Evening star., 1935-02-27
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
CRIMSON ICE. BY Cortland Ftz-
simmons. New York: Frederick A.
Stokes Co.
Margdree Cermond.

ouuIilOLS. NcW IOIks EIcucIlCA n.
Stokes Co.
Before a crowd OF twelve thousand
fans gathered in the Boston
Hockey Arena to witness the first
game of the season between the
Boston Cougars and the Quebec
Blue Devils death strikes swiftly,
the blood of its victim sketch
ing an unlovely pattern in crimson
upon the Ice. Evidences Of bad feeling
between Ace Kellie, star of the Boston
team, and CASTOR Lemaire, known as
the Blue Flash of the Quebec team,
were noticeable in the early stages of
the game. Both players were guilty
of engaging in outburstS of temper,
though Lemaire was forced into per-
sonal combat by Kellie's persistent
unethical performances.
Returning to the game from the
penalty box, Kellie continued the feud
| and sent Lemaire head first along the
/ ice for about ten feet, his face scrap
ing the rough surface as he slid.
Struggling to his feet, Lemaire worked
his way out of the gathering crowd,
slowly recovered his stick and started
| feebly down the ice toward his own
goal. His face raw, and his nose
bleeding freely, he was no longer the
Blue Flash. but the semblance of a
hurt and broken boy He coasted a
few feet, fioundered on his skates for
a second, then pitched forward and
lay still. Referees and players rushed
to his aid and suddenly turned to each
other In horror. Through the broad
Of his back stuck the blade of a clasp
knife.
Dick Bowers, wealthy and prominent
in Boston society, had been a warm
friend Of Lemaire's during their COL
lege days, and was still deeply in love
with Juliette Lemaire For some rea-
son that Dick was unable to fathom
CASTOR and Juliette had severed their
friendship with him. He had gone to
the game for the purpose of forcing
Lemaire to tell him why he and his
sister were refusing to be friendly. He
saw Lemalre and was heard quarreling
with him before the game started, and
again before the beginning of the third
and fatal period. In the investigation
Immediately following Lemaire's death
Dick is recognized as the man with
whom he had words, and is promptly
arrested and Jailed. The next morning
proof is established that Lemaire was
poisoned in circumstances that made
it impossible for Dick to have admin
istered the dose.
Released as a suspect Dick becomes
sleuth, determined to run TO earth the
slayer, to clear his own name and to
protect Juliette from what he believes
to be plot to gain possession of a
map that had certainly brought death
to her father. that had probably been
the motive for numbering her brother
and that threatens her with a like
fate. Members of both hockey teams,
radio announcers, pop boys, Dicks
father and aunt and his trusted and
loved friend Bill Sturgis constitute the
working group of a mystery that is
clever In design, rapid and stimulating
in movement, with warmly human
and satisfactory romance for good
measure.
THE ADVENTURES OF ELLERY
QUEEN. BY Ellery Queen. New
York: Frederick A. Stokes Co.
Eleven problems in deduction are
contained in this collection of short
stories. which set forth some of the
most daring and exciting cases that
the popular and erudite logician
known as Mr.. Ellery Queen has
solved In size, print and number of
pages the dimensions are the same as
those of the average Queen novel 1t
may be enjoyed in nibbles, in dinner
proportions, or spread over the eve
ming in banquet fashion by those who
like prolonged and steady serving
of mystery thrillers.
THE African Traveller" "The
Hanging Acrobat" THE One-Penny
Black" The Bearded Lady" THE
Three Lame Men, The Invisible
Two Headed Dog" "The Glass-Domed
Clock" The Seven Black Cats" and
THE Mad Tea Party" make up the
menu of this feast of adventures in
criminology, an assortment of excit-
ing episodes from which any taste
may be gratified.
CRIME AT CHRISTMAS. BY c. H.
B. Kitchin. New York: Har-
court, Brace & Co
Malcolm Warren, employe OF a
brokerage firm, is invited to spend
| Christmas at the palatial home in
Hampstead of one of his firms
wealthy clients. On his arrival he is
impressed by the oddity of the other
hx thn xryfda
difference in temperament between
the children representing the three
| marriages of his hostess.
After dinner on the first evening
the guests gather to play games, and
in one of the progreSsions Warren is
thrown by rug and has his wrist
badly twisted A physician among
| the guests treats the injured arm
and hurries off to another room to
attend woman Of the party who has
suffered an attack of nerves. The
/ next morning Warren discovers the
woman's body on the balcony outside
his window, she apparently having
walked in her sleep and fallen through
the low window of her room. Later
in the day he is puzzled by the queer
performance of a trampish looking
man lettering about the grounds. His
second night is spent listening to the
very late comings and goings of vari-
Gus members of the household and
partly heard conversations drifting
into his room.
The following day another member
of the house party is found murdered
in the woods. This discovery brings
to light the fact that the woman was
also murdered, and among the strange
group congregated under one roof
there is practically no one who Is not
suspect. Quick and efficient work
on the part of Inspector Paris of
Scotland Yard brings sorrow to some,
bit of glory to Mr.. Warren and
surprise to all In the solving of an
intricately interviewer plot In which
q man who has striven for years
to escape from himself becomes en-
tangled in the net of his own
weaving.
I AM YOUR BROTHER. BY Gabriel
MarloWe New York. HarcOlIrt