THE LAST GAMBLE

Fourth in this series (The Renegade, Demelza, Venture Once More), well met again are Ross and Demelza- as Ross engages in his ""last gamble""- Wheal Grace -- a speculative copper mine, and their uneven marriage is again troubled- this time by his love for Elizabeth, his partner Francis' wife. Hopes for Wheal Grace diminish- and lives are lost with them- among them Francis', until it is salvaged by Caroline Penvenen. Caroline's romance with Dwight Enys, the young doctor who attended her in the earlier book, brightens but is impeded by her wealth and a guardian's opposition. Ross becomes involved in contraband- and a raid keeps Dwight from the secret elopement with Caroline who then breaks with him. Elizabeth, now widowed, marries the wealthy banker whom Ross hates- and his intercession here fails-but is more successful when used to reconcile Caroline and Dwight.... Again, a well-filled chronicle of Cornwall in the late 19th century, the drama does not abate and should more than please the readers of the earlier books.