Edgar Wallace 
Captains of Souls 

Ambrose Sault finds a quasi-scientific way to insert his soul into another man’s body before he is hanged for murder. The murder of Moropulos by Sault is a mystery in motive and deed. Twice a murderer, Sault is nevertheless a commanding figure and an appealing character. He is the center of a tragedy… The novel is long and breezy and a bit confusing, a comedy of manners at some points, a melodrama at others. This story from the most prolific writers of the twentieth century, Edgar Wallace was an immensely popular author, who created exciting thrillers spiced with tales of treacherous crooks and hard-boiled detectives.