Book: The Rise of Ruderick Clowd

This story of the life of an habitual criminal illustrates a tendency of American fiction to develop problems rather than situations. Refraining from the introduction of incidents of a particularly exciting character in the life of the "flash" burglar which forms the subject of his book, the author devotes himself to illustrating the various mental phases through which his hero passes in order to become an honest man at the last. The interest of the book is, therefore, mainly psychological, and Mr. Flynt, while displaying undoubted cleverness in his manner of handling his subject, is somewhat overburdened by the weight of the task which he has set himself. If he has failed to be quite convincing, the fact is due rather to the inherent difficulties of the subject than to any want of thought or care on the part of the author.
--The Saturday Review, Vol. 97