Wallace, Edgar - The Flying Squad (1928)

Ann Perryman returns from Switzerland when her brother Ronnie is killed, and falls into the clutches of drug smugglers -- the ruthless Mark McGill, and his henchman Tiser. They convince her that Ronnie was murdered by the police -- specifically by the newly-established Flying Squad under Inspector Bradley. Sworn to enmity with Bradley, and believing that Mark is smuggling nothing more dangerous than saccharine, Ann becomes a courier for their organisation. But the Flying Squad is on her trail, and coming disconcertingly close...

This is Wallace at his best, and an excellent place for new readers to begin. All the characters are convincing, from savage, cunning McGill to the insouciant Bradley, and if Ann seems a little too naive at first, she soon learns better. There is sympathy, too, for the unfortunate revenant Li Yoseph and the drunken ex-boxer Sedeman.

The Flying Squad should soon be available for download from Gutenberg Australia.

Jon.