Popular Culture Review Vol. 19, No. 1, Winter 2008 | Page 117

BOOK REVIEWS 113 “The Age of Technology,” “The Detective and Detective Writer,” and “Women in Life and Fiction” all help to round out the various social and cultural contexts in which Le Queux lived and wrote. This includes his contribution to the “war in the air” genre; for example, his use of technological themes (x-ray weapons, laser guns, and germ warfare), and an interesting early feminist interest in capable and courageous women protagonists. William Le Queux: Master o f Mystery makes an important addition to the mystery and spy-novel field, but will also appeal to those interested more widely in the development of popular print culture during the Edwardian period. Kenneth Payne, Kuwait University