BOOKS REVIEWED

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 27, 13 November 1935, Page 4

BOOKS REVIEWED

CRIME DETECTION STORY.

AN UNUSiUAL TREATMENT. Freeman Wills Crofts in “12.30 From Croydon,” is as successful as ever in presenting a story of crime. In this case, however, he treats the subject from an angle not usual. The reader is first told of the death of the victim while on a flight to Paris. Then lie is introduced to the victim’s nephew, owner of. a one-time prosperous but now bankrupt industrial concein. the industrialist’s efforts to obtain tenancial aid and his decision that liis only hope—-and marriage is one of the objectives —is the death of his uiicle. So Charles Swinburn lays his plans for what he considers a perfect crime. All seems well until —ho learns that despite a verdiot of suicide while temporarily insane, . Inspector French—an old character of Crofts’—is making inquiries. It is a gripping book, giving some idea of the tormented mind of a man in a fairly ordinary station of life who plans and executes a murder. Hodder and Stoughton, Limited, are the publishers of this well-knit and ingenious tale.

READABLE WESTERN STORY. A Western story by a new novelist, William Coicoran, is published by HoddeV and Stoughton, Ltd., and judging by the standard set in this first venture the author is assured of popularity. Entitled “Blow Desert Winds,” the story is written in much more readable style—at any rate from the New Zealand readers’ point of view—than so many of the tales dealing with the Western States. The principal characters speak 'in terms that while preserving American idioms and phraseology are far removed from the style in which cowboy, language is represented. Lee McLean, imprisoned for life for the killing of three men, makes his escape, and while fleeing from justice becomes involved in the eternal ‘feud between cattle men and small ranchers. It is not spoiling the interest to reveal that.he its enlisted on the side of law and order and finally wins freedom—at least, from prison bhrs, though he finds that he .yas uecome involved' in another life entanglement. The reader, however,, will be more inclined to envy him than pity him in regard to the latter.

ANOTHER “SAINT” BOOK. “The Saint,” Leslie Oharteris’s picturesque rascal, has become such an attraction, that a new series of his adventures, “Boodle,” published by Hodder and Stoughton, Limited, will be welcomed. As the title implies, “Boodle” deals mainly with incidents in which, the Saint relieves other rascals of large sums of money they have unlawfully gained or intended to gain. Chief Inspector Teal, of the C.1.D., naturally appears on the scene, but- on the few occasions on which he does so Simon Templar is able to supply the clue for the solution of problems of crime. “Boodle,” by reason of tho variety of adventures, is probably the most eujoyable of the long series of “Saint” books. /