What do you think?
Rate this book
The Clue of the Twisted Candle
'The Urbane T.X. is back in this locked-room mystery by British master storyteller Edgar Wallace.
The renown mystery writer John Lexman is charged with murder and sent to prison. His friend T.X. Meredith, employed by Scotland Yard, tries to prove his innocence.
The renown mystery writer John Lexman is charged with murder and sent to prison. His friend T.X. Meredith, employed by Scotland Yard, tries to prove his innocence.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1916
99 people are currently reading
547 people want to read
About the author
Edgar Wallace
2,169 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
June 7, 2022
Have you ever heard this term… “Locked–room mystery” ?... A well-known term for mystery lovers. It is also called an ‘impossible crime scene’ as if some supernatural entity came out of nowhere, murdered someone, and then disappeared, inside a room, which was locked from inside and remained locked!
This book is one example of such a story, indeed one of the earliest, it claims. Look at the few lines about the author on his page,
Wallace was such a prolific writer that one of his publishers claimed that a quarter of all books in England were written by him. Wallace wrote screen plays, poetry, historical non-fiction, 18 stage plays, 957 short stories, and over 170 novels, 12 in 1929 alone.
I was thinking to read some English mystery, and some short book from Agatha I was almost ready to go for, but the above-mentioned introduction of this author tilted me in his favor, more than 170 novels in all, my goodness! Are thrillers and mystery the only genre, in which you can become such prolific? I also came to know that many writers of his time criticized Wallace and George Orwell was one of them. But he must have been a populist writer, I am pretty sure.
As I had not read anything from the author and after reading a few pages of the book that I had downloaded years ago on my device, I decided to go for it. And I must say I was not disappointed. He created layers of suspense from the beginning, a murder occurred in the beginning and for hundred-odd pages, I kept thinking that it was rather a simple case, then the real murder of the rich and most villainous character of the story occurred inside a locked room and the rest of the story pursues around this second murder. The characters are interesting and dialogues are also very handy.
The writing is very simple yet binding and for a mystery plot, there is no hindrance in understanding the connections and hidden clues, but I could not guess till the end. The book kept me engaged all the time. T.X. is the name of the detective behind the mystery. The way the secret was revealed at last did little dishonor to the effort of this audacious detective T.X, though by introducing one line that ‘T. X. knew it’ author maintained his dignity in the last pages.
The thing that I disliked about the plot is that the author created so many suspicious incidents throughout the book, which steered the needle from one direction to another. And at the end when the mystery was revealed some of those scenes looked frivolous to me yet they were very cleverly crafted in the middle of the plot. One more revelation at the end, after disclosing the murderer, did not seem natural and seemed foisted on the reader just to make a happy ending.
Yet my first time experience with Edgar Wallace was certainly not bad. I don’t know if I will get time to revisit the author sometime but I will keep my eye on his King Kong!
This book is one example of such a story, indeed one of the earliest, it claims. Look at the few lines about the author on his page,
Wallace was such a prolific writer that one of his publishers claimed that a quarter of all books in England were written by him. Wallace wrote screen plays, poetry, historical non-fiction, 18 stage plays, 957 short stories, and over 170 novels, 12 in 1929 alone.
I was thinking to read some English mystery, and some short book from Agatha I was almost ready to go for, but the above-mentioned introduction of this author tilted me in his favor, more than 170 novels in all, my goodness! Are thrillers and mystery the only genre, in which you can become such prolific? I also came to know that many writers of his time criticized Wallace and George Orwell was one of them. But he must have been a populist writer, I am pretty sure.
As I had not read anything from the author and after reading a few pages of the book that I had downloaded years ago on my device, I decided to go for it. And I must say I was not disappointed. He created layers of suspense from the beginning, a murder occurred in the beginning and for hundred-odd pages, I kept thinking that it was rather a simple case, then the real murder of the rich and most villainous character of the story occurred inside a locked room and the rest of the story pursues around this second murder. The characters are interesting and dialogues are also very handy.
The writing is very simple yet binding and for a mystery plot, there is no hindrance in understanding the connections and hidden clues, but I could not guess till the end. The book kept me engaged all the time. T.X. is the name of the detective behind the mystery. The way the secret was revealed at last did little dishonor to the effort of this audacious detective T.X, though by introducing one line that ‘T. X. knew it’ author maintained his dignity in the last pages.
The thing that I disliked about the plot is that the author created so many suspicious incidents throughout the book, which steered the needle from one direction to another. And at the end when the mystery was revealed some of those scenes looked frivolous to me yet they were very cleverly crafted in the middle of the plot. One more revelation at the end, after disclosing the murderer, did not seem natural and seemed foisted on the reader just to make a happy ending.
Yet my first time experience with Edgar Wallace was certainly not bad. I don’t know if I will get time to revisit the author sometime but I will keep my eye on his King Kong!
March 13, 2019
Loved this one! I listened to it on LibriVox (very good recording, except for the second chapter) and it absolutely kept me guessing all the way to the end. There are mysteries layered on top of mysteries, but the main villain is the same throughout and the detective hero, T.X. of Scotland Yard, is a smart criminologist who refuses to give up. Highly recommended.
December 16, 2019
“‘[P]eople with lots of money seldom get hung. You only get hung for wanting money.’”
The above is one of various witty observations made by T.X. Meredith, the police investigator who tries to get The Clue of the Twisted Candle and find the murderer of Remington Kara, a wealthy Greek with a taste for power and wanton cruelty. T.X. is one of those typical Edgar Wallace heroes: Flippant, with mora than just a trace of arrogance but a lot of intelligence to justify it (partially, at least) and always ready to come up with one of those sparkling observations. Sometimes, he even shows great psychological insight, as when he states that most crimes are committed because their perpetrators want to look good, either in their own eyes or in those of people that mean something to them. He certainly has a point here, even with regard to Mr. Kara, who is not only a victim to the rather final crime of murder, but also guilty of an infinite number of much more gruesome crimes himself. I’m not spilling any beans here because we get to know as much in the very first chapter, when Kara and his friend, the detective novel writer Lexman, sit in the latter’s library, talking.
What’s this novel about then? It’s basically a looked-room murder mystery, but unlike Agatha Christie, Edgar Wallace, especially in his early novels – this one is from 1918 – is not particularly measured and systematic in his writing. Instead, he jumps from place to place, giving us even a quick hike to Albania and back, introduces strange coincidences (which don’t come over as quite as contrived as those employed by Christie) and treats us to breath-taking cliff-hangers. Wallace as a rule did not spend a lot of time writing a book but locked himself into an hotel room and spoke the words on wax cylinders, drinking tea and smoking cigarettes all the while. This way, he could turn out, or churn out, whichever way you’ll have it, a book in a matter of three days. I don’t know how long it took him to write The Clue of the Twisted Candle but it was probably not much longer than it took me to read it. Nevertheless, both the cigarettes and the tea must have been excellent, because despite the unevenness of the tale, it is splendid entertainment and never gets boring or annoyingly unlikely.
As usual, there is also a love story unfolding, between T.X. and Mr. Kara’s secretary, and you have to give it to Edgar that he was able to create plucky and resourceful female characters. What’s more, the flirting between T.X. and Miss Holland is quite amusing and refreshing to read – none of that cheesy romantic stuff, but fun.
All in all, this is certainly not a literary masterpiece, but it’s sound entertainment – the sort of book that people would devour avidly because the film noir and the gangster movie had not yet been invented.
The above is one of various witty observations made by T.X. Meredith, the police investigator who tries to get The Clue of the Twisted Candle and find the murderer of Remington Kara, a wealthy Greek with a taste for power and wanton cruelty. T.X. is one of those typical Edgar Wallace heroes: Flippant, with mora than just a trace of arrogance but a lot of intelligence to justify it (partially, at least) and always ready to come up with one of those sparkling observations. Sometimes, he even shows great psychological insight, as when he states that most crimes are committed because their perpetrators want to look good, either in their own eyes or in those of people that mean something to them. He certainly has a point here, even with regard to Mr. Kara, who is not only a victim to the rather final crime of murder, but also guilty of an infinite number of much more gruesome crimes himself. I’m not spilling any beans here because we get to know as much in the very first chapter, when Kara and his friend, the detective novel writer Lexman, sit in the latter’s library, talking.
What’s this novel about then? It’s basically a looked-room murder mystery, but unlike Agatha Christie, Edgar Wallace, especially in his early novels – this one is from 1918 – is not particularly measured and systematic in his writing. Instead, he jumps from place to place, giving us even a quick hike to Albania and back, introduces strange coincidences (which don’t come over as quite as contrived as those employed by Christie) and treats us to breath-taking cliff-hangers. Wallace as a rule did not spend a lot of time writing a book but locked himself into an hotel room and spoke the words on wax cylinders, drinking tea and smoking cigarettes all the while. This way, he could turn out, or churn out, whichever way you’ll have it, a book in a matter of three days. I don’t know how long it took him to write The Clue of the Twisted Candle but it was probably not much longer than it took me to read it. Nevertheless, both the cigarettes and the tea must have been excellent, because despite the unevenness of the tale, it is splendid entertainment and never gets boring or annoyingly unlikely.
As usual, there is also a love story unfolding, between T.X. and Mr. Kara’s secretary, and you have to give it to Edgar that he was able to create plucky and resourceful female characters. What’s more, the flirting between T.X. and Miss Holland is quite amusing and refreshing to read – none of that cheesy romantic stuff, but fun.
All in all, this is certainly not a literary masterpiece, but it’s sound entertainment – the sort of book that people would devour avidly because the film noir and the gangster movie had not yet been invented.
October 9, 2013
This novel really does have it all for lovers of vintage mystery – a truly evil villain of extreme wealth, a locked room murder, a thoroughly decent, sensible young Scotland Yard investigator, a Dartmoor prison break, and a feisty brave young woman.
John Lexman is a successful writer of detective fiction, newly married to the beautiful Grace, they live in a small cottage out in the country. Unknown to Grace John’s slight money worries have led him to borrow money from a money lender, a man introduced to Lexman by new friend Remington Kara, an enormously wealthy Greek Albanian. Grace Lexman has reason to fear Kara, she knows he is an evil man, and is concerned about the influence he is having on her husband. She is right to be fearful; Lexman is soon locked up in Dartmoor for the murder of the money lender. Grace knows Kara is behind the peculiar events of that strange evening. This however is just the beginning of the story.
“Cut a man’s flesh and it heals.” He said “Whip a man and the memory of it passes, frighten him, fill him with a sense of foreboding and apprehension and let him believe that something dreadful is going to happen either to himself or to someone he loves – better the latter – and you will hurt him beyond forgetfulness. Fear is a tyrant and a despot, more terrible than the rack, more potent than the stake. Fear is many-eyed and sees horrors where normal vision only sees the ridiculous”
Lexman’s friend Scotland Yard investigator T. X Meredith is determined to prove that Kara is responsible for Lexman’s incarceration – just as things look like they are beginning to turn Laxman’s way – he is broken out of Dartmoor prison, and he and his wife disappear from the face of the earth.
Two years later, T.X has never given up on Lexman – and is still keeping a close eye on the mysterious Remington Kara, who lives in a fortress like house in London, with a safe like, impenetrable room, bricked up cellars and a telephone that connects directly to Scotland Yard. It is in this secure room of his London home that Remington Kara is found murdered. Lying near to the body are two small twisted candles.
This novel is more of a howdunit than a whodunit – we know Kara is a villain and Lexman a victim. When Kara himself becomes the victim – not only is it fairly satisfactory – but the reader already has a fairly shrewd idea of who the murderer may be – but how it was accomplished is the real mystery. We also need to wait until the end of the novel to find out what really happened to John and Grace Lexman after John was broken out of Dartmoor by monoplane.
This was a great little mystery from the early twentieth centuary. I suppose it is very much of its time, the villain is a foreigner, the women beautiful and good. Still the suspense is spot on, the plot intricate enough to satisfy without being too confusing. I have discovered many Wallace mysteries are available free as ebooks so I am sure I will be reading more of them in the future.
January 24, 2022
Nu sunt o fană a romanelor polițiste, dar am văzut cartea în biblioteca alor mei și am zis să îi dau o șansă.
Am citit-o dintr-o răsuflare și mi-a plăcut la nebunie.
Am citit-o dintr-o răsuflare și mi-a plăcut la nebunie.
April 15, 2019
What a fine melodramatic adventure. It has a villain of surpassing wealth and evil, a hero of infinite resources and unmatched intelligence, heroines of unmatched beauty and wit, lackeys both evil and good and twists by the dozen. Oh, yes there is even a castle in a faraway land where the villain can torture his victims to his heart’s content.
Does that seem like a bit much to be believed? Well, yes, most of it was highly improbable. That didn’t keep it from being fun though. I really liked the detective, but then I like my heroes as resourceful as the villains. He fit this story so perfectly. He is the perfect mix of improbable resources and eccentric genius. The plot certainly has enough twists to keep things interesting and rather unpredictable. I did guess the ending, but it was still fun to see the author pull all the strings together.
I would recommend it if you like vintage adventure/mystery stories. It was fairly clean with only a few curse words.
Does that seem like a bit much to be believed? Well, yes, most of it was highly improbable. That didn’t keep it from being fun though. I really liked the detective, but then I like my heroes as resourceful as the villains. He fit this story so perfectly. He is the perfect mix of improbable resources and eccentric genius. The plot certainly has enough twists to keep things interesting and rather unpredictable. I did guess the ending, but it was still fun to see the author pull all the strings together.
I would recommend it if you like vintage adventure/mystery stories. It was fairly clean with only a few curse words.
July 19, 2016
3.5 stars This 1916 locked room mystery is dated, mostly predictable, and rather forcefully prejudiced, but still so very charming because of the surprisingly witty dialogue, appealing characters, and fun cliffhangers.
Fun facts I learned:
1. vitriol actually is a sulfuric acid, something of which I was vaguely aware but never heard referred to in its literal/physical iteration until this story. (And it's used in a quite exciting manner, I must say.)
2. The author was a prolific crime writer with many films made from his books, but is best known for inventing King Kong, though he didn't live to see it on the big screen.
This is another book I read through the Serial Reader app, btw! This time I read half the book as I waited for a friend to arrive for dinner, and was so eager to finish that I couldn't wait for the rest of the issues, so I downloaded the Kindle freebie. The next time this happens, I'm going to pony up the $2.99 to contribute towards the premium upgrade, since I appreciate the fact that this app has gotten me to try out books I otherwise wouldn't have time to. (And yes, they're working on an Android version.)
Fun facts I learned:
1. vitriol actually is a sulfuric acid, something of which I was vaguely aware but never heard referred to in its literal/physical iteration until this story. (And it's used in a quite exciting manner, I must say.)
2. The author was a prolific crime writer with many films made from his books, but is best known for inventing King Kong, though he didn't live to see it on the big screen.
This is another book I read through the Serial Reader app, btw! This time I read half the book as I waited for a friend to arrive for dinner, and was so eager to finish that I couldn't wait for the rest of the issues, so I downloaded the Kindle freebie. The next time this happens, I'm going to pony up the $2.99 to contribute towards the premium upgrade, since I appreciate the fact that this app has gotten me to try out books I otherwise wouldn't have time to. (And yes, they're working on an Android version.)
October 9, 2011
BEYOND bizarre, considerably more violent (or at least sinister) and wackadoodle and transparent than I was expecting it to be. One of the first "locked room" mysteries. Worth reading if you're a fan of the genre--otherwise, it just makes good "can you believe this sentence?" read-aloud material.
December 15, 2024
An engaging start but it all gets a bit far-fetched and directionless halfway through. The reader soons realises it's all a setup for a locked-room mystery which is very simple and predictable. No surprises at the end for a mystery hound. So while it's an entertaining read in parts and the characters are fun, it's by no means a must-read and won't challenge lovers of a real mystery puzzle.
August 21, 2009
A good "room locked from the inside" who and how dunnit. It has everything - mystery, adventure, a villain, love, a new romance, revenge, a gentleman detective, a one armed man, small handguns and long knives galore and of course cellars and locked rooms.
First published in 1918 I think.
I downloaded this from Librivox and converted it to an audio book on itunes. Narrated by various volunteers, this was an enjoyable listen, mostly whilst pottering about in the kitchen.
First published in 1918 I think.
I downloaded this from Librivox and converted it to an audio book on itunes. Narrated by various volunteers, this was an enjoyable listen, mostly whilst pottering about in the kitchen.
June 1, 2022
Classico giallo della stanza chiusa, forse tirato troppo per le lunghe
September 11, 2023
This was my first Edgar Wallace and I think it was a good introduction. It was short enough that I could see my way to the end if I wasn't enamored. I *did* like it though and am glad I have another on my list for my mysteries challenge.
The story opens with John Lexman more than a bit worried about paying back some money he had borrowed. His friend, Remington Kara comes to visit. Lexman has received a demand letter and is to meet the lender that night. Kara encourages Lexman to take a small revolver with him. The lender is shot and killed at the meeting.
This doesn't sound like much of a mystery and honestly for nearly the first half I thought this leaned more toward Melodrama than mystery. (I don't think any reader is going to buy that John Lexman did the murder and probably most of us would know pretty certainly who did.) Not everything is what it seems and it definitely became a mystery and definitely worth persevering.
I'm tempted to give this 4-stars. Honestly, it's too short for that, but if you can see that those 3-stars are sort of flashing, that is about as accurate as I can get.
The story opens with John Lexman more than a bit worried about paying back some money he had borrowed. His friend, Remington Kara comes to visit. Lexman has received a demand letter and is to meet the lender that night. Kara encourages Lexman to take a small revolver with him. The lender is shot and killed at the meeting.
This doesn't sound like much of a mystery and honestly for nearly the first half I thought this leaned more toward Melodrama than mystery. (I don't think any reader is going to buy that John Lexman did the murder and probably most of us would know pretty certainly who did.) Not everything is what it seems and it definitely became a mystery and definitely worth persevering.
I'm tempted to give this 4-stars. Honestly, it's too short for that, but if you can see that those 3-stars are sort of flashing, that is about as accurate as I can get.
January 7, 2011
On recommendation of a friend, I decided to download this free book to my Kindle and have a go. What a fun read! If you like British mysteries and thrillers, you will no doubt enjoy this, too. Wallace wrote the short story on which the movie King Kong was based, and wrote the screenplay, too, I believe. He wrote a lot of mysteries in the style of the Twisted Candle, and I see myself dipping into them from time to time.
June 4, 2009
audio from Librivox
really funny English mystery, Wallace was read by 25% of the population when he was writing!
really funny English mystery, Wallace was read by 25% of the population when he was writing!
August 12, 2011
I started this book when I went to bed ... had a hard time putting it down. Got a few hours of sleep and on awaking finished the book. Enjoyed all the twists and turns!
November 7, 2017
qualche inevitabile 'anticaglia' qua e là ma ottimo divertimento
January 5, 2017
Description of this book would indicate that the Scotland Yard inspector T.X. Meredith has played a role in other Wallace mysteries, but I don't think I shall spend another minute searching for proof. I was amused by the book, and since it is my birthday I thought I would read a couple books written and published long years prior to my birth and thus feel myself to be young (in comparison?). Or it could be my brain is also partly frozen in 10 degree weather.
This is a locked-room mystery written in the early 1900's by a man who produced books by the ton. It is very extreme in its characters: the most vile, cruel and hateful of villains; the most naive hero who is easily duped; the most fragile and faithful heroine; the sturdiest of Scotland Yard detectives who remains steady over years of trying to protect his friend, the author...and on it goes.
I was amused enough to read about Wallace's colorful life - the man who gave us King Kong but died from undiagnosed diabetes when he moved to Hollywood...and even that was before I was born.
This is a locked-room mystery written in the early 1900's by a man who produced books by the ton. It is very extreme in its characters: the most vile, cruel and hateful of villains; the most naive hero who is easily duped; the most fragile and faithful heroine; the sturdiest of Scotland Yard detectives who remains steady over years of trying to protect his friend, the author...and on it goes.
I was amused enough to read about Wallace's colorful life - the man who gave us King Kong but died from undiagnosed diabetes when he moved to Hollywood...and even that was before I was born.
March 27, 2013
I picked this Wallace at random having discovered how enormously popular he was in his time. I can see why, it's an entertaining easy read, and well enough written. The plot is ridiculous, the characters stock, but it works. Not serious reading, but ideal for a wet afternoon when you can't be bothered to think.
May 2, 2013
Free from Project Gutenberg so gets an extra star just for that. Amusing to see what hasn't changed about the mystery genre in the last 100 years (this was published in 1918). And to puzzle over cultural references, attitudes, and classisms that would have been obvious at the time but are pretty inscrutable or at least odd now. A quick, entertaining read.
April 18, 2008
I enjoyed this. I could see that many wouldn't. It's a little predictable, but the method is the fun, rather than the whodunit. The main characters are engaging and there's a good villain / victim. Available online at Munseys, Red Moon Horror and elsewhere.
May 22, 2016
Many books claim to be in the vein of Sherlock Holmes, but this book actually is! The author lays out all the clues in front of the reader, and the reader still won't know the ending until the very end. This is a must read for fans of the mystery genre.
October 13, 2019
At first I found this book a bit dull...definitely a “before bedtime” book. But as it went on I got into it and found that it was quite clever upon its resolution. I will be reading more of this author.
December 31, 2021
Great writing, I loved the way this book shows that justice is subjective. The twist at the and is magnificent, the characters description and development is what makes this such a good book. Friendship and loyality play a huge role and the good and evil are really well outlined. I recommand it.
October 2, 2021
Un romanzo molto carino, soddisfacente da leggere, anche se piuttosto inusuale come giallo. Una piacevole lettura!
http://www.naufragio.it/iltempodilegg...
A very nice novel, satisfying to read, even if rather unusual as a detective story.
A pleasant reading!
http://www.naufragio.it/iltempodilegg...
A very nice novel, satisfying to read, even if rather unusual as a detective story.
A pleasant reading!
October 13, 2009
A Sherlock Holmes-type adventure set in early 1900's England. Plenty of action in this classic who-done-it mystery - it grabbed my interest and held it to the end! Great light reading.
June 29, 2010
This was an excellent mystery novel. I didn't want it to end. I definitely recommend it!
May 1, 2011
Loved the ending. I also have a little bit of a crush on T.X. He's so intelligent and has a sense of humor. I like that he was genuinely surprised when he finally fell in love.
November 29, 2012
An excellent piece of Edgar Wallace nonsense. A locked room mystery, murder, disguises, kidnapping, blackmail and torture all in less than 200 pages.
February 20, 2021
20 FEB 2021 - I enjoyed reading this one the second time around as I did the first time.
Read
January 25, 2017Awesome book
Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews