September Mysteries

Of last month's 20, the following stood out as best bets:

THE CHIFFON SCARF--Mignon G. Eberharf -- Doubleday, Doran ($2). Double death comes to a St. Louis family when they attempt to sell the plans for a new airplane engine. Serialized in Ladies Home Journal, this brightly finished tale is unusual for the skill with which its suspense is steered through a heavy swell of romance.

LIAR DICE--J. S. Mosher--Simon & Schuster ($2). Up-to-date international intrigue around the U. S. Consulate in Tientsin, China, provides a tense background for the double murder of a U. S. businessman, a high Chinese official. Author Mosher knows his China (he was born there, served in the U. S. Consular Service).

RED GARDENIAS--Jonathan Latimer--Crime Club ($2). Bill Crane goes on the wagon long enough to solve the mysterious decimation of the March family by carbon monoxide poisoning. Supplementary kidnappings and felonious assaults guarantee no dull moments in this typical Latimer toughie.

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