V AS IN VICTIM

by Lawrence Treat '24Duell, Sloan & Pearce, 1945. 216 pp. $2.50.

Readers of Mr. Treat's earlier detective novels (O As in Omen, H As in HangmanThe Leather Man, etc.) may regret that the latest one does not continue the adventures of those well-mated sleuths Carl and "Bree" Wayward in bizarre communities from Chautauqua to California. But V As in Victim deserves its letter for versatility. Using familiar and unfamiliar ingredients, Mr. Treat mixes a rare Manhattan cocktail or subway zombies' brew with just enough ice in it to chill the tongue. He dexterously shakes together a wicked financier, a lovely radio singer, a soused heiress, a crooked fang, a dead kitten, and unlamented human bodies. For heavier content or 80% proof, the New York police department supplies two contrasted detectives: a plodding dumb cop and a commendably earnest young laboratory expert,—both imaginary, no doubt, but both plausible. The resulting concoction is a very entertaining thriller: not A for art but Double B for blood- and-bitters.