BOOK NOTES

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 111, 11 April 1936, Page 6

BOOK NOTES

“THE LOSS OF THE JANE VOSI’ER.” Freeman Wills Crofts is one of the best writers of crime fiction to-day. His calm, logical analysis of < characters and situations places him in the front rank of psychologists, and the detail of his work is astonishing. His craftsmanship as a novelist; also, is of no mean order. He constructs his story upon sound formal lines, and writes clearly, fluently, and convincingly. His latest book, “The Loss of the Jane Vosper,” is an excellent tale, and contains first-rate ponce court matter. Wc are told of a small ■cargo steamer, which, after rour mysterious explosions in one of her holds, sinks rapidly in mid-ocean. The subsequent inquiry held by the Board of Trade reveals Very little; but a murder is committed, and Inspector French, of Scotland Yard, commences to investigate. The results of his investigations are astounding. To the general public the realisation that the minutest details often serve as i valuable clues must come as a con-1 stantly recurring surprise. The in- j finite care with which every possi-! bility is followed-up, and the endless! labour entailed, only serves .to prove j that those who indulge in crime mustj have some bordering upon genius to i escape detection for even a short time. Readers who have hitherto not felt any desire to look into this branch of liternture should make it their first venture. ‘SAINT OVERBOARD.” It is not surprising that Leslie Charteris’s '‘Saint” stories' are so popular and so widely read. The Saint is a free-lance investigator of the first water, a buccaneer in the! detective world of incredible dash j and cunning. His lastest adventures will intrique and delight all who fol- | low them. .Deep-sea gangsters, . hard-1 bitten police agents, foreign intel- 1 lectual crime specialists and last, buti not least, a very seductive feminine j spy, make up a cast worthy of the j author’s best efforts. j

The plot is not altogether of the ordinary crime story variety. There are several fatalities and the incidents are normal enough. Charteris has, however, chosen a somewhat unusual type for his central and the introduction of modern scientific devices of an interesting nature add to the colourful texture of the theme. The cold ruthlessness of the ehief ' criminal is thrown into strong relief by the Saint’s good qualities; the other characters balance each other equally well. There is an excellent supply of humour and plenty of amusing wise-cracks. Charteris is air experienced and fluent writer and carries the reader forward to a just conclusion with all the art of the born raconteur. We can recommend this book to any reader. “POLE STAR,” Stewart Edward White is a wellknown figure in the world of fiction. His tales of adventurous pioneering and prospecting are justly popular, particularly amongst male readers who enjoy stirring visions of a world outside crowded cities, beyond the reach, of

an over-mechanised civilisation. “Pole Star,” his latest book, tells of the Russian Fur Company, of which the headquarters; under control of Baranov, were stationed at Sitka. The time is the early nineteenth century, when Sitka was the capital of Alaska; the facts related 3 are vouched for as historically accu- • rate, the author has turned the ' pages of Alaskan history for his ma--5 terial. The story is full of colour and 3 of action. Baranov, a man of small J physical stature, -hut immense vitall ity, rules his mixed colony with a , rod of iron. There are Indians and 1 Aleuts from the outlying islands; there : are also Creoles and Russians. He . keeps a well-trained, well-armed force ' under intensive training in case of ! attack or mutiny; he himself is always alert and vigilant. The sea otters and seals which are trapped, speared or snared by this strange populace 1 move in great numbers only at certain seasons. Between times the people overhaul their craft and implements, and till the soil. We are told of the encroachments of the Indians and of their curious primitive rites. Baranov himself married an Indian woman —his son, Ivan, with his swarthy skin I and lithe movements, is his only child. ! Villainy is introduced in the person jof Seldova, a Russian count sent out by. a jealous political party to investi- ! gate Baranov’s, movements, and, if j possible, to supplant him. The ship I that brings Seldova to Sitka also 1 brings his niece, the beautiful Nadja, and her companion, Madame Pierre. This girl provides a wealth of romantic interest throughout the book. , She is the rock upon which Seldova and his companions in villainy eventually wreck themselves. “BONES OF CONTENTION/” The craftsmanship displayed in Frank O’Connor’s volume of collected ! short stories is of a high order. He j lias displayed a subtle insight into character, a rare sureness o? touch, | and finished artistry. The atmosphere, j of each story is individual and care- | fully maintained, and the people of l whom he writes stand out from the j pages with most startling vividness. I The . author writes of Ireland and j the Irish'. His knowledge of the types .'chosen ' .is obviously intimate. He | must,have-had close contact with such ( people agJoyce and the Professor, “Lofty” and Mrs Donegan, t-o draw such convincing portraits. There is a : wealth of humour, • too —delicate, satirical wit, boisterous guffaws, and ] that gentle, ironical, fatalistic hu- ! mour which is essentially of the Irish, f The absolqte sureness with which each 1 individual takes form and colour from Mr O’Connor’s pen is astonishing, and , such stories as “The Majesty of the J Law,” “Lofty,” and* “What’s Wrong ‘ With the Country” might serve .as models for any aspirant to fame as a 1 tellers of tales. Mr O’Connor’s style * is concise, and the form of his stories ] compact and well-proportioned. His l language is ftdl of colour, and his des- ‘ criptions of people and places are s mostly dealt with by means of reveal- , ing dialogue. It is sometimes difficult for the Anglo-Saxon mind .to grasp the apparent irrelevancies of the Irish f thought processes, but in the majority of the stories the appeal rises above national' differences of temperament —the author is an artist and, bf reason of this fact, he writes for all ‘ the world. „