The Evil Shepherd (E. Phillips Oppenheim)

Ever wonder what it would be like if good met evil and then was invited over for dinner and drinks? If evil were interested in the politics and ethics that good was endeavoring to employ? how about if good fell in love with evil’s daughter after her husband who was also evil commits suicide?

Welcome to 1922 and E.P. Oppenheim’s ‘The Evil Shepherd.

Francis Ledsam is one of London’s brightest and most successful defense lawyers.After successfully defending and proving the innocence of his latest client, Ledsam learns from his client that he in fact had committed the heinous murders he had been accused of, and others. Feeling pain at the thought that this monster is on the streets still because of him, Ledsam swears off taking clients that he cannot prove factual innocence of.

It seems that he may have stumbled into a much larger nest of criminals than he was aware. His murderous client’s father in law hunts down Ledsam in a restaurant and advises him that with in the evening, a crime would be committed, and prompts Ledsam to prove his new found goodness.

This is a very interesting book. The premise is fairly simple, man falls in love with the wrong woman, daughter of an enemy. Because of this, good vs evil becomes common topics of discussion over drinks and dinner. Ledsam tries to catch Sir Timothy in criminal action, while Sir Timothy screws with him.

There are a number of very wealthy people in this novel, many of which have become bored with life. This boredom is commonly discussed as the possible fascination that is found in breaking the law, lawlessness being a new thrill that they no longer get from a vanilla lifestyle. Characters go from afternoon cocktails, to en-mass cocaine consumption. pretty easily depending on their caste in life.

It is strange to read a mystery thriller of this sort. Placed in a time where digital communication does not exist, and it required Scotland Yard detectives sitting in boats on a river to stake out a mansion, there is a quaintness that I found very appealing. It did not hurt that the characters were lively, witty and had enjoyable banter. Ultimately, the story surprised me in the end.

Apparently Oppenheim wrote over 100 novels in his lifetime, and I think I will have to pick a few more. His style is undeniably original and expecting great work in alternate novels should be a fair expectation.

I am thinking ‘The Great Impersonation’ (1920),? ‘A Modern Prometheus’ (1896), or ‘And Still I Cheat The Gallows’ (1939), all of which sound damned amazing.

The Evil Shepherd is currently public domain and can be found in a variety of standard ebook locations. Can also be purchased in paperback, published by a few different publishing houses, again, because it is public domain.

If anyone I know reads this, let me know. I really want to chat over coffee about it.