The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-08-08
Literary Lights and ShAdobs
BY s. MAYS BALL

I the right or left of him, John Barclay reaches the position sought. But he ism happy.
 Nemesis gets busy on John-then what 1 does he do? Gets a change of heart just In time; destroys practically all his wealth. again befriends and calls to his daughters side Neal Ward and dies in attempting to save a drowning woman. The book is great; there is no question l of that. MT. White has been spoken of as the Middle West Thackeray." What l more can be said?- Nothing. The book is written in that leisurely style, so dear to the lover of Thackeray and who does not love that style? That is the Who's Who that count.
 This book was published on July 21 last. The first large edition was exhausted on the day of publication. Usually in this day of ''best sellers' in the United States that means literally nothing at all. It does mean a great deal and deservedly so in the case of "A Certain Rich Man" The Governors, by E. Phillips Oppen-
 helm. Uittle, Brown & Col
 The author, MT. Oppenheim, of ''The Missioner" ''The Long Arm of Mannis- ter" ''The Great Secret" and r other novels published in this country in very short time, comparatively speaking should devote a little more time, more care to his books than is evidenced in the latest, '"rhe Governors"
 MT. Oppenheim has a following that ''is simply crazy" about his books, but the fact remains that, to take only "The Governors" there is hardly any excuse for 1t at all. MT. Oppenheim has written some good "thrillers"-"The Governors is not even that.
 It deals with one Phineas Duge, a trust maniptlator, multimillionaire, whose daughter not being able to live with him, he sends for his niece, who, no doubt, but not positively, Is the heroine of 'The Governors.
 Phineas Duge and a band of cutthroat millionaires are fighting each other. Duge induces the conspirators to sign an in- criminating document which he hides in secret safe. It is around the struggle for this sheet of paper that the plot heavy as a piece of Lignum Vitae-is laid.
 The paper is stolen from the hiding place. Because the niece couldn't prevent the theft she is dismissed from her Uncle Phineas' home and fireside. to go out to recover, if she can, the papers"
 Phineas was pretty warm number in hnance He had his crowd on the run while his daughter and her lover debated
 
 the daughter knowing the house, had out witted the pretty niece
 Over to London from New York the crowd of strugglers surge. Cutthroats, assassins, lord, really the Duke of Mowbray, who loved the amateur detec- tive niece of Phineas, all get Into the game. And not even a thrill! If MT. oppenheim, should he decline to take care and devote hard elbow grease to his work, can't furnish us thrill then for goodness sakel-"what's the answer?''
 MT. Oppenheim can write some really good thrillers; he has even done much better work than the so-called thriller. and 1t is such pity that he thinks as he must, that "The Governors is worth s5o Of anybody's money even in the states" 'The Governors" is all right If you don't mind what you say. If you are careful in your statements, as all should try to be, then that popular little book, which may even now be rushed from the press to meet the demand for a real-you-can' t-dispute-it thriller, to- wit, "She Jumped, Was Pushed or Fell From the Top of the Brown Marx Build 1ng-Wdll She Hit the Ground?" Twill really suit you better, give you better basis for praise than .The Governors"