New-York tribune., 1910-04-27
The Endless Fascination OF
Crime and Mystery.


With Illustrations by r c. CaswelL
l2mo. 10. So7. The sturSis Wal
ton Co.
THE DISAPPEARING EYE. BY Fergus
hume. l2mo. pp. Sl2 The 9. ". Dl-
bingham Company.
THE FATAL RT-BY. BY Charles Garvice
l2mo. pp. SlS. The George II. noran
Company
PASsERs-sY. by Anthony Partridge
With Illustrations hy win Foster
j2mo. pp. S2S. Boston: Iittle, Brown
Some years ago. when Mr.. Cares pub
Eshed The Lake Of Wine" he not only
gave his reader the pleasure that lies in
good story. but added 70 this the little
touch Of Individuality. of a fresh and
romantic humor. which was bound
thenoeforth to win sympathetic stten-
ton for any work coming from the same
hand. Since then the predictions Of this
novelist have varied in quality hat
never have they been without a special
SAVIOR. Il crops out again in his latest
novel and this time IL brings with il
the virtues 81 his hest books. There IS
q delightful freakishness about why
Did He DO IL" II starts with an al
most unbelievable situation. Professor
Caspsr Urchin is in charge 90 the an
1iquities offered for sale at the United
Service Stores. In his hours Of ease he
Is sometimes inclined to he CAV. and
when We first make his acquaintance he
has laid curious bot with a young ac-
QUaintance Of his. The latter is TO come
TO the professors esta blishment and
there see If he can possess himself Of
ssr1r hr,r.
he succeeds he wins the bet In either
case the old man is 70 hold him from
harm. When the test is made T-rchin
deliberately repudiates the bet and
hands his innocent fellow joker over to
the police. with mad5ening results.
Naturally his victim asks. why did he
do it?" The reader. repeating the ques-
tion. is bafied through most Of the
pages OF an absorbing narrative To
offer him the faintest clew would he 10
spoil his enjoyment. Instead. we com
mend him TO the novel. promising that
he viii find in Professor Urchin and his
daughter Paulie, IN Mr.. Roger Man
drake and his friend. Festus le TouzeL
four figures well worth knowing. We
have seldom encountered q novel so
original so tantslizine and 50 amusing.
If Sherlock Holmes could revisit the
glmpses Of the moon he would doubt
less be surprised 10 find how his art has
been developed. For one thing he would
note that science has beaten out A wav
~ profting by evidence which would
have bafied even his uncanny powers.
turning the detective into 2 super-subtle
psychologist. This tvpe was introduced
In the book which We reviewed not long
ago. ''The Achievements Of Luther
Trsnt." end 81 reappears in The Green
Cloak" Here we have again the strange
Instruments Of the laboratory. in which
chemicals. germs ana the like give place
70 the human emotions. A mans secrets
are surprised out Of him. not in words.
but in an involuntarly made record of
the beating Of his heart. The murder at
the bottom Of all the proceedings in
The Green Cloak is mysterious enough
in itself but II is not half SO bewilder-
ins as the succession Of events through
which the truth about il is gradually
disclosed. There are some cieverlv de-
Nised thrills" in the tale. which is II
forth. moreover. in skilful. entertaining
fashion.
In book by Mr.. Fergus Hume We are
always sure of st least one completely
fantastic motive lie il was if mem
Dry is not AZ fault. who in z tale OF n1ur-
Der made extraordinary play with
scsrecrow. OF all things in the world.
There is a murder also in The Disap-
pesring Eve" and connected with it in
some dark way lis glass eve in the
head ~ the woman who loses her life so
that Mr.. Hume may have his story. Il
in the supposititious narrator who finds
the body. in the FIRST chapter. and he has
some difficult fences 70 take. because
fate ordains that he should fall in love
with the girl he himseif is sorelv tempted
40 hold responsible for the crime. But
when he succunlhs 10 her chaTns-irst
displayed to him in a photogrsp phi his
surrender is 50 complete that he is forth
with enlisted in a search for the truth.
resolving 10 clear her % suspicion If be
foes nothing else. Nr Hume is sdroit
IN working out his puzzle. Repeatedly
sve think that We are on the verge of
discover. but the plot then takes an
DiuFf NllIAl- all4 W eIF fft'li~c w t''il-
fess that we are stin in the dark. Not
until TIE end Is reached are We vouch-
ssfed the true solution. i is baming
and. by TIE same token, a very begull-
ing book.
COMPOSED - familiar material. the rlot
o. The Fatal RUBY contains no new
turn or complication that calls for sne-
cisl comment. The ievel. of enormous
size. comes ont - the East and its pos
session is reputed 10 bring ill fortune. n
certainly does 80 I'm the case 80 the Eng
lshman u whom grateful Indian
prince presents r. then 81 disappears.
and Rfr. C1srvioe's story begins, leading
the reader along a double trail ~ buried
treasure hunting among the IJpau
Islands on The one hand. and Of stolen
ruby hunting on 2 Devoushire moor on
the other This bifUrcafion of The plot
neceesitatcs two villains. major one
with a minor one in pursuit of him. both
n them becoming ultimately the quarry
NJ q hero. "a secondary hero. and a
heroi-ooUicsI cocsuey. fhese fhrse in
thrir turn furnishing tho opportunity
for fhe introduction of fhrre hcroinas
tho impoitanoe ~ each being scaled &c
ccr5iuG 10 thc importance ~ the hero FOR