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Veidas tamsoje
Jauna, žavinga dama Odris Bedford atvyksta į Londoną pas čia gyvenančią seserį, susijusią su nusikaltėlių pasauliu, ir patenka į pavojingų įvykių sūkurį. Romane gausu sudėtingų situacijų, painių istorijų, intrigų, o atomazga gana netikėta.
198 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1924
8 people are currently reading
102 people want to read
About the author
Edgar Wallace
2,171 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 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 5, 2021
“’[…]My first thought was to scream. And then my hand, which was in my pocket at the time, touched the silver badge, and I began to realize a detective’s responsibilities.’”
Thus speaks Audrey Bedford, the valiant heroine of Edgar Wallace’s 1924 crime novel The Face in the Night. To try to give a good summary of the plot would be presumptuous because, frankly speaking, this novel is a loose baggy monster in its own right – and the last chapter in which the various incidents that have been puzzling us from page to page are explained by one of the investigators is also a bit presumptuous. Suffice it to say that it is a very intricate story about smuggled jewels, about an uncanny old man by the unsettling name of Malpas who wages a feud against his neighbour and who employs Audrey as an amanuensis without really having any writing to do (and although Audrey is not red-headed), about family secrets and quite a lot of other things. Sometimes you get the impression that Wallace started off a plot device – like Audrey’s sister and her husband’s attempts to cheat her out of her inheritance – and then did not quite work out an effective conclusion for it, but as the novel is so quick-paced, you will probably not really bother.
What I really enjoy about reading Edgar Wallace are three things: First, he has a knack of making you want to read on – using cliff-hangers, short chapters and various plot devices –; second, he has a very good sense of dry humour which shines through from time to time, often in a comment made by the narrator. Last, not least, his female characters are always sort of plucky, self-confident, resourceful and witty – both the nice ones and the not so nice ones, as represented in this novel by Audrey and her evil sister Dora. In The Face in the Night, Audrey even joins a detective agency where she does not – as this would be the case in other novels of Wallace’s day and age – blunder from one malpas to another. To top it all, the novel gives another example of a female detective knowing her onions. Of course, marriage with the male protagonist is, like an episode of being kidnapped and hid in a secret chamber for a couple of chapters, the inevitable destiny of every Wallace heroine I have read about so far, but at least it is unlikely for them to play the role of the zealously self-effacing housewife.
All in all, this is another very entertaining Wallace novel, and I have come to really enjoy this guy.
Thus speaks Audrey Bedford, the valiant heroine of Edgar Wallace’s 1924 crime novel The Face in the Night. To try to give a good summary of the plot would be presumptuous because, frankly speaking, this novel is a loose baggy monster in its own right – and the last chapter in which the various incidents that have been puzzling us from page to page are explained by one of the investigators is also a bit presumptuous. Suffice it to say that it is a very intricate story about smuggled jewels, about an uncanny old man by the unsettling name of Malpas who wages a feud against his neighbour and who employs Audrey as an amanuensis without really having any writing to do (and although Audrey is not red-headed), about family secrets and quite a lot of other things. Sometimes you get the impression that Wallace started off a plot device – like Audrey’s sister and her husband’s attempts to cheat her out of her inheritance – and then did not quite work out an effective conclusion for it, but as the novel is so quick-paced, you will probably not really bother.
What I really enjoy about reading Edgar Wallace are three things: First, he has a knack of making you want to read on – using cliff-hangers, short chapters and various plot devices –; second, he has a very good sense of dry humour which shines through from time to time, often in a comment made by the narrator. Last, not least, his female characters are always sort of plucky, self-confident, resourceful and witty – both the nice ones and the not so nice ones, as represented in this novel by Audrey and her evil sister Dora. In The Face in the Night, Audrey even joins a detective agency where she does not – as this would be the case in other novels of Wallace’s day and age – blunder from one malpas to another. To top it all, the novel gives another example of a female detective knowing her onions. Of course, marriage with the male protagonist is, like an episode of being kidnapped and hid in a secret chamber for a couple of chapters, the inevitable destiny of every Wallace heroine I have read about so far, but at least it is unlikely for them to play the role of the zealously self-effacing housewife.
All in all, this is another very entertaining Wallace novel, and I have come to really enjoy this guy.
March 30, 2024
Nothing new under the sun.
I've always seen Mr. Wallace as the poor relative of Conan Doyle or Agatha Christie and this one is only confirming my ideas: a pseudo-gothic policier, a thin plot and some unpleasant and unrealistic characters...
I've always seen Mr. Wallace as the poor relative of Conan Doyle or Agatha Christie and this one is only confirming my ideas: a pseudo-gothic policier, a thin plot and some unpleasant and unrealistic characters...
June 20, 2013
The opening of a foggy London with mystery in the air sets the book off to a good start. But from there it goes downhill ... nothing is as exciting as that short, sharp opening chapter.
A jewel robbery, a wrongly convicted lady, a couple of murders, some strange residents in a London street all sounds as though the book has potential. But once again it disappoints and the story meanders around from scene to scene and with some difficulty in connecting each one.
The many characters are unmemorable and which one is the face in thenight is not easy to pick out ... indeed, I am not sure I did so at all.
I do usually enjoy Edgar Wallace titles but this one was just not for me; not one of his best.
A jewel robbery, a wrongly convicted lady, a couple of murders, some strange residents in a London street all sounds as though the book has potential. But once again it disappoints and the story meanders around from scene to scene and with some difficulty in connecting each one.
The many characters are unmemorable and which one is the face in thenight is not easy to pick out ... indeed, I am not sure I did so at all.
I do usually enjoy Edgar Wallace titles but this one was just not for me; not one of his best.
September 19, 2015
Само преступление не кажется важным для повествования. Скорее оно лишь мотив для начала книги, сюжет которой никем не контролируется, а автор просто пишет, не имея никаких определённых целей. Действующие лица обрастают подробностями; изначально второстепенные персонажи захватывают всё большее пространства, вытесняя основных героев. Уоллес всё чаще делает отступления, рисуя уже не действие, а портреты людей, вдыхая в них жизнь. И они действительно уже не воспринимаются выдуманными персонажами. Кажется, перед читателем описание реального человека. Есть к этому талант у Уоллеса. Хорошо бы подобных лиц увязать с сюжетом книг, где подобные описания являются лишь частью повествования, наполненного множеством других деталей. Всему Уоллес уделяется внимание, умудряясь двигать сюжет семимильными шагами вперёд.
(c) Trounin
(c) Trounin
January 16, 2021
Major characters:
Laker, a courier
Mr. Malpas, a recluse with a mask
Martin "Bunny" Elton
Dora Elton, his wife
Audrey Bedford (a.k.a. Audrey Torrington), Dora's sister
Hon. Lacy Marshalt, former senator from South Africa
Tanger, his valet
Captain Dick Shannon, Scotland Yard
Richard James "Slick" Smith, a crook or a Scotland Yard spy
Locale: London - the setup is like this:
Curzon St. - home of Martin "Bunny" Elton and his wife Dora
Portman Square - home of mysterious Mr. Malpas, and next door live Lacy Marshalt and his valet, Tanger. The two homes share a common wall.
Synopsis: Laker, a criminal courier, meets with his boss, Mr. Malpas, in London. He wants to see his face, hidden by a false chin over his face. Malpas reacts much as the Phantom of the Opera did - Laker is dropped into the Thames shortly after.
Audrey Bedford has been scraping a living from chicken farming. Destitute, she sells the farm and heads to London to stay with her sister, wealthy Dora Elton and her husband, Martin "Bunny" Elton. Captain Richard "Dick" Shannon of Scotland Yard has a minor traffic accident with a bus. Audrey gets off the disabled bus and Shannon gives her a ride to her destination. Shannon falls in love with her on sight.
The Queen of Finland is visiting the American Embassy in London. Shannon was there, keeping an eye on her priceless diamond necklace. While leaving the party, her necklace is stolen by Martin and Dora Elton. They are preparing to send it to Pierre, a fence, but are lacking a courier (as Laker is now dead). They talk unsuspecting Audrey into making the delivery. As she makes the delivery, she and Pierre are arrested by Shannon.
Fast forward a year. Audrey is out of prison, and takes a highly-paid job from Mr. Malpas. It consists of rewriting his correspondence by hand. Meanwhile, nasty sister Dora is having an affair with Lacy Marshalt (Mr. Malpas' neighbor). Shannon continues to seek the lost diamonds, while Dora plots a way to get rid of Audrey.
Review: Well, this novel has everything thrown in. We have our leading lady, Audrey, out of jail and in the money from creepy Mr. Malpas, being paid a big wage to copy his correspondence out by hand. Malpas not only wears a mask to cover an apparent deformity, he lives in a large house full of electrical gadgets, microphones, a gigantic oriental idol complete with altar, secret compartments, secret passages, booby traps, and a revolving fireplace. Scary sounds occur in the night, and faces looking in skylights, and glowing green faces float around scaring people away. Bodies disappear and reappear! A mysterious limping man is always skulking around, of course. Two stashes of diamonds appear and disappear. Doubles and imposters!
A couple of big fat parallels jumped out at me immediately:
Audrey being hired for an exorbitant salary to get out of the way and laboriously hand copy correspondence is reminiscent of Arthur Conan Doyle's The Red Headed League (1891).
Mr. Malpas reminds me of Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera, (1910) having a facial deformity hidden by a mask, a hideout full of gadgets, and the habit of communicating with the world by dropping little notes.
This book feels like one of the crazy titles from the Mystery League (which would appear in 1930). Enjoy it not for the depth of detection and figuring out the puzzle, but hang on for the wild ride through the spooky house at the amusement park, with every trope from the classic mysteries thrown in!
Laker, a courier
Mr. Malpas, a recluse with a mask
Martin "Bunny" Elton
Dora Elton, his wife
Audrey Bedford (a.k.a. Audrey Torrington), Dora's sister
Hon. Lacy Marshalt, former senator from South Africa
Tanger, his valet
Captain Dick Shannon, Scotland Yard
Richard James "Slick" Smith, a crook or a Scotland Yard spy
Locale: London - the setup is like this:
Curzon St. - home of Martin "Bunny" Elton and his wife Dora
Portman Square - home of mysterious Mr. Malpas, and next door live Lacy Marshalt and his valet, Tanger. The two homes share a common wall.
Synopsis: Laker, a criminal courier, meets with his boss, Mr. Malpas, in London. He wants to see his face, hidden by a false chin over his face. Malpas reacts much as the Phantom of the Opera did - Laker is dropped into the Thames shortly after.
Audrey Bedford has been scraping a living from chicken farming. Destitute, she sells the farm and heads to London to stay with her sister, wealthy Dora Elton and her husband, Martin "Bunny" Elton. Captain Richard "Dick" Shannon of Scotland Yard has a minor traffic accident with a bus. Audrey gets off the disabled bus and Shannon gives her a ride to her destination. Shannon falls in love with her on sight.
The Queen of Finland is visiting the American Embassy in London. Shannon was there, keeping an eye on her priceless diamond necklace. While leaving the party, her necklace is stolen by Martin and Dora Elton. They are preparing to send it to Pierre, a fence, but are lacking a courier (as Laker is now dead). They talk unsuspecting Audrey into making the delivery. As she makes the delivery, she and Pierre are arrested by Shannon.
Fast forward a year. Audrey is out of prison, and takes a highly-paid job from Mr. Malpas. It consists of rewriting his correspondence by hand. Meanwhile, nasty sister Dora is having an affair with Lacy Marshalt (Mr. Malpas' neighbor). Shannon continues to seek the lost diamonds, while Dora plots a way to get rid of Audrey.
Review: Well, this novel has everything thrown in. We have our leading lady, Audrey, out of jail and in the money from creepy Mr. Malpas, being paid a big wage to copy his correspondence out by hand. Malpas not only wears a mask to cover an apparent deformity, he lives in a large house full of electrical gadgets, microphones, a gigantic oriental idol complete with altar, secret compartments, secret passages, booby traps, and a revolving fireplace. Scary sounds occur in the night, and faces looking in skylights, and glowing green faces float around scaring people away. Bodies disappear and reappear! A mysterious limping man is always skulking around, of course. Two stashes of diamonds appear and disappear. Doubles and imposters!
A couple of big fat parallels jumped out at me immediately:
Audrey being hired for an exorbitant salary to get out of the way and laboriously hand copy correspondence is reminiscent of Arthur Conan Doyle's The Red Headed League (1891).
Mr. Malpas reminds me of Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera, (1910) having a facial deformity hidden by a mask, a hideout full of gadgets, and the habit of communicating with the world by dropping little notes.
This book feels like one of the crazy titles from the Mystery League (which would appear in 1930). Enjoy it not for the depth of detection and figuring out the puzzle, but hang on for the wild ride through the spooky house at the amusement park, with every trope from the classic mysteries thrown in!
November 30, 2021
Ceaţa care se pregătea să coboare asupra Londrei, nu era decât o simplă abureală cenuşie şi becurile de gaz păreau doar puţin întunecate, când Africanul, clătinându-se pe picioare, intră în Portman Square. Deşi era un frig umed, el nu purta niciun fel de pardesiu, iar gulerul cămăşii îi era răsfrânt, lăsând să i se vadă pieptul dezgolit. Umbla privind cu atenţie la toate uşile şi se opri în cele din urmă la Nr. 551, cercetând cu de-amănuntul ferestrele întunecate ale imobilului, zâmbind sarcastic.
Este ştiut că, beţia intensifică sentimentele. Omul vesel îşi îndrăgeşte mai mult tovarăşii, omul mâhnit devine mai amărât, iar cel mâniat poate fi împins la crimă. Şi Laker simţea o mânie fără de seamăn. Are să-i arate dracului ăsta bătrân, ăstui pungaş mizerabil, care trăia din riscurile suportate de alţii, că nu poate să fure aşa fără nicio teamă de răspundere!
El, Laker, sosea fără o para chioară, după ce făcuse un drum lung şi din cale afară de obositor. Mai avea încă vie în minte, spaima nebună ce-l cuprinse la Capetown, când a venit poliţia să-i percheziţioneze locuinţa. Toată viaţa lui, a fost o viaţă de câine. Atunci, de ce bătrânul Malpas, care se afla în pragul morţii, să se lăfăiască în lux, pe când agentul lui cel mai bun trăgea pe dracul de coadă? Asemenea gânduri îl chinuiau întotdeauna pe Laker, ori de câte ori era beat.
Faţa-i lungă, nerasă, cicatricea care-i brăzda unul din obraji, de la tâmplă până la bărbie, fruntea-i mică, acoperită cu smocuri de păr încâlcit, hainele-i murdare din cale afară, totul din el evidenţia cea mai abjectă mizerie.
Se opri un timp locului, privind la ghetele-i stricate, apoi urcă cele câteva trepte ale peronului şi bătu încetişor la uşa de intrare.
Imediat, se auzi o voce, care întreabă:
― Cine-i acolo?
― Laker! răspunse el, cu o voce puternică.
Uşa se deschise fără zgomot şi el pătrunse înăuntru. Aici nu era însă nimeni care să-l primească. Străbătând holul pustiu, urcă o scară, trecu printr-un culoar îngust şi intră într-o cameră foarte puţin luminată.
O lumină slabă cădea dintr-o lampă cu abajur verde, aşezată pe un birou, în dosul căruia şedea un bătrân.
― Şezi jos, spuse acesta.
Laker nu avea nevoie să fie îndrumat: cunoştea prea bine unde se găsea masa şi scaunul, doar la trei paşi de el. Fără să mai spună o singură vorbă se aşeză; pe faţa lui străluci un surâs sarcastic. Bătrânul cu mutra respingătoare, nu-l putea zări.
Este ştiut că, beţia intensifică sentimentele. Omul vesel îşi îndrăgeşte mai mult tovarăşii, omul mâhnit devine mai amărât, iar cel mâniat poate fi împins la crimă. Şi Laker simţea o mânie fără de seamăn. Are să-i arate dracului ăsta bătrân, ăstui pungaş mizerabil, care trăia din riscurile suportate de alţii, că nu poate să fure aşa fără nicio teamă de răspundere!
El, Laker, sosea fără o para chioară, după ce făcuse un drum lung şi din cale afară de obositor. Mai avea încă vie în minte, spaima nebună ce-l cuprinse la Capetown, când a venit poliţia să-i percheziţioneze locuinţa. Toată viaţa lui, a fost o viaţă de câine. Atunci, de ce bătrânul Malpas, care se afla în pragul morţii, să se lăfăiască în lux, pe când agentul lui cel mai bun trăgea pe dracul de coadă? Asemenea gânduri îl chinuiau întotdeauna pe Laker, ori de câte ori era beat.
Faţa-i lungă, nerasă, cicatricea care-i brăzda unul din obraji, de la tâmplă până la bărbie, fruntea-i mică, acoperită cu smocuri de păr încâlcit, hainele-i murdare din cale afară, totul din el evidenţia cea mai abjectă mizerie.
Se opri un timp locului, privind la ghetele-i stricate, apoi urcă cele câteva trepte ale peronului şi bătu încetişor la uşa de intrare.
Imediat, se auzi o voce, care întreabă:
― Cine-i acolo?
― Laker! răspunse el, cu o voce puternică.
Uşa se deschise fără zgomot şi el pătrunse înăuntru. Aici nu era însă nimeni care să-l primească. Străbătând holul pustiu, urcă o scară, trecu printr-un culoar îngust şi intră într-o cameră foarte puţin luminată.
O lumină slabă cădea dintr-o lampă cu abajur verde, aşezată pe un birou, în dosul căruia şedea un bătrân.
― Şezi jos, spuse acesta.
Laker nu avea nevoie să fie îndrumat: cunoştea prea bine unde se găsea masa şi scaunul, doar la trei paşi de el. Fără să mai spună o singură vorbă se aşeză; pe faţa lui străluci un surâs sarcastic. Bătrânul cu mutra respingătoare, nu-l putea zări.
May 8, 2025
Bei Edgar Wallace weiß ich stets, was ich bekomme: Krimis mit geheimnisvollen Personen, diversen Nebenhandlungen und clichébeladene Frauenbilder. Fairerweise muss man aber auch sagen, dass die Bücher vor knapp 100 Jahren veröffentlich wurden und dafür wiederum waren die Frauen teilweise fast schon modern.
Auch hier gibt es wieder die klassische Kombi mit Raub, Entführung und zahlreichen Personen, bei denen man anfangs nicht weiß, welche Rolle sie spielen. Im Zentrum steht außerdem das geheimnisvolle Haus zweier Männer, deren Identität man nicht genau kennt. Mir macht es Spaß, in das alte, im Nebel versunkene London abzutauchen und dort mit den Detektiven auf Spurensuche zu gehen. Am Ende ähneln sich die Krimis von Wallace dann doch irgendwie, aber das stört mich erstaunlicherweise nicht.
Wer Edgar Wallace auch einmal ausprobieren möchte, es gibt für den kindle eine kostenlose, urheberrechtsfreie Ausgabe. Ich decke mich zudem häufig auf Flohmärkten ein, wo einem die Wallace-Krimis oftmals sehr günstig angeboten werden.
Auch hier gibt es wieder die klassische Kombi mit Raub, Entführung und zahlreichen Personen, bei denen man anfangs nicht weiß, welche Rolle sie spielen. Im Zentrum steht außerdem das geheimnisvolle Haus zweier Männer, deren Identität man nicht genau kennt. Mir macht es Spaß, in das alte, im Nebel versunkene London abzutauchen und dort mit den Detektiven auf Spurensuche zu gehen. Am Ende ähneln sich die Krimis von Wallace dann doch irgendwie, aber das stört mich erstaunlicherweise nicht.
Wer Edgar Wallace auch einmal ausprobieren möchte, es gibt für den kindle eine kostenlose, urheberrechtsfreie Ausgabe. Ich decke mich zudem häufig auf Flohmärkten ein, wo einem die Wallace-Krimis oftmals sehr günstig angeboten werden.
September 11, 2025
3.7/5⭐️
If you’re in the mood for a brisk, shadow-drenched thriller that feels like a foggy stroll along the Thames at midnight, The Face in the Night delivers just that. Edgar Wallace, ever the master of pulp suspense, crafts a tale that’s more atmosphere than introspection—but it works.
The story kicks off with a chilling murder and quickly spirals into a web of stolen jewels, secret identities, and a mysterious green face that haunts a room known only as “The Chamber of Horrors.” It’s classic Wallace: fast-paced chapters, cryptic clues, and a detective who’s more action than analysis.
What I liked most was the eerie tone—there’s something deliciously theatrical about the green face motif. It’s not subtle, but it’s memorable. The plot itself is a bit of a whirlwind, and while the characters aren’t deeply developed, they serve their purpose in keeping the tension alive.
Is it Wallace’s best? Probably not. But it’s a fun, moody ride through vintage London noir, and if you enjoy stories that lean into their own melodrama, this one’s worth the read.
If you’re in the mood for a brisk, shadow-drenched thriller that feels like a foggy stroll along the Thames at midnight, The Face in the Night delivers just that. Edgar Wallace, ever the master of pulp suspense, crafts a tale that’s more atmosphere than introspection—but it works.
The story kicks off with a chilling murder and quickly spirals into a web of stolen jewels, secret identities, and a mysterious green face that haunts a room known only as “The Chamber of Horrors.” It’s classic Wallace: fast-paced chapters, cryptic clues, and a detective who’s more action than analysis.
What I liked most was the eerie tone—there’s something deliciously theatrical about the green face motif. It’s not subtle, but it’s memorable. The plot itself is a bit of a whirlwind, and while the characters aren’t deeply developed, they serve their purpose in keeping the tension alive.
Is it Wallace’s best? Probably not. But it’s a fun, moody ride through vintage London noir, and if you enjoy stories that lean into their own melodrama, this one’s worth the read.
December 13, 2025
Ką aš čia perskaičiau? Šis klausimas visada kirbždėjo skaitant. Atrodo, kad autorius pats neapsisprendžia, apie ką nori rašyti, nes bando aprėpti viską. O kam to reikia? Žymiai labiau būtų patikę, jei viskas būtų susifokusuota į senį ir jo kreizi namą, o ne kad veiksmas nuolat blaškytųsi aplink jį.
Rašymo stilius visai geras ir įdomus, bet vertimas… kartais tiesiog verčia juoktis. Gal dėl to, kad jis išverstas prieš 30 metų.
Rašymo stilius visai geras ir įdomus, bet vertimas… kartais tiesiog verčia juoktis. Gal dėl to, kad jis išverstas prieš 30 metų.
August 21, 2021
Adoro Edgar Wallace. Amo esse livro
June 13, 2020
For my full review click on the link below:
https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress...
https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress...
February 22, 2013
I'm still less than halfway through this book, but I'm loving it. Mystery novels from almost 100 years ago sometimes fail to grip the reader the way more recent works do, but this is great. I'm confused, intrigued, impatient, and don't want to stop reading. All great praise for a mystery.
February 24, 2012
Really very good; it had me completely mystified.
September 2, 2015
Really loved it... !! mystery
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews