Books: Exit Mr. Campion

MR. CAMPION'S QUARRY by Youngman Carter. 237 pages. Morrow. $5.95.

Somerset Maugham once observed that historians of the future—with whom he confidently identified—may find more to admire in contemporary mystery stories than in purely literary works. Unlike serious novelists, mystery writers must tell a good story and are judged principally on how they tell it. The suspense novel, as Maugham pointed out, should be short, inventive and cleanly written, unencumbered by purple passages or digressions. The detective should be an agreeable and intriguing character —perhaps an eccentric, but never a cartoon. Few writers...