NOVELS IN PLENTY

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 130, 29 November 1930, Page 21

NOVELS IN PLENTY

A WIDE SELECTION

Amongst recent novels published by Collins are: "Poison Larkspur" (0. W. Sanders), a "Wild West thriller.of ranches, cattle thieves, and beautiful girls; "Partners" (Hugh Pendexter), an adventure story of pioneer days in the Calif ornian goldfields; "When Men A-Wooing Go" (Katharine Haviland Taylor), a romantic story of a girl's quest for love; "Lamplight" (May Ed ginton), a story of romance on the Mediterranean; "Sir John Magill's Last Journey" (Freeman Wills-Croft), a. baffling ease of the disappearance of a public man, solved by Inspector French. Hodder and Stoughton have forwarded "The Tin Tree," a first novel by James Quince," which is a good mystery story; "Earth Battle" (Dorothy Cottrell), a bright story of Queensland, nearly as good as "Singing Gold"; "Checkmate" (Sydney Horler), excitement galore; "Slane's Long Shots" (E. Phillips Oppenheim), ten good mystery tales. Amongst novels received from Casscll arc: "Leave it to Susan," a delightfully humorous bit of fun from tho pen of K. E. G. Browne; "The Golden Cat" (Douglas Newton), a real mystery yarn about a beautiful Russian; "Hector D.uval" (Collinsou Owen) a story of Paris and of triumph over opposition; "It Won't Do Any Harm" (F. E. Baily), a story of a girl who kicked over the marriage traces; "Jaearanda Nield" (Sheila Macdonald), a Bhodcsian tale of love nnd adventure; "They That Go Down" (Marrjuerite Steen), the story of a strong, and selfreliant woman and a weak-minded creature of misfortune in tho days of Nelson; "A Little. Mutter" (Ernest Braniah), fun with an escaped convict and an ornithological monstrosity; "One Flesh" (EosiU Forbes), a startling story of society, "daring and original.'? Other new novels received arc: "The Mystery of Sett,", by Joan A. Cowdroy ■ (llutchinson), a tale of forgeries and super-criminals; "Diiys of '50," by Charles H. Snow (Wright and Brown), a tale-of gold-rush days in California; "May and December," by Sydney.Walter Powell (Ilutchinson), a story of marriage between youth and age; "The Un tempered Wind," by Anno Hopple (Hutchiuson), an amusing tale of a girl who refused to be a "lady"; "Contact," by Elliott White. Springs (John Hamilton), an aviation novel, rather rugged; "The Perrin Murder Case," by Guy Morton (Skeifington), an ingenious murder story well worked out; "In Pirate' Waters," by -George Garner (Whiteombe and Tombs), a thrilling tale for boys, girls, and even adults. Jaruolcls "supply: "Both of this Parish" (J. S. Fletcher), a really good tele of life in an old-Yorkshire town; "Dr. Krashiski's Secret" (M. P. Shiel), a compound of mystery, adventure, and romance; "One of Us is a Murderer" (Allan Le May), a. title which speaks for itself; "The Actor's Knife" (Howell Evans), an ingenious mystery murder; "Spleen" (Olive Moore), a study of a woman oppressed liy a sense oi futility of being a mother. Stanley Paul hare forwarded "Touchstone" (Ben Ames Williams), a story of substituted twins; "Some Unknown Hand" (Elaine Hamilton), a "vystery story about a Chloroformed actor; me Murder House" (T. Arthur Plummer), a tale of mysterious happenings m a. country village; ;«As We Journey (Nora K. Strange), a collection of short stories concerning many delightful f.haraetevs. We can detect no great, merit eitnu. of conception or performance m Hector Bolitho's latest work "The Flame on Ethirdova"' (Cobden-feandeison, London). The publishers' "blurb refers to-a moral in this story, ana plain speaking, bit untea* flic moral is that you will cone by a bad end i± you are- naughty, there is no. other that reveals itself. The narrative, which has a medieval flavour, lacks plan. It hops backward and forward so erratically as to suggest that the author had found difficulty in expounding a theme of short-story length into a short novel. The result is not convincing. Mlurdova is a house of the Middle Ages, alternately saintly and depraved, and striking a last false note, is wiped out. Tho Nazareno, is ir.t.roduceil in the later stages with an effjet bordering on the ludicrous, and gcierally the "flame" reflects but.a fliclering and uueevtiun • beam Mr. Bolitho's diction varies from ill to passably and is always selt- ! conscious. He his done better work t than this.