SOME RECENT FICTION.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2510, 10 July 1915, Page 9

SOME RECENT FICTION.

.THE MYSTERY OF THE BOULE CABINET. By far tlie best detective story which it has been "Liber's" fortune to read for this many a long day is Burton E. Stevensou's_ novel "The Mystery of the Boule Cabinet" , (London, Eveleigh Nash). 'It is by no means an exaggeration to say., that in this capital the American author equals Sir Ciman Doyle's best efforts in tho Sherlock Holmes'- vein. The Boule cabinet, which .plays so prominent a part in tho. story, is an exquisitely beautiful "collector's piece," formerly the property of a French Ring's mistress. It is bought by- Vantme, a wealthy New York : collector, who dies very, suddenly, killed by some mysterious poison, how applied to . the victim no medical mail ,can ,say.. A second death; .similarly caused, occurs within a few hours, and ; expert medical and police opinion is again at sea as 'to the means by which tho ,deadly venom lias been injected into tho victim's body. A young New York lawyer, Vantine's 1 friend and executor, and a'smart young; newspai>er man, who specialises in "crime cases," and has made some quite remarkable "scoops" for his paper, set to work to solve the mystery, and thereby become tho ob- . ject-s of a deadly warfare waged against . themby a French criminal named Chof. .fard, as wily, 'resourceful, and dancer-

ous a scoundrel as was the fatuous Arsene Lupiu before lie decided to roform and emulate the deeds of the equally famous detective 'Lecocq. For some time the' mystery of the cabinet remains undiscovered, but eventually the newspaper man ferrets out its secret, namely, that if opened .in a particular •W.'a poisoned stiletto, worked by a diabolically-ingenious mechanism, strikes the too inquisitive investigator, whereas a second drawer can be opened with impunity. In one 'of the drawers, . Choffard has concealed an immensely valuable diamond necklace, stolen by a member of his gang from a | Russian grand: duke. Whilst endeavouring to obtain the necklace the French criminal is cleverly tricked by the reporter, whom Choffard had too confidently held- lie had himself outwitted. The story is told with a quite remarkable vivacity, sensation'following sensation, and mystery succeeding rapid succession. . ■ The reader who once picks up and peruses a page of two of Mr) Stevenson's capital story, none the less readable, in that it has a rich vein of: humour alternating with tho-dra-matic interest, will not readily put it down until ho has, xeached the last pago. .■■■■.- . '.'THE SEA-HAWK." I'hero is always a fine swing about the stirring romances of. Mr. Rafael babatini, and' in his latest story, "The k-ea-Hawk". (Martin Seeker ; per GeorgeRobertson and Co.) there is all tlie old generous, almost over-generous supply of exoiting adventures by. land and sea which' characterised those fine stories "Bardely,.tbe Magnificent," "The: Gates of .Doom,"-and so many, others which we have had from.Mr. Sabatini's clever brain and industrious pen. This time' his . hero is an audaciously gallant, if at times a somewhat unscrupulous, English adventurer of Elizabethan days, and interwoven in the narrative of his deeds of daring, we are introduced most dramatically to those .richly . picturesque rascals, the Barbery Corsairs—runs a highly-romantic and veTy charming love story. It would be unfair to Mr. Sabatini to call his story a boy's book, but it is pre-eminently a story for men who; in their boyhood, have loved tales of adventure, never, altogether to desert their earliest .. fictional affections. The. younster who, in "Helen's Babies," was 60 anxious for "blug" in .Lis stories would, if he has retained Jiis youthful tastes, rejoice greatly in Mr: Sabatini's powerfully-dramatic, ■ well-writteil' yarn,' lor r thereiri is certainly no lack of .bloodletting. "The Sea-Hawk" is. a. really' admirable story in its own special/class.

"HIS ENGLISH WIFE." . German studios of England and the English are, just now, it- is not unreasonable to suppose, acridly, violently satir- ■ ioal; ,as - cruelly)., satirical, 'indeed, as their Hun'authors can make them. But the German original' ,of- "His English 1 VVifc". by Rudolph' Stratz- (London; Edward Arnold) was evidently written before the; war, and- there is nothing specially'; or perceptibly ill-natured ■ in the Author's carefully-drawn pictures of ' British') life and ' character. The, story describes .the ■ experiences of a young German who marries, ail; English girl, .bo.th : being members of . a great business family having 'branches iii England and Germany. ' Tho English wife" at -first finds.-much in German life that she misunderstands'and dislikes, "but in the end the German': author shows -her/ ais having become compietoly "Teutdniscd," and we, leave her declaring on the final j>age "I'm half German," and quoting, to her hubby's delight, a-certain wellknown pasage from the Book of Ruth. I ami not eo sure, however, that'were she a'-real persotiage'and not of a novelist's-pen,., she would 'not, today, be wishing herself back in England, with .the quotation from Ruth remaining only/ as 1 the \bitterest of memories. "HUNCERHEART." , "Hunger'heart" CMetlmen and Co.) is described'on the titlo' page of the book a's "The Story of a Soul. /Tlio author, wlio ,'chboses ,|o rehiain ia'nonynious, possesses a olcVer and polished literary style,' but. her. "faithful history of a woman's '/soul" is far too-long, and will, I fear,' be ,votqd by' riiost of. its readers • as an.... exceedingly. 'morbid, and riot a little" tedious production. The is far too .much in love with herself, far too much occupiod with' analysing her .oWn .egotistical/feelings, to be a favourite with. the opposite sex, and it is. not long before she develops a quite ferocious and almost "morbid sex antagonism. She has an/experience ofstage life, and.of the Suffragette agitation,/but ends by. joining .a religious sisterhood.., Woriien such, as the'heroinbof;- this ! story -have 1 , to-day much moro useful work to do, than spending hours, in futile' soiil-searchings. A few hours a day .spent in, emulation of the in-, dustrious .''Susy" " of the ; weE-khown ditty, would have dono the. heroine what the old .ladjr called "a power of good."

"MURRAY'S SHILLING LIBRARY." :Mr. John'Murray'has now included/ a ficti'on. section in ,his "Shilling Library." l The books are iv6ll printed, on.- ; thicker and better paper than are most cheap reprints, and' the binding is neat, and comely. The first five volumes to be issued in a' series which should prove very successful, for the house of Murray possesses the copyrights'of alargo number of exceptionally good novels, are Mr. Locke's amusing story, "Septimus" ; Mr. . ."Oliver . Oflions's witty sketches; "The ' Compleat Bachelor" (as good m their own way .as Anthony Hope's: once-famous" "Dolly Dialogues")' ; Miss Violet Jacob's fine semi-, historical' romance, "Flemingtoii," in' places almost, as good as one of. Stevenson' sstories ;• MissElizabeth■ Robins's excellent.'American'novel, "The Floron? tine Frame," v a story -which-.is riot' 'so* well .knojivn; I'fancy, to New Zealanders' as it deser.v.es';to he; and'thatl delightful' little comedy, "Miss Esporance' and Mr.'; AYycherley,". by Mrs:. L.. Allen '.Harker.' ] Copies of the above have reached me' I from Mr. Murray, who announces,- I notice, that_ a forthcoming volume in thoseries will be a new edition of Geneir Stratton Porter's immensely popular story, "Freckles," of which, so I read, over. 750,000. copies have been sold. /'Murray's Shilling Library" should become; a familiar namo to Now Zealand lovers of good, fiction.

"THE SEVENTH POST CARD." A madman who wages war against' motorists and commits six . deliberate, murders before his identity is discovered: is a' leading figure in Air. -Flower-V dow's story-,. "The Seventh Post Card-" (Greening and Co.). Eaoli murder is precoded. by the reception by the victim of. a/.-post car • purporting to 'be Bent by "The, Motor Ku Klux." The seventh card is received'by the wealthy uncle of a young barrister, who marries a .rising. young lady "novelist, .but. is arrested. while leaving the church, on a. charge of murdering his relative. • A leading .rolo in Mr. Flowerdew's clever-ly-concocted drama is ; played by a liter-: ary knight, who is a famous' writer of detective stories. Tho_ author is, to be' complimented upon ;his. cleverness- iii hiding the identity of the'real murderer until almost the closing page of his story.

"WHERE THERE ARE WOMEN." .A critio of the "superior person" typo might, arid perhaps, with some justice, sniff at.' the- Misses M. and A. Barclay's history, "Where There are Women" (T. Fisher. Unwin), as savouring not a' little of melodrama. But even melodrama, when well done, can afford honest and wholesome plcasuro to not a fqw people, arid in this case tho melodramatic element is'not of tho transpontine order, save, perhaps, in ' the episode of the heroine's rescue, from an Indian harem, by .her ariator-lover.- Some of the Hindu charaotors, notably ' a young law student, a typical Babu,_ are drawn much more carefully than is usually tho casa ia thi? kjnd of iftorx»