19 OCTOBER 1956, Page 26

VENICE OF THE BLACK SEA. By Helen Robertson. (Macdonald, 10s.

6d.) Suspedted sororicide in East London suburb, where local redbrick Poly. has an anatomy lab. handy for tidying up superfluous limbs and torsos. Good on the seedy, shabby-genteel atmosphere of Clapham and thereabouts; plot a little over- complicated; some very lively characters in the way of a young Outsiderish bio-chemist, his not extraordinarily personable or talented girl-friend, and a common-sensible policeman.