The Council of Justice

What It's About

The second novel in Edgar Wallace's Four Just Men series continues the adventures of the vigilante trio Manfred, Gonsalez, and Poiccart (joined here by the wealthy Bernard Courtlander). The Four turn their attention to The Red Hundred, an anarchist organisation bent on spreading terror through London, led by the charismatic "Woman of Gratz." After the group strikes against the anarchists' ringleaders, Manfred is betrayed and captured by the authorities, sentenced to hang, while his companions race against time to intervene.

Key Concepts

Vigilante, or "extralegal," justice as a response to crimes the law cannot reach; anarchist terrorism as a source of Edwardian-era social anxiety; disguise, secret societies, and cat-and-mouse plotting typical of the early modern thriller.

About the Author

Edgar Wallace (1875–1932) was a British novelist, journalist, and playwright, born in Greenwich to an unmarried actress and raised by a foster family. He left school at twelve, later joining the army and working as a war correspondent in South Africa before turning to full-time writing, becoming one of the most prolific and widely read authors of his era.