SOME RECENT FICTION.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2523, 31 July 1915, Page 9

SOME RECENT FICTION.

"THE GAME OF LIBERTY." . There are few present-day novelists who are' the equalsof Mr. E. Phillips Oppenkeiin in the concocting of sensational and entertaining stories dealing .with the "upper ten" of cosmopolitan rascaldom. •In his latest story, "The Game of Liberty"' (Cassell and Co., per Whitcombe and Tombs), Mr. Oppenheim introduces us' to a high-' ly original character ill the personof a rich and elderly American, whose hobby is the study of criminology. As Joseph H. Parker, he makes the acquaintance of a young Englishman of good family, who, notwithstanding that for some time lie is convinced that his American Mend is' one of the cleverest and most audacious of "swell mobsmen," jewel thieves, and forgers, does not'refuse the adventurer his friendship,. a fact, however, mainly duo to the. supposed criminal having an exceedingly , handsome and charming daughter. How Joseph H. Parker, suspected by the London detectives of being a roguo of the first water, finally throws off'his disguise'and appears in his true shape as Mr. Joseph H. Bimdercombe, a millionaire manufacturer, of ; "Bundercombe's Reaping Machine" fame, and of the astonishing experiences which befall , his future son-in-law, tf'e youn? Tit glishman aforesaid, it would be unfair to Mr. Oppenheim to relate. Suffice "it. to say that the author, has eucceedcd' in achieving the apparently impossible, ' namely, the concoction of what is, after all, a "detective" story on absolutely new and original lines. A capital book for a railway or steamer journey is -"The Gaoie of Liberty." ■

'<A BOOK OF DEAR, DEAD WOMEN." .Under the title, "A Book of Dear, Dead Women" (Little, Brown, and Co., per Geo. Robertson), Mrs. Edna W. Underwood gives us nine separate stories, some of which are singularly beautiful, both in theme and the style of-'their telling, others possessing a more than a mere flavour of the fantastic creations of Edgar Allan Poe. The author is specially successful when she introduces an element of the occult. It is a long time, for instance, since I have read a more gruesome study of the supernatural ' than tho story entitled "Tie Painter of Dead _ Women," in which tho scene is laid in the palace of a more than half-mad, but devilishly ingenious. Neapolitan noblenian. "Tho Mirror or La Granja" is another story in which there is a strong suggestion of Poe. "A Book of Dear, ' Dead Women" : is quite a new departure in fiction of American origin, and deserves the attention ,of all who care for something, .better, than tho everyday novel of sentmwiii or sensation.

LENA; HALE. In-"Lena Hale" (George Allen and TJnwin) -Mr. or Mrs. ?) C. M. Theobald traces • the life, history of a woman: of German-Jewish extraction, on whose tcmpea'ament there is a dominaut strain of. ariiativeness. The heroine first marries a young violinist, a lazy'and vicious fellow, from whom, eventually, she. separates. She has more than one "adventure" before sho finally settles down as the wife of an American Jewish gentleman. The gross.materialism of the girl's home environment and the banal lty and vulgarity of certain phases of suburban middle-class life are cleverly, if unsparingly, pictured,- but the author is specially successful in some of her minor character sketches—sketches for -,tho, most part of exceedingly unpleasant people. It is difficult to feel much-sympathy for the heroine, and'on tho whole the story leaves a somewhat disagreeable taste in the palate. WINDYLOW. _"Windylow," by Kiueton Partes (T. Fisher TJnwin) is a- well-told story of English country life—the background is clearly Derbyshire. For the lovo of Nancy Sherratt,; of Weaverton, two young farmers are rivals,- one, Hugh Gaunt, an honest, fairly well-to-do fellow; the other, Roger Bould, a dissipated rascal, who, as the story proceeds, becomes so obsessed by his-lialf-insaiio feud against Gaunt, as to develop into a criminal of a peculiarly abominable kind. The story is unduly prolonged by the _ introduction of Nancy's experiences in Bohemian artistic circles in London, but Mr. Parker evidently knows country life, and his farmers and farm-hands from tho inside, '• and tho small tradesmen of tho country town are all well drawn characters. If, as I suppose, a first novel, "Windylow" is full of premise of stronger and better work in tho future. Meanwhile, despito a tendency to drag a littlo in places, tho story is well worth reading.

"THE DREAM FRIEND." In "Tho Dream ' Friend" (London, John Long), Mr. V. Goldio leaves the reader to docide for himself whether the clever experimental chemist who loves tho beautiful wife of a drug-tak-ing and unspeakably vicious friend, is justified in "removing" tho disgusting degenerate by moaus of a dose of prussio acid. It is trua that Donald Sturgess

is about as vile a beast in human shape as ever figured cither in fiction or in real life. But cleverly as the author presents the case for tho murderer of his dream friend's husband, it is difficult to repress a certain disgust when the widow seeks out her friend, who had retired to the Continent, and, although sho has discovered his dreadful secret, marries him. Homicide, plus an attempted justification, is becoming quito a familiar motif in latter-day fiction. Mr. Walpole tried his hand at it, and Mr. Oliver Onions, and now Mr. Goldie, though varying tho air with much originality and ability, plays 011 the samo doubtful instrument. "The Dream Friend" is cleverly written, but one reader at least it does not convince that tho murder of Donald Sturgess was actually justified.

SPORT AND MYSTERY. Three entertaining volumes come from Mr. John Long. "Tho Wizard of the Turf" is a racing story written in Nat' Gould's now familiar entertaining stylo, success on the turf being cleverly combined with success in love. The reader's interest is well maintained from first to last. In "Tho Chance of a L'fetime" Nat •Gould has produced another good story, in which highly-exciting episodes of turf life .are alternated by some pleasant love-making. Virtue is duly rewarded and vico properly punished. Mr. Gould's readers are never worried by the introduction of abstruse intellectual, moral,' or social problems. He writos for people who want mental relaxation, and are not too critical as to probabilities or literary style. _In # "The Crimson Cryptogram," Mr.. Fergus. Hume presents us wish a murder mystery combined with a bright little love story.' Tho plot is worked out in an interesting manner. Tho detective business is dono.by a doctor and a journalist, who succeed ill rescuing an attractive young woman from a very trying predicamont.