Magazine Review: High Adventure #166: The Big Foot Murder Mystery by Edgar Wallace
This time the pulp reprint magazine only has one story, which originally appeared in Complete Detective Novel Magazine in October, 1929. It was one of twelve novels Edgar Wallace (Richard Horatio Edgar Freeman) had published that year! One publisher claimed that nearly a quarter of the books sold in England during his career were by him. Most of my readers probably remember him best for a script he sold to Hollywood: “King Kong.”
Most of the action takes place in rural London, near the Sussex border. It’s still within the purview of Scotland Yard, but quiet enough that Superintendent Patrick “Sooper” J. Minter can run things pretty much his own way. He can tend to his garden, tinker with his souped-up motorcycle, and poke his nose into the neighborhood’s business on his own schedule. Most of the time his caseload is dealing with tramps and burglars; but that isn’t to say that murder doesn’t happen.
Gordon Cardew, wealthy and mostly retired solicitor, takes younger lawyer Jim Ferraby into his confidence. He’s come into evidence that his surly housekeeper Hannah Shaw is being threatened by a mysterious figure that signs notes as “Big Foot.” Jim, who has a thing for Cardew’s lovely young secretary Elfa Leigh, agrees to do a little quiet investigating. Jim’s snooping intersects with Sooper’s, and they share information.
Alas, they are unable to prevent Hannah’s murder in a lonely seaside cabin, near which are mysterious footprints of someone with very large pedal appendages. The murder seems impossible, as there was no way into the cabin the witnesses could not see from the outside, only Hannah had gone inside, and only Hannah had come out!
Despite the suggestive name, and one of the suspects having come from America, no reference is made to cryptozoology. But there are reports of a singing tramp, who keeps popping up in odd places, always repeating a Spanish melody. Could he be Big Foot?
It’s a twisty case, with several red herrings, one of which completely took me in. The then-standard detective story format of older, eccentric detective who does all the thinking and the younger fellow who’s mostly there as the romantic interest but useful for things the detective can’t do works well.
On the other hand, it’s not quite a fair play mystery as Sooper does some evidence gathering offstage. Modern mystery fans may also find some of the coincidences a bit too neat and the story musty with the conventions of its time.
Overall, it’s a good, solid detective novel for its age, and well worth a look as it’s been reprinted multiple times under the title Big Foot. Or you can support Adventure House by buying the magazine.
And here’s the song the tramp is singing in the story:
