Four Square Jane by Edgar WallaceMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Edgar Wallace was known in his day for pumping out dozens of sensational stories, a bit like some of the Kindle authors today. This one, at least, is clever, if relatively short; the introduction suggests more mystery than is actually the case around who the Jane of the title is (if he didn't want us to guess, Wallace should probably have supplied more candidates), but that doesn't take away from the brilliance and daring of her heists.
Notable for its time in that the Jewish character is not stereotyped (apart from his occupation as a financier) or subtly or unsubtly put down; he is presented as an honest, good-natured man. Instead, it's the aristocrat who is no good, and who, therefore, bears the brunt of Four Square Jane's criminal activities. She's a Robin Hood kind of figure, who often donates proceeds from her crimes to hospitals and similar institutions.
A solid bit of fun.
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