One of the first Edgar Wallace I have read. He was prolific at the peak of his career.

This was a short, atmospheric thriller (as opposed to a who dun it). It is sparingly written. And as some of the other reviewers have noted, there is a surprise ending. There is a huge clue on the way through that should have given all away, but I missed it. It wasn't that I read over it. Rather it was so much in sight that I literally checked the book (very old, crumbling paperback) to ensure that some stray pages from another book with a different story had not inadvertently found their way interposed into this book. But such was not the case.

It is more raw than the Perry Mason books of Erle Stanley Gardner, and hence a very easy read.

Having read this one, I learned that it is but one of a series.

I will be looking to read more of this series and others of Wallace, low brow though this is (and I suspect the rest will be).

Big Ship

27 July 2022 ( )

??? ( )

OK, you got me. Did not see that coming, but wanted to slap myself for NOT seeing it coming. Would have given it three stars, but the ending bumped it up a little. Very slangy bit of zeitgeist that didn't age all that well, but good fun and a surprise ending. ( )

John Gray, a moderately wealthy gentleman who was set up for having supposedly cheated riding in a horse race and sent to Dartmoor, comes out seeking vegence on the man who sent him there --and finds himself aided in his quest by the seemingly innocuous J.G. Reeder. There is a brief introduction on Edgar Wallace's life by Penelope Wallace. ( )