"The Mind of Mr. J. G. Reeder"

Could it be considered a handicap for a dedicated law-enforcement officer to possess what might be called a criminal mind? By that, I mean an understanding of the way a criminal might be expected to think. Certainly, that is the problem - if it is a problem - faced by Mr. J. G. Reeder, an unassuming gentleman working for the Public Prosecutor in London. He is always explaining to his superior in that office, quite apologetically, that he has a criminal mind, and that that fact may account for his considerable success in fighting crime.

In essence, that's what you will discover in Edgar Wallace's 1925 collection of short stories, "The Mind Of Mr J G Reeder," which was originally published in the United States as "The Murder Book of Mr. J. G. Reeder." I think the English title is more appropriate, particularly as many of the stories deal with other forms of crime - theft, embezzlement, forgery. It is the subject of this week's Classic Mysteries podcast, and you can listen to the full review here.

I think Mr. Reeder was one of Wallace's most successful creations. The stories are fairly short, generally quite funny, with plenty of thriller elements. Wallace doesn't give away much about Mr. Reeder - not even how he manages to leap to some of his conclusions, except for that always apologetic statement, which explains how he usually stays one jump ahead of the villains. Reading these stories may be a good way to discover a writer who really is not well remembered today, despite having been one of the most phenomenally popular English authors of the early years of the 20th century. More than 160 movies have been based on Wallace's books and stories, including "King Kong." I think you'll find Mr. Reeder an amiable and memorable companion.