Four Square Jane by Edgar Wallace
- JetBlackDragonfly
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
Despite the modern look of my Digit paperback, Four Square Jane is a clever 1929 thriller by Edgar Wallace.
A master thief continues to thwart Chief Superintendent Peter Dawes of Scotland Yard, rubbing her crimes in the faces of the upper-class victims—indeed, that seems to be her motivation! When a financier holds an elegant weekend ball, the private agency he hires sends a young female detective to watch over the guests. During the party, she falls ill, and a doctor present watches over her until an ambulance takes her away. Somehow, Lady Ovington's armlet of diamonds is stolen—replaced by a calling card depicting four squares—Four Square Jane has struck again! Jane only steals in aid of charity, donating the jewels to needy hospitals to redeem for the reward money. When Lord Claythorpe chooses not to pay a reward, he is the next victim when a £50,000 pearl necklace, a wedding gift for his niece, is stolen for good. Claythorpe is fond of jewels, storing them in a locked room containing ten safes, seven of which are empty to foil burglars. This does not stop Four Square Jane! She continues to strike a private museum for a priceless painting, the wedding ring of his niece at the ceremony itself, as well as the entire quarter of a million dollar trust fund she inherits upon marriage. Lord Claythorpe seems to be Jane's main target, and it emerges his bank balance is not as bloated as he claims. It will take a murder, the robbery of His Majesty's Royal Mail, and a glittering party with an actress wearing a neckpiece of glittering emeralds for Dawes to catch up with Four Square Jane.
Readers will be on her tail from the start, which doesn't lessen the excitement of watching her capers play out. She is a brazen and clever anti-hero—are we rooting for Jane or Dawes of Scotland Yard? Originally written as separate stories between 1919 and 1920, this is compiled seamlessly into one adventure and is a fun and timeless read. Edgar Wallace was the most prolific thriller writer of the 20th century, such a prolific international success it was claimed at the time one out of every four books read was his.
This was filmed in 1961 as The Fourth Square.
Many of his titles are easily available as eBooks.
1929 / Paperback / 160 pages
My other reviews for Edgar Wallace:
compiled from several stories written between 1919 and 1920, but the flow is seamless.
"The Theft of the Lewinstein Jewels", "Jane in Custody", "The Stolen Romney", "The Murder in James Street", "Robbing the Royal Mail", "The Actress's Emerald Necklace", "The Secret of a Box of Cigars", and "The End."
gutenburg
many covers over the past 97 years
Edgar Wallace thriller are always quick, clever, enjoyable.
This was filmed in England in 1961 as The Fourth Square.
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