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The Square Emerald Annotated
"Suicide on the left," says Chief Inspector Coldwell pleasantly, as he and Leslie Maughan stride along the Thames Embankment during a brutally cold night. A gaunt figure is sprawled across the parapet.
124 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1926
6 people are currently reading
78 people want to read
About the author
Edgar Wallace
2,095 books260 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 - 18 of 18 reviews
November 20, 2018
Ο Ουώλλας είναι γνωστός για την επιτυχημένη ατμόσφαιρα 'εποχής' που δημιουργεί στα αστυνομικά μυθιστορήματά του και, συγκεκριμένα, εδώ, οι αναγνώστες ταξιδεύουν στο χρόνο και μεταφέρονται στην 'σπιρτόζικη' δεκαετία του '20 (το βιβλίο γράφτηκε περίπου το 1926), όπου κάνει εντύπωση η ύπαρξη γυναίκας - ντετέκτιβ στη Σκότλαντ Γιάρντ (η βασική ηρωίδα). Μέσα από ενδιαφέρουσες ίντριγκες, εκβιασμούς, 'θανατηφόρες' αδυναμίες, όπως το πάθος για τα κοσμήματα, και επικίνδυνα μυστικά, ο Ουώλλας θέλει να αποδομήσει την ανάγκη της μεταπολεμικής αγγλικής κοινωνίας να ξεπεράσει τα τραύματα του πολέμου και να αγγίξει την ουτοπία που, αργότερα, ονομάστηκε 'Αμερικάνικο Όνειρο'.
Βαθμολογία: 3,9/5 ή 7,8/10.
Βαθμολογία: 3,9/5 ή 7,8/10.
November 29, 2020
What a delight this was. Edgar Wallace often writes strong, intelligent women as side characters or, in the case of a favorite of mine - Angel of Terror - villainesses, but here we have a true female detective driving the story. In fact, this was very female-centric because the villain is also a woman.
September 23, 2017
A fabulous detective romp with a "girl" detective - who is one step ahead of everyone (including the reader) and generally has jolly good fun solving the case.
There are several passages that are either sexist, racist, or classist (for want of a better word), but I don't think that's surprising given the book was written in 1926. I do think that a book should be judged by the standards of when it was written rather than today's standards. Therefore, given that it was written two years before women got equal voting rights, it's actually pretty enlightened. In fact, Leslie Maughan is a much more well-rounded character than some of the drippy heroines you see in some of today's films and books.
There are several passages that are either sexist, racist, or classist (for want of a better word), but I don't think that's surprising given the book was written in 1926. I do think that a book should be judged by the standards of when it was written rather than today's standards. Therefore, given that it was written two years before women got equal voting rights, it's actually pretty enlightened. In fact, Leslie Maughan is a much more well-rounded character than some of the drippy heroines you see in some of today's films and books.
August 21, 2025
I've said it before, but it bears repeating: Wallace was prolific, but he wasn't just a hack. He didn't spew a bunch of tropes across the page, he didn't write to a formula, and what's more, for his time, the level of racism and sexism is remarkably low for the most part. Foreigners are not inevitably villains (or vice versa), and women can be intelligent, capable and effective.
Specifically, the woman of the (variant) title, even if she's called "the girl from Scotland Yard," is capable, sensible and admirable. Because the commissioners are old fuddy-duddies, she isn't recognized as a detective officially; she's the "assistant" to one of the detectives, an old friend of her father's who acts as a mentor to her, but respects her skills. She has a considerable ability to notice things and draw conclusions, and a fearless, matter-of-fact manner which plays well when she's interviewing suspects.
The plot is complicated, and to lay it all out would quickly get us into spoiler territory, but there's a woman who lived as a man, an ex-convict who people keep trying to frame, his awful mother, several more or less ruthless aristocratic women and a rather feeble hanger-on of theirs, a murder, bigamy, blackmail, a stolen emerald necklace (hence the other title, The Square Emerald), a fence and baby farmer, missing children, several Indonesian men who appear to be up to no good... Yes, the Asian men are on the antagonist side, and are frequently described as "yellow" and once compared (by a character) to monkeys, which is more racist than Wallace usually is. But they are not the actual villains, just servants who are doing what they're told. The villains are British.
Through all of this, Lesley, the unrecognized Scotland Yard detective, navigates, for the most part calmly and surely. There's plenty of action, the mystery is mysterious, and there are some touching moments.
However, there are a couple of giant coincidences that don't just help the plot along, they're essential to its very existence. Not only that, but Lesley is one of those detectives who jumps to correct conclusions on what, honestly, is inadequate evidence. I never felt completely engaged with the plot and the characters either, for some reason, and all of this together (plus the more-obtrusive-than-usual 1920s racism) drags it down below the usual level of Wallace's books and puts it only in the Bronze tier of my annual recommendation list.
Specifically, the woman of the (variant) title, even if she's called "the girl from Scotland Yard," is capable, sensible and admirable. Because the commissioners are old fuddy-duddies, she isn't recognized as a detective officially; she's the "assistant" to one of the detectives, an old friend of her father's who acts as a mentor to her, but respects her skills. She has a considerable ability to notice things and draw conclusions, and a fearless, matter-of-fact manner which plays well when she's interviewing suspects.
The plot is complicated, and to lay it all out would quickly get us into spoiler territory, but there's a woman who lived as a man, an ex-convict who people keep trying to frame, his awful mother, several more or less ruthless aristocratic women and a rather feeble hanger-on of theirs, a murder, bigamy, blackmail, a stolen emerald necklace (hence the other title, The Square Emerald), a fence and baby farmer, missing children, several Indonesian men who appear to be up to no good... Yes, the Asian men are on the antagonist side, and are frequently described as "yellow" and once compared (by a character) to monkeys, which is more racist than Wallace usually is. But they are not the actual villains, just servants who are doing what they're told. The villains are British.
Through all of this, Lesley, the unrecognized Scotland Yard detective, navigates, for the most part calmly and surely. There's plenty of action, the mystery is mysterious, and there are some touching moments.
However, there are a couple of giant coincidences that don't just help the plot along, they're essential to its very existence. Not only that, but Lesley is one of those detectives who jumps to correct conclusions on what, honestly, is inadequate evidence. I never felt completely engaged with the plot and the characters either, for some reason, and all of this together (plus the more-obtrusive-than-usual 1920s racism) drags it down below the usual level of Wallace's books and puts it only in the Bronze tier of my annual recommendation list.
May 17, 2020
Major characters:
Lady Jane Raytham
Anthony Druze, the Raytham's butler
Mrs. Greta Gurden
Peter Dawlish, convicted forger
Margaret Dawlish, Peter's mother
Princess Anita Bellini, Peter's aunt
Mrs. Inglethorne, Peter's landlady
Leslie Maughan, The Girl From Scotland Yard
Chief Inspector Josiah Coldwell
Lucretia Brown, Leslie's servant
Locale: London
Synopsis: Peter Dawlish is just released from serving a forgery sentence. Down and out, he is assisted with a small loan from perky Leslie Maughan, assistant to Chief Inspector Josiah Coldwell. While officially an "assistant", she is a detective in her own right.
Leslie has been checking up on Lady Jane Raytham following her substantial bank withdrawals. Lady Jane is annoyed, and does not cooperate - she prefers to spend time with Princess Anita Bellini, who is Peter Dawlish's aunt.
Leslie takes Peter under her wing and encourages him to re-enter society. Peter had been convicted of forging a check under his former employer, maintained his innocence, and suspected butler Anthony Druze of having committed the forgery; and causing his imprisonment.
Peter find a room lodging with Mrs. Inglethorne, who has a collection of rag-tag children. One girl, Elizabeth, becomes fond of Peter.
Druze is found dead on the street - shot. Peter Dawlish had the obvious motive - suspecting Druze of being the forger for which he was convicted. Leslie is convinced of his innocence, and seeks out the real murderer. In doing so, she finds that pretty much everyone has a secret to conceal.
Review:
Leslie Maughan is a treat - a confident investigator who follows her own trail. It is refreshing to find a female protagonist in books of this era, bringing to mind the Madame Rosika Storey series by Hulbert Footner, and the stories of Mary Roberts Rinehart.
Everyone in the story has a secret, and a couple of them are good ones. Druze's "handicap" is revealed, however, the reasoning behind it is not. This story has lots of threads and they are all tied up nicely at the end.
Lady Jane Raytham
Anthony Druze, the Raytham's butler
Mrs. Greta Gurden
Peter Dawlish, convicted forger
Margaret Dawlish, Peter's mother
Princess Anita Bellini, Peter's aunt
Mrs. Inglethorne, Peter's landlady
Leslie Maughan, The Girl From Scotland Yard
Chief Inspector Josiah Coldwell
Lucretia Brown, Leslie's servant
Locale: London
Synopsis: Peter Dawlish is just released from serving a forgery sentence. Down and out, he is assisted with a small loan from perky Leslie Maughan, assistant to Chief Inspector Josiah Coldwell. While officially an "assistant", she is a detective in her own right.
Leslie has been checking up on Lady Jane Raytham following her substantial bank withdrawals. Lady Jane is annoyed, and does not cooperate - she prefers to spend time with Princess Anita Bellini, who is Peter Dawlish's aunt.
Leslie takes Peter under her wing and encourages him to re-enter society. Peter had been convicted of forging a check under his former employer, maintained his innocence, and suspected butler Anthony Druze of having committed the forgery; and causing his imprisonment.
Peter find a room lodging with Mrs. Inglethorne, who has a collection of rag-tag children. One girl, Elizabeth, becomes fond of Peter.
Druze is found dead on the street - shot. Peter Dawlish had the obvious motive - suspecting Druze of being the forger for which he was convicted. Leslie is convinced of his innocence, and seeks out the real murderer. In doing so, she finds that pretty much everyone has a secret to conceal.
Review:
Leslie Maughan is a treat - a confident investigator who follows her own trail. It is refreshing to find a female protagonist in books of this era, bringing to mind the Madame Rosika Storey series by Hulbert Footner, and the stories of Mary Roberts Rinehart.
Everyone in the story has a secret, and a couple of them are good ones. Druze's "handicap" is revealed, however, the reasoning behind it is not. This story has lots of threads and they are all tied up nicely at the end.
August 28, 2015
Ο τύπος νόμισε ότι μπορεί να γίνει Ζορζ Σιμενόν στη θέση του Ζόρζ Σιμενόν, αλλά δεν τα κατάφερε. Άσε που μιλάει εν έτει 1926 για θηλυκούς ντετέκτιβ στη Σκότλαντ Γιάρντ, ετών 22 παρακαλώ... Διαβάζεται, αλλά περίπου όπως διαβάζονται όλοι οι lesser English detective story writers: με συγκατάβαση και χωρίς να κάτσεις να ψάχνεις ποιος ήταν ο δολοφόνος.
February 25, 2023
Це така детективна класика другого ешелону, яку в цілому правильно підзабули, хоча і тут є дещо цікаве. Головна героїня - дочка поліцейського начальника, яка після його смерті теж вирішила піти в поліцію, але оскільки в нас на вулиці 1926 рік, ідея не знаходить відгуку в серцях. Завдяки власній настирливості та трохи допомозі друга батька Леслі проходить шлях від машиністки до помічниці слідчого з доволі широкими повноваженнями, хоча присутність її все одно купі народу муляє. Як персонаж вона класна, з характером і норовом, а от з сюжетом в романі важко, бо кількість збігів на квадратний дюйм лондонських нетрів більша, ніж в мексиканських серіалах. Хтось шантажує прекрасну даму, в дами таємниця, а в Леслі випадково знайдений поганий вірш, на волю виходить несправедливо звинувачений, а в будинку, де він винаймає кімнату, живуть якісь підозрілі діти, і щось одна дитина нагадує, якщо примружитись... Приблизно так. Врештою всі одні одному родичі, що майже приємно, але сюжет не покращує. Тому за героїню оті три зірочки, а далі ні. Читала в іншому виданні - пейпербек шістдесят якогось року, він трохи додає атмосфери.
August 31, 2025
This is probably the first Edgar Wallace novel I've read. It stands up pretty well for a 1925+ publication (except for a few of the usual/casual racist/sexist references one seems to always encounter). The female detective is a decent strong character, and the plot held together, for me anyway. Blackmail, robbery kidnapping, bigamy, etc... (and surprisingly, what amounts to a minor transgender plot twist embedded).
The writing is good throughout, and quite descriptive with period atmosphere. I read the freely available Project Gutenberg ebook version.
The writing is good throughout, and quite descriptive with period atmosphere. I read the freely available Project Gutenberg ebook version.
July 10, 2023
Edgar Wallace stories are always entertaining, and this is no exception. Leslie Maughan is the only female detective at Scotland Yard, and she's brilliant and focused on her cases. Only her latest one is confusing, because she's convinced that the man who was convicted of forgery was innocent, and now he's out of jail, strange things are happening around him...
A bit convoluted, and there are some unbelievable coincidences, but it's a fun yarn.
A bit convoluted, and there are some unbelievable coincidences, but it's a fun yarn.
June 3, 2020
A fast paced detective story set in class conscious London, which surprisingly for that era has a female detective as it’s main character. Plenty of twists, some obvious, others not so clear, but all tied up neatly at the end.
June 23, 2025
Woman detective and 3 sister villains. Good storytelling and a nice resolution. Baby farmers, forged wills, framed father of stolen baby.
September 2, 2025
This was a fairly entertaining heap of hokum. Wallace doesn't play fair with the reader, but then who cares? I never really sorted out who was who, but hey it passed some time.
October 2, 2018
Wow, that was one convoluted plot. I may be a bit more critical than I should towards this book, because of the unnatural language, but I don't know if this is the fault of the author or of the translator.
All in all not a bad book, if not particularly gripping one.
All in all not a bad book, if not particularly gripping one.
October 11, 2012
I am totally in awe of this man. Apparently he could dictate a whole novel over a weekend. And this is one of his better ones. A highly ingenious plot, with enough twists and turns to confuse anyone – a gang of most unlikely villains, but ones that it's fun to hate, and a really great heroine – who is credible and sympathetic. He works in love interest, without being too sentimental, a touch of social conscience, and a touch of exotica. This is far from being literature, but it's a great read.
If I read Edgar Wallace in my capacity as a writer, I think I understand him. He places his characters in impossible situations, and then asks himself, "How do I get them out of this?" I don't think the plot for this was worked out in advance – it has an air of spontaneity to it that is maybe more apparent to someone who does the same thing (me). But for all that, the plot is coherent, and the continuity never falters.
Highly recommended - the only reason I don't give it 5 stars is because it's not Art. But it's certainly Great Craftsmanship – and at times, that's even better.
If I read Edgar Wallace in my capacity as a writer, I think I understand him. He places his characters in impossible situations, and then asks himself, "How do I get them out of this?" I don't think the plot for this was worked out in advance – it has an air of spontaneity to it that is maybe more apparent to someone who does the same thing (me). But for all that, the plot is coherent, and the continuity never falters.
Highly recommended - the only reason I don't give it 5 stars is because it's not Art. But it's certainly Great Craftsmanship – and at times, that's even better.
July 18, 2025
A tale of detection and derring-do with a young female protagonist, a pacey story and just the one huge coincidence to oil the wheels of the plot (and to be fair, the author takes the time to point it out when it happens). A story that could easily be dramatised for rainy day viewing.
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February 6, 2009Childrens Books
June 6, 2013
A ridiculously complicated plot make this Edgar Wallace book great fun with the twists coming thick and fast.
January 3, 2014
Very good mystery.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews