New-York tribune., 1909-03-20
IN AIMING CRIMINAL.
Il Ne5c NOCel by the French Conan
Doyle.

THE PERFIAIE OF THE LADY IN BLACK. By
Castor IefouX- 12rno. pp 81. Brentano's
When NJ CASTOR Leroux created the character
Of Rouletabille, a young French newspaper re-
porter gifted, like Sherlock Holmes in the de-
lection of crime. he added a fairly original
figure to contemporary fiction. He put the re-
sourceful Joseph through his PAGES in a story
well above the average of stories Of crime. The
Mystery Of the yellow Room was tndubitably
q book of mystery. The reader had before him
a plan Of the room in question and with It he
could check every episode in the narrative. All
| the actors in the drama were accounted for
! saving. OF course, the viIlain-and il was quite
impossible TO see how the tragic attempt made
at the outset could ever have been carried
through NJ. Leroux proved himself an adept in
the art Of holding the reader in SUSPENSE and
he showed too. that he knew how TO heighten
the excitement as he went along. Altogether he
made absorbing tale out Of The Mystery of
the Yellow Room" and assured himself Of eager
readers for his next book
The Perfume Of the Lady in Black is really
sequel to the story mentioned above. All the
old characters reappear and with them some
new ones. The duel Of wits to be described in a
book Of the sort remains duel between Roule-
tabille and Larsan. Ballmeyer the prodigious
rascal who in The Mystery Of the Yellow Room"
SO far demonstrated his versatility as to make
authority in the French police. 1t will be re-
membered that this sinister parsonage had in
earlier years contracted a secret marriage with
NJ Lerouxs heroine, Mataiide Stangerson and
that his intervention had completely discouraged
N. Robert Darzac, who wished TO marry Ma
thilde- In the new book Larsan is reported dead
though the reader Is a little suspicious over the
manner of his supposed demise. Transat-
lantic steamer goes TO the bottom and for days
thereafter the ocean casts up on the beach hum
dreds OF coTpsos. Among these is a body on
which papers belonging to Larsan are found
Obviously this would deceive nobody, but Darzac
and his MathiIde sanguine souls and so the
wedding is arranged. Naturally RouIetabille
who is friend of the family is invited
He attends. What does he do? He hides him
self in a corner to pray, it is observed that his
eyes are filled with tears. and when the U eddjng
is over il is found that he has ncontiRentIv van
ished- Does the reader need 10 be told that
Joseph has his doubts as to the deadness of the
unspeakable Larsan? In a little while every
bodys doubts are dsf2ated. Larsan comes m
life again. and what is worse. he gets straight
upon the track Of Darzse and his wife Fortu-
nately Rouletablle is quickly at work and in
short order are privileged TO witness another
battle between an Incarnation of evil and de-
tective as ingenious as he is courageous
The scene of the conflict is an old chateau on
the Mediterranean coast, a romantic old place
already fortified and susceptible Of being made
difficult Of access as a safe deposit vault
Rouletabiile looks to every crevice and GRANNY.
he disposes his forces at every point that might
be so much as approached by the foe and pre-
pares to stand siege. He and his friends are
TO all intents and purposes absolutely sealed
within the Fort of Hercules. Yet Larsan makes
an entry More than that, when RouletabiIle
h. tod, =
in the fort IS a friend he has nevertheless 10
reckon with the presence Of the enemy and that
enemy is not invisible either. Does this sound
fantastic? The Perfume of the Lady in Black
is nothing If not fantastic. Young RouletabiIle
is all for the cold light of reason and the world
well lost. but he himself is the first to admit
that where Larsan is concerned. all things are
possible. The reader who likes To he kept on
tenterhooks win enjoy this story. He NAV grow
a little impatient over the authors rather in
volved method of developing his narrative NJ
LerouN. fear. is inclined 10 be leisureIv and
long winded But he is a crafty novelist He
knows how to fit his pegs into the right holes
20 tangle his threads and to gather them I'D at
the psychological moment. He threatens now
and then. 10 he tedious but in the long run he
amply rewards the reader for his good nature