Evening star., 1934-03-21
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
Margaret Cermond.
Margaret Cermond.

THE MYSTERY OF THE CAPE COD
TAVERN. BY Phoebe Atwood
Taylor, author OF Death Lights
a Candle" etc. New York: w. w.
Norton g. Co., Inc.
Elspeth Adams, world traveller and
one-time famous sportswoman, start
ed for Capri and landed ct Weesit, a
small resort community on Cape Cod
not many miles away from her own
fireside. At o'clock she set out
for Commonwealth Pier, and at 4
O'Clock she was comfortably settled In
her favorite cabin on board the Me-
rantic. looking forward to a pleas
ant Winter in Capri. At 5 O'Clock
she was the sole occupant Of a red
plush day coach, slowly and jerkil3
rafting toward Cape Cod, Weesit,
Prence's Tavern, and an intimate
acquaintance with Asey Mayo, the
most fascinating character in mys-
terry fiction since an untimely death
brought to a close the activities of
that all-time favorite, Charlie Chan.
An urgent telegram from a trusting
nephew was the cause of the COM
plete upset of the plans of Miss
Adams. Mark Adams was supposed
to be on his way to Brazil to look
after the family coffee interests. In
stead, he was at Prence's Tavern, in
Weesit, falling in love with a girl
suspected Of being involved in a plot
to murder her stepsister. owner Of
the tavern.
Eve Prence, proprietor and man.
ager of the old place in Weesit
which had boasted OF fame of one sort
or another for two hundred years and
more. had for several years been sue
cessfully keeping the tavern in the
limelight by periodically breaking into
print through some of the many we'll
worn though effective publicity tricks
There had been tales OF fake hold
ups, false fires, hidden jewels, and
yarns of transatlantic flyers who hao
never heard Of Eve Prence stopping
off to have a cup of coffee.
The latest stunt had been to pop
ularize the tavern as an informal
rendezvous for writers. Eve was a
well-known writer herself, and the
group of guests sojourning in the
establishment when the events re-
corded in this story take place is
composed entirely Of friends. 1t is
about time for her to again attract
attention to her place of business
and being thoroughly familiar with
her thirst for sensational publicity,
her guests pay little attention to her
persistent declarations that some one
in the house has tried to murder
her. She accuses her stepsister,
Anne Bradford. sole heir to her
fortune and property.
Marcus Adams III is greatly dis
turbed over Ewes determination to
cast suspicion upon the girl he loves,
and that is why he has summoned his
spinster aunt. Afraid to leave Anne
without his protection, he sends Asey
Mayo to meet Miss Adams and bring
her to the tavern. The day after her
arrival Eve is murdered, stabbed in
the back while sitting in the room
with a totally blind boy listening To
radio program.
With that extraordinary sense OF
feeling peculiar to the blind, the boy
realizes something is wrong and rings
for help. Miss Adams and the boys
father respond, and a few minutes
later Anne steps out of wash room
with a freshly washed carving knife
From that point to the end of the
story Asey Mayo and Miss Adams
become the most active co-workers
imaginable in the business of solving
mystery as battling as Chinese
maze. The action is swift and the
events sensational from start to
finish. Miss Taylor knows her Cape
Cod, and Asey Mayo has now become
an institution. Mystery stories ir
which he plays so prominent and
effective role cannot come too fast
! for the deYotees of this tXpe Of fiction