REGENT FICTION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24492, 28 December 1940, Page 4

REGENT FICTION

Pathan in Exile

I The extraordinary and fascinating •tory which Major George Bruce relates in Red Devil is stated to be founded on fact. It has the additional recommendation to lovers of adventure tales of an unusual quality 1 that the author obviously has a knowledge of the places of which he writes, and a sympathetic understanding—albeit perhaps a romanticised one—of the people who inhabit the turbulent borderland -of the North-west Frontier. Hero is Sher Dil, a Pathan of high degree, whose courage, resource and patience are tested to the uttermost in the years in which he earns the titie which gives this book its name. The harvest in Sher Oil's country, which lies beyona 'lie sphere of British occupation, has been a failure. He leads a band of his fighting craftsmen down to the plains, and they raid a well-stocked British-con-trolled village, taking what they require. But when the. raiders are returning, laden with booty, they are ambushed by the border police. Sher Dil. while endeavouring to - save one of his warriors, is wounded "and made captive. The penalty, for : his*part 'm. the affair is- a.v ; ls-years\ sentence' of imprisonment ' on 1 , the:'. Andaman Islands. : "The wise man draws the curtain :bf forgetfulness over the lamp of desire." and Sher Dil fatalistically leaves his wife and son arid goes into exile. ■: He makes\ari. opportunity, .to escape later, and, with; two companions,, succeeds in finding his way years Ms < adventures; are many, exciting arid-'picturesque; v And in good heart, with a fine reputation as a ; man not to be trifled tyith : to; support, him; Sher<Dir sets ;; 6ut-onythe mile trek backltd- his Pathan hills, there to breed more sons and become a loyal friend to the British. „Ttus story originally, appeared :in Blackwood's Magazine, in; a short version, and thee author has done, well to, expand it to'novel length without, taking from; it its keen narrative interest. Ghosts and Nazis \

It might have been imagined that all the methods-of killing a man withoutarousing suspicion had been fully ex-, plotted by «the ; writers of .'mystery stories. But Norman Berrow. has revealed a hew; or at least, a rarelyrencountered. formula for homicide in his new-thriller. Ghost House. The internal carotid artery, which on being pressed will- form an air-embolism in, : ahd ultimately stop the heart, is ho doubt, as is stated in this book,"pretty-dam' difficult to get hold of," but if one succeeds in reaching it, we are informed, it is possible to kill i man; without leaving even a bruise." .Spch ; medical one, is happy totjsay,'is not obtrusely thrdst upon 5 the,reader in this. exciting and eerie'? story, and it/is used .fa. these pagesvih a perfectly good couse: The plot is; concerned, as to its more mysteriovis: aspects, with a" secret;. Nazi weapon, awareness of which German agents in . England are determined to j keep'from the British at all costs. More than\:thls cannot be told.; .It -can be said,' however, that Mr. Berrow. introduces- his. tate-skilfully with the pre--dicanient of two pleasant young people,--; a man and-.his wife, -who are-storm-bound and blunder innocently, into the sinister-house.of the title,-which is ai veritable hot-bed of spies and counterspies; Ghostly happenings have a large'part in the story, and Mr, Berrow shows ah easy'familiarity with the esoteric question . of mediumistiq powers: Some readers may not be Ira.-.-pressed with the-account of Marilyn Somerset's strange' .gift, but few ■'■will:' wish to put this obok aside until they have learned all that Mr Berrow: is disposed' to tell them, both about vthe habits of ghosts and of Hitler's agents. Excitement and Epigrams ■;:.,'/"

The detective "story familiar outlines owes little to the -invention of American writers, and it is noticeable that :the English mystery tales enjoy a large sale m the .United States. In recent years, however,' America has perfected a variation on the conventional story of this type, and this-pro-duct: is now winning its way by merit in British communities.. An excellent specimen" "is, Raymond Chandler's Farewell, My Lovely, a book which succeeds -in being "touch" without becoming noisesomely so, and is full of excitements and epigrams—" wisecracks," to the initiated. Mr Chandler's narrative is concerned with the strange adventures in homicide and love-sick-ness .of one Moose Malloy. gangster, "hot more than six foot five inches tall, and not wider than a beer barrel," and of a .private.-investigator, Philip Marlowe, who' inadvertently crosses the;Moose's trail and turns back to follow, ity The violence .starts when the-romantic Moose thoughtlessly slays a restaurant-keeper -who - cannot' tell him? where to find- little Velma, the girl:who promised to wait for him five years before; as he departed for the penitentiary, ylt then proceeds to follow Marlowe ;arpund as his investigations;; lead him into- the dehs of the iniquitous, and the stately homes of the .wealthy; He- is-knocked out in a Californian'gulch, revived by an attractive and independent young woman, nearly succumbs to the siren embraces of a lovelier-looking lady, is tortured by the Indian retainer of a crystal-gazer who lives on a mountain, vplaced in captivity in a private psychopathic hospital, falls into the hands; of a super-gangster on a gam* Ming 1 boat, and all his vicissitudes Marlowe accepts with philosophic fortitude, hitting back when he can, and invariably providing a•' racy account of what'befalls. This is a clever and in its way a stimulating thriller, greatly enlivened by the author's sprightly wit and shrewd characterisation.

Indistinct Objective It required a certain amount of imaginative 'effort on the part of the author of The Survivor to. transfer the spirit of a brilliant but irascible and completely unmoral old medico to a mild-mannered almost, simple girl. Once''his poltergeist had been created,

Red Devil. By George Bruce (Angus and Robertson) 7s 6d. Ghost House. By Norman Berrow (Ward, Lock). Farewell. My Lovely. By Raymond Chandler (Hamilton). The Survivor. By Dennis Parry (Hale). The Disappearance of Julie Hintz. By Seldon Truss (Hodder and Stoughton). Golden Ashes. By Freeman Wills Crofts (Hodder and Stoughton). Death on Treasure Trail. By Don Davis (Hutchinson). Each 8s 9d unless otherwise stated.

however, Mr Parry seems to nave reached the end of his resources. Paced with the option of making his story humorous, and therefore quite unbelievable, or investing it with a certain quasi-scientific background, and trying to make it reasonably convincing, he seems to have fallen between the two stools. He is no tyro at the word-spinning craft, and a certain medical knowledge.is introduced judiciously, but lack of direction completely submerges these and other minor qualities which his effort possesses Kidnapped in England

Espalia is "somewhere in South America." Julie is the daughter of the Generalissimo-Dictator, and while at school in England, is kidnapped just before her father arrives in London to conclude' a momentous pact. Thus the title The Disappearance of Julie Hintz. This untoward occurrence causes a tremendous sensation.' The Generalissimo is furious,,and. England is like to fall from her high estate But Terence Brownlow, mounted or. his trusty motor cycle, manages to get on the trail, and. not being hampered by police- regulations, he is able to do things that Inspector. Dram dare hot even contemplate. Away back in Espalia is a concentration camp, and in it one woman. That circumstance is the primary cause of certain mysterious happenings in a tunnel, and it leads to surprising results; Julie was never in danger,* but her father was. Fortunately, he was: a realist who saw reason, and love's labour was not lost. Insurance Fraud- ; ;-S■>;"•

This is. the basis ,01 the Plot in Golden Ashes, by Freeman Wills .Groft. Betty Stanton quite unexpectedly is offered a position as a housekeeper to Sir Geoffrey Buller; Who. has inherited an estate in Surrey. -On, the surface everything .seems marvellously good, but as time wears on' small details cause her to wonder and. then to experience something akin to fear. Buller has some beautiful * and valuable paintings in his inheritance. Some queer juggling goes dnwith them, and then the house is burned down. Inspector French arid his* friend Shaw come upon the scene -to make inquiries. A man disappears most mysteriously. Puzzlement gives place to vague suspicion, and searchV confirms the latter, but for long one essential clue evades the investigators!' grasp, .Still "murder will out," ahd.it does to provide a satisfactory conclusion to a mystifying tale. Hidden Gold-/ Don Davis tells an interesting story of the endeavours made by a'.band of rascals to locate the gold hidden in a practically inaccessible cave by. Catholic priests long years before. The Rio Kid riding to clear his name' in Arizona, happens oh a party intent on-forcing iriforriiatiori from Ramon, a sliiri-lobking boy, who will not yield 01 This is the beginning"of- the drama of Death on the Trails which ends in a romance, but is punctuated by violent- deeds- and tragedy. ' Slim Jim. Ostensibly, one, of the group who would. despoil, the finder of the padres'*; gold, is a mystery. ,But so is'Ramon, the boy .who .'is saved .from" the (.b'aridits."."; Most intieres'tirig of all'is'VtheirdenoUemeht, which is not hinted ■ &i "until the", very end 'of the story. Our copy is from Whitcombe and TOihbsv'-.-'-' «-■•■*•■-■•■*--■'■•: VrV; L.