MASON, ALFRED EDWARD WOODLEY. Summons. *$2 (2c) Doran
20–18656
Harry Luttrell had a strong sense of military honor and of the necessity for self-discipline. The first drove him to join the army, the second to tear himself away from the woman he loved and accept a post in Egypt. His friend and classmate, Martin Hillyard, had had a chequered career: as a sailor; in a three years’ struggle for existence in the port-towns of Spain; as an Oxford student and successful playwright; and during the war his knowledge of Spain serves him in good stead as a secret service agent. Stella Croyle, Luttrell’s one-time love, in his absence eats her heart out in neurotic, undisciplined longing and occasionally has recourse to the comfort of drugs. While on a leave of absence during the war, Luttrell meets Stella again without experiencing the old-time thrill and at the same time he meets and falls in love with Joan Whitworth. Poor Stella commits suicide under circumstances that throw suspicion on Joan. Through his experiences in the secret service, Hillyard is enabled to clear Joan and smooth the way for her and Luttrell.
“An interesting variant of the modern detective story.”
+ Booklist 17:159 Ja ’21
“It is a splendid story which Mr Mason has written, based upon his experiences in the war, full of dramatic vigor—a real novel in every sense of the word—and permeated with the atmosphere of England, Spain, and Egypt.”
+ Bookm 52:368 D ’20 90w
“This novel is an excellent substitute for a modern detective story. Instead of possessing a single, unified plot it is composed of a rosary of minor plots which endows it with somewhat of the character of real life.”
+ N Y Evening Post p21 O 23 ’20 250w