When the Gangs Came to London: Edgar Wallace

Set in the late 1920s-early 1930s (the Golden Age of Gangdom, if you will), When the Gangs Came to London (WGCL) is rated as one of Edgar Wallace’s best work by fans (I must confess I am one of the more ardent ones) of his genre of crime fiction.

A kind of crossover mob story, WGCL traces the exploits (and eventual downfall) of two gangs from Chicago, operating in London.

The book has all the elements you would expect from Edgar Wallace – an all-knowing villain (or set of villains), a hard-working intelligent set of policemen from Scotland Yard fettered by a very British set of laws, quick murders of the rich and the poor, an exceedingly pretty woman, a hint of a love interest (so wonderfully portrayed by Wallace in so many of his works), a company that acts as a cover for the mob (another Wallace staple)… Not to mention, Wallace’s sparkling oh-so-brilliant language and outstandingly dry wit – a wit that pervades through the narratives and the dialogues. Two examples stand out.

“With great presence of mind, Mr. Smethwich Gould realized that he had forgotten to note the number of the car. He realized this the moment the car number was invisible…”

“She produced a platinum card- case and a card, and sailed out, leaving behind her the exotic aroma of everybody’s favourite scent. Leslie opened the window. She liked perfumes, but preferred them one at a time.”

What makes this book different from many of Wallace’s other works is the character of Captain Jiggs Allerman, who comes from Chicago to help Scotland Yard nab the mobs. Wallace uses Jiggs delightfully to comment on the rigidity and the corresponding inadequacy of Scotland Yard in controlling the mob. The commentary is not so much on police themselves, but on the laws of the land, and the people who bring them to effect. Of course, by the end of the book, you realize that Jiggs is as English in his humour as his Yard compatriots.”

“An anxious nurse bent over him.

“‘You mustn’t talk any more, Captain Allerman,’ she said.

“He scowled up at her.

“‘Not talk any more?’ he growled. ‘What’s the matter with me—dead or sump’n?’”

Extensive detailing is something you don’t expect from Edgar Wallace – may be it’s the constraint of limiting his books to 192 pages, or may be it’s just his impatience and urge to go on to his next book. But in the case of WGCL, it could have been interesting to get more background on the two mobs – green and blue (subsequently they merge into one – red) – how they grew and why they are so powerful. The only people you read of in the book – the leaders of the two mobs – seem too glibly powerful.

That notwithstanding, WGCL is a great read in the true Edgar Wallace tradition – you just sit on the sidelines and watch. You don’t sweat when you read it, you don’t lose the thread, you don’t worry about the good people – you know all will be well in the end.