of the kidnappers, and Dave Fenner, an ex journalist and now a private investigator, is hired to rescue her and deal with the gangsters. Fenner and the police eventually work out where the young socialite is located and go to the club, where a gun battle ensues. Slim is killed and Miss Blandish is rescued, but unfortunately, after months of torture and drugs at the hands of the gangsters, Miss Blandish cannot cope with freedom and kills herself. Reception Upon publication, the book was an instant commercial success, selling over half a million copies within five years, despite wartime paper shortages. It was also controversial, due to its violence and risqué content. In 1944, it was the subject of an essay by George Orwell in Horizon, "Raffles and Miss Blandish", in which Orwell claimed that the novel bordered on the obscene. In 1947, the sado-eroticism in Chase's book was parodied by Raymond Queneau in his pastiche novel, We Always Treat Women Too Well. In 1961, the novel was extensively rewritten and revised by the author because he thought the world of 1939 too distant for a new generation of readers (confusion can result if readers of the Orwell essay refer his quotations and references to the 1962 edition). In 1973, Gene D. Phillips of Loyola University of Chicago remarked on the influence of William Faulkner's 1931 novel Sanctuary, writing that, "It is a matter of record that [No Orchids for Miss Blandish] was heavily indebted to Sanctuary for its plot line." Phillips also stated that Slim Grisson, who was identified by Phillips as the main antagonist, was based on Popeye, a criminal in Faulkner's novel. In 1999, the novel was picked in a survey of the best books from the 20th century by the French retailer Fnac and the Paris newspaper Le Monde in Le Monde's 100 Books of the Century. Since its publication, No Orchids for Miss Blandish has sold over two million copies. Adaptations In 1942, the novel was adapted into a stage play of the same name, starring Robert Newton, which ran for over 200 performances at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London. In 1948, it was adapted into a British film No Orchids for Miss Blandish and given a contemporary New York City setting. The 1971 American film The Grissom Gang was also based on the novel, moving the setting to Kansas City and the