Goldmine--London W.1.

Released from prison after serving three years on an embezzlement charge for which he was framed, architect Edward Walton moves according to a ``timetable'' and his careful methodology proves mesmerizing in this gem of a suspense story. Walton alters his appearance several times and dips into a hidden cache of money; gradually he courts a woman. A man called the Major approaches him with a lucrative plan to dig a tunnel under a vast department store where a safe is located. Walton is tempted but suspicious; he is also anxious to extract some measure of revenge on those who put him away. Can he have it all?--the girl, the goods and vengeance? And stay alive in the process? Daniels ( The Nice Quiet Girl ), who also publishes as Peter Chambers, is a pro who guarantees several well-timed surprises in the course of his tales. Characterization is sometimes scanted in this abbreviated work, but the tension established in the first 10 pages holds up to the end, which occurs in a dark place underground while most of London sleeps. (Oct.)