The Four Just Men

I really enjoyed it - great plot, plenty of suspense. Unfortunately some of the characters and their dialog are dry as chalk dust, so 4 stars instead of 5.

I do have to agree with Matthew, the very first reviewer. The whole story line gradually builds things up and promises a thrilling ending...and then @ the ending, you're like, "What? That was IT?" But the rest of the story was very cool!

I saw the Tv serial as a child, no actual memory, read the books later, I saw the dismissal review by Matthew, and wonder if I might agree with him today, but when it was a TV series it was different to anything else. Other shows TV Detectives this wasn't a hunt and capture show but hunt and execute, they were the jury, I seem to remeber them debating who they were pursuing?

The Four Just Men were hunting War Criminals post WW2, but in the books they were Balkan refugees who were taking revenge for both sides of the turn of the 19/20 century struggle there.

Remeber Winston Churchill had been involved in the Sidney Street seige in 1905, maybe that was Edgar Wallace's starting point for the story of revenge and retribution seekers?

I have speculated that maybe the story line could be revised and modernised for the latter-day struggles in that region of the world and how would it change? Computers, mobile phones, transport ect, but would it be squashed as unPC?

Bruce Willis, Steven Segal, muscels from Brussels actor (his name eludes me) and a woman as the comtemporary fourth memeber. Hopefully it would not be a new vesion of the Zoo Gang, a good idea but the roles played by actors too old to be beliefable.

A classic in detective fiction and thrillers, the four are wel drawn, developed and individual characters. I first enjoyed this on audio - if you can find it do yourself a favour. THe london portrayed resonates with the touch of realism missing from say Sherlock Holmes, the police are sympathetic characters, unusual for the times. A powerful book, well developed and it kept me guessinf to the end, with some clever twists, will they or wont they manage it ?

Interesting little mystery. It held my attention.

This classic "howdunnit", a cornerstone in the genesis of modern thriller, shows an oustanding inventiveness and wit.
The Just Men emerge as a powerful legend.

Pretty lame. Not badly written, for pulp, but the story doesn't really give you much of a ride. Seems kind of pompous, windy, and the "shocking conclusion" at the end is tame. Blah