CRIME AND CRIMINALS

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 36, 11 August 1934, Page 24

CRIME AND CRIMINALS

A system by which murderers ■ turn justieo into a farce; by which police officials, lawyers, and Judges get rich; and by which graft and corruption flourish, is described by Gordon Fellowes in "They Took Mo For A Ride" (George Allen and Unwin, Ltd.). It will be superfluous to state that the United States is the country he is writing about. As a criminal investigator there ho obtained first-hand knowledgo of such pleasant folk as Dillinger and Ms bind, and so intimate did his acquaintance become with some notorious gangsters that discretion was deemed to be the better part of valour and he left the country. When tho Great Devolution comes in the United States, he believes that "the mass of tho American people will rise up against graft and corruption, will ignore the police and the Legislature, and -will take the law into their own hands." When the smoke from that revolution has cleared away, Gordon Fellowes says that he will return to tho States. The reader of his book, which is' illustrated with some rather gruesome photographs of the results of being "taken for a ride," is likely to register a vow that tho States will be tho,last place in which he or she would live.

, Turning-from reality to fiction, "The 801 lis Answered," by Eoger East, is one of tho latest mystery stories. An actress believing herself to be alone in a house idly presses the bathroom bell. When it is answered by an im-maculately-dressed and handsome young footman the beginning of a series of mysteries is initiated. "Murder Calling," by David Whitelaw (Geoffrey Bles), is a mystery novel with an original feature. The story starts with an unidentifiable corpse and the certainty of foul play, and travels by a circuitous path to reach a climax.

Two mystery thrillers recently published by Herbert Jenkins are "Third and Last," by Norval Bichardson, and "King's Elm Mystery," by John Goodwin. Tho former deals with the exploits of a gang, of criminals and the latter with a''mysterious murder for which tho wrong man was nearly convicted.

/As a natural sequel to Mr. Priestley's "English Journey," published under the dual imprint of HeinemannGollancz, it is stated that Sir Philip Gibbs is to write a similar book called "European Journey." This, too, will bo issued jointly by the same two publishers. Sir Philip Gibbs is now touring the Continent and ' getting hi? material together.