Derrick Yale is a private detective. He claims his methods are 'psychometrical', but to observers they often seem psychic. John Parr is one of Wallace's put-upon policemen, stolid, methodical, inured to official reprimands and painstakingly thorough. Thalia Drummond is a secretary who gets involved with petty theft. The Crimson Circle is a criminal genius who recruits people in trouble, rescues them with help or cash, and puts them to work on robbery, blackmail and murder.
Wallace's best detective fiction is his short work. Although he could bring off a remarkable tour de force for a chapter or two, sustained plausibility was not his strong suit, and his novels tend to veer off quickly into the realms of melodrama -- remote houses, elaborate disguises, bizarre plots and criminal masterminds who know altogether too much. The Crimson Circle is no exception. There is a lot here to enjoy, but readers looking for genuine detection will find themselves asking "Why did she do that?; Why didn't he spot that?" Experienced readers will have the criminal pegged by the halfway point.
The characters interact well: Thalia in particular is very bright and feisty. One can't imagine her falling for a spurious message from the hero saying "Come alone to the docks at midnight". Parr is no Sooper, not even an Inspector Elk, but he gets the job done, albeit a little more slowly than he should. Yale is a mildly entertaining parody of the 'intuitive' detective.
The blurb on the back of the Pan edition claims, carefully, that "The Crimson Circle is often held to be the cleverest thriller Edgar Wallace ever wrote." I think they should have read a little more widely. But Wallace is always entertaining.
The Crimson Circle is available from Gutenberg Australia.
Jon.
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