Evening star., 1933-02-21
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
NJ. G..

NGH 1OIh. SlldA y
Sons.
Here Is a story with a double-edged
mystery, and an array of elements
which run all the way from Chinese
art to dogs. This is the first indica-
ton that the highly intellectual and
cultured Mr.. Vance of detective fame
is also dog fancier, and there Is no
doubt that he knows CANNES as thor
oughly as he does art.
Archer Coe, collector Of Chinese
ceramics and other objects OF Oriental
art, Is found dead in his bedroom. The
discovery is made by his butler, who
getting no response to his efforts to
arouse Mr.. Coe, and finding the door
locked, takes a look through the key
hole and beholds his master seated in
an easy chair. with a bullet hole in his
head and tell-tale revolver clutched
in his right hand. The door is bolted
on the inside. From all appearances 1t
is plain case of suicide, but Mr.. Vance,
who arrives early on the scene with
Inspector Markham. thinks differently.
Medical examination proves that he is
right, for the testy and unlovable Coe
Is found to have been stabbed and to
have suffered considerable mauling as
we'll
strange assortment Of people in
habit and frequent the home of Archer
Coe. The atmosphere Is one of an
tagoni5tic relationships and bitter
hatreds. Avaricious and ruthless in his
dealings for treasures, Coe had not
been man of friends. His brother,
Brisbane, had little use for him. He
was heartily hated by Hilda Lake, the
niece whom he supported. Signor
Eduardo Grassi, an officer of the Milan
Museum of Oriental Antiquities, had
found him difficult to bargain with for
certain pieces of art which the museum
sought to purchase. Raymond Wrede,
next-door neighbor, whom Coe wished
Hilda to marry, had no laudable ad
miration for him, and Liang Tsung
Wei, though employed as cook, hap
pened to be Chinese man of learning,
suspected of being an agent seeking the
restoration Of ceramics and art OBJ
jects which were believed to have been
stolen from his native land.
With Wrede obligingly willing to
marry Hilda and Grassi In love with
hatred for each other which they take
no trouble to hide. Each of them,
under question, Is glad to throw sus-
picion on the other. Hilda wishes she
had thought of killing her uncle, a
trick sometimes used by murderers to
clear themselves of suspicion. Liang
Is in most precarious position, for
Coe was stabbed with a Chinese dag
ger, which disappeared and later re-
appeared In place that had once been
searched for the weapon. Gamble, the
manservant seems honest enough, but
mtrderers frequently parade IN Sleeps
clothing
Clues are scattered all over the place,
but the one which takes q tenacious
hold upon the attention of Mr. Vance
is badly wounded little Scottish ter
ried found behind a curtain in the
lower hall of the Coe house. Then
there Is another dog which plays an
important part in the climax of the
story, Doberman Pinscher owned by
one Luke Enright, an importer
How can a man be murdered in
room IN which all the windows are
locked, the shades drawn, electric
lights burning, and the door bolted on
the inside? Aside from the murder
itself, this circumstance Of the crime
MS poser Mystery succeeds mystery
In rapidly moving events until Vance,
whose knowledge of dogs and his in
terest in the little wounded terrier
start him on the right trail.
MURDER AT MONTE CARLO. BY E.
Phillips Oppenheim. Boston: Lit
tie, Brown g. Co.
Mr.. Oppenheim turns to racketeering
on the American plan for the material
| in Murder at Monte Carlo which is
q tale of crime on a big scale, but
which is not cloaked in mystery. The
reader knows all about the gang and
its methods, but young Roger Sloane.
an American flctionist and weaver of
detective novels, does not. Therein is
the center of interest which holds the
attention to the last page.
In the opening paragraphs famous
gang is holding a conference in its
marvelously constructed detection
proof official headquarters in downtown
| New York. The big city has grown a
bit too hot for the outfit. The finger of
suspicion is pointing considerably too
near for comfort. The conference is q
momentous one. for its purpose is to
determine how the group shall break
up and, one by one, go abroad, work"
Southern France by singles for time,
finally to meet at Monte Carlo and
begin the nefarious business of theft
on big scale. Such enterprises prom
ise easy and fruitful results on the
continent, for police work in the ia
nous Fairgrounds of France and
Southern Europe is notoriously hope
less. Crime in these resorts, where
the wealth of the world gathers to
gamble and to enjoy life, is not nearly
so grievous thing as is making such
offenses public. Therefore there is
no disposition to pay any particular
attention to thievery and murder, espe-
cially If an excuse can be found to tack
certificate Of suicide en- dead body.
50 New York's gang of bootleggers
and robbers gather at Monte Carlo and
nobody knows what or who is behind
the wave OF crime which runs riot over
the little principality CT Monaco. There
Is murder right and left, and thieving
on large scale, including the robbery
OF the princes establishment. The
leader OF the gang has a brother who
Is mayor OF the little French village of
La Bastide, where Roger Sloane is en-
deavor1ng to absorb atmosphere and
inspiration for novel The mayor is
a bestial sort of individual, desirous of
a village orphan with whom Sloane
has fallen in love. Sloane becomes en-
ragged at Mayor Pierre Viotti and
KNOCKS MIN down, an offense for which
he cannot be forgiven.
Joining forces with his brother
Pierre retires from the mayoralty and
becomes a gangster and when Sloane's
friends begin to fall victims and he
attempts almost single-handed to solve
the mysterious thefts and murders his
career as a marked man begins. The
efforts Of this wholesome and trusting
young American to salvage Monte Carlo
IRON the grip Of the criminals, COM
bine0 with the romance between him
and JEANNE, make a story of keen and
compelling interest.
\
THE WEDDING MARCH MYSTERY.
By Monte Barrett, author of MUIR
Ger OH Stage" Indianapolis, the
Bobbs- Merrill Co.