Feuer im Schloß Edgar Wallace - "Der Alte" heißt ein geisteskranker Verbrecher, der aus der Irrenanstalt von Sketchley Hill in der Nähe von London ausbricht. Kurze Zeit später stellt Lord Arranway einen nächtlichen Einbrecher in seinem Schloss. Als er seine Waffe auf den Mann richtet, verhindert Lady Arranway einen Mord. Und doch brennt das Schloss einige Zeit später bis auf die Grundmauern nieder.

Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace (1875-1932) was a prolific British crime writer, journalist and playwright, who wrote 175 novels, 24 plays, and countless articles in newspapers and journals.Over 160 films have been made of his novels, more than any other author. In the 1920s, one of Wallace's publishers claimed that a quarter of all books read in England were written by him.He is most famous today as the co-creator of "King Kong", writing the early screenplay and story for the movie, as well as a short story "King Kong" (1933) credited to him and Draycott Dell. He was known for the J. G. Reeder detective stories, The Four Just Men, the Ringer, and for creating the Green Archer character during his lifetime.