel to, No Orchids for Miss Blandish, this book nevertheless has its gruesome and grisly moments. I can't get over the feeling that JCH was merely cashing in on the former novel's success and fame with Flesh of the Orchid. This especially feels so when compared to the very interesting works he published around the same time that exhibited much more skill, psychological insight, and experimentation with form.
Meanwhile, in the failed idiom and word usage department, a couple of things. In this book, at least, JHC got it right and had his American characters refer to the hood over an engine, instead of a bonnet. But he still has them talking about torches, instead of flashlights. Finally, the person who operated a soda fountain in a drug store during this era was a soda jerk, not a soda jerker. Funny he got these wrong, because several of his other American based stories right before this one seemed to have figured out the slang and idiom usage correctly. Always fun to keep a tally, nevertheless.
Meanwhile, in the failed idiom and word usage department, a couple of things. In this book, at least, JHC got it right and had his American characters refer to the hood over an engine, instead of a bonnet. But he still has them talking about torches, instead of flashlights. Finally, the person who operated a soda fountain in a drug store during this era was a soda jerk, not a soda jerker. Funny he got these wrong, because several of his other American based stories right before this one seemed to have figured out the slang and idiom usage correctly. Always fun to keep a tally, nevertheless.
November 13, 2025
I bought this book because I really enjoyed 2 other novels by this author- Eva and Keid, which contained subtle psychological analysis and and sort of tragic romance. The Flesh of the Orchid is very different; its primary a thriller, with a heavy dose of violence (which I know many readers do not mind!), but its just not for me.
The story line was clever, the twists and turns unexpected, keeping you on your toes and guessing as to what happens next, so that was good.
I also enjoyed author showing us the transformative power of love, which brings out the best even from the darkest souls.
My major criticism though is the way mental illness is portrayed. The author seems to describe the main heroine in a "sexual fantasy sort of way", whereupon she is a " sweet normal girl most of the time" until she flips and suddenly becomes " a monster who will scratch your eyes out". Now, I've met many thousands of mental illness suffers in my line of work, and I've never seen anyone even remotely like that. If a mentally ill person is greatly distressed to a point of being violent , its because their suffering is immense and trying to "glamorise it" is simply unethical, in my opinion.
Also, despite being seriously ill, she is apparently " stunningly gorgeous" and it just doesn't work this way. A severely mentally ill person usually suffers with significant self neglect, and the result is really not pretty.
I have a lot of respect for a writer who carries out a thorough research and/or shares his own experiences in order to portray human phenomenon, such as mental illness, accurately, and this just was not the case. In author's defence, he wrote this book many years ago, when mental illness was much more of a taboo than it is now.
There were also a couple of racist comments, but, again, at the level that might have been " acceptable" at the time of writing.
To summarise, if you are quite thick skinned and love trillers, you will probably enjoy The flesh of the orchid. As for me, I'll re-read Eva, but I don't think I'll risk any new book from James.
Triggers: mental illness, racism, rape, murder, other violence.
The story line was clever, the twists and turns unexpected, keeping you on your toes and guessing as to what happens next, so that was good.
I also enjoyed author showing us the transformative power of love, which brings out the best even from the darkest souls.
My major criticism though is the way mental illness is portrayed. The author seems to describe the main heroine in a "sexual fantasy sort of way", whereupon she is a " sweet normal girl most of the time" until she flips and suddenly becomes " a monster who will scratch your eyes out". Now, I've met many thousands of mental illness suffers in my line of work, and I've never seen anyone even remotely like that. If a mentally ill person is greatly distressed to a point of being violent , its because their suffering is immense and trying to "glamorise it" is simply unethical, in my opinion.
Also, despite being seriously ill, she is apparently " stunningly gorgeous" and it just doesn't work this way. A severely mentally ill person usually suffers with significant self neglect, and the result is really not pretty.
I have a lot of respect for a writer who carries out a thorough research and/or shares his own experiences in order to portray human phenomenon, such as mental illness, accurately, and this just was not the case. In author's defence, he wrote this book many years ago, when mental illness was much more of a taboo than it is now.
There were also a couple of racist comments, but, again, at the level that might have been " acceptable" at the time of writing.
To summarise, if you are quite thick skinned and love trillers, you will probably enjoy The flesh of the orchid. As for me, I'll re-read Eva, but I don't think I'll risk any new book from James.
Triggers: mental illness, racism, rape, murder, other violence.
May 11, 2020
Un libro che certamente non è nelle mie corde, molto violento, pulp, e dinamico al massimo, senza un minimo di introspezione dei personaggi. OK, con i killer o degli uomini che sono degli autentici buzzurri e violentatori non è che ci possa essere tutto questo studio psicologico, ma le donne? L'unica che si salva, a parte Carol (la protagonista, che però è molto sfuggente) è Miss Lolly, la donna barbuta,
Sarei curiosa di vedere il film con Charlotte Rampling, anche se tra il libro che non è che abbia apprezzato più di tanto e l'ambientazione anni 70, non so se riuscirei a vederlo fino alla fine.
Sarei curiosa di vedere il film con Charlotte Rampling, anche se tra il libro che non è che abbia apprezzato più di tanto e l'ambientazione anni 70, non so se riuscirei a vederlo fino alla fine.
February 20, 2017
The Flesh of the Orchid is a pulse-pounding suspense novel that's reminiscent of Cornell Woolrich's legendary classics like Phantom Lady and The Bride Wore Black, with none of Woolrich's cloying sentimentality. James Hadley Chase also takes a more hard-boiled approach in his writing.
Flesh of the Orchid is the wild tale of a mental asylum escapee who's the heiress to a large fortune, and I guess you could say she was locked away to enable her money accessible to her crooked attorneys. During her flight from the loony bin she responds to assaulting men by blinding them with her claws, like some crazed harpy. The first half of the book is paced well, the language stark and the action moves at a steady clip.
The second half is another story. maybe Chase didn't know how to resolve the thriller or was going for a quirky, avant garde style, but things are paced so bizarrely that you wonder what's going on. Suspenseful episodes cut off midway and then new situations begin with an almost random approach. Even the ending is so ridiculously abrupt you'll check to see if there are any pages missing.
Flesh of the Orchid is the wild tale of a mental asylum escapee who's the heiress to a large fortune, and I guess you could say she was locked away to enable her money accessible to her crooked attorneys. During her flight from the loony bin she responds to assaulting men by blinding them with her claws, like some crazed harpy. The first half of the book is paced well, the language stark and the action moves at a steady clip.
The second half is another story. maybe Chase didn't know how to resolve the thriller or was going for a quirky, avant garde style, but things are paced so bizarrely that you wonder what's going on. Suspenseful episodes cut off midway and then new situations begin with an almost random approach. Even the ending is so ridiculously abrupt you'll check to see if there are any pages missing.
May 23, 2021
Carol Blandish is a violent wild maniac locked up in an asylum and got to escape one night. She is also the heir to her grandfather's $6 million dollar fortune, has brilliant red hair, and a beautiful figure. What happens when she breaks out of the sanitarium? What happened with the truck driver who gave her a ride? What happens when her path crosses that of a man on the run from the Mob's two deadliest contract killers, the Sullivan brothers?
This is a jaw-dropping thriller by James Hadley Chase that is a crime story, a tale of brotherly togetherness, and filled with retired circus performers, fortune hunters, and the like. It is solidly written and just filled with action and thriller. The first half is really good way explained but the second half is somehow stretching without effort and finished quickly without proper narration.
Great to read for those who are into adventure, crime and thriller.
This is a jaw-dropping thriller by James Hadley Chase that is a crime story, a tale of brotherly togetherness, and filled with retired circus performers, fortune hunters, and the like. It is solidly written and just filled with action and thriller. The first half is really good way explained but the second half is somehow stretching without effort and finished quickly without proper narration.
Great to read for those who are into adventure, crime and thriller.
August 20, 2015
What an absolute " hell raiser " this one is, the sequel to " No Orchids For Miss Blandish, " revolves around the daughter of Slim Grissom, 2 2 years later escaping from a mental institution and then this fast paced, action thriller is a real page turner....typical of the great man himself, Sir James Hadley Chase. A must read for all of his fanatics straight after his earlier classic as mentioned above.
March 2, 2014
What a beauty this one is, the sequel to No Orchids For Miss Blandish revolves around the daughter of Slim Grisson 22 years later escaping from a Mental Institution and then this fast paced, action thriller is a real page turner.....
November 17, 2016
Beautiful women and sadistic killers are a great combination for an eighties action movie. You get the feeling that you have seen one when you finish this book. Chase is great at building the tense atmosphere and creating unexpected twists, which keeps you glued till the very end.
December 4, 2023
Birinci hissədən daha drammatik və həyəcanlı idi (Xanım Blendiş üçün Səhləb çiçəyi). Sullivan qardaşlarının dəhşət saçan obrazı gözəl təsvir olunub. Əsərdə ağır işgəncə və qanlı toqquşma "səhnələri" var.
September 11, 2010
If you can find this out-of-print read it to see one of the finest noir novels ever written
October 11, 2020
Enjoyed the thrill of reading this one, from the start to the end! I absolutely loved this one.
This novel is quite underrated!
This novel is quite underrated!
January 26, 2022
I am now convinced that whatever copy I read of James Hadley Chase's No Orchids for Miss Blandish must have been severely edited beyond recognition...
I didn't particularly enjoy what I read there and wouldn't have read this "sequel" except I am an incorrigible completest...
But this book is actually quite good though it really makes no sense as a sequel to the former...
If it had been written as a standalone book without references to the previous one it would still be significantly better...
It does meander towards the end when it basically becomes an unapologetic bloodbath, but all said this is very worth reading if this is your kind of thing...
I didn't particularly enjoy what I read there and wouldn't have read this "sequel" except I am an incorrigible completest...
But this book is actually quite good though it really makes no sense as a sequel to the former...
If it had been written as a standalone book without references to the previous one it would still be significantly better...
It does meander towards the end when it basically becomes an unapologetic bloodbath, but all said this is very worth reading if this is your kind of thing...
October 19, 2018
Interesting book
March 18, 2019
A fascinating Thriller. The end though could have been a little better.
June 2, 2020
Loved it...fast paced and what a thrill!
August 3, 2020
Un thriller très bien organisé avec des personnages forts et des moments terrifiants
October 23, 2020
Action! Nothing but action from the word go.
January 2, 2022
Very entertaining.. Will keep you hooked till the end.
October 21, 2022
"Non so da dove vengo, non so dove vado e non sono nessuno."
August 21, 2023
Nice book
I love it
I love it
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 13, 2025
Oikein viihdyttävä. Sivuja paljon James Hadley Chasen kirjaksi, mutta kuluivat vauhdikkaan juonen ja kiinnostavien hahmojen tekemisiä seuratessa nopeaan.
Chase niin hyvänä kuin Chase vain voi olla.
Chase niin hyvänä kuin Chase vain voi olla.
December 17, 2016
Personal favourite from all the other James Hadley Chase novels. Haven't read the prequel though.
February 11, 2013
A very neat book indeed. It slacked a little in the middle, but on the whole it was very good. It's surprising how little people have read this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews