Kate Plus 10

Edgar Wallace built this brisk 1917 thriller around Kate Westhanger, a clever young woman who runs a gang of ten seasoned criminals with the cool nerve of a general planning a campaign. Her boldest scheme, the theft of a fortune in gold bullion from a moving train, draws the attention of Inspector Michael Pretherston, a sharp and sardonic detective who happens to know Kate better than anyone. What follows is a contest of nerve between two people who half admire and half distrust each other, played out across London society and the criminal underworld Wallace liked to call Crime Street. It moves fast, favors wit over violence, and keeps its two leads circling to the last page. Free to read as a PDF and EPUB edition.