26 NOVEMBER 1927, Page 28

IT NEVER RAINS. By J. Murray Allison. (Hurst and Blackett.

7s. 6d.)—Mr. Allison is a new short-story writer of considerable talent. His scenes --and characters are very varied ; • but clean, breezy humour and satire arc his predomin- ating qualiti43. He may be compared to -a:clever cartoonist, hitting off, with mingled malice and tolerance, the little foibles and pretensions of his victims. He can, on occasion, use irony as well as satire, and the .tale in which he makes play with the artificial values of modern literary life is particularly good fun..