Doc Savage: Spook Hole by Kenneth Robeson (Lester Dent)

Originally published in August 1935, this was the 30th Doc Savage story to be let loose upon the world. (Bantam has it as number 70 while the Sanctum reprints list it as number 43). Relatively speaking this falls much nearer the beginning of the series than the end and was written by the series’ creator, Lester Dent. 

Overall, this is more of a straight mystery adventure without as many potentially supernatural occurrences (or even the perception of such), as most Doc novels. The real mystery throughout most of the book is, “What exactly is Spook Hole?” What is it? Where is it? Why are so many people interested enough to kill for it? 

All but one of Doc’s crew makes an appearance in this one (another indicator of it falling in the first half of the series).  Even Doc’s cousin Pat Savage gets in on the action, as if you could keep her out of the fray once she’s gotten a whiff of an adventure to be had. One of Doc’s aides spends most of the novel undercover, but I won’t spoil that by naming names. 

The novel spends a bit too much time spinning its wheels in the first half, with various individuals or groups chasing after one another and trying to avoid Doc and friends. This is still fun reading because a lot of “Docisms” are on display such as various disguises, infiltrations, 86th floor lab break-ins, Monk/Ham insults, the upstate criminal college, and gadgets galore. However, it fails to advance the plot much. When we finally get around to Spook Hole, the plot develops nicely, and the guest character build-ups pay off. The final McGuffin reveal was a little under par but that’s OK. These books aren’t really about that anyway. The story does feature one of my favorite character names in the entire Doc Savage series: Hezemiah Law. Whether or not he is a good guy or a bad guy…well, you’ll have to read the book to find out.

Sepulchre by James Herbert

Originally published in 1987, this novel was written in the middle of James Herbert’s career, an author who has been referred to as the British Stephen King. It features a professional bodyguard and hostage negotiator named Liam Halloran who works for a company named ‘Achilles Shield’. He is assigned to protect the most valuable asset of the Magma Corporation who turns out to be a man named Felix Kline. Why is Kline so valuable? Halloran is told the man is a psychic researcher whose paranormal abilities allow him to locate undiscovered mineral mines. Halloran is skeptical to say the least but as events unfold, he is soon convinced. There have already been several failed attempts on Kline’s life by rival companies but now, the psychic has had a premonition that he will soon be in even greater danger.

The novel is basically a thriller novel for the first three-fourths of the book as Halloran works to increase security around Kline. He is introduced to the man’s personal bodyguard, a woman named Cora Redmile but soon realizes she is not trained well enough and security measures for Kline are inadequate. He does have four hired thugs but they are brutes of the worst sort. When Kline decides to be moved to his luxurious personal estate named ‘Neath’, hidden away in a small valley near London, Halloran’s tasks magnify. We see a few glimpses of something supernatural going on, although neither Halloran nor the reader is quite sure what it is. These glimpses certainly attracted me further and kept me turning the pages. The characters’ backstories are developed thoroughly as the buildup continues and eventually leads into the final quarter of the book where the horror aspects are fully unleashed. 

I haven’t read much by this author but based on this one, I am intrigued and will surely sample more of his work. I enjoyed the bodyguard/physical security aspects of the novel, especially Halloran’s workman like approach to his job in spite of a less than appreciative client. And when the horror comes out it really comes out. I felt the barrage of revelation after revelation as Herbert ties in earlier clues, including ancient Sumerian mythology and biblical themes. The plots and subplots are layered one upon the other and not fully appreciated until the dramatic and fitting conclusion.

Herbert’s incorporation of a thriller/horror crossover, I understand, is not unique to this novel. I thought it worked very well, with the corporate aspects providing a way to become truly invested in the characters before the major horror elements were let loose. I’m looking forward to my next Herbert novel.

Rattler's Law, Volume One by James Reasoner

Lucas Flint is the new marshal of Abilene, Kansas, an experienced lawman but a man that had no plans to resume his career, much less in the notoriously wild town of Abilene. After all, to fill the shoes of the last marshal, Wild Bill Hickock would be no easy task. But his moniker of “Rattler” describes his lightning-fast draw, as fast as a rattlesnake and that reputation serves him well when facing down the bad guys.

This volume compiles the first eight novels in the series and each one of them is a joy to read. These are traditional westerns. If they were movies, they would be rated PG. Flint makes for a fine protagonist as the first novel sees him tame the town and subsequent tales depict situations where he must maintain the peace. Whether it's a circus that's come to town or a fiery visitor from the Women's Temperance Society looking to banish all whiskey, you can be sure Flint will find himself in the middle of it and having to use his fast draw to solve the problem. But he’s far from alone in his efforts, supported by major characters such as his loyal but rough-around-the-edges deputy Cully Markham, and a Scottish saloon proprietor named Angus MacQuarrie who can wield a mean shotgun. Other characters include the female town doctor, the school master, and Cully’s brother Joshua who also happens to be the town pastor. 

Each story stands on its own but it’s a joy to return to the setting each time and revisit these characters. In some ways it reminds me of a television show like Gunsmoke, albeit with longer movie-length episodes. Prolific author James Reasoner has described these novels as rewritten and expanded versions of some of his early Western novels.

Wonderful stuff all the way through. Happily, I already own Volume 2, consisting of eight more novels. Can’t wait to get back to them.

Tick Tock by Dean Koontz

Tommy Phan has carved out a nice career as a detective novelist, so much so that he has just quit his reporter day job. His family immigrated to the US from Vietnam when Tommy was a young child, and he is all about pursuing the American Dream. But when a mysterious package arrives on his doorstop containing a strange little cloth doll, he wonders who sent it. Wonder turns to fear and terror when the doll comes to life, attacks him, and continually morphs into a larger and more gruesome demon. Worse, all Tommy’s attacks and attempts to stop it, kill it or even just harm it, fail. His only clue in all this is a phrase that has mysteriously appeared on his computer: “Deadline is dawn”. 

Tick Tock.

Every time I start to read a Dean Koontz book, I hesitate, knowing I am taking a risk. While some of my best reading experiences in the horror genre are due to his work, I’ve also suffered a great deal of wasted opportunities. Over the first 100 pages of this novel, I was preparing, unfortunately, to log this one in the later category. It’s a simple set-up for a horror tale but Koontz can drag out a scene with the best of them and this was getting old real fast.

But then, the whole thing gets turned on its head. It turns into a screw-ball comedy. You heard that right. Perhaps the setup I’ve described lends one to conclude that’s what has been planned all along. Regardless, the character of Del (short for Deliverance Payne) enters the plot and all is cool thereafter. She provides the zaniness, the pizazz, the aggravating nonchalance that is required for a screwball horror comedy to work. She’s a waitress who is also an heiress to a fortune. Tommy is the bumbling, unbeliever who must tolerate Del’s wild philosophies and uncanny abilities to do everything from hotwire a car to pilot a helicopter. This isn’t a laugh-out-loud funny book but her antics (and her mother’s) certainly brought a smile to my face, and eventually to Tommy’s as well.

In the end, I’m glad I stuck with this one. It’s not Koontz’ masterpiece but it turned out to be a pretty nice fun read.

Reincarnal & Other Dark Tales by Max Allen Collins

I’ve read a fair number of Max Allan Collin’s crime and/or mystery novels and always enjoyed them but this is the first time I realized he wrote some horror as well, so naturally, I had to jump on this collection. Included here are 8 stories plus two radio play scripts. I enjoyed every one of them, an unusual thing for an anthology of any stripe. 

Several of these are MAC’s take on traditional horror stories. There’s a couple of vampire tales, a Frankenstein’s monster type of story, a werewolf story and at least two haunted house yarns. But the author brings a unique perspective to each of the stories, dropping clues along the way as to which traditional story you’re reading. For example, the Frankenstein story isn’t a mad scientist creating a creature from dead body parts, exactly, but rather about a mob kingpin. There are other tales here as well, not tied into any previous works. Some tend towards hard core horror while others have a definite sense of humor about them. Most of them offer explicit sexual content so be aware of that before diving in.

All these stories were previously published as contributions to previous anthologies, mostly in the 1990s. All are pretty quick reads and thoroughly enjoyable.  Here are the stories included:

- “Reincarnal” - 1994
- “The Night of Their Lives” – 1995
- “A Good Head on his Shoulders” – 1993
- “Wolf” – 1999
- “Not a Creature Was Stirring” – 1990, revised in 2020
- “Open House” – 2011
- “Traces of Red” – 1995
- “Rock ‘n’ Roll Will Never Die” – 1994
- “Interstate 666” – 1997
- “House of Blood” Radio Play – 2012
- “Mercy” Radio Play - 2012

I, The Jury by Mickey Spillane

“I want you to hear every word I say. I want you to tell it to everyone you know. And when you tell it, tell it strong, because I mean every word of it. There are ten thousand mugs that hate me and you know it. They hate me because if they mess with me I shoot their damn heads off. I’ve done it and I’ll do it again.”

Mike Hammer, hard-hitting, tough-talking private eye has been around the block a few times and has earned a certain reputation.  A reputation for taking care of business using lethal force if needed.  When his best friend is found dead, the same best friend who had literally given an arm for him during the war, Hammer is out for blood, and a promise to kill the bastard that did it.

About time I started the Mike Hammer series by Mickey Spillane.  I’ve sort of been avoiding it because I have an awful lot of series going right now and, as usual, I was worried I would start this one and get drawn into a bunch more must-reads. But I am also reading a collection of short stories right now and the next one happens to be one of the Mickey Spillane/Max Alan Collins stories that is continuing the Mike Hammer series.  And I wanted to be sure I had read the first Hammer book in case it was in any way an origin story.

It wasn’t.  Not really.  Mike Hammer is introduced in mid-career with many a case behind him already.  I understand there is a chronology to the books and short stories but I’m not sure at this point if any of them really need to be read in order. Nevertheless, I’m glad to have finally gotten to this classic of the hard-boiled genre.  Besides Hammer, himself, we also get to meet the ongoing characters of his secretary Velda and his friend Pat Chambers, Captain of Homicide NYPD.  The story itself was nicely absorbing, filled with the expected violent action and dangerous dames.  I figured out the culprit fairly early on but not necessarily the how and the why.

So, here I  am, with a newly stoked need to read another 20-plus novels.  Bummer.

The Singing Sword (The Camulod Chronicles) by Jack Whyte

The second book in the “Camulod Chronicles” picks up shortly after the events of the first book, The Skystone.  It continues the tale of Caius Britannicus and Publius Varrus (both great grandfathers of the future King Arthur of Briton) as they continue to build the colony of Camulod during the turn of the 5th century AD, when Rome was pulling out of Briton and leaving the Brits, the Celts, and other assorted peoples to deal with various invading groups such as the Saxons and the Northmen.

I love the way this series is a truly accurate historical novel series, at this point at least, that also just happens to be related to the Arthurian legends.  As the colony of Camulod gets established, we get to see major historical events and influences unfold.  For example, due to the need for mobility in responding to threats, the art of warfare using horses is advanced.  Rome was never known for its cavalry but now there is a need for well-trained warriors on horses.  A breeding program is introduced to increase the size of the horses, the stirrup is introduced, and the swords are lengthened to allow use from horseback.  All of these developments are actual historical occurrences.  We also get to witness the first rough efforts to convert a Senate-like council meeting where elitism prevails to a newer style of local government in the form of a round circle of chairs where all have an equal voice.  I think we all know where this will lead to in an Arthurian sense.

But more importantly, this is a well-told tale.  Just as in the first novel, this is a first person account by Publius Varrus, a former legionnaire, partly crippled through a battle injury, and now a master blacksmith.  One might correctly guess from the title that he is the eventual crafter of Excalibur.  His first person point of view lends a great perspective on bringing these great events down to the individual level and allowing the everyday life of families, lovers, builders, etc. to be as personal and emotional for the reader as it is for him.  Great and satisfying personal achievements are matched by great loss and even tragedy.  It is rare when a fictional novel brings a tear to my eye but this one managed to do it.

All of these great historical shifts in thinking and technique take many years.  The first two novels cover most of Caius and Publius’s long lives but it is inevitable that we move on.  I’m excited for the third book in the series The Eagles' Brood where I understand that Publius’s grandson takes over the first person account.  His name is Caius Merlyn Britannicus, first cousin of Uther Pendragon. 

The Avenger #1 - Justice, Inc. by Kenneth Robeson (Paul Ernst)

This first novel in the Avenger series tells the origin story of Richard Benson, a man who, prior to the events of this book, had earned his fortune by being a professional adventurer; i.e. discovering rubber in South America, leading native armies in Java, making aerial maps in the Congo, mining amethysts in Australia and emeralds in Brazil, etc.  But at the beginning of this novel, just when Benson is planning on settling down, his ideal life is brutally shaken when his wife and young daughter are killed, inexplicably disappearing from an airplane on which he himself is also a passenger.

The sheer shock and stress of that experience lands Benson in a hospital and changes him forever.  His face becomes paralyzed while both his skin and hair have turned white, his facial flesh becoming malleable, like clay.  His quest to chase down the crime ring behind his tragic loss forms the basis for this novel.  During the story he also recruits the first two members of what will become “Justice Inc.”: Fergus "Mac" MacMurdie and Algernon Heathcote "Smitty" Smith.  

While these books bear the author house name of “Kenneth Robeson”, this book along with most of the original Avenger stories was written by Paul Ernst.  It was originally published in the September 1939 edition of the pulp magazine “The Avenger”, published by Street & Smith.  Reportedly this series of pulp novels grew out of a wave of magazine cancellations in the late 1930s and recognition that a new hero was needed; a hero that combined the styles and features of previous best sellers Doc Savage and The Shadow.

For me, while I did enjoy the story, it felt a little disjointed.  I’ve read a lot of Doc Savage and did notice many similarities including Benson’s aversion to outright killing the bad guys.  It is also evident that he is building a team of aides and that he enjoys using gadgets in his work.  Of course Benson is a physical hero with incredible strength and intelligence.  The plastic, malleable state of his facial features is pretty bizarre, I must say.  It allows him to reshape his facial features into a likeness of any person, his features remaining in sculpted form "until they are carefully put back into place".  It’s a cool ability I suppose but weird.  Something I would expect in the comics from a bad guy but I suppose the pulps of this era weren’t much different.  I need to remember that those kinds of comics had just gotten started with Superman having just debuted in Action Comics #1, (cover-dated June 1938), so all those weird bad guy characters were still to come.

All in all, I’m glad I finally got around to this series and this character.  He’s been on my list a long time and I somehow managed to acquire the complete set of paperback books from Popular Library so I’ll be reading more.  Looking forward to seeing how he progresses and especially to meet the new members of his team as they are introduced.

Man on the Tightrope by Neil Patterson

In post-World War II Czechoslovakia, a circus owner/operator named Cernik is frustrated by his country’s now-Communist government and is determined to escape to Austria.  After being interrogated by the state security enforcers, Cernik’s plans are forced into a faster-than-planned timeline.  He must contend with spies for the state, competing circuses, a beautiful but perhaps unfaithful wife, and a willful daughter in order to bring the plan to fruition and bring his entire circus across the border.

This book really is a lost treasure. I picked it up along with a batch of extremely cheap pulp-era paperbacks, and based purely on the cover art, I wasn’t expecting all that much. Happily, I was pleasantly surprised.  I also hadn’t realized that it is based on a true story.  It first appeared as the magazine novel, "International Incident" and was based on the actual escape of the Circus Brumbach from East Germany in 1950. The author, Neil Patterson (James Edmund Neil Patterson), was a well-regarded Scottish writer and among his works is the Academy Award for best adapted screenplay (1959’s "Room at the Top").  This book, too, was turned into a movie a year following publication.

It’s a pretty quick read and it kept me engaged throughout.  I would recommend it to others except it might be very difficult to obtain. It reads like an adventure novel of daring escape and after reading it, I am interested to chase down the movie as well.  Although you know how that goes…

Six-Gun Poker by Ron Goulart

Prolific author Ron Goulart has used many pen names over the years, including Kenneth Robeson (12 books in The Avenger series), Con Steffanson (Alex Raymond’s Flash Gordon books), and many others. In addition, he’s done a lot of comic book writing for such series as Vampirella and Phantom. He’s even the ghost author behind William Shatner’s “TekWar” series. But it was as “Zeke Masters” that he compiled a series of 31 western novels featuring the likable card shark and faro banker, “Faro Blake”.

This eleventh book in the series opens with Blake in the small town of Simsville Colorado, breaking in a new case keeper by the name of Jim Higginson to assist him in running his faro games. But when they have an extraordinarily successful night against a gang leader named Joshua, the gang chooses to regain their losses by torturing both Blake and young Higginson for the location of the hidden cash. Higginson gives up the location but does not survive the torture. This launches Blake on a vendetta to regain his earnings and destroy the gang. He is aided by Higginson’s sister as Blake infiltrates the gang by assuming the guise of a notorious bank robber and safe cracker. Of course, things don’t go as planned, especially when the real bank robber shows up, but watching Blake get out of all the precarious predicaments is half the fun.

This book is packed full of western action, adventurous escapades, exciting gun play, and a fair amount of sexual shenanigans, fulfilling its mission as an “adult western.” The prose is lean and the plot moves along at a rapid pace, keeping me turning the pages. At times it feels like the author’s comic book experience shines through here as well. Faro Blake proves to be a welcome protagonist; easy to ride in his boots even if he makes different choices than I would.

Spearhead by Franklin M. Davis, Jr.

March 3rd, 1945 finds Major Van Lawrence newly assigned to command of a tank-infantry team which would spearhead the drive across the Rhine. His primary problem, other than the well-defended terrain ahead, is that he is replacing a popular commander and the unit sees him as a HQ weenie who’s green to actual combat. Chief among his detractors is his second in command, Captain Bradlow, who is jealous that he wasn’t picked for the job. Added to the mix of key characters is the general in charge and an extremely competent first sergeant who practically sleeps with the rule book. And finally, to complicate Major Lawrence’s immediate future just a little more, there is a beautiful lady reporter tagging along because of course there is.

The first half of the novel is devoted to Major Lawrence getting his feet wet in his new position and gaining the trust of his men. He must do this quickly because orders to attack the town across the river and its two German divisions would be in effect in just 24 hours. The attack itself takes up most of the second half of the book and includes some riveting accounts. An interesting ethical dilemma crops up in the form of an historic church which Eisenhower himself has placed on the protected list. Captain Bradlow, however is convinced its spires present a major threat in the form of sniper locations. To attack it or not to attack it becomes a key choice. 

When Franklin M. Davis, Jr. wrote this novel, he was a Lt Colonel in the US Army, having served in Europe in WWII. He was with the 3rd Armored Division in the Rhineland and Central Europe campaigns and would ultimately attain the rank of Major General. His firsthand knowledge of armor tactics and small unit combat leadership is evident in the story. Of course, such experience doesn’t necessarily translate to good story-telling but in this case, Davis does a fine job. The novel is a quick easy read but thoroughly enjoyable. He wrote several other works of fiction as well as some history books; I would certainly read him again if given the chance.