The Four Just Men - Softcover
Book may have numerous typos, missing text, images, or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1920. Excerpt: ... Marks stood paralyzed at the thought. "A thousand -- a thousand?" he muttered in a dazed fashion. "And I might just as easily have caught him!" "Come, come!" cried the detective, sharply. "You may catch him yet tell us what he looked like." Billy knitted his brows in thought. "He looked like a gentleman," he said, trying to recall from the chaos of his mind a picture of his victim; "he had a white weskit, a white shirt, nice patent shoes" "But his face -- his face!" demanded the detective. "His face?" cried Billy, indignantly. "How do I know what it looked like? I don't look a chap in the face when I'm pinching his watch, do I?" CHAPTER X THE CUPIDITY OF MARKS 'You cursed dolt, you infernal fool!" stormed the detective, catching Billy by the collar and shaking him like a rat. "Do you mean to tell me that you had one of the Four Just Men in your hand, and did not even take the trouble to look at him?" Billy wrenched himself free. "You leave me alone!" he said defiantly. "How was I to know it was one of the Four Just Men, and how do you know it was?" he added with a cunning twist of his face. Billy's mind was beginning to work rapidly. He saw in this staggering statement of the detective a chance of making capital out of the position which to within a few minutes he had regarded as singularly unfortunate. "I did get a bit of a glance at 'em," he said, "they" "Them -- they?" said the detective quickly. "How many were there?" "Never mind," said Billy sulkily. He felt the strength of his position. "Billy," said the detective earnestly, "I mean business; if you know anything you've got to tell us." "Ho!" cried the prisoner in defiance. "Got to, 'ave I? Well, I know the lor as well as you -- you can't make a chap speak if he don't want. You can't" The detective signalled the other police o...
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Review:
The Four Just Men is the unabridged audiobook adaptation of a tautly written thriller following four mysterious, wealthy Europeans, each a master of disguise and deception, who seek to deliver justice when police and governments cannot. Operating outside the law, they are ruthless and exacting in their dedication. A classic and enduring work brought to life with the skilled narration professional actor Bill Homewood, The Four Just Men is especially recommended for public library audiobook collections. - --The Audiobook Shelf, Midwest Book Review
Starred Review Fans of classic mysteries and thrillers will rejoice in Homewood's superb reading of Wallace's brief but dramatic tale (published in 1905), which pits the eponymous men against those invoking political injustice. The four wealthy Europeans warn Britain s foreign secretary that unless he removes support for an extradition bill (jeopardizing the safety of a Spanish activist who sought political asylum in England), he is their next target. The men have successfully assassinated important world figures before, so this is not an empty threat. All of England waits for the outcome as the police seek these vigilantes, who dare to take justice into their own hands. In contrast to many characters in contemporary mysteries, these men are enigmas, leaving Homewood to perform a clever locked-room mystery (with the ingenious murder of a man thought to be protected by the police) that relies more heavily on atmosphere than the characters backgrounds. Homewood assigns the men distinctive accents (English; Spanish, including a Castilian lisp; French) and cadences that reflect their civilized, cosmopolitan personalities. He also voices a cacophony of regional accents that represent Parliament members, police officers, and numerous Londoners involved in discussions as the clock ticks down to the deadline imposed by the men. Homewood darkens his deep voice to create a moody, menacing atmosphere that dominates this compelling story, and he modulates pace and intensity to dramatize ruthless justice. Those who enjoy smart, civilized mysteries will be pleased. --Joyce Saricks, Booklist
This fast-moving little story and its accomplished reader takes the theme of vigilante justice out of this current polished, slick, technology-dependent world and brings it back to a simpler, more black-and-white one. featured in SoundCommentary's 'Best Audiobooks of 2011' list - --Joanna Theiss, SoundCommentary
Edgar Wallace was one of the early thriller writers, known to us more from the movies than his books. In his Four Just Men series, the villains are four men who practise vigilante law. While their actions are outside the law, which one cannot approve of, there is a certain sympathy for their actions. Read with perfection by Bill Homewood, the first in the unabridged Naxos AudioBooks Classic Crime series of that title takes us to the London of 1905, where the police hunt four men determined to right wrong with violence. --Alide Kohlhaas, Seniors Review
About the Author:
Starred Review Fans of classic mysteries and thrillers will rejoice in Homewood's superb reading of Wallace's brief but dramatic tale (published in 1905), which pits the eponymous men against those invoking political injustice. The four wealthy Europeans warn Britain s foreign secretary that unless he removes support for an extradition bill (jeopardizing the safety of a Spanish activist who sought political asylum in England), he is their next target. The men have successfully assassinated important world figures before, so this is not an empty threat. All of England waits for the outcome as the police seek these vigilantes, who dare to take justice into their own hands. In contrast to many characters in contemporary mysteries, these men are enigmas, leaving Homewood to perform a clever locked-room mystery (with the ingenious murder of a man thought to be protected by the police) that relies more heavily on atmosphere than the characters backgrounds. Homewood assigns the men distinctive accents (English; Spanish, including a Castilian lisp; French) and cadences that reflect their civilized, cosmopolitan personalities. He also voices a cacophony of regional accents that represent Parliament members, police officers, and numerous Londoners involved in discussions as the clock ticks down to the deadline imposed by the men. Homewood darkens his deep voice to create a moody, menacing atmosphere that dominates this compelling story, and he modulates pace and intensity to dramatize ruthless justice. Those who enjoy smart, civilized mysteries will be pleased. --Joyce Saricks, Booklist
This fast-moving little story and its accomplished reader takes the theme of vigilante justice out of this current polished, slick, technology-dependent world and brings it back to a simpler, more black-and-white one. featured in SoundCommentary's 'Best Audiobooks of 2011' list - --Joanna Theiss, SoundCommentary
Edgar Wallace was one of the early thriller writers, known to us more from the movies than his books. In his Four Just Men series, the villains are four men who practise vigilante law. While their actions are outside the law, which one cannot approve of, there is a certain sympathy for their actions. Read with perfection by Bill Homewood, the first in the unabridged Naxos AudioBooks Classic Crime series of that title takes us to the London of 1905, where the police hunt four men determined to right wrong with violence. --Alide Kohlhaas, Seniors Review
Edgar Wallace About the Author English author Edgar Wallace (1875–1932) was an illegitimate child who left school at 12. He joined the army at 21 and was a war correspondent for Reuters and the Daily Mail. Struggling with debt, he left South Africa, returned to London, and began writing thrillers to raise income. He published The Four Just Men (1905) and Sanders of the River (1911). After a bid as Liberal MP for Blackpool, Wallace moved to Hollywood, where he worked as a script writer for RKO studios. Wallace was such a prolific writer that one of his publishers claimed that a quarter of all books in England were written by him. He died from diabetes during the initial drafting of King Kong (1933).
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- PublisherGeneral Books LLC
- Publication date2012
- ISBN 10 1458916073
- ISBN 13 9781458916075
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages86
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