26 JULY 1902, Page 23

A Life at Stake. By Percy Andreae. (Ward, Lock, and

Co. 6s.)—This book, fortunately for quiet people, cannot be described, like the novel noticed above, as an ordinary story of modern life. It is, luckily, not often that an unfortunate young man is hypno- tised by a villainous friend to such an extent that almost every one believes him to be mad. Nor is the "god out of the machine," who out-Sherlocks Sherlock Holmes himself, the sort of character to be usually met in a morning stroll through South Kensington. People who like mysteries served to them hot and strong will enjoy this book. It is written with considerable "go," which is the one quality absolutely essential in melodramatic stories of this kind.