'Room 13' is the first crime novel in the J. G. Reeder series, featuring a sympathetic and astute civil servant, who is simultaneously a gifted detective. This fast-paced, mystery-ridden and thoroughly readable page-turner from the author of 'King Kong' is set in the 1920s and contains all the essential ingredients of a great British crime novel, from romance to unexpected twists. Setting the scene for subsequent books in the series, we meet Reeder as he untangles a thrilling web of revenge, murder and counterfeits. Nothing is sacred to the perpetrators. Wallace's masterful direct and descriptive style makes 'Room 13' the perfect novel for fans of crime fiction and mystery thrillers alike. Edgar Wallace (1875-1932) was a prolific English mystery and crime writer with such an impressive output that one of his publishers claimed he was behind a quarter of all books sold in England at that time. An author, journalist and poet, Wallace wrote countless novels, short stories, screen plays, stage plays and historical non-fiction. Over 160 films inspired by his work have been made worldwide, more than any other author ever and over 50 million copies of his books were sold during his lifetime. He died suddenly in Hollywood in 1932, during the initial drafting stages of his most famous and enduring work, "King Kong".

À la fois acteur et observateur d'un monde kafkaien, Raymond Daeubert, chef des services copyright de la Maison Barclay depuis vingt ans, passe à la moulinette les vraies et les fausses gloires de la chanson. Il nous fait ainsi vivre les débuts de la maison, l'arrivée d'Aznavour - Brel - Ferrat - Ferré, etc., l'irruption du rock et du yéyé, les comportements successifs du personnel Barclay, au fur et à mesure de l'ascension vertigineuse vécue par la firme, les différentes étapes des naissances d'un 45 tours à succès, les pièges des contrats d'artistes, les magouilles diverses, la chute des vieilles tiges, les batailles fiscales, la mort de Brel... Et puis... il y a Eddie Barclay, avec ses cigares, ses femmes, ses contrats mirobolants et ses fêtes. C'est avec tout ce joli monde que l'auteur, exagérément porté sur la rigolade ; a construit cette sorte d'opéra-bouffe, parfois sévère, quelquefois attendri, souvent grinçant et toujours drôle qui, au cours de ses pages, retrace la fabuleuse aventure du plus grand producteur de disques français.