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Mr. J.G. Reeder #1
Room 13
Recently released from prison, John Gray visits his old friend Peter Kane. Although it is the day of his daughter's wedding, Kane agrees to an audience with Emanuel Legg, the criminal and cop-killer with whom he has some business. Gray wanders into the garden and a tornado of fury sweeps through him. The debonair Major Floyd, the new husband to whom Kane has entrusted his precious daughter, is a fraudster of the most sinister kind.
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1924
28 people are currently reading
272 people want to read
About the author
Edgar Wallace
2,084 books259 followersRichard Horatio Edgar Wallace (1875-1932) was a prolific British crime writer, journalist and playwright, who wrote 175 novels, 24 plays, and countless articles in newspapers and journals.
Over 160 films have been made of his novels, more than any other author. In the 1920s, one of Wallace's publishers claimed that a quarter of all books read in England were written by him.
He is most famous today as the co-creator of "King Kong", writing the early screenplay and story for the movie, as well as a short story "King Kong" (1933) credited to him and Draycott Dell. He was known for the J. G. Reeder detective stories, The Four Just Men, the Ringer, and for creating the Green Archer character during his lifetime.
Over 160 films have been made of his novels, more than any other author. In the 1920s, one of Wallace's publishers claimed that a quarter of all books read in England were written by him.
He is most famous today as the co-creator of "King Kong", writing the early screenplay and story for the movie, as well as a short story "King Kong" (1933) credited to him and Draycott Dell. He was known for the J. G. Reeder detective stories, The Four Just Men, the Ringer, and for creating the Green Archer character during his lifetime.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
August 29, 2020
3.5 stars.
It's a fast paced, entertaining cross between classical crime and mystery novel and the hard boiled genre, with a drop of romance thrown in. All the cleverly crafted twists and turns laid out by the author will keep you interested. Plus the characters are quite well written!
It's a fast paced, entertaining cross between classical crime and mystery novel and the hard boiled genre, with a drop of romance thrown in. All the cleverly crafted twists and turns laid out by the author will keep you interested. Plus the characters are quite well written!
January 13, 2020
I just finished reading Room 13 by Edgar Wallace and I really wish he hadn't written a sequel to it, then another, than another. As far as I can tell all the books and short stories in the series, I can't remember how many there are, have J. G. Reeder as the main character, and he goes around solving crimes. I really enjoyed the book, but finding out there were more and reading a little bit about them has me confused and I can't tell you why without it being a spoiler, so I will pretend I know nothing about a book two or three, for now anyway.
In this book one of our main characters is Mr. J. G. Reeder. No one knows much about him. This is how he is described in the book:
In a long sedate road in suburban Brockley lived a man who had apparently no fixed occupation. He was tall, thin, somewhat cadaverous, and he was known locally as a furtive night-bird. Few had seen him in the daytime, and the inquisitive who, by skilful cross-examination, endeavoured to discover his business from a reticent housekeeper learnt comparatively little, and that little inaccurate. Policemen on night duty, morning wayfarers had seen him walking up Brockley Road in the early hours, coming apparently from the direction of London. He was known as Mr. J.G. Reeder. Letters in that name came addressed to him – large blue letters, officially stamped and sealed, and in consequence it was understood in postal circles that he held a Government position. The local police force never troubled him. He was one of the subjects it was not permissible to discuss. Until the advent of Emanuel Legge that afternoon, nobody ever remembered Mr. Reeder having a caller.
It also says somewhere he is middle aged and stupid, and that it is said he knows everything, although how you can know everything and be stupid is something I don't know, Reeder does though. He is also on the trail of the Big Printer, some guy who is printing lots of counterfeit money and very good at it. I believe none of it, except the counterfeiting part. You see our real main character is John Gray, or Johnny Gray, or Mr. John Gray, just make sure you say both names each time he is mentioned, John Gray, and make sure you say J. G. Reeder everytime he is mentioned, always with the J. G. ---J. G. - John Gray, same guy, that's what I think anyway.
It doesn't matter to me that John Gray is in prison when the book begins, it doesn't matter he has committed crimes and hangs out with criminals when he gets out of prison, I think he's J. G. Reeder. But I'll pretend I don't think so and tell you what our hero is in prison for, I'll let him tell you since I don't understand it:
"I didn’t get mine for faking Spider King,” said Johnny calmly. “I didn’t know that Spider King had been rung in when I took him on the course, and was another horse altogether. They framed up Spider King to catch me. I am not complaining.”
He was framed by Jeff Legge, one of the bad guys, in fact his father is in the same prison Johnny is, Jeff framed him but he doesn't know why, he has only seen him but has never met him. We find out why - one of the reasons anyway - almost as soon as he leaves prison.
It seems Johnny is madly in love with Marney, but unfortunately for him while he's been in prison Marney has fallen madly in love with Major Floyd. I don't know what he's a major of. And Johnny happens to return home to her on her wedding day, moments after the wedding in fact, before they leave for their honeymoon so he gets to meet the lucky groom, Major Floyd. Imagine his surprise to find that Major Floyd is really Jeff Legge. And to find out why Jeff Legge is going around marrying people under a different name, or why his father hates Marney's father, or when everybody figures out who is who (including the Big Printer), or why Marney's father isn't a great fan of Jeff's father, or what room 13 has to do with any of this, to find it all out you'll have to read the book, once again I am getting incredibly tired of typing on my phone. If you want to know what has caused me such confusion I'll put it here in a spoiler, but please don't read it if you want to read the book, it really is a spoiler. Other than that I really liked the book and had fun reading it and learned nothing at all which I love, it was just fun. Happy reading.
In this book one of our main characters is Mr. J. G. Reeder. No one knows much about him. This is how he is described in the book:
In a long sedate road in suburban Brockley lived a man who had apparently no fixed occupation. He was tall, thin, somewhat cadaverous, and he was known locally as a furtive night-bird. Few had seen him in the daytime, and the inquisitive who, by skilful cross-examination, endeavoured to discover his business from a reticent housekeeper learnt comparatively little, and that little inaccurate. Policemen on night duty, morning wayfarers had seen him walking up Brockley Road in the early hours, coming apparently from the direction of London. He was known as Mr. J.G. Reeder. Letters in that name came addressed to him – large blue letters, officially stamped and sealed, and in consequence it was understood in postal circles that he held a Government position. The local police force never troubled him. He was one of the subjects it was not permissible to discuss. Until the advent of Emanuel Legge that afternoon, nobody ever remembered Mr. Reeder having a caller.
It also says somewhere he is middle aged and stupid, and that it is said he knows everything, although how you can know everything and be stupid is something I don't know, Reeder does though. He is also on the trail of the Big Printer, some guy who is printing lots of counterfeit money and very good at it. I believe none of it, except the counterfeiting part. You see our real main character is John Gray, or Johnny Gray, or Mr. John Gray, just make sure you say both names each time he is mentioned, John Gray, and make sure you say J. G. Reeder everytime he is mentioned, always with the J. G. ---J. G. - John Gray, same guy, that's what I think anyway.
It doesn't matter to me that John Gray is in prison when the book begins, it doesn't matter he has committed crimes and hangs out with criminals when he gets out of prison, I think he's J. G. Reeder. But I'll pretend I don't think so and tell you what our hero is in prison for, I'll let him tell you since I don't understand it:
"I didn’t get mine for faking Spider King,” said Johnny calmly. “I didn’t know that Spider King had been rung in when I took him on the course, and was another horse altogether. They framed up Spider King to catch me. I am not complaining.”
He was framed by Jeff Legge, one of the bad guys, in fact his father is in the same prison Johnny is, Jeff framed him but he doesn't know why, he has only seen him but has never met him. We find out why - one of the reasons anyway - almost as soon as he leaves prison.
It seems Johnny is madly in love with Marney, but unfortunately for him while he's been in prison Marney has fallen madly in love with Major Floyd. I don't know what he's a major of. And Johnny happens to return home to her on her wedding day, moments after the wedding in fact, before they leave for their honeymoon so he gets to meet the lucky groom, Major Floyd. Imagine his surprise to find that Major Floyd is really Jeff Legge. And to find out why Jeff Legge is going around marrying people under a different name, or why his father hates Marney's father, or when everybody figures out who is who (including the Big Printer), or why Marney's father isn't a great fan of Jeff's father, or what room 13 has to do with any of this, to find it all out you'll have to read the book, once again I am getting incredibly tired of typing on my phone. If you want to know what has caused me such confusion I'll put it here in a spoiler, but please don't read it if you want to read the book, it really is a spoiler. Other than that I really liked the book and had fun reading it and learned nothing at all which I love, it was just fun. Happy reading.
February 18, 2018
From the writer of King Kong comes this somewhat dated and very British crime mystery. It contains counterfeiters, a doddering detective, loads of criminals, a couple of jails, a club for criminals with secret exits and passages, kidnapping by marriage, a man being thrown from a train, poisoning, bigamy, spies, and loads and loads of 1920s British prison slang. Did you know that jail (or “gaol” as they spell it) was referred to as “boob” and that the guards were called “screws”?
Our story starts with out hero, Johnny Gray, in prison at the same time as underworld kingpin Emanuel Legge who is the father of Jeff Legge, a counterfeiter known as “The Big Printer”. Gray gets out of prison to find his girlfriend, Marney, has married a man she believes is a Canadian military man, but is in fact Jeff Legge! It proves to be an elaborate revenge plot for certain criminals “shopping” or “squeaking” on one another.
Partway into the story we also meet an old detective named Reeder who projects a harmless appearance and talks at length about flowers and chickens. From there we soon get the mystery of a near fatal shooting (in Room 13), and more entanglements about the details of how the Big Printer gets the “slush” out.
The book is fairly tight and economic, even if it does roll back and forth a little, but I didn't quite get into it until the bit where the plot began to spring. Wallace enjoys the use of at least one achingly dated twist (the kind you might find in one of those 30s drawing-room mystery films that played too often for laughs) which you can forgive or not, depending on how much you enjoy the rest of it. Amongst the sea of adorable genre touches is a lot of weird realism, but somehow it meshes.
Our story starts with out hero, Johnny Gray, in prison at the same time as underworld kingpin Emanuel Legge who is the father of Jeff Legge, a counterfeiter known as “The Big Printer”. Gray gets out of prison to find his girlfriend, Marney, has married a man she believes is a Canadian military man, but is in fact Jeff Legge! It proves to be an elaborate revenge plot for certain criminals “shopping” or “squeaking” on one another.
Partway into the story we also meet an old detective named Reeder who projects a harmless appearance and talks at length about flowers and chickens. From there we soon get the mystery of a near fatal shooting (in Room 13), and more entanglements about the details of how the Big Printer gets the “slush” out.
The book is fairly tight and economic, even if it does roll back and forth a little, but I didn't quite get into it until the bit where the plot began to spring. Wallace enjoys the use of at least one achingly dated twist (the kind you might find in one of those 30s drawing-room mystery films that played too often for laughs) which you can forgive or not, depending on how much you enjoy the rest of it. Amongst the sea of adorable genre touches is a lot of weird realism, but somehow it meshes.
April 30, 2019
Rereading and thoroughly enjoying the second time around.
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Edgar Wallace was one of the best writers of his time of adventure thrillers that were also riveting mysteries. Mr. J.G Reeder is a wonderful character. Not a policeman, not a detective, we don't know exactly what he is except that when he is around mysteries are solved, wrongs are righted, secrets are uncovered — all in the service of good. And he does it with such a wilted, tired, disinterested manner that it can't help but be amusing to see the effect on the villains.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable, plot twisting mystery.
========
Edgar Wallace was one of the best writers of his time of adventure thrillers that were also riveting mysteries. Mr. J.G Reeder is a wonderful character. Not a policeman, not a detective, we don't know exactly what he is except that when he is around mysteries are solved, wrongs are righted, secrets are uncovered — all in the service of good. And he does it with such a wilted, tired, disinterested manner that it can't help but be amusing to see the effect on the villains.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable, plot twisting mystery.
December 18, 2015
Apart from the typical Wallace mystery presented in this book, there is a further mystery: why the name J.G.Reeder, which became attached to the main character in a series of novels and short stories, appears in the first book in the series to be an assumed name, the name of a different character in the novel. Did Edgar Wallace change his mind? Or has this anything to do with the mind of Mr. J.G.Reeder? :-)
May 18, 2017
eread
February 17, 2018
I found this book so lovely and fun. It is rather simple, yes, but is nice enough. Investigation, crooked men and a girl perhaps too naive, make the story quite amazing.
August 31, 2018
Mystery/romance with twists, making it more interesting. Clean, enjoyable beach /fireside read. Recommended.
November 30, 2021
Pe dâmbul înverzit din faţa zidului întunecat al codrului des de brazi, în mijlocul unui parc larg prevăzut cu arbori, se află vila Alice. De la răzorul oval, smălţuit cu mii de flori, se înălţa peronul cu terasă către cele două uşi batante de cristal, ale parterului. Ferestrele largi şi boltite ale primului etaj privesc departe peste câmpuri, unde se zăresc acoperişurile neregulate ale caselor cu hornuri, care se înalţă ca nişte degete de mănușă, din care, în fiecare zi, nori de fum întunecă lumina soarelui.
Tot ceea ce se vede prin fumul negru, clădirile de cărămidă despărțite prin străzi asfaltate şi dubla linie ferată, barăcile cele joase cu miile lor de muncitori care în locul aerului curat respiră numai fumul cel gros, toate acestea sunt „Întreprinderile Paragon” cunoscute ca una din cele mai mari fabrici de maşini din lume.
Şi aici, sus pe colină, se află casa mândră şi scăldată în lumina soarelui, în mijlocul unei pajişti vesele bătută de vânturi calde.
„Edgar Paragon“ stă scris simplu numele pe tăbliţa de alamă de pe unul din stâlpii zidului parcului. O poartă, cu două aripi din fier, cizelat, desparte casa de lumea înconjurătoare.
O maşină cu motorul zbârnâind se căzneşte din greu să urce în sus pe colină. Praful întregului dram din oraş şi până aici se află pe caroserie.
Automobilul se opreşte în faţa porţilor parcului. Şoferul sare jos, deschide zelos portiera şi apoi se osteneşte să dea jos cufărul încătărămat în timp ce din fundul maşinii coboară călătorul cu un căscat obosit.
Ochii săi, întunecaţi şi pătrunzători, care sunt în contrast cu paloarea bolnăvicioasă a figurii sale uscăţive şi lipsită de viaţă, se îndreptară trudiţi asupra casei ai cărei pereţi luminoşi strălucesc printre arborii înverziţi. Apoi se îndreaptă târându-şi paşii nesiguri spre portal; ― şi totuşi Robert Paragon n-are decât 24 ani. Dar viaţa în oraş, sau, în orice caz, ceea ce el înţelegea prin viaţă, a făcut ca ultimii ani să conteze pentru el dublu sau chiar triplu.
Obrajii supţi, cearcănele de sub ochi, buzele decolorate vădesc aceasta într-o limbă mult prea limpede.
El apăsă odată pe butonul soneriei care e sub firmuliţa cu numele tatălui său, apoi se întoarse către şofer:
― Cât face?
― Şase shillingi şi 3 pence, d-le Paragon, răspunse acesta care tocmai pusese în faţa porţii elegantul cufăr de piele.
― Bine! Robert Paragon clătină capul neglijent. Ţi-i voi plăti mâine, când vei veni aici să mă iei pentru trenul de prânz.
Pe trăsăturile îngrijorate ale şoferului se aşternu dezamăgirea dar nu îndrăzni să riposteze. Tăcut, se urcă în maşină, întoarse şi foarte încet porni înapoi pe drumul pe care venise.
Şi Robert Paragon aşteptă. Nerăbdător, făcu câţiva paşi.
Tot ceea ce se vede prin fumul negru, clădirile de cărămidă despărțite prin străzi asfaltate şi dubla linie ferată, barăcile cele joase cu miile lor de muncitori care în locul aerului curat respiră numai fumul cel gros, toate acestea sunt „Întreprinderile Paragon” cunoscute ca una din cele mai mari fabrici de maşini din lume.
Şi aici, sus pe colină, se află casa mândră şi scăldată în lumina soarelui, în mijlocul unei pajişti vesele bătută de vânturi calde.
„Edgar Paragon“ stă scris simplu numele pe tăbliţa de alamă de pe unul din stâlpii zidului parcului. O poartă, cu două aripi din fier, cizelat, desparte casa de lumea înconjurătoare.
O maşină cu motorul zbârnâind se căzneşte din greu să urce în sus pe colină. Praful întregului dram din oraş şi până aici se află pe caroserie.
Automobilul se opreşte în faţa porţilor parcului. Şoferul sare jos, deschide zelos portiera şi apoi se osteneşte să dea jos cufărul încătărămat în timp ce din fundul maşinii coboară călătorul cu un căscat obosit.
Ochii săi, întunecaţi şi pătrunzători, care sunt în contrast cu paloarea bolnăvicioasă a figurii sale uscăţive şi lipsită de viaţă, se îndreptară trudiţi asupra casei ai cărei pereţi luminoşi strălucesc printre arborii înverziţi. Apoi se îndreaptă târându-şi paşii nesiguri spre portal; ― şi totuşi Robert Paragon n-are decât 24 ani. Dar viaţa în oraş, sau, în orice caz, ceea ce el înţelegea prin viaţă, a făcut ca ultimii ani să conteze pentru el dublu sau chiar triplu.
Obrajii supţi, cearcănele de sub ochi, buzele decolorate vădesc aceasta într-o limbă mult prea limpede.
El apăsă odată pe butonul soneriei care e sub firmuliţa cu numele tatălui său, apoi se întoarse către şofer:
― Cât face?
― Şase shillingi şi 3 pence, d-le Paragon, răspunse acesta care tocmai pusese în faţa porţii elegantul cufăr de piele.
― Bine! Robert Paragon clătină capul neglijent. Ţi-i voi plăti mâine, când vei veni aici să mă iei pentru trenul de prânz.
Pe trăsăturile îngrijorate ale şoferului se aşternu dezamăgirea dar nu îndrăzni să riposteze. Tăcut, se urcă în maşină, întoarse şi foarte încet porni înapoi pe drumul pe care venise.
Şi Robert Paragon aşteptă. Nerăbdător, făcu câţiva paşi.
June 8, 2025
I'm starting to have more respect for Edgar Wallace. In his own time, he was seen as a prolific hack, producing highly-coloured sensational literature to thrill the undiscerning public, but they aren't just written to a formula or full of easy pulp tropes. Each one I've read so far is distinctly different, and the plots are clever and gripping. The characters, while not having a great deal of depth, are also distinct, and behave in understandable human ways.
This is particularly true here. John Gray has just got out of prison, where he was serving time for swapping out a racehorse for a "ringer". While he's been away, his beloved, Marney, has got engaged to someone else, who she and her father (a retired criminal who has raised Marney "straight" and not told her where his money came from) think is an honest man, in contrast to Gray.
This is, unfortunately, not true. Gray arrives to find her married to someone he recognizes as a notorious forger and the son of Marney's father's former partner, who went to prison for shooting a policeman on their last job together, while Marney's father got away clean. He's resentful and wants vengeance (and money; he believes his old partner hasn't given him his fair share). So he's set up this marriage as part of his vengeance plot and to give himself more leverage.
In the course of the story, it looks pretty bad for Gray a few times; his rival gets shot while he is suspiciously nearby, and more violence, kidnapping, and murder ensue. Meanwhile, the name of J.G. Reeder keeps coming up, attached to a fussy older man who is thought to be some kind of bank detective.
It's suspenseful, fast-moving and full of period criminal slang - I suspect Wallace did some research, perhaps just in the form of talking to a criminal or ex-criminal and asking them about the slang, and wanted to make full use of it. But the slang is never confusing or obscure.
Overall, a solid suspense novel, and I'll be reading more from this author.
This is particularly true here. John Gray has just got out of prison, where he was serving time for swapping out a racehorse for a "ringer". While he's been away, his beloved, Marney, has got engaged to someone else, who she and her father (a retired criminal who has raised Marney "straight" and not told her where his money came from) think is an honest man, in contrast to Gray.
This is, unfortunately, not true. Gray arrives to find her married to someone he recognizes as a notorious forger and the son of Marney's father's former partner, who went to prison for shooting a policeman on their last job together, while Marney's father got away clean. He's resentful and wants vengeance (and money; he believes his old partner hasn't given him his fair share). So he's set up this marriage as part of his vengeance plot and to give himself more leverage.
In the course of the story, it looks pretty bad for Gray a few times; his rival gets shot while he is suspiciously nearby, and more violence, kidnapping, and murder ensue. Meanwhile, the name of J.G. Reeder keeps coming up, attached to a fussy older man who is thought to be some kind of bank detective.
It's suspenseful, fast-moving and full of period criminal slang - I suspect Wallace did some research, perhaps just in the form of talking to a criminal or ex-criminal and asking them about the slang, and wanted to make full use of it. But the slang is never confusing or obscure.
Overall, a solid suspense novel, and I'll be reading more from this author.
February 4, 2023
I really enjoyed this book! John Gray has just been released from prison for a crime he didn't commit. He sets about finding what happened to his girlfriend and who set him up and why. It didn't take him long to find out. With the help of Mr J G Reeder of course!
I won't give any more of the plot away but I did like the grey unassuming Mr Reeder! It didn't take too long to read either, especially after the other two books I attempted to read today and deleted!
I won't give any more of the plot away but I did like the grey unassuming Mr Reeder! It didn't take too long to read either, especially after the other two books I attempted to read today and deleted!
March 16, 2024
Excellent !!
The first in Edgar Wallace Mr Reeder series! Very enjoyable!!
Johnny Gray leaves jail and goes to Peter Kanes house. Peter’s daughter and Johnnys good friend, Marney is engaged to a respectable major. But Johnny recognises the major!! Johnny knows it’s Jeffery Legge and he is the big printer!!
The best I’ve read of Wallace’s work so far in my Wallace odyssey.
The first in Edgar Wallace Mr Reeder series! Very enjoyable!!
Johnny Gray leaves jail and goes to Peter Kanes house. Peter’s daughter and Johnnys good friend, Marney is engaged to a respectable major. But Johnny recognises the major!! Johnny knows it’s Jeffery Legge and he is the big printer!!
The best I’ve read of Wallace’s work so far in my Wallace odyssey.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 5, 2022
Ein Krimi-Klassiker, der sehr flüssig und spannend zu lesen war. Es geht um Verbrecher, Falschgeld, Intrigen, Liebesgeschichten und gewiefte Ermittler. Bleibt sicher nicht mein erster und einziger Edgar Wallace Krimi.
July 16, 2024
Açıkcası sürüklenmediğim polisiye kitaplardan oldu, kitabın başı ve ortası çok da akıcı değil,
Biraz kendimi zorlayarak ilerledim, merak unsurları var,
Giriş kısmında kendimi veremedim, sonrası daha iyiydi,
Polisiye cinayet suç ve gizem mevcut,
Polisiye sevenlere tavsiye ederim
Biraz kendimi zorlayarak ilerledim, merak unsurları var,
Giriş kısmında kendimi veremedim, sonrası daha iyiydi,
Polisiye cinayet suç ve gizem mevcut,
Polisiye sevenlere tavsiye ederim
March 2, 2025
Introducing Mr. J.G. Reeder, one of Edgar Wallace's best creations - a meek, retiring elderly man with a razor-sharp brain and a knack for catching criminals. Lots of action, intrigue a delightful sense of humor.
October 17, 2025
The bad guys are criminals, the good guys are criminals, the protagonist is a criminal, the maid is a criminal. Not my thing. Dnf and have it a 3 star cause it’s not badly written. But reading it was a trial of patience. Didnt like anyone.
Read
January 8, 2020Wallace brilliant as ever
The older world of villains brought back to life by the excellent writing of Edgar Wallace. An excellent read as ever
The older world of villains brought back to life by the excellent writing of Edgar Wallace. An excellent read as ever
January 3, 2022
A classic crime and mystery book!
A cleverly crafted book with well fleshed out characters, with dramatic twist and turns!
Wow! Well written!
Suspenseful!
Intreging!
Enjoyable!
A cleverly crafted book with well fleshed out characters, with dramatic twist and turns!
Wow! Well written!
Suspenseful!
Intreging!
Enjoyable!
July 23, 2022
This was terrific - plenty of action, Yikes - some dastardly villains who nearly accomplished their evil plots. I read it quickly as it was full of twists & surprises! Great characters!
January 17, 2014
I read this in the 1967 John Long hardback edition. It really took me back in time to be reading a novel in large crown 8vo, a format that now seems to be reserved for "novelty" publications -- often to make a short novel look longer, as per some of the works of Nicholas Sparks. Of course, back in the day, novels were generally shorter: this novel clocks in at just under 60,000 words, and tells its story perfectly well within that compass. As I've whinged frequently here and elsewhere, while I've nothing against longer novels, I find it a shame that nowadays it seems to be an imperative that even straightforward popular novels be 120,000 words upwards.
But enough of that . . .
Johnny Gray is let out of Dartmoor having served a couple of years for a crime he may or may not have committed. He goes to rejoin his mentor Peter Kane, a retired gentleman crook whose daughter Marney is Johnny's beloved. But he arrives at Kane's home to discover that mere hours before Marney married another, supposedly a Canadian officer but in fact John Legge, the Big Printer, whose forged banknotes are flooding the UK and the Continent. The marriage of this scoundrel to Marney has been engineered by John's crooked father Emanuel as part of his planned vengeance upon Peter, whom he believes bilked him out of the proceeds of a heist and shopped him to the cops -- like Johnny, Emanuel is not long out of Dartmoor but after a far stiffer sentence.
Johnny and Peter must somehow extricate themselves and Marney from this predicament. The plot thickens when someone shoots John Legge near-fatally in Room 13 of the notorious Highlow Club, where all the worst crooks of London congregate to discuss their nefarious doings and plan new ones . . .
A nicely twisty tale, tautly told, this is the first book in the J.G. Reeder series. Reeder is a reclusive, middle-aged-going-on-elderly, eccentric character who, like so many detectives, hides his intellectual stature behind a mask of blandness. This, at least, is the version of him that appears in the other Reeder books and in the TV series based thereon; and it's also the Reeder we recognize in this first novel until, toward the end, it's revealed this character isn't Reeder at all! I don't know why Wallace decided to violate the back-story for the later volumes; perhaps it was simply that his audience found the false Reeder a more interesting character than the real one. For the most part he has a fairly peripheral role in Room 13, coming into his own only in the latter part of the book.
Edgar Wallace novels seem rather rare objects in the US -- at least among the libraries of Passaic County, NJ, which between them could muster just two, this and Flat 2 (which I'll be reading shortly). I guess I'd better start trawling eBay or something if I want any more . . .
August 21, 2012
Unlike anything I've ever read before. The inverted commas around every instance of slang start to get annoying by the end, but it does mean that anyone can come and read this without any specialist knowledge (I always feel a bit cheated when the plot device turns on something you have to have detailed knowledge for not readily available to the 'man in the street', like having to know the Russian alphabet, or the geography of the author's home town). There are some very harsh and penetrating descriptions, especially of the prisons, which makes you think that this has had to be very well researched to get the slick final effect. I will try to read more of the same if I can.
December 11, 2011
Blurb from Calibre:
"Recently released from prison, John Gray visits his old friend Peter Kane. Although it is the day of his daughter's wedding, Kane agrees to an audience with Emanuel Legg, the criminal and cop-killer with whom he has some business. Gray wanders into the garden and a tornado of fury sweeps through him. The debonair Major Floyd, the new husband to whom Kane has entrusted his precious daughter, is a fraudster of the most sinister kind."
"Recently released from prison, John Gray visits his old friend Peter Kane. Although it is the day of his daughter's wedding, Kane agrees to an audience with Emanuel Legg, the criminal and cop-killer with whom he has some business. Gray wanders into the garden and a tornado of fury sweeps through him. The debonair Major Floyd, the new husband to whom Kane has entrusted his precious daughter, is a fraudster of the most sinister kind."
January 27, 2013
Edgar Wallace was the best selling author in England during the 1920s and 1930s. I got into his books some years ago because his novels were referenced in a PG Wodehouse novel. Murder Mysteries are his genre and this one attained his usual high standard. As is common to many of his novels, you figure out early on who the good guys and the bad guys are. But because of Wallace's great talent as a story-teller that doesn't spoil the mystery or suspense.
September 1, 2016
Mixed up in a readable way
Strange mix of characters, I lost the plot sometimes, I would have preferred it if the female part had been portrayed as a stronger character, one that was allowed to have thoughts about her life.
It all came together in the end and the man got his girl
Strange mix of characters, I lost the plot sometimes, I would have preferred it if the female part had been portrayed as a stronger character, one that was allowed to have thoughts about her life.
It all came together in the end and the man got his girl
September 28, 2023
Totalmente dimenticata di averlo letto in spiaggia, ritrovato oggi. Nulla di speciale (a quanto vedo l’avevo già segnato nella categoria “read”, probabilmente è successa la stessa cosa anche l’anno scorso.. il che dice molto sul suddetto libro).
July 15, 2010
A bit hard to get into, unless you're familiar with gangster talk of early 20th century England. But the story got better, with a nice twist at the end.
August 2, 2011
Dekkari vuodelta 1924...Suomennos on tahattoman koomista sotkua nykyiseen kirjakieleen verrattuna, mutta kirja imaisee yllättävästi mukaansa varsinkin loppupuolella.
August 22, 2011
Featuring Wallace's great detective, Mr J. G. Reede. Wallace is under-appreciated today.
July 1, 2015
A really great book with a resolution that I certainly didn't expect :!
September 30, 2016
Klasik bir İngiliz polisiyesi. 1920'lerin gangster dünyasında geçiyor. Zevkli bir okumaydı.
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