The Latest Books.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11729, 20 June 1916, Page 7

The Latest Books.

Books still accomplish miracles; they persuade men. (CARtVLE)

A GOOD MLODRAMA. SUPER SPIES AND TUG MOVIES. To a peaceful inhabitant of a couutry like tins, far removed from the tur, moil of w«r. spying, as a pretension, seems to be « deo;dcdly nsky, imhoaltliv" means ot getting bread Ami after reading -'The Sunor-bpy, by N. Halt-While, T have, decided that I wouldn't, be a spy if thoy asked mo to. Tho novel appeared to bo almost imposriblv melodramatic mini, when 1 was half way through it, 1 noticed a. coble message, which said that the Germans have "been using- the kinemato-t-'i-aph for spviug <i»U otli-er purposes. Then I decided to Apply myself to Air Halt-White's book with more diligence, and discovered that of itskiud it is quite a good story. In fact I am not ni; all certain that under tho guise ot his melodrama. Mr Holt-Whito is not giving Tritons a very salutary warning; much in the same manner as tho play "An Englishman's 1 ionic,''* at which many people laughed, told the unthinking* to take heed. Tho story tells of Grossmann, tho great German spy and kinematograph man, who. organises a big "movie'' trust to _ gain .all sorts ot' information, and Professor Jabbs, tho super-spy, of whom Grossinann is afraid. There is also introduced Liauo di Vinetti, most, beautiful of'women, a wonderful "movie" actress, who is used by Grossmann to glean secrets from men in high places. Given these main ingredients, along with a smart journalist, thoro is plenty of room for much sensation, and the plot and super-plot get very nicely tangled. Nasty things happen all over tho place, and the excitement grows intense. Gradually tho story works down to tho discovery that the super-spy, Professor Jabbs, is not a German spy after all, but has been fooling his clever friends, arid is really a Briton at heart, and tho glorious adventuress, who breaks men's hearts, is found to bo bis adopted j daughter. Grossmann and Co., to be very, verv colloquial, "get it in tho neck," and the beautiful girl dies in saving the life of the Professor. Tho book is packed with sensation, but it is not)' unhealthy, and to lovers of a good story of intrigue and plotting in high places it should prove most entertaining faro. Still, if spies have to go through all those things, as I said before. T'd sooner be -nobody. "The Super-Spy," by W. Holt-White. Andrew Melrose. Limited, per Whitcombe and Tombs. ]?rico 3s 6d. * - Zet> - MURDER 'MYSTERIES. AND A STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE. * One might say that for concentrated excitement " Notable Murder Mysteries," by Mrs Belloc Lowndes, would bo difficult to surpass. As the editor of this'collection of violences, remarks, compression has been a vital necessity in presenting tho stories of these affairs, but one. must admit that no r tiling has been done to lessen the thrill which is so necessary to a real murder tale, and these mysteries have the recommendation that they are real. To go telling the stories or the details of these affairs would bo to rob Mrs Lowndes of her rightful property, but one cannot refrain from drawing attention to one of the most remarkable cases known to tho world. Here at pago 74 I find that the Duko of Praslin, in response to his wife's angry demands, had to send away at tho end of the summer term tho governess, Mademoiselle Deltizy. " But the Duchess had won a sterilo victory." I look to the next page—" Aladelino was engaged to "William Minnoch." Not only has the little governess disappeared before the end of the summer term, but likewise the Duke, his angry Duchess and a few other people. What happened? Here is a case .for the Sherlock Holmes f The three chief characters in a murder story spirited away before any murder has been committed, surely one of the most atrocious crimes ever perpetrated, with no clua as to the doer of tho deed. Can onjo attach any suspicion to Madeline or to William Minocnh or to both? It ; seems difficult to suggest such a thing. A careful perusal of tho work prior to pago 74 discloses nothing of the antecedents of either Maddy or Bill to suggest their complicity. But where have the Duke, Duchess and Inverness gone, j not to mention an old Marshal' Sabatiani, who meandered into tho early part lof page 7-1? T have searched under I each page, and dragged the rivers of | blood that follow, but there is no sign lof tho bodies. The mystery is unfathomable! Sherlock Holmes and Craig Kennedy must bo called in. Here' in a really exciting book is an incident which brings one to a halt," and puts a. pause in the progress of tho reader. I notice later in glancing through tho book tliat the pago ncr,t to 74 is .numbered 107. There may bo some ofuo hero, but T will leave it to the criminal investigators: they don't like amateurs butting in. In tho meantime I'm enjoying the remainder of "Notable Murder Mysteries," but I would still liko to know what happened to tho Duko, the Duchess, tho governess and the Marshal. " Notable Murder Mvsteries," by Mrs Bailee Lowndes. London. Messrs Pimpkin, Marshall, Hamilton. Kent and Co., Ltd (wit at a lot of people!). Ohristehnrch. Messrs "WhiiCom.be and Tombs. Price Is Id. —"Delta." GALLIPOLI DAYS. AN ANZAC'S STORY. i The modestly anonymous author of I '•' Twelve .Months with tho Australian j Expeditionary Force,'' or a-> it goes j pithily on the cover. "Twelve Months' I .Hard." appropriately prefaces his na,r- ---! rative with the verses of (". Fox Smith's j ■' Farewell to An;:ac." first published j in the •'Spectator.''' and beginning: i "Ob! lminn your swap and leave, lads, tiio .•hips iirc lil the- bay; AV•:,''.•,'' pot c\v: in.nchiag- order* now, it's tinio t_> co ino «tvay, And ;i'onir ?;ocd-hyo to An>:;ic beach, where blood has ilc.'.vcd in vr.ir.: Ycr '.tc'i's loavins it. leuvii.g- it—game to llpht ac'ain''' Tho story i r > n plain accountjiy a. rick soldier of his year in khaki and his seventeen weeks on the Gallipoli Peninsula with (ho First Australian Division. H possesses no nourishes of ft vie; it is net even divided into chapters. In it ! just goes straight ahead as one can I imagine the soldier spinning his moving I tale The writer was in Brisbane when I the Avar began, and he lost no time !in getting iuvo lighting rig. lie landed j with the first oi' the troops on GalHI poli and l'ought all through the worst j minimum: of the campaign. Charging ' the Turks, trench-digging, bombing, I suiting, all .are. described simply but

eloquently. Tho moro horrible sido of tho peninsula warfare is brought boforo us in a pago or two in which tho burial of five thousand long-dead bodies is described. "After this day wo noticed that tho air was getting purer every day, but we had another enomy to deal with now, and this was tho flies. There were millions of them great big green things, big enough to give a man the D.T.'s. They nearly drove us to distraction. I have .seen' flies in Australia, and have been worried in Egypt by them, but was quite convinced that I had never seen any flies before. The air was thick with thorn. It was impossible to cat anything during the day.'' How the Antics occasionally "bluffed" tho Turks and induced them to waste their ammunition is told rather well. But the strain nppfoached breaking-point as tho campaign wore on : " Our trencher, were in an awful mess. Mm were buried every day, and digging parties had to get-, tihem ou!t. . . . Our firing lino looked like a patchwork quilt."' As fast as the parapet was built the Turks would knock it down again. ••'lt was .heartbreaking work; wo wore at it day and night—no chance to sleep; and ail tho time tho perpetual whhw-bang of the shells. At times we did not know whether our heads wero ou our necks or where they were." An interesting note refers to tho preparations by the British forces in expectation of the use of gas by the enemy:—""We always carried a respirator and a smoke helmet, and hero and thcro along tho trench we had small cans filled with chemicals to be used in case of an attack. It was better to be sure than sorry, and we never forgot that tlie Turks were being led by German officers." It was impossible, tho author explains, for the Turks to use gas, owing to the strong wind that blew from tho Mediterranean. "Twelve Months with the Australian Expeditionary Force." by "An Anzac." George Newnes, Ltd. Through Whitcombe and Tombs. Price l>s 4d.) —" Gamma."