By E. Phillips Oppenheim. Introduction by Colin Heston.

When E. Phillips Oppenheim published The Golden Beast in 1926, he was already firmly established as the "Prince of Storytellers," a title earned by his uncanny ability to blend high-society glamour with the cold mechanics of crime. This novel, however, stands as a particularly striking waypoint in the history of the genre, moving beyond the simple "whodunnit" to explore the darker, more systemic shadows of the human psyche. For the modern reader, and especially for the student of criminology, the book serves as a fascinating precursor to contemporary theories on the intersection of power, wealth, and deviance.

The narrative significance of the work lies primarily in its early exploration of the "Power Elite" as a distinct criminal class. Long before modern criminology formalized the study of white-collar crime and corporate sociopathy, Oppenheim was illustrating how extreme financial leverage could create a vacuum of accountability. The "Beast" of the title is not merely a man, but a symbol of the socio-economic predator who views the law as an inconvenience to be bypassed rather than a boundary to be respected. This mirrors modern discussions on "moral insanity" in elite spaces, where the perpetrator’s perceived status grants them a psychological immunity to the social contract.

Furthermore, The Golden Beast captures a pivotal moment in forensic evolution. Written during a decade of rapid scientific advancement, the plot reflects the transition from Victorian-era intuition to the more clinical, methodical approach of forensic science. Oppenheim flirts with themes of biological erasure and chemical disposal, tapping into the 1920s anxiety that science, in the wrong hands, could facilitate the "perfect crime." It also ventures into early criminal profiling, as the narrative shifts focus from the physical evidence of the crime to the warped mental architecture of the criminal.

By examining the concept of the "disappearing victim," Oppenheim also prefigures modern victimology. He explores how a sophisticated offender can manipulate social structures to make an individual vanish not just physically, but legally and socially. This focus on the systemic nature of crime—how it is hidden, how it is financed, and how it is rationalized by the perpetrator—makes the novel an enduring piece of literature that remains relevant to our current understanding of the psychology of the super-criminal. It is a cautionary tale of a world where the law is always one step behind the man with the means to reinvent it.

Read-Me.Org Inc. New York-Philadelphia-Australia. 2026. p.255.

By David Alexander

Murder in Black and White is a classic mid-20th-century mystery novel first published in 1951. Set against a backdrop of idiosyncratic characters and gritty urban intrigue, the story follows a pair of unconventional sleuths — notably Terry R. Rooke, nicknamed “Soldier,” and his millionaire associate Tommy Twotoes — as they navigate a baffling and violent case that begins when an enigmatic albino man disrupts a funeral and opens fire on a corpse. Tasked with untangling this bizarre act, Soldier delves into a labyrinth of eccentric personalities, unexpected motives, and layers of deception.

The novel blends hard-boiled detective elements with offbeat humor and vivid characterizations, presenting a cast that ranges from a former bootlegger-turned-investigator to oddball figures encountered in the investigation. With its fast-paced narrative and richly textured scene-setting, Murder in Black and White exemplifies the energetic and sometimes quirky style of post-World War II American mystery fiction.

London. Hammond, Hammond and Co. 1954. p.211