The story of "Izelle of the Dunes," by C. Guise Mitford (John Long), has many merits. Its unconventional plot excites a curiosity which rises into interest, if not altogether in the
characters, yet in the solution of their psychological tangle ; and a remote and primitive little Dutch island in the North Sea is a well-chosen and, by force of contrast, a picturesquely effective background for the rather violent action of the tale. The plot, based upon tragic vengeance as its motive, is too dependent upon lunacy; and the dénouement— by means of a mutually fatal death-grapple between the . avenger and his fated victim— is, to say the least commonplace and crude. We think that when the former, an enthusiastic surgeon, has his enemy under the operating knife, the paramount claims of professional pride, honour, and duty could have led to a really line dramatic close. Apart from such matters of opinion, the novel stands out well. [Review from the January 19, 1907 issue of "The Graphic", London.