The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-06-18

To the lover of gardenS-and indeed to the person who is only occasionally in fected with the gardening germ, Ro- berta's story will be of great interest Something of the feeling, the fragrance. the 'earthiness' of the garden, the charm of people who are in close touch with plants and flowers, is in it's pages And it's story is told with genuine humor and sentiment.
 STRUCK BY LIGHTNTNG.' By Burton
 Kline. The John Lane company, pub
 fishers, New York.
 Struck by Lightning" Is the comedy of a violent love affair played by a prom inent man before the chilly stares of social Boston.
 Dynamo or thunderbolt, always one or the other that's woman! want Fel- loves to pick a dynamo and not get struck by lightning, that's all"
 Such is the pious wish of Aubrey Birney for his best friend, Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts. Hailed as a national figure, Fellowes is already interested in a charming dynamo" But at a critical moment. facing 8 governorship campaign. and when all New England looks to him to prevent a great strike, Fellowes is promptly struck by lightning with dramatic consequence to his career. He
 
 line Maquard.
 Michelines consuming passion for the admiration of men almost blasts his life. as well as her own After many stirring adventures the thunderbolt passes and the rising young statesman finishes the com edy under the steadier fascination of his original charmer.
 THE STRANGE CASE OF MASON
 BRANT." By Nevil Monroe Hopkins. Illustrated in colors by Gayle Hoskins.
 J. B. Lippincott Co.,, publishers, Phila.
 delphia
 Criminology is no gentle art in these progressive times, when the subtle use of radum, the pleasant play of wireless cur- rents and many another power that sci ence has revealed are on the sins of the criminal A fresh point of view, a won derful vigor, marks the adventures of this splendid Sleuth, Mason Brant. His busi ness is criminal hunting not posing and the result is real narrative in which there are these fascinating features, danger, novelty. and mystery. Danger, real, un- canny dangre, is in every incident, there is novelty of treatment and properties never presented with such effect, the mystery is of the unknown kind-the sort that gives you a peep into the almost supernatural realms of advanced science
 The author is one of the most illus trous mechanical engineers in America. His recreation is literature, and the de- tective story reading public will hope that he will grow tired of engineering and give his entire time to his pen. He ought to- at least the booklover says so-as that case of MT. Chalmers is the kind of which we need more.
 The reviewer reads many detective tales and there is one trouble with them all- they are trite. The plots, the characters. ha riv rif oft 1Ove Rov new incidents, unusual characters, strange murders. Lo we come when '"The Strange Case of Mason Brant," and find them all. The plot must not be revealed here as it would hurt the pleasure of some. but it must be said that even the woman who turns over the pages and reads backwards will find in this book a real deIight-the perfect symmetry with which the causes and the conclusions are combined make the entire perfect work of art which appeals at the beginning, at the end and between the two.
 You feel in reading that the author never once in the writing "hacked'' but continually worked with the creative zest of the artist of mysteries, the concOcter of bewildering situations from the mo- ment when the good pr. North is found | dead in his study to the last scene of the famous yacht cannon mystery. we are | held as we have not been since the first time we climber up into the big chair and became enviously immersed in The Black Cat and The Tel-Tale Heart, | We. see in this book significant addi- tion to detective literature. as there is a combination play upon the intellect l and upon the emotons--the heart is held flutterng and the brain whirling. Jimmie l the messenger boy will say: Gee whiz- i dis guy Mason Brant beats any Nick Carter I ever knew The erudite scient ist in the hours of relaxation after lab oratory work. will wonder, How did th'
 author so skilfully bring the solemn
 truths of modern science into cQniunctioI