No Orchids for Miss Blandish is a 1939 crime novel by the British writer James Hadley Chase. It was a critical and commercial success upon release, though it also provoked considerable controversy due to its explicit depiction of sexuality and violence. In 1942, the novel was adapted into a stage play and in 1948 it became a British film. The novel became particularly popular with British servicemen during World War II. The 1948 novel The Flesh of the Orchid by the same author is a sequel to No Orchids for Miss Blandish. Development and publication Chase wrote No Orchids For Miss Blandish over a period of six weekends in 1938. The novel was influenced by the American crime writer James M. Cain and the stories featured in the Pulp magazine Black Mask. Although he had never visited America, Chase reportedly wrote the book as a bet to pen a story about American gangsters that would out-do The Postman Always Rings Twice in terms of obscenity and daring. Upon publication, Chase's pulp thriller became particularly popular with British soldiers, seamen and airmen during World War II. These servicemen enjoyed its risqué passages, which marked a new frontier of daringness in popular literature. Author and military historian Patrick Bishop has called No Orchids For Miss Blandish, "perhaps the most widely-read book of the war". Synopsis In New York City, a local goon and gang leader named Riley learns that the wealthy socialite Miss Blandish will be wearing an expensive diamond necklace to her birthday celebration. Riley and his gang plan to steal the necklace and ransom it. The inept criminals manage to kidnap Miss Blandish and her boyfriend, but after the latter is accidentally killed they instead decide to hold Miss Blandish ransom, reasoning that her millionaire father will pay more to get his daughter back safely than the necklace is worth. The plan begins to fall apart when a rival mob, led by the sadistic and mentally unbalanced Slim Grisson, finds out about Riley's plan and kidnaps Miss Blandish from the gang. Mr. Blandish pays the ransom to Slim, but his daughter is not returned. Slim becomes increasingly obsessed with Miss Blandish and decides to keep her hidden in a secret room inside one of his nightclubs, repeatedly raping her and lashing out at anybody who attempts to wrestle Miss Blandish from his charge. Meanwhile, the police are on the trail