The Lone Wolf. By Louis Joseph Vance. (Eveleigh Nash. 6s.)—So
many novels of crime have appeared during the last few months that we are inclined to think that the publication of detective stories would be a profitable subject for fresh taxation ; indeed, we believed ourselves thoroughly weary of the theme. But Mr. Vance'e story possesses a certain originality which is attractive. For one thing, the plot of the book moves quickly, with short chapters, no unnecessary sentimentality, and very little recapitulation of past history ; for another, its design is new and engaging, in that it is concerned, not with the crime itself, but only with the tracking of the criminal; and the balances of interest and sympathy are so evenly held that we are often puzzled to say who is pursuer and who pursued. The book has, of course, the faults of its virtues, for it has no definite starting-point or con- elusion, and each scene is dependent rather on its own dramatic value than on its relation to the story as a whole. But there are thrills enough for the most jaded novel reader in the adventures of the Lone Wolf, "a master cracksman of the highest caste of the criminal world."
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