Undeterred, he decided to run a "guess the murder method" competition in the Daily Mail with a prize of £1,000. Writing the story of the FJM who would kill the Foreign Secretary if he tried to ratify an unjust law, Edgar had to form his own publishing company, Tallis, to print it. Returning to England in 1905 he had in his head The Four Just Men, the prototype of the modern blood-and-thunder thriller about four young, handsome, immensely wealthy vigilantes (including a European prince) who kill in the name of Justice. Whilst in the Balkans he met British and Russian spies and was inspired. There is a story behind this book, told as follows (slightly edited by me), in Wikipedia:Įdgar went to Europe as a correspondent during the 1904-1905 Russo-Japanese War. Edgar Wallace maintains the suspense and excitement as the police struggle to protect the minister before the deadline imposed by the conspirators is reached. The minister responsible receives a message from four mysterious figures, "The Four Just Men", warning him that he faces death unless he withdraws the legislation. A Spanish resistance leader's safety in England is threatened by the passage through Parliament of the Aliens Extradition Bill. "The Four Just Men", first published in 1905, was the novel that made Edgar Wallace famous as a writer of detective thrillers.
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