I've always been a huge fan of Hadley Chase.
Not only for his peculiar style of writing, but for his literary ability to draw you into his work. He is definitely one of those authors young readers should begin their reading journey with.
I had concluded already that I had read everything there was to read by Chase, which is why it came as a huge surprise when a friend mentioned this book to me, and I discovered I hadn't read it, I decided to.
"Tiger by the Tail" by Hadley Chase is a thrilling crime novel that has gathered so many reviews from critics, both positive and negative.
When I saw the summary of the plot, I knew there was no way this book could have a negative review from me.
I mean, asides my obvious liking of the author, I have a really good eye for a literary masterpiece and a book like this, is one of them.
The entirety of the plot revolves around Ken Holland. His life is seemingly perfect, with a perfect marriage and a great job until it isn't.
He falls into temptation one night, by engaging the services of an escort, and that night totally changes the trajectory of his entire life.
Ken must eliminate the traces of his infidelity before his wife gets to know about it, but it doesn't help that adultery has become murder, and Ken is caught in the center of it.
There were so many things to love about this book.
First, would be it's engaging and suspenseful plot. This is one of those books that are a proper page turner. The storyline is intricately woven, the characters are property developed and brought into the novel, and the twists and suspense in the storyline, is just the right amount you would expect for a thriller.
I somehow agree with critics that believe that the author introduced too many characters that might have been irrelevant to the plot, but on the flip side, those characters might have been the little cornerstones that helped in the plot development.
There's also the fact that Hadley Chase did a beautiful job of depicting the dark side of human nature. Ken Holland almost made it as my favorite character in this novel.
His character was beautifully depicted, and it almost made me believe it was real.
In his attempt to clear his name, we get to see other sides of his character, and just for a slight second, I kept wondering, if indeed he had nothing to do with the murder.
Some readers have said this book had a very slow pacing. For people like us, who are very familiar with Hadley Chase's style of writing, I must say, the plot had just the perfect pace for it's execution.
Do I recommend? Most definitely. If you're new to the genre of crime fiction, then Chase's novel is a perfect introduction into that genre.