The Dark House. By George Manville Fenn. (Ward and Downey.)
—Mr. Fenn, like the wise man and versatile novelist that he is, swims with the stream. Seeing that the sort of fiction most in demand jest now is of the cheap and sensational order, he has written a blood- curdling romance, dabbed it The Dark House, and marvel-loving readers are buying it by the thousand at one shilling the copy. And we are not surprised ; the tale is both interesting and well written, and although the author plunges us at the very outset into an atmo- sphere of gloom, and piles horror on horror, there is nothing low or vulgar in the book ; it may be placed in the hands of young people without misgiving, and those of their elders who like "reading about murders" will simply revel in it. Love naturally plays a part in Mr. Penn's dramatic narrative ; and thanks to the wonderful sagacity of a detective—who, by the simple expedient of going to America, and turning the thing over in his mind, arrives at a solution of the mystery, develops it from his consciousness, in fact—all comes well in the end. As to the nature of the mystery we must refer the reader to the book itself, which we can recommend to all who love an exciting romance.
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