Books: The Perfumes of Algeria

LIEUTENANT IN ALGERIA (231 pp.)—Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber—Knopf ($3.50).

The French army jeep squealed to a halt as a sullen young Arab planted himself in the middle of the casbah street and refused to budge. A French private named Geronimo leaped from the jeep, and unlimbering his Tommy gun, faced the Moslem troublemaker. From the sidelines an old Arab shuffled forward and tried to soothe his compatriot: "Go home. Come on, don't be mulish.'' Before the old Arab had finished his plea, Private Geronimo's Tommy gun stuttered in reply, and the old man "collapsed softly, muttering to himself unintelligibly while his blood flowed...