The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-06-19


 breaks in upon the scene. The con- sternation that ensues between host, hostess and guests (nvited and un- invited) the author proceeds in graphic terms, to- relate
 This book will undoubtedly be &C., claimed as one of the most humor- ous of the season. The comical sit- uatlons are unusually diverting. THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT
 STYLES
 By Agatha Christie. The John Lsne Company, Publishers, New York City.
 The Mysterious Affair At Styles" by Agatha Christie Is baffling de- tectfve story, novel originally written as the result of wager that the author, who had previously never written book, could not compose detective story in which the reader would not be able to Spot" the mur- dcrer, though having access to the same clues as the detective. The au- thor has certainly won her bet, and. in addition to a most ingenious plot. she has introduced a new type of detective in the shape of a Belgian. This novel has had the unique dis tinction, for a first book, of being accepted by the London Times" as serial for it's weekly edition. THE LUCK OF THE MOUNTED'' By Sergeant Ralph S. Kendall The John Lane Company, Publishers, New York City
 The scene of this story is the great Canadian northwest and the main part of 1t Is laid in the vicinity of Calgary. where the author was stationed as member of the Royal Northwest Mounted police. This force Is now amalgamated with the Dominion police and known by d new title-The Royal Canadian Mounted police.
 A particularly baffling murder case is the theme of the story and the culprit is man with a strange and varied past. second murder. with a curious chain of circum stances connecting 1t with the first one, is finally solved and the mur- derer captured.
 The feminine element Is not en- tirely absent from the story. but it Is essentially tale of ed-blooded ad- venture. depicting the rougher and more dangerous phases of mounted police duty on prairie detachment.
 "oLD RELIABLE IN AFRICA" By Harris Dickson. Frederick A. Stokes Company. Publishers, New York City.
 If you ever laughed at the ways and sayings of old fashioned darkies, you'l laugh until you're helpless at this study of a faithful, self-impor- tant negro servant of the old school, who visits his native continent as valet to a Mississippi colonel, and gets into trouble at once because he treats the Arabs as yellow niggers. But "Old Reliable" already famous to the readers of The Saturday Eve ming Post comes out on top. How he nvades Sultan's harem. because to him the Sultan Is "only kinky headed nigger-and barefooted at that" how he is received as The Expected One" by an Arab tribe until he makes his worshippers laugh at him; how he establishes all eating house on the upper Nile and serves ''hot cats to the Mohamme dans--these are only few of the adventures through which the olt colored man leads us to a grand triumphant and characteristic finale
 "vOCAL MASTER"
 (Talks With Master Singers and
 Teachers) By Harriette Brewer
 (With Twenty Portraits). Fred-
 erick A.. Stokes Company. Publish
 CTS, New York City.
 The worlds foremost singers and teachers in personal conference. with the author. tell wha. Vocal Mastery means and how 1t nay be achieved.
 Geraldine Farrar, Enrico Caruso. Amalita Galli-Curci Victor Maurei, ! 1.illi Lehman. Rosa Raisa, Giovanni Martinelli, Giuseppe de Luca, Luisa Tetrazzini are some of the singers vho have here expressed their views on the mastery of vocal a~t: Oscar the making of artist singers, and : ntonio Scotti, tells of his efforts to train American singers for opera.