‘The Double Shuffle’ was first published on 1st June1954. Susan, a blonde dancer, who has a deadly snake for a partner, buys a million-dollar accidental death insurance policy. Insurance investigators Maddux and Steve Harmas knows that this is not another publicity stunt. Someone stood to gain lot of money if Susan died. There must be a catch that the commission agent missed.
Steve Harmas, insurance investigator extraordinaire, is a recurring character in James Hadley Chase’s thrillers. Harmas is asked to look into the peculiar case of the snake-dancing G-string wearing bombshell who does things with a rattler snake no sane human would consider attempting.
Harmas jets to Hollywood with his insurance expert wife Helen in tow. At times, watching this couple investigate is like watching Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore go at it. Pretty much, straight away, there are alarm bells ringing, you think you know what the plot is all about; but in a typical fashion, chapter after chapter the plot thickens…absolutely remarkable from the maestro, thriller, murder, mystery writer of all time.
