Evening star., 1948-12-05

Edna Sherry's Sudden Fear" was
based on the play-back of a dicta-
phone record revealing a plot to
murder the person who heard the
record.
The motive in John Evans Halo
for Satan" involved the procuring of
a manuscript written 1000 years ago
by Jesus Christ.
And the ever-reliable Carter Dick
son in "The Skeleton in the Clock"
turned up with variation on his
locked-room theme when he placed
his murder on a roof where the
victim was clearly visible-alone.
Most Novel Twist
OF the Year
A newcomer, Hugh Austin, was
responsible for introducing the most
novel twist of the year.
In Drink the Green Water"-his
flrst-Mr. Austin introduced a char
acter named William Sultan, sole
surviving representative of the
august firm of Sultan, Sultan &
Sultan, attorneys at law. Although
acting as musty and dignified as his
forebears.
For q reason that Mr.. Austin never
bothers to explain-and why should
he-the last Mr.. Sultan has an Office
staff, or harem, consisting of beau
tifu blond receptionist, a ditto
brunette secretary and a redhead
more reliable in filling a sweater
than filing codicil.
In Drink the Green Water" and
"The Milkmaid's Millions" MIR.
Sultan gets into trouble and his trio
Of bright beauties get him out.
Given a basically promising cast
like that, Mr.. Austin proceeds to
compose with tongue -in-cheek flair
that is really something to behold.
Outside of Mr.. Austin and
Nicholas Blake, whose Minute for
Murder" was spiced with English
wit, the homicide with -humor de-
partment was faltering until its
most reliable purveyor came along
in the fall.
That, Of course, would be Craig
Rice. who made up for a three-year
absence from mysteries with THE
Fourth Postman." Cooking with
her usual recipe of murder mixed
with mirth. she introduced a beer
loving mutt, laid Jake Justus low
with chicken pox and drove her
LaWyer-Detective John j. Malone
nearly crazy trying to get retainer
out OF an apparently harmless old
man who might have bumped of
trio Of letter-carriers.
All of These Off
The Beaten Track
Totally unlike but all of the
beaten track were William Irish's
Il Married a Dead Man." Samuel
w. Taylor's 1.-The Man With NV
Face" and Dorothy Cameron Dis
ney's Explosion"
The Irish novel, an excursion out
OF the whodunit circle, was a hand
somely written tale Of girl doomed
to the lasting punishment Of I'M
certainty.
Mr.. Taylor's yarn took the we'll
worn theme Of double identity and
made 1t come to life in this robust
thriller Of a man who battled fam
tastic odds to regain his name.
Explosion" was a Washington
story based on an idea drawn from
a Washington headline. 1t was fun
to follow the characters around
Washington streets particularly
since Miss Disney displayed a crafts
mans respect for detail.
The other experts produced the
above-average fare their readers
have come to expect Among them
were Rex Stout with "And Be q
Villain" the Lockridges' with MUIR
der Is Served" Kelley Roos with
Murder in Any Language" and
Agatha Christie making Hercule
Poirot's little gray cells work over
time In There Is a Tide
Erie Stanley Gardner was his
usual prolific self. He gave both
Perry Mason and Doug Selby q
chance to shine in their respective
legal worlds this year.
The years trend was toward the
new and different. Gardner stuck
to the old formula, unencumbered
by such trivia as good writing, fresh
plotting or credible characters. A.
usual, his books kept the cash regis
tiers tingling.
That's the ono myStarv IL uto,slA