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The Dark Eyes of London aka The Croakers
Inspector Holt is enjoying the Cafe de la Paix and the Boulevard des Italiens. He and his valet Sunny are planning a visit to Monte Carlo when an urgent telegram arrives from the Chief Commissioner of Scotland Yard. Mr. Gordon Stuart has been found drowned in suspicious circumstances. Holt returns on the same boat as Flash Fred Grogan, continental crook and gambler. Attempting to solve the mystery leads Holt into a string of exciting adventures and romance.
Inspector Holt is enjoying the Cafe de la Paix and the Boulevard des Italiens. He and his valet Sunny are planning a visit to Monte Carlo when an urgent telegram arrives from the Chief Commissioner of Scotland Yard. Mr. Gordon Stuart has been found drowned in suspicious circumstances. Holt returns on the same boat as Flash Fred Grogan, continental crook and gambler. Attempting to solve the mystery leads Holt into a string of exciting adventures and romance.
105 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1924
11 people are currently reading
117 people want to read
About the author
Edgar Wallace
2,149 books260 followersRichard 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.
Over 160 films have been made of his novels, more than any other author. In the 1920s, one of Wallace's publishers claimed that a quarter of all books read in England were written by him.
He is most famous today as the co-creator of "King Kong", writing the early screenplay and story for the movie, as well as a short story "King Kong" (1933) credited to him and Draycott Dell. He was known for the J. G. Reeder detective stories, The Four Just Men, the Ringer, and for creating the Green Archer character during his lifetime.
Over 160 films have been made of his novels, more than any other author. In the 1920s, one of Wallace's publishers claimed that a quarter of all books read in England were written by him.
He is most famous today as the co-creator of "King Kong", writing the early screenplay and story for the movie, as well as a short story "King Kong" (1933) credited to him and Draycott Dell. He was known for the J. G. Reeder detective stories, The Four Just Men, the Ringer, and for creating the Green Archer character during his lifetime.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
May 3, 2024
Ich weiß noch, dass ich früher als Kind oder Teenager die alten Schwarz-/Weiß-Verfilmungen von Edgar Wallace - Krimis im TV gesehen und mich teilweise sehr gegruselt habe :)
Heute habe ich "Die toten Augen von London" als Hörspiel gehört, was mir gut gefallen hat. Gut gemacht und auch spannend; eine nette Unterhaltung für zwischendurch.
Heute habe ich "Die toten Augen von London" als Hörspiel gehört, was mir gut gefallen hat. Gut gemacht und auch spannend; eine nette Unterhaltung für zwischendurch.
February 2, 2021
“‘Haven’t you got a heart?’ […] ‘No, sir […] The doctor says it’s indigestion, sir.’”
Read one, and you’ve read them all. This maxim is true not only of Jane Austen’s books but also, to a lesser degree, admittedly, of those written by Edgar Wallace. Unlike Austen, however, Wallace’s one-trick pony carries me quite successfully and smoothly through those hours when I feel too tired to read something truly substantial but not tired enough to switch on the TV.
In The Dark Eyes of London (1924) we have another young, dapper and rather unconventional Scotland Yard detective, Larry Holt, who not only manages to solve a mysterious case of atrocious murder but also falls in love with his secretary Diana Ward. As usual, Wallace is more indebted to achieving sensational effects – with the help of a ruthless, rather dim-witted criminal factotum, secret rooms and tenuous, but entertaining plot twists – than to spinning a plausible yarn. In this novel, his villains are not only unscrupulous to the direst degree but also mentally unbalanced, which is a bit over the top even for Wallace’s standards. All in all, though, it makes extremely enjoyable reading. Wallace is always good at creating interesting and independent female characters, no helpless damsels in distress – but in The Dark Eyes of London he goes even farther in that it is basically Diana, and not so much Larry, who solves much of the mystery and brings the evil-doers (and boy, are they evil!) to justice. He also pokes fun at the hero’s notion of its not being cricket to marry a woman who is richer than he – when he has Diana say: ”’[…] You can’t marry a rich woman because you’re afraid she’ll want to keep you. You would much rather marry a poor woman – and keep her, if she would submit to that indignity.’” Maybe, after all, Wallace is much more honest in his satire of stereotypical gender roles than Jane Austen ever was.
Apart from suspense and a captivating love story, the book also has a very memorable side character – the rather wry valet Sunny, who says that in the case of his master’s demise he hopes he’ll manage to unsubscribe from the paper in time.
Read one, and you’ve read them all. This maxim is true not only of Jane Austen’s books but also, to a lesser degree, admittedly, of those written by Edgar Wallace. Unlike Austen, however, Wallace’s one-trick pony carries me quite successfully and smoothly through those hours when I feel too tired to read something truly substantial but not tired enough to switch on the TV.
In The Dark Eyes of London (1924) we have another young, dapper and rather unconventional Scotland Yard detective, Larry Holt, who not only manages to solve a mysterious case of atrocious murder but also falls in love with his secretary Diana Ward. As usual, Wallace is more indebted to achieving sensational effects – with the help of a ruthless, rather dim-witted criminal factotum, secret rooms and tenuous, but entertaining plot twists – than to spinning a plausible yarn. In this novel, his villains are not only unscrupulous to the direst degree but also mentally unbalanced, which is a bit over the top even for Wallace’s standards. All in all, though, it makes extremely enjoyable reading. Wallace is always good at creating interesting and independent female characters, no helpless damsels in distress – but in The Dark Eyes of London he goes even farther in that it is basically Diana, and not so much Larry, who solves much of the mystery and brings the evil-doers (and boy, are they evil!) to justice. He also pokes fun at the hero’s notion of its not being cricket to marry a woman who is richer than he – when he has Diana say: ”’[…] You can’t marry a rich woman because you’re afraid she’ll want to keep you. You would much rather marry a poor woman – and keep her, if she would submit to that indignity.’” Maybe, after all, Wallace is much more honest in his satire of stereotypical gender roles than Jane Austen ever was.
Apart from suspense and a captivating love story, the book also has a very memorable side character – the rather wry valet Sunny, who says that in the case of his master’s demise he hopes he’ll manage to unsubscribe from the paper in time.
December 3, 2020
From one of the creators of King Kong comes this 1919 crime thriller that later was adapted for the silver screen and distributed in America as "The Human Monster" starring everyone's favorite Dracula Bela Lugosi. The film genuinely terrified me as a kid, and remains one of the more memorable Lugosi vehicles, but now that I've read the book, I can't help but think how much better a movie version could have been if it followed the source material more closely.
The story follows a rather manic detective and his new secretary as they attempt to solve the mystery of an apparent drowning of a rich Canadian businessman in London. In the dead man's clutches is a cufflink, pointing to possible murder. Soon, their investigation catches the blind but watchful eye of a giant brute and serial killer "Big Jake." Kind of like "Resident Evil 3," Jake pops up throughout the narrative to foil our protagonists, and though he takes a beating each time, getting shot, stabbed, and tazed in the face, he seems indestructible. As our heroes get deeper down the rabbit hole, it appears the secretary, with whom our detective has become smitten, has secrets of her own.
This is the first Edgar Wallace I've read, and I must say that I was impressed with the slick, if not pulpy, style of this forerunner to the modern thriller. The author certainly knew how to craft suspenseful cliffhangers between chapters, which are all short and well-paced. The story loses steam towards the end and fizzles out in a Scooby Doo ending of over-zealous exposition that somehow explains very little. I can't really say I ever understood the motivations of the villains at all, other than they were clearly insane sociopaths. For this, the book loses a full star.
The movie trimmed down a lot of the actions and characters no doubt due to budget limitations. Particularly noteworthy was the film eliminated the elaborate Death Chamber at the climax of the novel, and the roles of two antagonists were condensed into one character known as Dr. Orloff, played by Lugosi. But the film did a better job giving motivation to the bad guys. Big Jake, though portrayed as more of a traditional monster, has a tender relationship with another blind comrade named Lew in the film, and this has impactful consequences in that version. In the book, there is no pathos or humanity in any of the antagonists. They are simply stereotypical and wooden memes, and I would not have been surprised if one of them didn't bellow out, "Mwo hoo ha ha!!!!"
The book is superior in its portrayal of the female lead, who outwits her enemies and outshines her male counterpart throughout the story. She is truly a great character and ahead of the time. The pacing and action is also much better than the Lugosi version, which plays as more of a creaky low-budget horror than a grand, nail-biting crime thriller.
For fans of classic adventures, thrillers, mysteries, and pulp fiction, this is worth a read. You will not reach any grand insights here, but you will be entertained by the smooth and easy prose and rather taught action. I enjoyed it enough to check out some of the other 170 or so novels this prolific author produced before his untimely death from diabetes just before the movie "King Kong" was released.
The story follows a rather manic detective and his new secretary as they attempt to solve the mystery of an apparent drowning of a rich Canadian businessman in London. In the dead man's clutches is a cufflink, pointing to possible murder. Soon, their investigation catches the blind but watchful eye of a giant brute and serial killer "Big Jake." Kind of like "Resident Evil 3," Jake pops up throughout the narrative to foil our protagonists, and though he takes a beating each time, getting shot, stabbed, and tazed in the face, he seems indestructible. As our heroes get deeper down the rabbit hole, it appears the secretary, with whom our detective has become smitten, has secrets of her own.
This is the first Edgar Wallace I've read, and I must say that I was impressed with the slick, if not pulpy, style of this forerunner to the modern thriller. The author certainly knew how to craft suspenseful cliffhangers between chapters, which are all short and well-paced. The story loses steam towards the end and fizzles out in a Scooby Doo ending of over-zealous exposition that somehow explains very little. I can't really say I ever understood the motivations of the villains at all, other than they were clearly insane sociopaths. For this, the book loses a full star.
The movie trimmed down a lot of the actions and characters no doubt due to budget limitations. Particularly noteworthy was the film eliminated the elaborate Death Chamber at the climax of the novel, and the roles of two antagonists were condensed into one character known as Dr. Orloff, played by Lugosi. But the film did a better job giving motivation to the bad guys. Big Jake, though portrayed as more of a traditional monster, has a tender relationship with another blind comrade named Lew in the film, and this has impactful consequences in that version. In the book, there is no pathos or humanity in any of the antagonists. They are simply stereotypical and wooden memes, and I would not have been surprised if one of them didn't bellow out, "Mwo hoo ha ha!!!!"
The book is superior in its portrayal of the female lead, who outwits her enemies and outshines her male counterpart throughout the story. She is truly a great character and ahead of the time. The pacing and action is also much better than the Lugosi version, which plays as more of a creaky low-budget horror than a grand, nail-biting crime thriller.
For fans of classic adventures, thrillers, mysteries, and pulp fiction, this is worth a read. You will not reach any grand insights here, but you will be entertained by the smooth and easy prose and rather taught action. I enjoyed it enough to check out some of the other 170 or so novels this prolific author produced before his untimely death from diabetes just before the movie "King Kong" was released.
Read
February 28, 2021The usual Wallace tosh though quite an enjoyable example of ludicrous pulp plotting. Refreshingly, the heroine is acknowledged by the hero to be damn good at detectiving. The "blind criminals gang" theme is as offensive to modern ears as you might expect but doesn't end up being the big plot part you might think from the title, what with Wallace was so clearly winging the whole thing to meet word count.
January 19, 2023
This is typical Edgar Wallace in that the adventure takes an unconventional Scotland Yard detective, Larry Holt, into the grimy underworld of London through a surprising murder. I both liked and disliked it. I really loved the detective's new secretary, Diana, whose intellect and deductive power may exceed her stunning beauty. The scenes where she and Larry (our hero) are trading deductions are really wonderful. Woman power!
I disliked the cruelty and sadism of the criminal gang. It seemed to go over the top, even in Edgar Wallace's world. Luckily I am good at skimming and skim I did.
There is never really a doubt as to who the mysterious Clarissa is or who the criminal mastermind is. But that is far from the point to me when I'm reading Edgar Wallace's books. The adventure is the thing and this one is chock full.
I disliked the cruelty and sadism of the criminal gang. It seemed to go over the top, even in Edgar Wallace's world. Luckily I am good at skimming and skim I did.
There is never really a doubt as to who the mysterious Clarissa is or who the criminal mastermind is. But that is far from the point to me when I'm reading Edgar Wallace's books. The adventure is the thing and this one is chock full.
July 12, 2017
Banda slepih teroriše London.
Dama u nevolji.
Hrabri inspektor Skotland Jarda.
Zastarelo i naivno.
Dama u nevolji.
Hrabri inspektor Skotland Jarda.
Zastarelo i naivno.
August 27, 2020
Major characters:
Inspector Larry Holt, Scotland Yard
Diana Ward, his secretary
Patrick Sunny, his valet
Gordon Stuart, a Canadian, drowned as the story opens
Clarissa Stuart, his daughter
Police Commissioner John Hason
Dr. Stephen Judd, director of Greenwich Insurance Co.
Strauss, a.k.a. #278, Judd's Butler, an ex-con
Flash Fred Grogan, a natty blackmailer
Rev. John Dearborn, playwright, runs a boarding house for the blind
Blind Jake Bradford, a.k.a. Big Jake Bradford
Fanny Weldon, an impersonator
Emma, a charwoman
Locale: London
Synopsis: Scotland Yard Inspector Larry Holt is called back from Paris to look into the suspicious death of Canadian Gordon Stuart. What's suspicious? He was found drowned on the Embankment, but above the waterline, as the tide was coming in. How can this be? Clearly, someone else was involved. Stuart had left a theatre at intermission, he had been attending a show with Dr. Stephen Judd.
Inspector Holt returns to find he has been assigned an efficient secretary, Diana Ward, whose analytical skills keep Holt in awe.
Dr. Judd has a visit from slick crook Flash Fred Grogan, who is blackmailing him over knowledge about the death of his brother, David Judd.
Suspicion turns to Todd's Home, a boarding house for the blind, run by Rev. John Dearborn. While investigating, Diana is kidnapped right from under Larry Holt's eyes. Dearborn himself raises some eyebrows, he is supposedly blind himself. He writes plays which are produced at a nearby theatre, and underwritten by Dr. Judd. There are mysterious connections between Dr. Judd, Blind Jake Bradford, and other underworld characters. Meanwhile, the search for Clarissa Stuart, heiress to Gordon, continues.
Review: This story has a lot of creepy things happening all at once, a great read for your dark and stormy night. Blind Jake is a character, large and menacing, with the disconcerting habit of entering a room and immediately squeezing the light bulb and popping it to put you in the dark; so you on equal footing with him. (Ouch! He would have appreciated LED lights!) The boiler room hideout (called The Tubular Room) is dark, claustrophobic, and nasty. Secret passages abound, and even an elevator with a fake paper floor waiting to drop you down the shaft when you step in. There is so much going on, this could have easily been split into two novels. There are also a few secret identities to be revealed, and a surprise happy ending.
Inspector Larry Holt, Scotland Yard
Diana Ward, his secretary
Patrick Sunny, his valet
Gordon Stuart, a Canadian, drowned as the story opens
Clarissa Stuart, his daughter
Police Commissioner John Hason
Dr. Stephen Judd, director of Greenwich Insurance Co.
Strauss, a.k.a. #278, Judd's Butler, an ex-con
Flash Fred Grogan, a natty blackmailer
Rev. John Dearborn, playwright, runs a boarding house for the blind
Blind Jake Bradford, a.k.a. Big Jake Bradford
Fanny Weldon, an impersonator
Emma, a charwoman
Locale: London
Synopsis: Scotland Yard Inspector Larry Holt is called back from Paris to look into the suspicious death of Canadian Gordon Stuart. What's suspicious? He was found drowned on the Embankment, but above the waterline, as the tide was coming in. How can this be? Clearly, someone else was involved. Stuart had left a theatre at intermission, he had been attending a show with Dr. Stephen Judd.
Inspector Holt returns to find he has been assigned an efficient secretary, Diana Ward, whose analytical skills keep Holt in awe.
Dr. Judd has a visit from slick crook Flash Fred Grogan, who is blackmailing him over knowledge about the death of his brother, David Judd.
Suspicion turns to Todd's Home, a boarding house for the blind, run by Rev. John Dearborn. While investigating, Diana is kidnapped right from under Larry Holt's eyes. Dearborn himself raises some eyebrows, he is supposedly blind himself. He writes plays which are produced at a nearby theatre, and underwritten by Dr. Judd. There are mysterious connections between Dr. Judd, Blind Jake Bradford, and other underworld characters. Meanwhile, the search for Clarissa Stuart, heiress to Gordon, continues.
Review: This story has a lot of creepy things happening all at once, a great read for your dark and stormy night. Blind Jake is a character, large and menacing, with the disconcerting habit of entering a room and immediately squeezing the light bulb and popping it to put you in the dark; so you on equal footing with him. (Ouch! He would have appreciated LED lights!) The boiler room hideout (called The Tubular Room) is dark, claustrophobic, and nasty. Secret passages abound, and even an elevator with a fake paper floor waiting to drop you down the shaft when you step in. There is so much going on, this could have easily been split into two novels. There are also a few secret identities to be revealed, and a surprise happy ending.
September 4, 2014
The beauty of this book is that it is dated. I loved it. It was written in 1924 by prolific author Edgar Wallace. There's adventure, romance ,murder, mistaken identities, and even a torture chamber. The evil villain in this book is truly E-V-I-L !! If you're willing to throw logic aside and enjoy an old fashioned melodramatic mystery,then this is your book.
July 20, 2025
Another classic mystery from Edgar Wallace, and like all of the others I've read, not written to an obvious formula, even though he wrote so quickly.
This one involves a gang of blind men (the "Dark Eyes" of the title). There is a lot of imposture, identity concealment, suspense, and even romance, which is more fully developed than a lot of Wallace's romances, in that the couple at least spend a significant amount of time together.
However, it was the romance that gave me the element that I disliked about the book. It's between the Scotland Yard inspector and his secretary, who he admires not only because she's good-looking (though she is) but because she's intelligent and capable and, he thinks, a better detective than he is. But when he finally proposes, he doesn't like the idea of her working; he wants her to stay home and look after his flat, which is already perfectly well looked after by his manservant and cook. (Yes, a Scotland Yard inspector in the 1920s apparently made enough to have two servants.) I know, attitudes were different then, but usually Wallace doesn't just buy into the zeitgeist in this way. And it's not as if men of that generation never thought women should work or develop their natural gifts. World War I had accelerated a trend of opening up new options for women that had been around since before Victoria, and World War II was soon to accelerate it again.
Apart from that, it's a clever and thrilling mystery with hairsbreadth escapes (sometimes through intelligent preparation), kidnapping, conspiracy and fraud as well as murder, and plenty of period setting to enjoy. Sure, the same few cast members keep on coincidentally meeting, but I should probably give up complaining about that, because it seems everyone managed their plots that way a hundred years ago.
Even with the woman's-place-is-in-the-home foolishness, it's still a solid piece of work.
This one involves a gang of blind men (the "Dark Eyes" of the title). There is a lot of imposture, identity concealment, suspense, and even romance, which is more fully developed than a lot of Wallace's romances, in that the couple at least spend a significant amount of time together.
However, it was the romance that gave me the element that I disliked about the book. It's between the Scotland Yard inspector and his secretary, who he admires not only because she's good-looking (though she is) but because she's intelligent and capable and, he thinks, a better detective than he is. But when he finally proposes, he doesn't like the idea of her working; he wants her to stay home and look after his flat, which is already perfectly well looked after by his manservant and cook. (Yes, a Scotland Yard inspector in the 1920s apparently made enough to have two servants.) I know, attitudes were different then, but usually Wallace doesn't just buy into the zeitgeist in this way. And it's not as if men of that generation never thought women should work or develop their natural gifts. World War I had accelerated a trend of opening up new options for women that had been around since before Victoria, and World War II was soon to accelerate it again.
Apart from that, it's a clever and thrilling mystery with hairsbreadth escapes (sometimes through intelligent preparation), kidnapping, conspiracy and fraud as well as murder, and plenty of period setting to enjoy. Sure, the same few cast members keep on coincidentally meeting, but I should probably give up complaining about that, because it seems everyone managed their plots that way a hundred years ago.
Even with the woman's-place-is-in-the-home foolishness, it's still a solid piece of work.
June 27, 2012
Wallace pulls out all the stops here, a cracking yarn, exactly what you want from an Edgar Wallace book.
There's not a dull page in this murder mystery the whole thing is wonderfully unlikely and highly convoluted.
There's not a dull page in this murder mystery the whole thing is wonderfully unlikely and highly convoluted.
November 30, 2021
Larry Holt stătea pe terasa celebrei Café de la Paix şi privea puhoiul omenesc ce se scurgea spre răsărit şi spre apus de-a lungul Bulevardului des Italiens. În aer se simţea suflul primăverii. Aceasta îl încânta pe Larry Holt, care tocmai sosise din Berlin, după patru ani de muncă intensă în Franţa şi Germania.
Toată fiinţa lui era într-o dispoziţie de sărbătoare, la care se poate înălţa chiar şi spiritul unui detectiv.
Poziţia ocupată de Larry Holt era un fel de mister pentru funcţionarii Scotland Yard-ului. Avea gradul de inspector, dar toată lumea ştia că, la prima vacanţă, avea să fie înaintat comisar-şef. În clipa de faţă, Larry nu era preocupat de chestiunea poziţiei, ori a perspectivelor sale. El şedea acolo şi cu fiecare respiraţie, absorbea dulceaţa primăverii. Faţa lui plăcută era luminată de bucuria naivă de a trăi, iar în inimă avea simţământul unei uşurări, o senzaţie de odihnă, pe care nu o mai gustase de multă vreme.
După ce plăti chelnerului, se ridică şi porni, ocolind colţul străzii, înspre hotelul său. Ajunse în vestibulul zgomotos al hotelului şi mergea înspre ascensor când, prin uşa cu geamuri care dădea în curtea palmierilor, el zări un om într-o atitudine de odihnă elegantă, stând rezemat într-un fotoliu şi fumând o ţigară.
Larry zâmbi şi şovăi. Îl cunoştea pe omul acesta slab, atât de elegant îmbrăcat şi cu cravată sclipitoare de briliante; Larry se apropie de cel tolănit.
― O, iată-l pe vechiul meu prieten, Fred! zise el încetişor.
Flash Fred, pungaş şi măsluitor internaţional, sări în picioare, speriat la vederea acestui neaşteptat vizitator.
― Bună ziua, domnule Holt! bolborosi el. Numai pe d-ta nu mă aşteptam să te văd aici.
― Sau poate că nu doreai să mă vezi! zise Larry, dând din cap cu un aer de imputare. Dar bine, Fred, eşti gătit ca un pom de Crăciun.
Flash Fred cam încurcat, se sili să pară indiferent.
― Acum am apucat-o pe drumul drept, domnule Holt, zise el.
― Ai rămas şi o să fii totdeauna un mincinos, zise Larry glumeţ.
― Jur pe Sfânta Scriptură…, începu Fred cu glas ferm.
― De te-aş vedea strâns chiar între mătuşa-ţi moartă şi răposatul unchiul-tău şi dacă ai jura pe „Cartea Martirilor lui Fox”, zise Larry cu blândeţe, tot nu te-aş crede.
El privi cu admiraţie numeroasele podoabe ale lui Fred, acul cel mare de cravată, întreitul lanţ de aur de pe vesta elegantă, ghetrele albe şi pantofii după ultima modă şi apoi ridică din nou ochii la părul lui frumos periat.
Toată fiinţa lui era într-o dispoziţie de sărbătoare, la care se poate înălţa chiar şi spiritul unui detectiv.
Poziţia ocupată de Larry Holt era un fel de mister pentru funcţionarii Scotland Yard-ului. Avea gradul de inspector, dar toată lumea ştia că, la prima vacanţă, avea să fie înaintat comisar-şef. În clipa de faţă, Larry nu era preocupat de chestiunea poziţiei, ori a perspectivelor sale. El şedea acolo şi cu fiecare respiraţie, absorbea dulceaţa primăverii. Faţa lui plăcută era luminată de bucuria naivă de a trăi, iar în inimă avea simţământul unei uşurări, o senzaţie de odihnă, pe care nu o mai gustase de multă vreme.
După ce plăti chelnerului, se ridică şi porni, ocolind colţul străzii, înspre hotelul său. Ajunse în vestibulul zgomotos al hotelului şi mergea înspre ascensor când, prin uşa cu geamuri care dădea în curtea palmierilor, el zări un om într-o atitudine de odihnă elegantă, stând rezemat într-un fotoliu şi fumând o ţigară.
Larry zâmbi şi şovăi. Îl cunoştea pe omul acesta slab, atât de elegant îmbrăcat şi cu cravată sclipitoare de briliante; Larry se apropie de cel tolănit.
― O, iată-l pe vechiul meu prieten, Fred! zise el încetişor.
Flash Fred, pungaş şi măsluitor internaţional, sări în picioare, speriat la vederea acestui neaşteptat vizitator.
― Bună ziua, domnule Holt! bolborosi el. Numai pe d-ta nu mă aşteptam să te văd aici.
― Sau poate că nu doreai să mă vezi! zise Larry, dând din cap cu un aer de imputare. Dar bine, Fred, eşti gătit ca un pom de Crăciun.
Flash Fred cam încurcat, se sili să pară indiferent.
― Acum am apucat-o pe drumul drept, domnule Holt, zise el.
― Ai rămas şi o să fii totdeauna un mincinos, zise Larry glumeţ.
― Jur pe Sfânta Scriptură…, începu Fred cu glas ferm.
― De te-aş vedea strâns chiar între mătuşa-ţi moartă şi răposatul unchiul-tău şi dacă ai jura pe „Cartea Martirilor lui Fox”, zise Larry cu blândeţe, tot nu te-aş crede.
El privi cu admiraţie numeroasele podoabe ale lui Fred, acul cel mare de cravată, întreitul lanţ de aur de pe vesta elegantă, ghetrele albe şi pantofii după ultima modă şi apoi ridică din nou ochii la părul lui frumos periat.
October 19, 2020
In many respects a typical crime thriller of the period.
Item the first: a hero of independent means maintaining a manservant. Operates above his nominal rank as inspector. Very good looking and elegant.
Item the second: a heroine who is witty, bright, intelligent, and good looking. A heroine who is self-reliant but is forced to accept help from the hero in the final act.
Item the third: a bizarre set of baddies with their own inimitable ways of disposing of their enemies.
Item the fourth: the optional non-violent crook who ends up on the side of the angels.
Definitely a rip-roaring read.
Item the first: a hero of independent means maintaining a manservant. Operates above his nominal rank as inspector. Very good looking and elegant.
Item the second: a heroine who is witty, bright, intelligent, and good looking. A heroine who is self-reliant but is forced to accept help from the hero in the final act.
Item the third: a bizarre set of baddies with their own inimitable ways of disposing of their enemies.
Item the fourth: the optional non-violent crook who ends up on the side of the angels.
Definitely a rip-roaring read.
January 30, 2025
Surprisingly less sexist and ablest than I expected, given the publication date.
The female lead is awesome and thoroughly enjoys her work with the detective (though she does decide that maybe working for a living isn't all it's cracked up to be after multiple assaults, a kidnapping, and discovering that she's an heiress), and while the detective is naive about the realities of being blind, he doesn't treat anyone as especially deserving of pity aside from the blind man who has just been deafened by the bad guys.
A fun classic mystery, I can see why my mum likes them.
The female lead is awesome and thoroughly enjoys her work with the detective (though she does decide that maybe working for a living isn't all it's cracked up to be after multiple assaults, a kidnapping, and discovering that she's an heiress), and while the detective is naive about the realities of being blind, he doesn't treat anyone as especially deserving of pity aside from the blind man who has just been deafened by the bad guys.
A fun classic mystery, I can see why my mum likes them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 1, 2025
Don't think I've read a Wallace I didn't like and this is no exception. While there were a few too many coincidences for my taste, and a couple of things that made me go huh? (someone entering a place for the second time and acting like they'd never seen it before, someone hired for an important and confidential job without a background check), it was still a rollicking tale. Guessed a few things on the way, but this is not one of those books where you know exactly what happened by the second chapter.
Parts are creepy and suspenseful, and there is some violence.
Parts are creepy and suspenseful, and there is some violence.
April 16, 2025
Two and a half stars
November 3, 2025
Not only the usual ridiculous plot, and completely obvious baddy/goody relations, but rather unpleasant as well.
November 2, 2020
I don't remember how that book landed in my shelf, but since I like crime novels from the era, I also like to read Wallace from time to time. This one was just... a bit boring. The characters are super cliché, the plot is basic, the writing is nothing special. If you want to read a very basic crime novel from the 1920s and don't mind the chauvinism of that era too much, you can't really go wrong with this book. But don't expect too much.
August 4, 2022
Wow, what can I say, this really was a fantastic read. The book is so different to the movie with Bela Lugosi. A good page turner
September 17, 2013
I was reading about the film of this name and (after a bit of wandering around online) in a random fan forum found that someone had posted an epub version of this 1924 novel. And so I found yet another mystery author to add to my list.
I was interested in a 1920s view of London and, despite the fact that Larry Holt seemed sort of American in some ways (or maybe just like some of the other American detectives I've read), there was a glimpse or two of the city here and there.
p. 102:
The plot was interesting and the villains unique, though a touch melodramatic at the end. I did like that we had a heroine who was shown to be both clever and helpful, which isn't usual for the time period.
I was interested in a 1920s view of London and, despite the fact that Larry Holt seemed sort of American in some ways (or maybe just like some of the other American detectives I've read), there was a glimpse or two of the city here and there.
p. 102:
Presently he finished writing, dropping the last sheet and slipping the paper into a drawer. Then he got up and stretched himself. He walked to the window and looked out. It was late afternoon and he could glimpse a wonderful picture of the Thames Embankment, a vista of blue bridges spanning a leaden stream, of dim spires looming through the eastern haze, of a long line of green where the trees shaded the broad sidewalk, of chocolate-coloured tram-cars that flashed to and fro — a fragment of London, recognizable even to those who had never seen the great city, or throbbed to its ceaseless pulsations, Larry Holt scratched his nose unromantically and turned a dubious look to the waiting girl.
"If you still want to go to Todd's, I'll take you," he said, "This is the hour I'd promised myself the pleasure of a visit."
The plot was interesting and the villains unique, though a touch melodramatic at the end. I did like that we had a heroine who was shown to be both clever and helpful, which isn't usual for the time period.
August 6, 2015
Уделить внимание Эдгару Уоллесу следует обязательно. Такие его произведения, как «Мёртвые глаза Лондона», «Жена бродяги», «Люди в крови» и «Мелодия смерти» можно смело отнести к триллерам, либо к детективам. Подойдут и оба определения одновременно. Читателя ждут загадки, над которыми надо подумать, помогая в этом главным героям. Автор не ходит кругами, а лаконично продвигает повествование вперёд. В сюжетах задействованы силы полиции и преступного мира: Уоллес уделяет вниманием всем участникам событий. Следы убийц могут вести к дому слепых, а при ограблении среди воров оказывается посторонний — Уоллес создаёт действительно интересные ситуации, не имеющие на первый взгляд разумного объяснения. В итоге всё оказывается весьма обыденным, но не лишённым при этом веры в возможность именно такого положения дел.
Произведения Эдгара Уоллеса не теряют своей актуальности. При малейшей обработке им можно придать современный вид, добавив лишь несколько штрихов. Главное в сюжете не время и место, а само его развитие, где главный акцент делается на действующих лицах, их мотивах и поступках, и только потом имеет значение, где и когда это произошло.
(c) Trounin
Произведения Эдгара Уоллеса не теряют своей актуальности. При малейшей обработке им можно придать современный вид, добавив лишь несколько штрихов. Главное в сюжете не время и место, а само его развитие, где главный акцент делается на действующих лицах, их мотивах и поступках, и только потом имеет значение, где и когда это произошло.
(c) Trounin
March 17, 2020
Эдгар Уоллес - любопытный персонаж, с самого начала двадцатого века писавший бэшную литературу, которая без усилия превращается в киносценарий, и написанная в основном чтобы разобраться с долгами. Клишированная до безобразия, но при этом крепко написанная и легко читающаяся. "Мертвые глаза Лондона" - его типичная книга: простенький дете��тивный сценарий, весь построенный на очень серьезных допущениях и легком эпатаже. Тут банда слепых, ходящих сквозь потайные двери в стенах, потерянная наследница, супер-детектив из Скотленд ярда и прочие глупости, но несмотря на то, что книге почти 100 лет, её киноверсия рисуется в голове сама собой и читается очень быстро.
September 30, 2016
Oubollig tot en met (geschreven in 1924, de versie die ik las werd ik 1967 bewerkt). Niet alleen qua schrijfstijl maar zeker en vast ook qua opvattingen. Hoe er hier over vrouwen en bedienden (huisknechten eigenlijk) wordt gedacht is zo fout (zelfs al speelt het verhaal zich bijna honderd jaar geleden af) dat ik al 2 sterren minder geef.
Gelukkig is het wel een zeer degelijk detectiveverhaal met een paar verrassende wendingen die mijn aandacht toch tot het einde hebben weten vast te houden.
Gelukkig is het wel een zeer degelijk detectiveverhaal met een paar verrassende wendingen die mijn aandacht toch tot het einde hebben weten vast te houden.
July 26, 2013
ASDFASDF
July 19, 2016
Has a special place in my heart! I read this book when I was eleven and loved it - which was only helped later by the '61 German version starring Klaus Kinski. Delightfully creepy.
August 28, 2013
Wallace at his best.
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