Quotes

JUST ANOTHER SUCKER by James Hadley Chase

Harry Barber,a journalist ,has spent three and a half years in jail
after getting hot gist about a Chicago mob that had bribed its way
into Palm City and refusing to be bribed into silence.

After serving his term,he promises not to be a sucker again,but he
can't land a good job. He steals from the handbag of a rich woman,Rhea
Malroux,who "employs" him instead of getting him arrested. She hires
him to "kidnap" her stepdaughter Odette in order to get money from her
husband,Mr Malroux. His share is to be $5o,ooo out of the $45o,ooo to
be demanded.

Harry later gets a proper job with the police after agreeing to the deal.

The plan is hatched,but Rhea has other plans. She switches Malroux's
suitcases at the last minute so that he takes a suitcase containing
cut newspapers to Harry. Rhea's lover,O'Reilly, strangles Odette in
Harry's cabin before his arrival...

Eventually,the police make a suprise visit on Rhea and overhear her
confessions and O'Reilly's firsthand. O'Reilly is shot dead by the
police,Rhea gets a 15-year jail term while Harry gets a suspended
5-year jail term.

THE BIRTHDAY PARTY and THE NEXT ATTEMPT by Segun Adebanjo

THE BIRTHDAY PARTY
Alice Abram is her mother's only child in a polygamous family. Her
mother pampers her to a fault. She is already sneaking out to
overnight parties as a 19-year-old secondary school dropout in
Olorunda Village,with her mother's connivance.

She is later sent to Kajola to live with her maternal uncle James,who
gets her a job as a receptionist at Lancelot's Ltd. Along the
line,she acquires four boyfriends: Frederick,Femi Roberts,Chief Lawson
and Alhaji Sidiq. After quarrelling with her uncle,she moves into a
flat rented for her by Chief Lawson,who visits her once a month with
plenty of advance notice.

Alice organises a birthday party sponsored by all the four boyfriends.
A fracas ensues at dancing time among the four men and their friends
over who dances with her. The shame forces her out of town,without
informing any of her relatives.

THE NEXT ATTEMPT

In Lagos,Alice stays with her school friend Ngozi until she meets and
marries Yemi Robinson. She reconciles with her family.

Alice becomes panicky a few months into the marriage when she didn't
get pregnant. This is understandable considering her past. The couple
keeps running from pillar to post until Yemi gets tired of the stress
and secretly has a child by Chinyere Okonkwo. Alice faints on hearing
the news from Ngozi and is discovered to be pregnant at the hospital.