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About the author: Richard 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 (Goodreads). In terms of production, by cranking out one novel per month, he was the British equivalent of Erle Stanley Gardner. See this Wikipedia article.
Major characters:
- Henry Arthur Milton, "The Ringer"
- Superintendent Bliss, Scotland Yard
- Detective Inspector Mander, Bliss' "incompetent assistant"
Locale: England
Synopsis: This is a collection of 17 short stories featuring "The Ringer", a master-of-disguise character who operates outside the law to bring his own brand of justice to evildoers; while constantly pursued by Superintendent Bliss of Scotland Yard. Some criminals The Ringer chases are murderers, but there are also scam artists and thieves. The stories are standalone, but some refer to characters in the preceding ones, so reading in order is recommended.
Review: The Ringer is from the same mold as Leslie Charteris' The Saint. He operates outside the law, sometimes with a wink-wink from Scotland Yard; with a goal of restoring fortune to those who have lost it. He is always pursued by the authorities, but always manages to fool them. One aspect which sets him apart from The Saint is that The Ringer is a master of disguise, and this figures in most of the stories as he uses impersonation frequently.
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