24 APRIL 1897, Page 11

The Betrayal of John Fordham. By B. L. Farjeon. (Hutchin-

son and Co.)—If any one desires to sup full of horrors here is a chance. John Fordham marries a woman who is a drunkard. How he could have been ignorant of a vice that had already pro- ceeded so far it is not easy to imagine. The horrors which follow are described with a hideous realism. We do not care to speak of the rest of the story. Swindling, bigamy, murder, and we know not what else, constitute the menu which Mr. Farjeon offers for our consumption. He knows his public, and caters for them. It will probably be sufficient for the readers of the Spectator to be told so much.