Mysteries of the Month

Of this month's twelve, four stood out as best bets:

DEATH IN FIVE BOXES--Carter Dickson --Morrow ($2). Grumpy, engaging Sir Henry Merrivale solves a labyrinthine puzzle involving poisoning and a stabbing. Ingenuity and humor offset a tricky, confused plot and far-fetched solution.

MURDER A LA STROGANOFF--Caryl Brahms & S. J. Simon--Crime Club ($2). Further bizarre caperings among the Russian troupe who survived A Bullet in the Ballet. While embellished by such trimmings as Wodehouse dialogue, the plot is sufficiently mystifying to satisfy addicts who like them straight.

THE CASE OF THE SHOPLIFTER'S SHOE --Erie Stanley Gardner--Morrow ($2). Shoplifting, jewel thefts and two murders solved by unorthodox, Legal Juggler Perry Mason. Less exciting than Mason's best cases, but satisfactorily murderous.

A PUZZLE IN POISON -- Anthony Berkeley--Crime Club ($2). Arsenic poisoning of a retired English engineer, solved by one of his friends. Style: deft; characterization: good; ending: clever.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.