Again the Ringer

The Ringer #2

by Edgar Wallace

Seventeen short stories featuring that master of disguise, Henry Arthur Milton, known as 'The Ringer'.

Genres: Crime, Mystery, Short Stories, Classics, Fiction, German Literature

Paperback

First published January 1, 1929

About the author

Richard 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.

Reviews

[Liviu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short stories with a mastermind criminal who punishes the wicked and fools the police; okish but not on par with the author best as the stories are clever but kind of lack tension

[Jana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ich finde es ist vor dem Lesen gut zu wissen, dass dies lediglich eine Kurzgeschichtensammlung um die Figuren des Hexers und von Inspektor Bliss ist. Die Geschichten waren gut geschrieben, allerdings liefen sie immer irgendwie gleich ab (Zuerst wird immer ein Krimineller vorgestellt und gezeigt, was er so Böses macht und dann findet der Hexer ihn und rächt sich für die bösen Taten).
Also ich hatte anhand des Klappentextes irgendwie einen normalen Fall über den Hexer erwartet.

I think it's good to know before reading this that it's just a short story collection centred around the characters of the Ringer and Inspector Bliss. The stories were well written, but they were always kind of the same (First a criminal is introduced and shown what evil he does and then the ringer finds him and takes revenge for the evil deeds).
Based on the description, I was kind of expecting a normal case about him.

[Rick Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Synopsis: This is a collection of 17 short stories featuring "The Ringer", a master-of-disguise character who operates outside the law to bring his own brand of justice to evildoers; while constantly pursued by Superintendent Bliss of Scotland Yard. Some criminals The Ringer chases are murderers, but there are also scam artists and thieves. The stories are standalone, but some refer to characters in the preceding ones, so reading in order is recommended.

Review: The Ringer is from the same mold as Leslie Charteris' The Saint. He operates outside the law, sometimes with a wink-wink from Scotland Yard; with a goal of restoring fortune to those who have lost it. He is always pursued by the authorities, but always manages to fool them. One aspect which sets him apart from The Saint is that The Ringer is a master of disguise, and this figures in most of the stories as he uses impersonation frequently.

[Lilith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un giallo semplice, con uno stile non idilliaco che assomiglia quasi ad una sceneggiatura cinematografica, ma che trova in una buona ambientazione il suo punto di forza. Scorrevole e discretamente appassionante. Voto 6+

[Steven Heywood · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of very short stories about Henry Arthur Milton, an anti-hero decades before the term came into use. Quickly-paced and sardonic in tone, they're a fun read. Every so often the author will wink and say: "This is an outrageous plot device or an even more outrageous coincide but keep it under your hat, old man, it's necessary to get the story going." If you can smile and wink back you'll enjoy the ride.

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of short stories, Wallace's sympathies are very much with the his vigilante hero "The Ringer" as are those of Superintendent Bliss' (Of Scotland Yard) charged unsuccessfully with capturing him, Wallace also has a lot of fun with incompetent detective Inspector Mander.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Series of anecdotal stories.