A Blow over the Heart. By Robert Machray. (Chatto and
Windus. 6s.)—Mr. Machray's book is rather disappointing. In the beginning the reader, with anticipatory thrills, thintis he is to be introduced to international complications and "fruitful hot water for all parties." But, unfortunately, nothing comes of the fulminations of the foreign Powers over the revelation of a treaty between England, Germany, and Japan (a combination which makes one thankful that Mr. Machray does not govern his country). On the contrary, the novel resolves itself into a detective story on the theme " Who stole the treaty P" Needless to say, it was not the wrongfully accused hero. The mantle of M. Fortune du Boisgobey has not fallen with sufficient amplitude on Mr. Machray for the book to be more than fairly interesting ; but as one of the author's objects appears to be a warning to the Foreign Office, this perhaps matters less than it would in a book intended solely for the entertainment of its readers.
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