Review: No Orchids for Miss Blandish (1939) by James Hadley Chase

UPDATE: Links to Orwell essay, "Raffles and Miss Blandish" fixed.

I'd seen No Orchids for Miss Blandish on lists of noir books but the title made the book seem more cosy-like than my preferred reading (hardboiled, noir, and noirish) so I didn't pursue it. Then I ran across a review of it somewhere—probably one of the blogs posts linked below—and decided that it is my kind of book. I tracked down a copy and I couldn't have been more wrong in judging a book by its title.

I'm going to say right off that No Orchids isn't a noir novel, at least by my Penzler influenced definition. It is, above all, a gangster story with a strong dose of the hardboiled detective. There are noir elements within the story but it isn't predominately noir.

At the bottom of this post I link to two blog reviews and two indepth analyses of Miss Blandish. I recommend checking them out.

See link in body of review

There are massive plot details in this review so be warned if you read past the synopsis.

Synopsis: After a party where the daughter of the Meat King is presented with the family heirloom pearls worth $50,000, Miss Blandish and her escort Jerry McGovern go to the Golden Slipper club. Unknown to Miss Blandish, the Riley Gang knows about the pearls and, after she and McGovern leave the club, intercept their car on a lonely stretch of road. In a struggle, McGovern is killed. Because she saw the murder, the gang takes her with them as they escape. Unfortunately for the Riley Gang, they are spotted by members of the Grisson Gang who figure out that Miss Blandish is the unconscious girl in the car. They also figure that the Riley Gang will take her to a gang neutral hideout, Johnny's. Members of Ma Grisson's gang, led by her psychotic and depraved son, Slim, snatch Miss Blandish from the Riley Gang. It doesn't end well for Riley and his men.

The Grisson's find themselves in a sweet spot since everyone thinks that the Riley's still have Miss Blandish. They figure on disposing of her once they have collected the ransom but Slim has other plans for the heiress and she is held in brutal and debasing captivity.

The ransom is paid, ostensibly to the Riley Gang, and several months pass with no sign of Miss Blandish, alive or dead. Daddy Blandish approaches Dave Fenner, formerly a reporter and a now private detective, to find his daughter. Mr. blandish has little hope that his daughter will be found alive. Bur Fenner has contacts and methods not available to the police and Blandish figures he might be able to get closure. In an unusual twist, the police are actually okay with the private detective running the case. Fenner does crack the case fairly quickly and it becomes a race to get to Miss Blandish while she still lives.

My Take: James Hadley Chase was one of the pen names of the Englishman René Lodge Brabazon Raymond, who had never been to America. Chase seems an unlikely person to write an American-style gangster/hardboiled detective story. Indeed, there are several versions of how this first novel came to be. Did Chase, who was working as a bookseller for a wholesaler, see a marketing opportunity to exploit interest in American crime stories like The Postman Always Rings Twice or after reading James M. Cain's book, The Postman Always Rings Twice, read about Ma Barker and her gang, steep himself in American gangsters, then sit down with some maps and a slang dictionary and write No Orchids for Miss Blandish (Wikipedia). Did he really knock it off over six weekends? Was he trying to out write James M. Cain? Did William Faulkner's Sanctuary have an influence? John Fraser covers this in his "Sidebar 1: Some Orchids for James Hadley Chase" (link below).

Chase continued to write hardcore crime novels—over 90— and was even taken to court over one of his later books, Miss Callaghan Comes to Grief (1947) which was banned in the UK.

However it came to be, No Orchids is pretty tough book that tapped into the public's desire for American style gangsters compared to which the English variety paled. In 1944 it was extensively analysed by George Orwell in his essay, "Raffles and Miss Blandish". Orwell called it "a brilliant piece of writing, with hardly a wasted word or jarring note anywhere". He also said that Chase "seems to have made a complete mental transference to the American underworld." I don't agree with Orwell that No Orchids is aimed at the power-instinct—I think it is greed and lust—but I do agree when he writes:

In a book like No Orchids one is not, as in the old-style crime story, simply escaping from dull reality into an imaginary world of action. One's escape is essentially into cruelty and sexual perversion.

Both the Orwell and Fraser explorations of No Orchids are well worth the read to get a thorough perspective of the book.

The problem with reviewing No Orchids for Miss Blandish is which version are you reviewing. It was published in 1939, revised in 1942, and extensively revised in 1961. If you've read No Orchids, there is a good chance that you have the 1961 version because that seems to be the version most often sold. You'll know for sure which version you've read if you read on. I picked up a used copy only to learn that editions subsequent to the original are very different and much more toned down. It proved a bit difficult to find the original 1939 text. A certain large online seller of books claims to have the unabridged and unexpurgated edition but it isn't. The only copy of the original unexpurgated version I've found readily available is from Stark House Press. There isn't a direct title link but it is the sixth image down on this Stark House Press page. Both print and ebook versions are available which made me happy because I wanted the immediate gratification from downloading the ebook. Stark House Press also has other Chase titles including the censored Miss Callaghan Comes to Grief.

Here is a quick way to tell if you want to know if you are reading a revised edition. Look on the first page. If you see Highway 54 in the second paragraph you have the revised edition. Also, the dinner is named Minny's Hash House in the '39 edition  and only referred to as a gas station and lunchroom bar in later editions. I would argue that you are reading a different book if you have the '61 edition. Apparently Chase thought the prohibition setting of the '39 edition was too remote for modern readers prompting his revision.

Chase went all out when he wrote No Orchids and embraced the sex and violence that is implicit in gangster and hardboiled detective stories. At times there seems to be little difference between the gangsters and the authorities let by the private detective. The brutal interrogation of Grisson gang member Eddie stands out.

We might chuckle at the dialogue and slang and what we might now see as stereotypical characters but Miss Blandish is still a cracking good read. It is violent with few likable characters but it has power and even pathos as we witness the total destruction of Miss Blandish. Chase's interpretation of the gangster and hardboiled genres is very well done.

For me, the 1961 revision strips out all the hard-edged power of the original. What remains is shorter, perhaps more palatable, and a smoother read but it does so by sacrificing the impact of the violence and sexuality of the original. In '39, only one of the principle female characters makes it out alive but in '61 several fates are rewritten to soften the story but not for the better. Having lost its blood, I find the revised edition anemic in comparison. Like I said above, it is a different book.

Let's look at some comparisons between editions which will demonstrate why I prefer the original and illustrate how well Chase could present some very bad people, on both side of the law.

The first chapter is a good place to start. Bailey, a member of the Riley Gang, enters Minny's Hash House and sees the waitress.

1939

The blonde, who was leaning over the counter, gave him a smile that made Bailey think of a piano. She had worked on herself until she looked as good as any movie star until you got close to her, then she wasn't so hot. She patted her tight yellow curls and stretched, so that her large breasts poked at Baily through her thin dress.

Compare this to

1962

The blonde leaning over the counter smiled at him. She had big white teeth that reminded Bailey of piano keys, She was too fat to interest him. He didn't return the smile.

I don't know about you but I can see the blonde in the '39 edition but not really in the '62. The whole scene in Minny's is a more fun in '39 with Bailey and the waitress taking cracks at each other in the way you expect a thug and a blowsy hash house waitress would. This is cut out entirely in '62.

Baily in the hash house contrasts with Baily during the abduction of Miss Blandish. During the abduction he beats McGovern to the ground then savagely kicks him to death. In '62 he shoots him.

Ma Grisson's son, Slim, is one of the most chilling, degenerate, and psychotic character written, particularly for 1939. He favors the knife which I think engenders more visceral fear than the gun. This is how he takes care of Riley at Johnny's.

1939
"I'm givin' it you there," Slim said, pricking the shuddering flesh with his knife. "Right in the guts, Riley, an' you'll take a mighty long time to croak."
"Listen, mister, you wouldn't do that to me," Riley gasped. "You can't do that to me ... I'm a right guy all right... don't I keep tellin' you ...Slim, you know me ... Riley? For Christ's sake ...don't ... don't do it! ...Don't do it ... Slim!"
Slim, still grinning, held the knife-point just below Riley's naval and put his weight on the handle. The knife went in slowly as if it were going into butter. Riley drew his lips back. His mouth opened. There was a long hiss of expelled breath as he stood there. Slim stepped back, leaving the black hilt of the knife growing out of Riley like a horrible malformation. Riley began to give low, wavering cries. His knees were buckling, but the cord held him.
Slim sat on the grass a few feet away and gave himself a cigarette. He pushed his hat over his eyes and squinted at Riley.
"Take your time, pal."

That last sentence, "Take your time, pal", is all the more striking because of its casualness and what it implies. Compare that to the same scene in '62:

1962
Riley opened his eyes.
"Don't kill me, Slim," he panted. "Gimme a break! Don't kill me!"
Slim grinned. The moving slowly through the patch of sunlight, he approached the cringing man.

Ma Grisson is almost as bad as her son, as cold, dangerous, and ruthless a person as you would never want to cross. The way she protects and enables Slim's perversions is chilling. When she first meets Miss Blandish:

1939

"You're going to stay here until your old man comes across, she said. If you're lucky you won't be here long. It all depends on your pa. If he tries to be smart, I'm goin' to take you apart in bits, and those bits will be sent to your pa every goddam day until he learns to play ball. Before I take you apart, I'll throw you to the boys an' what they'll do to you ain't nobody's business. You're going to behave, and you ain't causin' trouble. Do you get all that?"

1962

"Listen to me," she said, "you may be Blandish's daughter but you mean nothing to me. You're staying here until your old man buys you back. It depends on him how long you do stay here. While you're here, you're going to behave. So long as you do behave, you'll be left alone, but if you start making trouble, you'll have me to reckon with, I promise you. You'll be sorry if you do cross me. Do you understand." 

Much more menace is conveyed by the 1939 passage.

Later in this chapter and too long to quote, we see just how debased and lacking in humanity mother and son are. She reflects on Slim's impotence and need to revenge himself for his failures with women. At one point Slim asks her to hold Miss Blandish while he rapes her but Ma tells him "You shall have what you want, but not now...When the dough comes you shall have her an' she'll like it." When slim goes to bed Ma takes a rubber hose and beats Miss Blandish telling her what's going to happen to her and that "Slim's been a good boy to me an' he's going to have what he want he wants." She also tells Miss Blandish that she will be drugged into acquiescence and implying that is something she's done before. Unfortunately for Miss Blandish, all this comes to pass. In '62, all this is watered down and conveys none of the gut wrenching terror Miss Blandish must have felt.

After the Grisson gang gets the ransom, they discuss disposing of Miss Blandish. Slim Grisson flies into a rage and claims Miss Blandish for himself. In the 1939 edition, as Slim ascends the stairs to claim his prize, Chase draws out the moment, raising the tension, getting into Slim's mind:

He has gone over and over the details in his mind, and he knew just what he wanted to do. He felt that he could do it now; nothing was going to stop him. It was his moment and he was almost blinded with the pounding of blood in his brain.

But in the 1962 edition this is changed to Slim asserting his power within the gang:

At last he had shown his power. He had scared them all. From now on, he was going to have his rightful place in the gang. Ma was going to take second place. He looked down the passage at Miss Blandish's room. It was time he stopped sitting by her night after night. He must show her he wasn't only master of his mother, but master of her too.

This shifts the motivation from greed and degenerate lust to a power struggle which I do not think works as well.

When Slim enters Miss Blandish's room there is a long passage in the 1939 edition showing Miss Blandish's fear and resignation in agonizing detail:

"You won't come near me until I have a drink?" she said. "I couldn't bear it without a drink"
"Can't you leave me alone? ... keep away just a little longer ... don't touch me ... please don't ..."
She whispered suddenly to him in a small panic-ridden voice: "You're hurting me ... don't you know you ... hurt!"

In 1962 this scene becomes:

Miss Blandish watched him come across the room. She saw his new confidence and she guessed what it was to mean to her.

Shuddering, she shut her eyes.

Yes, it lets you use your imagination and you might prefer it that way but the impact is weakened.

At the end of the '62 edition, Chase give Miss Blandish a long exposition that isn't in '39:

[when asked if she wants her father] "No." She looked up. Her eyes were like holes cut in a white sheet. "He wouldn't be able to help me. He would just be horribly embarrassed and upset. This is something I should be able to work out for myself, but the trouble is I'm not fitted to to cope with any major crises in my life. I have never had any reason to cope with anything. I have never had any sense of values. I've just enjoyed a good time all the time until this happened. I suppose it is a test for me, isn't it? But instead of a test, I feel it is a trap. I don't know if I'm capable of getting out of it. I'm ashamed of myself. I'm a person without any background, any character or any faith. Some people could cope with this because they believe in God. I haven't believed in anything except having a good time." She clenched and un-clenched her fists, then she looked up ; her fixed smile made Fenner feel bad. "Perhaps I had better see the doctor. He will give me something. Then, as you said, in a few days' time I'll be able to to face this thing." She looked away and went on as if speaking to herself. "You see how weak I am. I have to have someone to lean on. I haven't the equipment to rely on myself. It's because I have been brought up to rely on other people but it is my fault. I'm not blaiming anyone but myself."

This passage puts the book into the realm of noir but I agree with Fraser that it feels tacked on. I think it retro fits an explanation why Chase doesn't give Miss Blandish a first name. She feels she never really had an identity and doesn't deserve a first name? It does add an existential noir feel to the book so there is that.

In the 1939 edition Miss Blandish says about the now dead Slim:

"No, you're wrong," she said, her voice high-pitched and hysterical. "He's not dead. He's with me now, I know he is—at first I thought I was wrong, but I know I've got him with me. I've got him inside me, he wouldn't leave me alone, ever—and he never will."

The '39 edition gives the impression that Miss Blandish is suffering from a form of Stockholm Syndrome. It is still has an existential feel but I think is more natural.

The end result is the same in both editions, Miss Blandish throws herself from the hotel window. The '39 edition add a a cynical little aside with a wealthy woman miffed that her car is being held up because of the body in the street. This is left out of '62. Personally I like it, Miss Blandish is reduced to an inconvenience.

If you have stuck with me so far, thanks. Miss Blandish is a book that I appreciate more as I re-read it. It was interesting to me to see how different the editions are and how the impact of the story changes. Remember, if you are purchasing from Amazon, use the Look Inside feature and see if Highway 54 is mentioned on page one. I know for certain that this edition from Amazon is a revised one even if the description says otherwise.

Additional Resources
1. Sidebar 1: Some Orchids for James Hadley Chase by John Fraser. This part of a larger work called Found Pages: The Remarkable Harold Ernest ("Darcy Glinto") Kelly, 1899–1969. One of Darcy Glinto's books is Lady—Don't Turn Over which borrowed heavily from No Orchids.

2. Raffles and Miss Blandish (1944), an essay by George Orwell.

3. No Orchids for Miss Blandish (1939) by James Hadley Chase.  A review on the blog Tipping My Fedora, one of my favorite crime blogs.

4. The Book You Have to Read: "No Orchids for Miss Blandish," by James Hadley Chase. A review on the blog The Rap Sheet, another of my favorite blogs.

5. No Orchids for Miss Blandish, Stark House Press. This is the text of the 1939 edition, complete and unexpurgated. This is a page link and not a title link. Scroll down and you'll see find it.