The Fast Buck, also known as The Soft Touch, is a 1952 thriller mystery novel by British author James Hadley Chase. Synopsis The fast buck runs around a complexed set of events and interactions between different people out to find a hidden Indian treasure with different intentions, soon involving a ruthless criminal who is on the run after a homicide in an attempted robbery. Plot The story opens with hotelier Ralph Rico rendezvousing with acquaintance Verne Baird, a ruthless killer who has just knocked off actress Jean Bruce to steal her necklace, and wants Rico to sell it safely for him. Baird then runs for safety. Officer Olin shortly comes in and reveals that Jean Bruce has died and he strongly suspects Baird, but Rico denies any knowledge of the killer or the necklace. It is then shown that the Maharajah of Chittabad in India has come to claim a treasure of Indian jewels that his father had shipped to New York to donate to a museum long back, but was stolen and its whereabouts unknown, although the thief who attempted the robbery, Paul Hater, is serving a prison sentence due to end in two years. The Rajah now wants the insurance company to make good the loss of the treasure, but the latter suspect that he is trying to exploit them by finding the treasure for himself and disposing it whilst making a false claim for insurance money, and have employed private investigator Harmon Purvis' agency to spy on him. Ed Dallas, sidekick to Purvis, spies on a couple visiting the Rajah and reports his findings to his boss. The couple are one Preston Kile from San Francisco and his companion Eve Gillis. Olin finds Baird and pursues him, but as fate would have it, Baird lands up in the apartment of Anita Jackson, a waitress, who hides him from the police and nurses him to good health for days, much to Baird's surprise, in return for nothing. For some reason, Anita hates the police. Baird then gets time to prepare an alibi with friends in New York, and Olin is not able to pin the homicide-robbery on him. Baird develops a fascination for Anita and decides to meet her again. Next the plot moves to Preston Kile, a broke Stock exchange manipulator and roadside romeo, and Eve Gillis, an ex model, staying with him. She convinces him to