What do you think?
Rate this book
The Malefactor
Sir Wingrave Seton allowed himself to be imprisoned for nine years rather than betraying a lady's honor. He seeks revenge by acquiring immense wealth for the sole purpose of destroying the lives of others. A lonely Boston housewife, a young stockbroker and an orphaned daughter of a church organist all seem to be headed for life disasters; just in time a mysterious benefactor saves each of them.
- GenresClassics
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1905
6 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
About the author
E. Phillips Oppenheim
630 books80 followersEdward Phillips Oppenheim was an English novelist, primarily known for his suspense fiction.
He was born in Leicester, the son of a leather merchant, and after attending Wyggeston Grammar School he worked in his father's business for almost 20 years, beginning there at a young age. He continued working in the business, even though he was a successful novelist, until he was 40 at which point he sold the business.
He wrote his first book 'Expiation' in 1887 and in 1898 he published 'The Mysterious Mr Sabin', which he described as "The first of my long series of stories dealing with that shadowy and mysterious world of diplomacy." Thereafter he became a prolific writer and by 1900 he had had 14 novels published.
While on a business trip to the United States in 1890 he met and married Elise Clara Hopkins of Boston and, on return to England, they lived in Evington, Leicestershire until the First World War,and had one daughter. His wife remained faithful to him throughout his life despite his frequent and highly publicised affairs, which often took place abroad and aboard his luxury yacht.
During World War I Oppenheim worked for the Ministry of Information while continuing to write his suspenseful novels.
He featured on the cover of 'Time' magazine on 12 September 1927 and he was the self-styled 'Prince of Storytellers', a title used by Robert standish for his biography of the author.
His literary success enabled him to buy a villa in France and a yacht, spending his winters in France where he regularly entertained more than 250 people at his lavish parties and where he was a well-known figure in high society.
He later purchased a house, Le Vanquiédor in St. Peter Port, in Guernsey. He lost access to the house during the Second World War when Germany occupied the Channel Islands but later regained it.
He wrote 116 novels, mainly of the suspense and international intrigue type, but including romances, comedies, and parables of everyday life, and 39 volumes of short stories, all of which earned him vast sums of money. He also wrote five novels under the pseudonymn Anthony Partridge and a volume of autobiography, 'The Pool of Memory' in 1939.
He is generally regarded as the earliest writer of spy fiction as we know it today, and invented the 'Rogue Male' school of adventure thrillers that was later exploited by John Buchan and Geoffrey Household.
Undoubtedly his most renowned work was 'The Great Impersonation' (1920), which was filmed three times, the last time as a strong piece of wartime propaganda in 1942. In that novel the plot hinges around two very similar looking gentlemen, one from Britain and the other from Germany, in the early part of the 20th century. Overall more than 30 of his works were made into films.
Perhaps his most enduring creation is the character of General Besserley, the protagonist of 'General Besserley's Puzzle Box' and 'General Besserley's New Puzzle Box'.
Much of his work possesses a unique escapist charm, featuring protagonists who delight in Epicurean meals, surroundings of intense luxury, and the relaxed pursuit of criminal practice, on either side of the law.
Gerry Wolstenholme
He was born in Leicester, the son of a leather merchant, and after attending Wyggeston Grammar School he worked in his father's business for almost 20 years, beginning there at a young age. He continued working in the business, even though he was a successful novelist, until he was 40 at which point he sold the business.
He wrote his first book 'Expiation' in 1887 and in 1898 he published 'The Mysterious Mr Sabin', which he described as "The first of my long series of stories dealing with that shadowy and mysterious world of diplomacy." Thereafter he became a prolific writer and by 1900 he had had 14 novels published.
While on a business trip to the United States in 1890 he met and married Elise Clara Hopkins of Boston and, on return to England, they lived in Evington, Leicestershire until the First World War,and had one daughter. His wife remained faithful to him throughout his life despite his frequent and highly publicised affairs, which often took place abroad and aboard his luxury yacht.
During World War I Oppenheim worked for the Ministry of Information while continuing to write his suspenseful novels.
He featured on the cover of 'Time' magazine on 12 September 1927 and he was the self-styled 'Prince of Storytellers', a title used by Robert standish for his biography of the author.
His literary success enabled him to buy a villa in France and a yacht, spending his winters in France where he regularly entertained more than 250 people at his lavish parties and where he was a well-known figure in high society.
He later purchased a house, Le Vanquiédor in St. Peter Port, in Guernsey. He lost access to the house during the Second World War when Germany occupied the Channel Islands but later regained it.
He wrote 116 novels, mainly of the suspense and international intrigue type, but including romances, comedies, and parables of everyday life, and 39 volumes of short stories, all of which earned him vast sums of money. He also wrote five novels under the pseudonymn Anthony Partridge and a volume of autobiography, 'The Pool of Memory' in 1939.
He is generally regarded as the earliest writer of spy fiction as we know it today, and invented the 'Rogue Male' school of adventure thrillers that was later exploited by John Buchan and Geoffrey Household.
Undoubtedly his most renowned work was 'The Great Impersonation' (1920), which was filmed three times, the last time as a strong piece of wartime propaganda in 1942. In that novel the plot hinges around two very similar looking gentlemen, one from Britain and the other from Germany, in the early part of the 20th century. Overall more than 30 of his works were made into films.
Perhaps his most enduring creation is the character of General Besserley, the protagonist of 'General Besserley's Puzzle Box' and 'General Besserley's New Puzzle Box'.
Much of his work possesses a unique escapist charm, featuring protagonists who delight in Epicurean meals, surroundings of intense luxury, and the relaxed pursuit of criminal practice, on either side of the law.
Gerry Wolstenholme
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 26, 2019
The only suspense/mystery book I have ever truely enjoyed.
The authors writing is easy to follow while visualizing each setting. I can still see the images and scenarios that the author created in the book run through my head. Beautiful.
The authors writing is easy to follow while visualizing each setting. I can still see the images and scenarios that the author created in the book run through my head. Beautiful.
April 19, 2019
A well written tale. Wingrave Seaton has had basic humanity driven out by 10 years penal servitude, aka hard labor, for a crime he didn't commit. He not only knows it, but revels in it. But is it really true?
February 8, 2021
The ending is predictable and kind of gross. Am I alone? Everything else was a fun, but generic story. But as the ending became more and more transparently inevitable, I found myself trying to go against the narrative.
December 31, 2013
Early Oppenheim, Excellent plotting, characters, and colorful writing
This 1907 novel was one of the early popular novels of society by E. Phillips Oppenheim. Unlike some of his later works, this one was carefully plotted and written with extensive descriptions of characters, settings, and London Society in the Edwardian period. The story revolves around the conflict between a gentleman's obligation to defend the honor of a lady, and his responsibility to his own feelings, family, and freedom. The story is told by the secretary (Aynesworth) of Sir Wingreave Seton who is imprisoned for manslaughter, because he will not reveal the true role of Lady Ruth in a case of manslaughter. When Wingreave is released from prison,his emotions have been crushed by his cruel punishment. He becomes misanthropic, seeking only revenge. He wishes to be a malefactor, doing only evil. His class, upbringing, and social ties all mitigate his evil.
Some excellent female characters form the nucleus of the drama. Lady Ruth, the Marchioness of Westchester, and the young painter Juliet who is a ward of his estate.
This 1907 novel was one of the early popular novels of society by E. Phillips Oppenheim. Unlike some of his later works, this one was carefully plotted and written with extensive descriptions of characters, settings, and London Society in the Edwardian period. The story revolves around the conflict between a gentleman's obligation to defend the honor of a lady, and his responsibility to his own feelings, family, and freedom. The story is told by the secretary (Aynesworth) of Sir Wingreave Seton who is imprisoned for manslaughter, because he will not reveal the true role of Lady Ruth in a case of manslaughter. When Wingreave is released from prison,his emotions have been crushed by his cruel punishment. He becomes misanthropic, seeking only revenge. He wishes to be a malefactor, doing only evil. His class, upbringing, and social ties all mitigate his evil.
Some excellent female characters form the nucleus of the drama. Lady Ruth, the Marchioness of Westchester, and the young painter Juliet who is a ward of his estate.
December 26, 2015
This was a wonderful story! It was one of my Christmas books this year, and one of the first ones I read. It was an unusual story line with plenty of mystery. Sir Wingrave, imprisoned wrongfully for killing a man, finishes his sentence and plans his vengeance against those who would not tell the truth to help him during his trial. A young journalist, enamored with the thought of spending time with a man with such a history, offers himself as a secretary. Sir Wingrave tries to discourage him, saying he cannot employ any man with a conscience, for he does not intend to hold himself by any scruples in his quest for vengeance.
Does Sir Wingrave succeed in taking his vengeance? Does his secretary betray him or help him?
A wonderful mystery, and one of my new favorite books!
Does Sir Wingrave succeed in taking his vengeance? Does his secretary betray him or help him?
A wonderful mystery, and one of my new favorite books!
August 22, 2013
Guessed early on how it would turn out (pretty predictable) but the damn thing didn't let me go because it was hard to figure out how it would get there. The plot is blotchy, the figures pretty well worked out, the gender roles stereotypically Victorian. It seems women in those days had nothing better to do than to reform men...
Read
August 3, 2011Another of Oppenheim's brilliant works, this time in a revenge plot of a man confined for ten year's prison in defense of a woman's honor. Interesting twist.
Want to read
July 29, 2014Read this book for free through Project Gutenberg: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1314/1...
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews