Cecil Waye – ‘The Figure Of Eight’ (1931)

Dustwrapper of 1st UK edition (www.dustjackets.com)

Approximately fifteen years ago it was revealed to an unsuspecting public that C. J. C. Street, well known to crime fiction devotees as the author of over 130 books under the pseudonyms ‘John Rhode’ and ‘Miles Burton’, had actually used a third nom de plume, publishing four books in the early 1930’s as ‘Cecil Waye’. Thanks to fellow Golden Age aficionado Tony Medawar, I was fortunately able to quickly obtain copies of two of the books, The Figure Of Eight and The Prime Minister’s Pencil. At the time there was an immediate scramble to pick up the few copies of the Cecil Waye mysteries available from second hand booksellers, with the result that they proved extremely hard to come by. Fortunately this difficulty was remedied in recent times by Dean Street Press, who reprinted all four books with introductions by Tony Medawar and thus made them available again to those who had heard about but never had the opportunity to read them.

An unknown girl falls asleep in an omnibus; the conductor cannot wake her, and the mystery begins. When the girl dies without regaining consciousness, and with no recognised cause or agency, the police become inquisitive, also Mr. Christopher Perrin, the private investigator.

After she has been identified the scope of possible trouble widens, for she proves to be an intimate friend of Senor Vincente, of the San Benitan Consulate; and all the world knew that San Benito was on the verge of war with Montedoro. To make matters much worse, Senor Vincente was next the victim of an utterly inexplicable stabbing and shooting affair in Pimlico. This last tragedy stirs to frenzy both the consulates, that of San Benito calling for the blood of the Montedorians; and the latter, vehemently denying any political significance in the crimes, clamors that the mystery shall be cleared up and and the honour of Montedoro vindicated. Between the two, Scotland Yard had no easy time for several weeks until it was guided to the truth by Mr. Christopher Perrin.

Blurb from 1st US edition

The Figure of Eight was the second Waye title and was published in 1931, the same year as Murder at Monk’s Barn, which introduced Perrin’s Investigators, run by brother and sister Christopher and Vivienne. The latter married at the end of that mystery and for the subsequent books Christopher ran the business with assistant (later partner) David Mead. This first solo case for Christopher marks a departure from the type of mystery Street became renowned for publishing under his John Rhode/Miles Burton aliases, with decided thriller elements. In fact, the dramatic dust-wrapper on the Hodder and Stoughton first edition boasts ‘a thriller if ever there was one’ and Street does his best to justify that claim, introducing his lead character to mortal danger in pursuit of a ruthless murderer. Other beloved aspects of the genre are also utilized – political intrigue involving South American republics, mysterious death caused by undetectable poisons, an adversary who seems expert in the art of disguise and the obligatory ending with the hero narrowly escaping death to bring the criminal to justice.

Dustwrapper of 1st US edition

Street had begun producing mysteries under the Rhode name in 1925 and that series was well established, but it is interesting to note that both the Burton and Waye pseudonyms began at about the same time. Why one was dropped after only four books and the other continued – eventually producing over sixty – is open to debate. It is possible that the Burtons were merely more successful and their being printed by Collins Crime Club may have had a bearing on that. An alternative theory may be that the very nature of the Waye books was the reason for their demise. Perhaps the adventure/thriller was losing some of its charm for readers sated by writers like Edgar Wallace and his imitators, or perhaps Street realised the Burtons had more scope, particularly in terms of the often fractious relations between Desmond Merrion and Inspector Arnold in those books.

Title page of 1st US edition

While it may not contain anything groundbreaking, except in comparison with the majority of his other work, this is still a well-constructed thriller and obviously of immense interest to Street collectors – who will no doubt continue their search for any other copies out there if they want original editions. However, Dean Street Press have done Golden Age enthusiasts without the time and money that would entail a great service in reprinting these rare titles and hopefully they will prove popular enough to justify the effort – and perhaps encourage other publishers to reprint more rare mysteries from this period.

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7.5/10

Perrin’s Investigators #2

Preceded by Murder At Monk’s Barn

Succeeded by The End Of The Chase

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Collector’s Notes

This book has been republished in paperback and ebook format by Dean Street Press and is still available. No audiobook verson has been traced by the reviewer.

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First Edition Details

UK

Originally published by Hodder & Stoughton, London 1931

Blue Cloth Boards, pp 320, 8vo

Title and Author stamped in black on spine, separated by black line. ‘Hodder & Stoughton stamped in lack at bottom underneath H&S logo.

Title stamped in black on front.

Dustwrapper priced at 7/6 net on spine.

US

Originally published by A. L. Burt Company, New York and Chicago 1931

Red Cloth Boards, pp 308, 8vo

Title and Author stamped in yellow on spine, separated by horizontal figure ‘8’. A. L. Burt Company stamped in yellow at bottom, under eight horizontal figure ‘8’s.

Horizontal figure ‘8’ stamped in yellow on front.

1st US edition

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R E Faust

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Please leave any comment, corrections or suggestions below.

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