10 AUGUST 1918, Page 21

READABLE NOVELS.—The Master of Merlains. By David White- law. (Ward,

Lock, and Co. 5s. )—A novel dealing with the dis- appearance of a pearl necklace which once belonged to Mme. du Barry. The best thing in the book is the character study of "Thomas Bannister," the adventurer of the story. This man's absorption in the character which he is impersonating reaches the level of a fine art, and will cause the reader to be too sympathetic to his extremely nefarious actions.—The Tideway. By John Ayscough. (John Long. 13s.)—The short story is hardly "John Ays:...ough's " best medium, but what the author calls his "studies of temperament" are all interesting. The little sketches in which there is least plot are the most successful.—Life's Fitful Fever. By Kate Everest. (John Richmond. 6s.)—A war story in which a charming idyll of caravanning figures as a refreshing interlude.