Books: Murder in July

The best of the month's mysteries:

DEATH PAYS A DIVIDEND—John Rhode —Dodd, Mead ($2). Dr. Priestley solves the murder of an impeccable secretary of a London stock broker. Merit: a puzzle you can get your fingers into. Fault: a bit too much police theorizing.

THE COUNSELLOR—J. J. Connington—Little, Brown ($2). An English Voice of Experience hunts for a missing girl and stumbles into a pleasant and exhilarating murder case. Merits: a neatly involved plot; an engaging new sleuth (Mark Brand, "The Counsellor"). Fault: readers can beat the author to the solution.

DEATH DINES OUT—Theodora Du Bois —Houghton Mifflin ($2). Among a number of nice...