5 MAY 1928, Page 28

FOOTSTEPS AT THE LOCK. By Ronald A. Knox. (Methuen. 7s.

6d.)—Derek and Nigel Burtell are cousins, and Nigel will inherit a fortune if Derek dies before his twenty- fifth birthday. The two youths are at Oxford together, and, while Nigel excels in lawlessness, Derek ruins his constitution with drink and drugs, and is ordered by a specialist to take a long canoe trip on the Thames. 'Varsity gossip is awakened when Nigel, who hates his cousin, accompanies him in the canoe, and a few days later the world is stirred by-the myste- rious disappearance of Derek. Did Nigel murder him ? It is not for us to reveal Father Knox's amazingly well-kept secret. He has given us no better " thriller," nor one more delightfully seasoned with breezy characterization and satirical humour.