In ‘Angel Esquire’ an eccentric casino owner on his death bed, proclaims that whoever can complete a complex cipher of his own design will be the sole inheritor of his vast fortune. The would-be benefactors turn against each other quickly and when things turn deadly Scotland Yard’s Christopher Angel is thrust in to the bloody mess. Wallace has weaved a plot with innumerable twists and turns, where nothing is certain and only the most shrewd will be left standing. It is a brilliant, fast paced read with an explosive conclusion emblematic of Wallace’s style. If you loved ‘Knives Out’ you will love this classic.

Edgar Wallace (1875-1932) was an English writer, poet and journalist. He was such a prolific writer that his publisher claimed his work could account for a quarter of all books sold in England. He wrote countless books, screenplays, poems and historical non-fiction, spawning over one hundred and sixty films based on his work. He unfortunately passed away suddenly before he could see his most famous creation ‘King Kong’ come to life. It has been adapted several times over the years, notably by Peter Jackson of Lord of the Rings fame, and more recently in ‘Godzilla vs Kong’ starring Millie Bobby Brown.