Three Recent Novels

THEY are coming off the press these days like wintry morning griddle cakes from the Georgian iron. But, unlike the dependable breakfast staple, detective stories are of no uniform quality. Every so often there is a good one. It is probably the lure of discovery that keeps the habitual reader going. One can always pick up the newest offering with trembling excitement. However, in the case of Reginald Wright Kauffman's most recent temptation there is no cause for excitement. "Beg Pardon, Sir!" is not an intrusion upon the low average of its contemporaries.