It's a crime
MAURICE PRIOR
In his third Harlem novel, Run Man Run (Muller 18s), Chester Himes , had adopted a' rather different style than in his previous books.
Drunken white New York tec, having mur- dered two negroes, attempts to silence a third who witnessed the shootings. Steamy, frenzied, rough and tough, but lacking the humour which typified novels one and two. Good solid stuff. Mr Conrad Voss Bark has written a lively and absorbing short story in See the Living Crocodiles (Gollancz 21s). An eminent govern- ment scientist is kidnapped. William Holmes, the PM's security adviser, wends his way through many adventures before rescuing the scientist from a yacht. Mr Voss Bark shows a high degree of descriptive acumen which effectively colours and enhances this conscientious and well-knit tale.
Murder is Absurd by Patricia McGerr (Got-. lancz 21s). Ingenious, intriguing, exceedingly good. A story of the staging of a play written by the stepson of a matinee idol. The latter angles for a part and his insistence leads to the unravelling of a seventeen-year-old crime. Good build-up of the play progression and all cleverly and coherently executed.
Lake Garda is the venue of Snow in Para- dise by Raymond Sawkins (Heinemann 25s). British detective is commissioned to find naughty daughter of wealthy tycoon and also investigate blackmailer framing him with pornographic pictures of said girl. Brisk and atmospheric—a neat, crisp thriller.
Elizabeth Fenwick is becoming somewhat adept at writing psychological suspense thrillers. In The Passenger (Gollancz 18s) she again contrives a situation of nail-biting propensity. A couple of teenagers driving to Cleveland, having inno- cent fun en route, suddenly become strained and increasingly tensioned, with an outcome fully unanticipated. Well paced, devoid of gimmickry, and possessing singularity and.
compulsion. • ' . - - Don't Just Stand There by Charles Williams
(Cassell 16s) is a kind of Parisian caper. Basically a crime with comedy overtones and a plot not all that prepossessing. The mixture includes sex, kidnapping, slight rumblings of murder and all manner of escapades. Ex- tremely diverting, whimsical yet suspenseful. Smooth and acceptable.
The author and creator of Hyman Kaplan, Leo Rosten, enters the thriller field in A Most Private Intrigue (Gollancz 25s), but I was not entirely enamoured with this tale of an Ameri- can sent to Istanbul to arrange the escape of three Russian scientists held against their will and to return them to the States. Inevitable chase and climax, plenty of excitement and harum-scarum, competent but not an imme- diately shattering introduction.
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