THE RIDDLE OF THE EMERALDS. By Mrs. Philip Champion de
Crespigny. (Cassell. 7s. 6d.)—When Bertram Goodlake wrote a mysterious letter from Rio to his cousin Humphrey, telling him that he had bought some fine emeralds for the latter's wife, he omitted to say where the jewels were hidden, though he hinted that his secretary was not to be trusted. He also added a mysterious rider in the form of a postscript : " Look at the back of the old wall ; the sun makes a pattern on the grass." A short time after Humphrey had received the letter, news came that Bertram had been murdered in his lonely house in England, a place he visited from time to time. Thereafter followed a most exciting search for the emeralds as well as for the secretary, whose name, appearance, and whereabouts were not known to any of the dead man's friends. Mrs. de Crespigny puts her readers into the delightful position of being able to think themselves cleverer than the amateur sleuths. The first clue to the riddle is clear as daylight, but it is unlikely that many people will
guess the identity of the secretary. The only weakness in this very wittily written story is the clumsily manufactured cause of the mystery. Nevertheless, it provides the plot for a good detective story, so we must repress our irritation and thank any cause which gives such satisfactory effect.
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