The Mind of Mr. J. G. Reeder

In some ways these short stories remind me of G K Chesterton's Father Brown stories and in others they are also precursors to Miss Marple. Mr J G Reeder is an apologetic, middle-aged, inoffensive functionary in the Public Prosecuter's office - but in reality he is a detective who is as deadly as a Mamba. He makes a point of reminding people that he thinks like a criminal (just as Miss Marple has a mind "like a sink"), he also has an encyclopedic knowledge of criminal London and is well able to take care of himself (although slightly more actively than Father Brown). Unlike Marple and Brown he has a rather charming and delicate romance with a young neighbour - which develops through the stories in this collection. Although published in show more 1925 the stories have an Edwardian flavour. Very enjoyable and easy to read. show less

I enjoy these old school mysteries. Somewhat reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes, but Reeder is more open with sharing the clues (if you're sharp enough to catch them). What I really liked was that Wallace started introducing us more to what makes Reeder tick (he thinks like a criminal) and his personal life. Overall, very entertaining. I had a little trouble following one of the stories, but the rest were quite good.

While these stories are pleasant entertainments and pretty well written, in the end there just isn't enough mystery. Mr. Reeder is quite clever, but he is no threat to Sherlock Holmes. "The Treasure Hunt" is probably the most interesting story here, showing how Reeder is able to manipulate others to do what he is prevented from doing himself.

The eight short stories in this volume prove beyond doubt that at his best,Edgar Wallace is still a first-class writer of crime thrillers. In inventing the unique character of J.G.Reeder he has produced for us an unheroic hero of the first order. Reeder is a member of the staff of the Public Prosecutor's office. Described as mild-mannered and of an old-fashioned appearance
,he is nevertheless a deadly to criminals as a mamba. The stories abound in period flavor such as the scene in the final story when Reeder and a young lady are trapped in an underground chamber from which there is no escape. This room is being slowly flooded by means of three pipes high in the ceiling. Why,if the villain wishes to dispose of someone,does he not use a show more simpler method ?. But this is the beauty of the thing,isn't it. Just wonderful ! show less

(Originally published as The Mind of J.G. Reeder in 1925). As I said in another Reeder review, J.G. Reeder is my favorite of Wallace's detectives, oldfashioned, seemingly harmless,but deadly when necessary. I also prefer mystery short stories to novels (with occasional exceptions, so this volume of Reeder short stories is naturally one of my favorites among the fraction of Wallace';s books i have read.

I got this book a few years ago at our used book sale and never got around to reading it. I picked it this week because it seemed to be a book of eight short stories that would make good bed time reading. That worked for the first 3 stories but then I got so involved that I finished it in one sitting on the fourth afternoon. The last stories seemed to be somewhat related to each other. I enjoyed it so much I wanted to find out if there were any other books featuring this detective and was surprised to find that this book was first published as a novel called The Mind of J.G. Reeder. I also discovered that Edgar Wallace cranked out well over a hundred mysteries, including other ones about J.G. Reeder but they are very hard to find show more now.

Here is a description of the detective from one of the sites I visited:

“Mr. J G Reeder of the Department of Public Prosecutions, Edgar Wallace's sleuth-whose territory is the London of the 1920s-is an unlikely figure, more bank clerk than detective in appearance, ever wearing his square topped bowler, frock coat, cravat and muffler, Mr. Reeder is usually inseparable from his umbrella. With his thin mournful face many might mistake him for an undertaker, but appearances can be deceiving. It is the mind of Mr. J G Reeder that his greatest asset and that which the criminal fraternity have most to fear. Although-on occasions-he is not averse to substituting his umbrella for a long barreled automatic pistol when the situation demands it!”

I enjoy mysteries from the 20s and 30s so this was a treat for me. I’m trying to be impartial in my rating, but if you are a fan of this genre and period I suggest you try to find this book. Recommended for fans. show less

Mr. Reeder was een man die onweerstaanbaar het medelijden opwekte van iedereen die met hem in aanraking kwam. Dat was niet in de eerste plaats te wijten aan zijn ouderwetse manier van kleden, maar wel aan zijn opvallend schuchtere houding, en het feit dat hij blijkbaar niet hardop durfde praten. Wie zou bang zijn geweest voor zo'n man? De mensen echter die mr. Reeder beter hadden leren kennen, wisten dat de schijn ook in zijn geval bedroog en dat hij allesbehalve zo schuchter en hulpbehoevend was als hij er uitzag. Want mr. Reeder had, zoals hij het noemde, 'een misdadige geest', waarmee hij bedoelde dat hij dacht als een misdadiger. Hij vond het zelf betreurenswaardig en beschouwde het als een groot gebrek ‘dat hij in alles iets show more kwaads zag. Maar de mensen van de politie, bij wie hij in dienst was, vonden zijn misdadige geest helemaal niet zo erg. Integendeel, want hopeloze gevallen bestonden er voor mr. Reeder niet. Hij wist de gedachten en methoden van de echte misdadigers zó goed te doorgronden dat ze niet aan hem konden ontsnappen als hij zijn zinnen op hun ontmaskering gezet had.

De dichterlijke politieman
De jacht op de schat
De troep
De marmerdievegge
Louter melodrama
De groene mamba
Het vreemde geval
De beleggers

Edgar Wallace is geboren in 1875 te Greenwich en overleden op 10 februari 1932 te Hollywood (V.S.). Als oorlogsverslaggever maakte hij de Zuidafrikaanse Boerenoorlog mee. Hierna werd hij dagbladjournalist, maar al spoedig begon hij met het schrijven van detectiveverhalen. Met deze verhalen had hij enorm succes: ze maakten hem in korte tijd wereldberoemd en bezorgden hem een grote rijkdom. Zijn verhalen zijn bijzonder goed van constructie, bevatten allerlei originele vondsten en munten uit door het verrassend effect van hun onverwachte wendingen. In Duitsland en Engeland worden ze in nieuwe pocket-uitgaven in groten getale gelezen. Het is onmogelijk hier alle titels van zijn werken op te noemen; het zijn er meer dan honderd. In de Prisma-reeks zijn reeds van hem verschenen: De Rode Cirkel (nr. 613), Genootschap de Kikker (nr. 642), De Zwarte Monnik (nr. 763), De onvindbare verrader (nr. 794), De dubbelganger (nr. 845), De deur met zeven sloten (nr. 875), Exclusief pension (nr. 942), Moord in het villapark (nr. 974), De drie rechtvaardige mannen (nr. 1013), De rechtvaardige mannen van Cordova (Prisma-detectives nr. 10) en De vier rechtvaardige mannen (Prisma-detectives nr. 16).

Bron: Achterkaft Prisma Detectives 31 show less