The Adventures of Jimmie Dale

Description

Created by Canadian author Frank L. Packard in 1914, the character of Jimmie Dale – a rich playboy and strange kind of thief – is the protagonist of five exciting stories published over twenty years in various forms. The Adventures of Jimmie Dale is the first full-length novel that features the complex, interesting and elusive character.

Jimmie Dale is a playboy only during the day. In the evening, he puts on grey clothes and breaks into offices, businesses, banks and so on. He is not looking for a way to acquire valuable objects or documents – he is looking for fame, so he never takes anything from the premises he breaks into. He only leaves a diamond-shaped, grey piece of paper (his Grey Seal) behind to tell people that he has been there. However, one night he meets his match – a woman who starts blackmailing him to help her fight a dangerous criminal organization.

The book comprises not one long adventure, but several short ones – the chapters can be read as parts of a continuous story or as stand-alone adventures, featuring Jimmie protecting the impoverished, taking goods stolen by criminals and giving them back to their rightful owner, and preventing crimes. The city where the adventures take place is New York – a setting perfectly suited for a crime-fighter mastermind to do what he has to do.

Packard’s stories are not only well-written, featuring exciting events and intriguing characters. They have also influenced modern-day detective and superhero fiction to a large extent. The protagonist who lives the comfortable life of the rich during day, but becomes a merciless and resourceful crime-fighter at night comes back in numerous modern epics such as the Saint, the Scarlet Pimpernel or Batman. Jimmie also has a sanctuary that he retreats to and is equipped with whatever he needs for his anti-crime activities – just like Batman and many other superheroes.
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