The Double Event : a Tale of the Melbourne Cup.
By Nat. Gould (" Verax "). (G. Routledge and Sons.)—The general character of this brisk and interesting story may be most easily indicated by saying that its author is an Australian rival of Captain Hawley Smart, and by no means an unsuccessful one, for The Double Event is richer in narrative material than are most of the turf-tales of the English novelist. Without having any special grace or charm of style, Mr. Gould knows how to construct a good solid plot, and to tell his story in such a way as to secure and retain the interested attention of his readers. Tho real hero of the book is the horse r Caloola,' who is backed by his owner, Jack Drayton (alias Marston), to win the Melbourne Derby and Cup—hence the title of the story—with the hope that the event will procure for him the hand of the pretty Edith Kingdon, whose heart is already his. The villain of the tale, one Fletcher, is of course a plotter against the success of Caloola ' and the happiness of Marston, and his machinations provide Mr. Gould with plenty of material for a delineation of the seamy side of Australian turf-life. Novels dealing with unlimited gambling are not perhaps, as a rule, the most wholesome of reading ; but allowing for the theme, The Double Event is a healthful as well as entertaining story.
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