The Tragedy of Freyne. By Anthony Gilbert. (Collins and Co.,
Ltd. 7s. 6d.)—Sir Simon Chandos is found dead in his locked library, from morphine, and as he is doomed to a lin- gering death from cancer, and the fact is known, everything points to suicide. Everything save one little fact, noticed by one of the house-party. The tracing of the crime to the true criminal is a skilfully woven process, much complicated by three women, Sir Simon's unfaithful wife, his tragic secretary, and his young ward. A tangle of neurosis and of black- mailing complicates the ease further. One clever feature in Mr. Gilbert's story is that neither the detective who is called in first nor the one called in last is a fool, nor is the lawyer who is persuaded to take up the seemingly hopeless case of the guest chiefly under suspicion. Yet all are quite off the real track Once or twice we have a faint suspicion that the author himself allows himself the shadow of a doubt as to who is destined for the gallows. If so, it adds to the interest. The chase grows close and keen at the last, and develops into a race for time if the culprit is to be caught at all. However, he is caught, is hanged, playing his game to the last ; and the rightful lovers find their bliss. We can point to no flaw in the chain of events, save perhaps to suggest that the South Downs are not so near to Dover as the writer seems to think. The book makes good reading, and we have given no secrets away.
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