The Four Just Men

Actually, a three-man committee who force a fourth to join them for his skills, they are self-appointed judges and executioners of malefactors who are outside the reach of the law. In this case their target is a British politician who is pushing a bill that will permit the expulsion of certain foreign residents. They oppose it because a Spanish revolutionary will be among those ejected and punished in his own nation, ruled by a corrupt and despotic government The four just men pride themselves on giving fair warning, so the plot of the book consists of their plans to execute the politician and of the efforts of Scotland Yard to protect him. Interesting in the history of the crime novel although I suspect that the science is a bit show more questionable. It was originally published in 1905. show less

The Four Just Men is a story about a group of men with a degree of intellect and financial means that allows them to dispense their own form of justice when they feel that conventional justice will not do an adequate job. In this book, they have sent a death threat to a ranking politician threatening to kill him unless he kills a Bill that he's working to put into law.

We are only given a few details about the Four Just Men and their history. In addition to trying to stop this bill, they have also meted out their own justice in other countries around the globe where they feel only they are able to bring balance where the law has failed.

I found it intriguing that the book focuses on this group of vigilantes, setting them up as the heroes show more versus the government and the police. The idea of vigilante justice like this is something that's pretty common in dystopian novels or in cases where justice is meted out against a person or organization that is blatantly criminal (as seen in superhero stories) but in this story, I didn't feel that sufficient evidence was given to show that the actions of the Four Just Men was wholly warranted.

Setting that aside, I found the story and its methods to be interesting. The men portrayed as highly civilized men of honor. Even their terroristic processes are bound by honor as they are sworn to first deliver warnings and demands to their target in order to give him ample time to "do the right thing." In other words, they do not glory in murder but rather just want to convince people to live and uphold the law in the way they desire.

Most of the action is seen through the point of view of the Four Just Men as they work through the machinations of their plot. They deliberate amongst themselves as to whether or not the Foreign Secretary will accede to their request or if they will be forced to kill him. There is also a bit of unease in their group since during this particular mission they were required to employ the assistance from someone outside their group and they are unsure of his reliability and trustworthiness.

At the same time, we see the actions of Scotland Yard and of the Foreign Secretary and other government officials as they deal with the incoming threats and work to find and stop the actions of the Four Just Men. I was pleased to see that Scotland Yard is presented as highly competent rather than a bunch of fools. They struggle to find the Four Just Men because they are outmatched, not because they are incompetent. I also enjoyed the discussions presented between the politicians. The stubborn nature felt a bit stereotypically satirical but also potentially realistic.

Without spoiling too much, I will say that the Four Just Men did carry out multiple acts of mayhem in the course of the book. Their methods were mysterious and extravagant while also employing methods that could be explained with simple logic. This unraveling of the plot was certainly enjoyable.

Overall, I had mixed feelings on this novel both while reading it and upon completing it. As mentioned, I found the character interactions and development to be fun and interesting. The mystery and its reveal were also fun. The main problem I had was around the ambiguity of who I should truly be rooting for.

I think it is in that grey area that this novel truly shines. It makes a stark claim of good versus evil but it leaves the nuances blurry around the edges. In this, it mirrors the real world in many ways. All too often we hope for clearly defined boundaries of right versus wrong as we look to see justice carried out but instead we can usually find reasons to show at least some sympathy for both sides of the argument. In those cases, who is to decide where the balance truly lies and who is it that should be judge, jury and executioner? It is these lingering thoughts that make this novel stand out as a hidden classic to be enjoyed more than a century later.

****
4 out of 5 stars show less

Not really worth it. A dimestore novel, but it's outlived its usefulness. Too many characters, and a plot which is promoted as "one of the great puzzles of crime fiction" but really hangs entirely on contrivance. Points, though, for some of the unexpected deviations - the story of Billy Marks is affectingly handled - and for its surprising timeliness: a story about well-meaning activists who become terrorists in their bid to stop an illegal immigration bill planned by self-righteous-but-decent politicians. Interesting, but unworthy.

The suspense and tension build nicely. Wallace uses three “bodies” of characters to move the plot. He uses the Establishment (the government/police), the media (newspapers, both serious and sensational), and the criminals. Juggling these three throughout the novel moves the story along very nicely and works really well.

The Four Just Men is a mystery by Edgar Wallace, one of the most popular writers in England in the early 20th century. The self-named Four Just Men are vigilantes of a sort, traveling to various parts of the world to correct what they perceive as slights to justice. They are in the business of righting wrongs, fatally so.

In the particular tale told by Wallace they are acting atypically. They are proclaiming their intent publically and being pro-active, i.e. they threaten to commit an act of murder on a certain high minister in the British government, should the government pursue what they perceive to be an unjust course of action.

As Wallace's tale unfolds we see the history of the Four Just Men emerge and begin to understand the motives show more for their actions. Cases of curious deaths now find that there is a thread linking them. That the Four Just Men are murderers is not in doubt, but the cases in which they have acted to appear to be egregious miscarriages of justice. Perhaps there is a just purpose in their course of action.

Wallace's tale is well-told. There is a steady level of suspense but crafted in such a way as to be reasonably plausible. The outcome is never clear until the tale's very end. And you'll have to read for yourself, because it is too good to give away in a review! show less

THE FOUR JUST MEN was Edgar Wallace's first foray into mystery writing. Initially self published, the public was then invited to supply the solution to the mystery for prices amounting to a total of £1000 (incidentally the same amount that was offered for the capture of the four just men in the novel itself).
The marketing campaign Wallace had designed was ingenious and quite ahead of its time, though crippled him financially for quite some time.
The book is a quick and fast read with an interesting concept: A group of men serve as judges and executioners for injustices worldwide that would otherwise not be captured. Trouble is that the case in this novel really doesn't make all that much sense. A politician is threatened with his show more execution unless he drops a controversial new bill. One would think that a bill could be passed whether or not one single politician is alive or dead and in actual fact, although the sympathies are supposed to be lying with our anti-heroes, it is indeed the smug politician who ends up getting the reader's sympathies for his head strong insistence on going on with what he considers to be the right thing.
Still, this is a Must Read for anyone even remotely interested in Edgar Wallace. show less

Interesting twist to the mystery format - the book starts with the "4 just men" (vigilantes) planning the death of English minister Ramon and the murder doesn't occur until almost the very end.