The House Opposite : a Mystery. By Elizabeth Kent. (G.
P. Putnam's Sous. 6s.)—We cannot pretend to have a liking for this particular kind of story. An undiscovered murder, or in- explicable disappearance in real life, arouses interest. It touches us all. Any one of us might be killed, or might disappear into space. But in fiction there must be a touch of genius about such a tale to give it an attraction. We do not deny the fascination exercised by the "Sherlock Holmes" business, or by such a mar- vellous bit of work as "The Murders in the Rue Morgue." Who can forget the sensation when the little lock:of grey non-human hair is discovered? But this sort of thing does not lie within the compass of Miss Kent's powers, respectable as they are. Our own impression is that the winding-up chapter, "The Truth of the Whole Matter," is not satisfactory. As a matter of fact, it does not really wind up. The author is not quite able to answer her own conundrum. There are touches of power in the story. Let Miss Kent try her hand on a better subject.
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