Well, looky here -- I am back again: The Gaunt Stranger, by Edgar Wallace

 

9798886011685

Stark House Press, 2025

192 pp

paperback (with my many thanks to the publisher!)

Obviously, I have not been back here for some time,  but I'm planning to turn things around as of now.  We're still in Florida where the real estate market has pretty much tanked unless you're selling gigantor mansions in the multimillion dollar range, but hopefully we will weather this storm just like everything else that's gone on in our "when it rains it pours" kind of life.  It's just time to get back to doing what I enjoy doing, and that's reading and then sharing my thoughts about the books at hand.   Today it's all about The Gaunt Stranger, by Edgar Wallace (1925), published by Stark House in December of 2025.  I have to say that the ending of this novel nearly knocked me on my can because it was so unexpected, which for me is always a big win.

Wallace sets the scene in his opening chapter, plunging the reader into post-WWI Flanders Lane, Deptford, a “narrow and dingy” place where the houses still cling to something of their former “faded dignity.” The gentry had long since decamped to Blackheath, leaving poverty to creep through the streets like rats, spreading from the cellars and basements into the Lane’s “attic rooms.”  One house, however, stands apart from the general decline: that of Mr. Meister, a lawyer who is “more than this ... a philanthropist.” He takes on cases pro bono and occasionally goes so far as to refer clients to “great advocates.” Yet, as Wallace notes, “Flanders Lane did not love him," and with good reason. Meister inspires fear among some of the residents, as anyone foolish enough to cross him might soon find themselves in serious trouble with the police.  He has also run afoul of his legal peers, having "nearly escaped expulsion for unprofesssional conduct."  One of the people with whom he has been generous is Mary Lenley, the sister of Johnny Lenley who had been sent to prison despite his legal representation.   Meister supported her with an allowance, fixed things so that she could learn typing and shorthand, and then employed her "at a generous wage."   As the story opens, Meister receives a telegram that leaves him thoroughly shaken. Henry Arthur Milton, a convicted criminal, has escaped from prison, and it seems a sure thing that it is only a matter of time before he comes looking for Meister. Known as “The Ringer,” Milton is a master of disguise, and Meister has every reason to fear his return. As the back-cover blurb reveals (so no spoilers here), Meister had once “set him up” and sent him to prison. Inspector Alan Wembury is dispatched to keep an eye on Meister and take charge of the situation, but there is little comfort to be found in his presence. Everyone, including Milton’s somewhat wild wife Cora, seems convinced that the Ringer will prove impossible to catch, leaving Meister looking very much like a sitting duck.

As Curtis Evans observes in his introduction, Wallace “folds” the Ringer into “a realistic environment of everyday cops and crooks, plain detectives and petty deceivers," and for me, this blending of the larger-than-life with the everyday is a large part of what makes the novel such an enjoyable read.  Another reason I enjoyed The Gaunt Stranger is Wallace’s ability to sustain a brooding sense of menace throughout the novel, drawing the reader into a shadowy world where identities are uncertain, appearances are deceptive, and the motives lurking beneath the surface are not always quite what they seem.     And when everything finally fell into place, I have to confess that I let out a very loud “holy crap!” to an otherwise empty room. I was gobsmacked, bowled over, and quite frankly, completely floored.  Hooray. 

from Amazon

The Gaunt Stranger has appeared on the big screen more than once; the 1938 version portrayed in the photo above was released (according to Wikipedia) in the US under the title The Phantom Strikes. I also found an earlier version from 1931 by the same director, which references the play based on the novel from 1929.  

from Wikipedia

And, if that isn't quite enough movie viewing, there is also a silent movie version, as well as a 1952 film featuring (among others) Herbert Lom and Denholm Elliott, who seems to have not been among the main players. 

from Wikipedia

I'm not home right now but when I get back I'll attempt to find these movies online somewhere.  I've  actually had this book on my shelves for a bit and finally felt like reading again (don't even ask) so I tossed it in my book bag to bring with me on vacation.  I'm soooo happy I did.