The King of the Castle. By G. Manville Fenn. 3
vols. (Ward and Downey.)—This story can hardly be called commonplace. That, indeed, is not a fault of which Mr. Manville Fenn can be accused. The "King of the Castle" is an eccentric person who keeps enormous wealth, acquired by working certain stone-quarries, shut up in a strong room. Apparently he did not trust invest- ments. Against this wealth various persons have plots. The novelist's object is to keep us in doubt as to who is guilty of the owner's death. There is a woman who has a spite against him on account of her husband's death, and sundry people who covet the wealth. Then there is another man who is suspected because he is the lover of the murdered man's daughter and scorned by him. Altogether there is a very satisfactory puzzle, and the end is something of a surprise. •
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