Wallace Edgar

Edgar Wallace (1875-1932), British novelist, playwright, and journalist, was an enormously popular writer of detective and suspense stories. The Four Just Men (1905) was his first success. Wallace practically invented the modern “thriller”; his works in this genre have complex but clearly developed plots and are known for their exciting climaxes. His literary output—175 books, 15 plays, and countless articles and review sketches—was prodigious, and his rate of production so great as to be the subject of humour. His literary reputation has suffered since his death. His works include Sanders of the River (1911), The Crimson Circle (1922), The Flying Squad (1928), and The Terror (1930). His last work was part-authorship of the film script for King Kong (1933), which was finished shortly before his death.