The River of Stars

What It's About

The story opens in West Africa, where an expedition led by a man named Sutton marches into the remote Alebi country in search of a fabled diamond river. It has been financed by an impatient, cigar-smoking backer, and it never returns. Only grim rumours reach Commissioner Sanders, who had warned against the journey. Years later, in London, the focus shifts to Amber, a witty, unrepentant swindler who has spent much of his life in and out of prison, and to Lambaire, a financier who needs the chart the dead explorer left behind. With his eccentric associate Whitey, Lambaire sets about persuading Francis Sutton, the explorer's naive son, to take up his father's quest. Francis's sister Cynthia is wary of the scheme. Amber, who senses a fortune in play, is joined by his loyal, dreamy friend Peter Musk. The story moves from London's clubs and Scotland Yard to a sea voyage and the African forest. The tone is brisk and wry, and the greed and double-dealing of the schemers prove as dangerous as the jungle.

Key Concepts

The novel is a treasure hunt in which the real hazards are human: greed, betrayal and the schemes of men who keep getting in one another's way. It draws on the pull of a dead father's legacy, the appeal of the charming rogue as hero, and the glamour and menace of colonial Africa as a place where fortunes are made and lost. Despite the Sanders of the River connection, Commissioner Sanders appears only briefly at the start, so this is a crime-and-adventure novel rather than a typical Sanders tale. As with much fiction of its era, its portrayal of African peoples reflects colonial attitudes and stereotypes that modern readers may find uncomfortable.

About the Author

Edgar Wallace (1875–1932) was a British journalist, playwright and writer of crime and adventure fiction. Born illegitimate in Greenwich and raised in a Billingsgate fishmonger's family, he left school at twelve, joined the army, and later worked as a war correspondent in South Africa. He became one of the most prolific and best-selling authors of his day, dictating at astonishing speed and spending money as fast as he earned it. He died in Hollywood, where he had gone to work as a screenwriter.