The Double Shuffle

James Hadley Chase is probably the best know synonym of René Lodge Brabazon Raymond, an English writer also known by other pen names, including James L. Docherty, Raymond Marshall, R. Raymond, and Ambrose Grant. He is one of the best known thriller writers of all time. He was influenced by American crime writes and writers of hardboiled pulp fiction, but he rarely visited the United States and the books are based on knowledge acquired by reading and using reference materials. He has written some 90 books, almost half of which have been made into movies.
"The Double Shuffle" tells the story of Steve Harmas, an insurance detective, who has to try and find out why Susan Gellert, an obscure dancer who performs in a G-string with a deadly snake for a partner, has taken out a personal insurance for a million dollars. It is supposed to be a simple publicity stunt, but Steve he sure that whoever stands to gain from her death doesn’t intend to wait very long to collect the money. However, as he begins investigating the past and present activities of Susan, Steve becomes involved in a baffling, sinister and intricate plot to defraud the insurance companies.