24 JULY 1959, Page 30

Crowded and Dangerous. By Anthony Lejeune. (Macdonald, 10s. 6d.) The

plot may be pretty unlikely, but the young and agreeable Londoners involved in it are such as you might meet at anyone's sherry party, and the blackjacking, blackmailing, and headlong chases take place against a recognisable London background: Chelsea houseboats, Pall Mall clubs, Kensington coffee bars, and the canyons of the City. A good, brisk first novel.