Private Selby

As a prophecy of modern warfare, this book, written before the Great War, is distinctly remarkable, as well as having the genuine Edgar Wallace sense of thrilling narrative. The centre of the plot is the invasion of Britain in 1909. It could be a crime story, as it opens in the mean streets of working class Deptford in the opening years of the 20th century, and includes criminals petty and not so petty. It is also a war story, and includes a balloon air raid over London; and finally the love story of Private Selby and his dream girl, the Brown Lady, also known as ‘O.C’. An interesting small novel which changes rather abruptly from a crime novel to a military drama and finally an early alternative history-meller describing a conflict.