--_London Journal._

"Mr. Appleton's genius seems freer, brighter, and more effective in the
lighter moods, and he is able to display a varied cultivation without
the slightest obtrusion of learning." --_Sunday Times._

"'A Terrible Legacy' is a book of great ability and power. It is a
curious tribute to the vast vitality of Dickens' genius that a
comparatively new and an able writer should openly take him for a model. Mr. Appleton is not a mere imitator: he does not follow in Dickens'
footsteps by appropriating his materials, but by adopting his point of
view. He has chosen his master wisely, for his own talent is similar in
kind." --_New York Daily Graphic._


FROZEN HEARTS:

A Romance. "There is so much power and pathos in the narrative as to give it an
impress of realism, and it is, on the whole, one that most people can
read with hearty relish." --_Scotsman._

"'Frozen Hearts' makes high pretensions, and justifies
them." --_Westminster Review._

"Good melodrama, such as this is, is a sure panacea against dulness, and
implies the possession of that vigour and _élan_ which every novelist
should have about him. In some portions, as in the exciting description
of the barricade fighting, and in the interview between the unjustly
slandered heroine and the mother who is breaking her own heart with her
own cruelty, the author rises to real power." --_Globe._

"It is full of all kinds of excitement, and in some places reveals
evidence of strong dramatic power." --_Academy._

"The story is new and striking.... Some of the less important characters
are amusing, and the light comedy scenes are above the average.... Mr.
Appleton possesses the knack, so useful to a novelist, of getting to his
point without any superfluous matter, and is always original and
generally correct." --_Sunday Times._

_Victor Hugo_ writes: "Je trouve grand plaisir à la lecture de ce livre. Le chapitre sur les troubles à Paris m'a vivement interessé." CATCHING A TARTAR:

A Novel. "Mr. Appleton's new novel is in every way the equal, if it be not
positively the superior of 'Frozen Hearts,' the work which established
his just claims to popularity. It is a capital story, written in a
most natural and graceful style. The plot is interesting, and all
the characters are distinct and realistic creations; some, indeed,
are likely to 'live,' and become by reason of their quaint sayings
and doings, popular, as were in days of yore some of Dickens' and
Thackeray's personages. Notably is this the case with John, a most
original and amusing character, whose pithy sayings provoke many a
hearty laugh. The intrigue of the story is lively and intricate, but
so skilfully contrived that the 'situations' never appear forced or
unnatural. 'Catching a Tartar' is worthy of much praise, and is
decidedly one of the cleverest novels we have read or reviewed for a
long time. Mr. Appleton possesses exceptional talent as a novelist, and,
above all, the rare quality of getting to his point without encumbering
his narrative with superfluous matter. He is always original, and never
dull or commonplace. His next venture in the shape of a novel will be
looked forward to with much interest." --_Morning Post._

"Many able men have come short of being successful novel writers,
simply because they lacked brightness or lightness or smoothness of
composition. Mr. Appleton displays these qualities; his book is
therefore easy to read.... A vein of humour throughout, the effect
of which is heightened by many a touch of genuine pathos. So
marked an advance in the course of a single year is deserving of
note." --_Athenæum._

"Mr. Appleton has here achieved a very decided success in the way of a
novel of mystery. We must, if we are honest, admit that our attention
has been irresistibly enchained throughout the three volumes. The book
is one, altogether, to be read, and we may safely predict that no one
who masters the first fifty pages will be the least likely to leave it
unfinished." --_Graphic._

"The story is contrived with great ingenuity, and told with great skill
and spirit.... Characters firmly and sharply drawn, with a good deal of
quiet fun and humour." --_Guardian._

"The narrative moves on briskly, and never lets the attention
flag." --_Spectator._


JACK ALLYN'S FRIENDS:

A Novel. "Mr. Appleton knows how to write novels of absorbing and unflagging
interest and of remarkable cleverness, and his latest effort, 'Jack
Allyn's Friends,' unmistakably possesses these qualities. Much of the
peculiar interest of the story is derived from the subtlety with which
the catastrophe is brought about. But there is also a brisk, almost
boisterous vitality about the book--a sort of vigorous simplicity,
resembling that of Messrs. Besant and Rice--with abundant humour and
some cleverly-managed love-making under difficulties. With all these
characteristics, 'Jack Allyn's Friends' is a novel which even those who
may pronounce its condemnation from the serene heights of æstheticism
will read and enjoy." --_Scotsman._

"Mr. Appleton has succeeded in writing a novel which combines the
merits of Miss Braddon with those of Bret Harte. The plot is carefully
prepared, and the interest sustained until the very close of the third
volume. The stout old American, Bill Hooker, reminds us of one of Bret
Harte's Rocky Mountain heroes, whose hearts are of the same sterling
metal as the ore from their mines." --_Graphic._

"There is no doubt about the interest of this novel. The plot is
certainly contrived with no little art. The secret is ingeniously kept. Suspicion is skilfully directed, first in one direction, then in
another, and the _dénouement_ will probably be unsuspected. A decidedly
readable novel." --_Spectator._




Transcriber's note


For this txt-version text in italics has been surrounded with
_underscores_, and a spaced-out word with +signs. Text in small
capitals was changed to all capitals. A few errors in punctuation were silently corrected. Also the
following corrections were made:

  In the table of contents "183" was changed to "185" (The Dream 185),
  also on page
  38 "behavour" changed to "behaviour" (frightened into good behaviour,
  like a naughty child)
  102 "stange" changed to "strange" (to think of the strange interview
  which had just)
  102 "communciated" changed to "communicated" (it was no doubt
  communicated to me)
  103/4 "he" changed to "she" (favourite views, and she had walked)
  229 "decrepid" changed to "decrepit" (the grim, decrepit hag which my
  fancy had)
  238 "first" changed to "fist" (shaking her clenched fist to me)
  257 "coninued" changed to "continued" (still continued to bind me)

Otherwise the original text has been preserved, including inconsistent