Tom's New Pulp Creations

Tom’s New Pulp Creations

Guns of The Black Ghost: This is my tribute to Walter Gibson and The Shadow. Set in contemporary times, Jimmy Malone dons a black hood and cape sending fear into the hearts of evildoers, as he battles the underworld in the tradition of a modern day Shadow or Spider. Burning eyes, a mocking laugh, and blazing automatics announce his entrance into an affray. Gangsters cringe when they come up against the guns of the Black Ghost! Available on Amazon Kindle $3.99.

Crime’s Last Stand: In this debut adventure of the masked hero, will evil win out? Blood covers the streets as gangsters kill indiscriminately. As a little boy lies helpless in the hospital, a new paladin takes up arms to bring the killers to justice. Can even the great Masked Avenger survive the final battle with the city's underworld when crime makes its last stand? Available on Amazon Kindle $0.99

The Mind Master: New York has a new hero. In a contemporary setting, thieves knock over an art gallery, stealing famous and valuable paintings, and at the same time hit a museum displaying a necklace once belonging to Queen Bathsheba given to her by King Solomon, its value beyond price. From the chaos rises a new hero, The Mind Master! Available on Amazon Kindle $0.99.

Crime’s Dark Streets: Dark streets that lead to ebony alleys in the city’s immigrant district culminate in a spider’s web of fear when emissaries of evil abduct homeless children. When The Masked Avenger promises protection to the city’s unwanted children, can he keep that promise? Follow our paladin as he embarks on his second dangerous mission! Available on Amazon Kindle $0.99.

The Black Shadow: Chu Chul, the evil Chinese mastermind, thought to be long dead is back to win the throne of China. But first he vows to kill his mortal enemy, Dorus Noel. After Chu Chul robs a Korean temple of valuable treasures to finance his army, a mysterious assassin appears in New York’s Chinatown to assist Noel in his battle with the evil Chinaman. Could The Black Shadow be Dorus Noel’s new houseboy? Go with Noel and Kim Young Ju, as they search for the mastermind’s opium den while the black cloak of The Black Shadow watches over the dark streets of Chinatown. Available on Amazon Kindle $0.99.

Crime’s Death Plague: The trail begins in a Chicago orphanage, but when a boy is kidnapped, it takes The Masked Avenger to New York City where he must uncover the identity of a German scientist and stop him from releasing a deadly virus and killing everyone in New York. Can one man, even such as The Masked Avenger, succeed when America looks to be doomed? Available on Amazon Kindle $0.99.

In The Silence of Death, Colonel Jeremiah Custer's Wild West Show comes across murder in a small Texas town. A mystifying murder mystery ensnares the famous criminologist and sharpshooter, Colonel Jeremiah Custer when his
team encounters a young boy accused of mayhem. The lad cannot deny the
charges for he can neither hear nor speak. The scientific brain of the
greatest man hunter is put to task as he attempts to unravel this new crime! The ex intelligence officer puts his scientific brain to work to
prove that the deaf mute boy is not the killer. Follow Colonel Custer and
his aides as they unravel this deep mystery, and bring to justice this evil
murderer. Available on Amazon Kindle $1.99.

The Avenue of The Giants

The Avenue of The Giants (True Crime Novel)

By Marc Dugain

ISBN #978-1609452001

Europa Editions www.europaeditions.com

352 Pages

Price $17.00

Rating 5-Stars

“From A Dysfunctional Family To A Killer. The Story of A Giant In Both Size And Intellect Who’s Sexual Fantasies Turned To Murder.”

Edmund Kemper became better known perhaps as The Co-Ed Killer in California, when he was arrested in 1973. At 6’9” and 300 pounds, he was a huge man with a high IQ, yet suffered from sexual fantasies and mental disorders. He killed his grandmother and grandfather when he was 15, after learning of Lee Harvey Oswald’s shooting of JFK, only spending a few years in prison for the crime. In the early 1970s he picked up young female hitchhikers, killing them then sexually molesting the bodies. He is still in prison for his later crimes.

The author writes the novel in 1^st person narative, from Kemper’s POV, showing the reader his thoughts and the scenes from his perspective, turning the novel into a murder story. There appears to be no thoughts of remorse for what he does, and once he kills his mother, he feels it’s finished and turns himself in.

Although I’m not a true crime reader, preferring fiction to non-fiction murder mysteries, the author presents the Edmund Kemper story in a way that satisfies the mystery reader. Anyone interested in The Co-Ed Murders will certainly want to read this novel for a closer look at the mind of a killer.

Tom Johnson

Detective Mystery Stories

Tom's Altus Press Hardbacks

Tom’s Altus Press Hardbacks

It’s time to advertise my hardback books from Altus Press this week. I have two short story collections, and five research books available. I only have a few of the hardback editions, so check with Altus Press on the availability of these, and confirm the prices. What I have listed may be incorrect.

The Pulp Detectives: For the first time, nine all-new stories starring the classic pulp heroes of the 1930s, featuring characters such as The Phantom Detective, The Black Bat, The Lone Eagle, The Masked Detective, Secret Agent X and Nightwind. Paperback $22.46. Written by pulp scholar Tom Johnson, it's nearly 400 pages of excitement! Hardback is $34.95 from Altus Press www.altuspress.com

The Phantom Detective Companion: The longest-running hero of the pulp era! For the first time, the history of the Phantom Detective is bought under one volume, completely updated! Includes an index to nearly 175 stories, 100s of pages of articles, two unused Phantom story plots from the mid-1930s and nearly all of the Phantom's comic book appearances. Paperback is $26.96. It's 400 pages of must-own information for any pulp fan to enjoy. The hardback is $39.95 from Altus Press www.altuspress.com

The Secret Agent X Companion: The classic investigation of SECRET AGENT "X," revised and updated by the original writers, Tom Johnson and Will Murray, including new chapters, images and information! It's the last word on this classic character! Paperback edition is $13.46. I’m not sure if this one is in hardback yet, check with Altus Press www.altuspress.com

G-Man Companion: For nearly 20 years, Dan Fowler and his G-men battled crimedom in the pages of G-Men Detective. Now, author Tom Johnson has indexed each issue, listing everything you need to know about the series. Also included are complete reprints of the two best Dan Fowler stories as chosen by Johnson and pulp historian Will Murray: "Give 'Em Hell" by Norvell W. Page and "Bullet Justice" by Charles Greenberg. And reprinted in its entirety for the first time: "I Cover the Murder Front," the lost, rejected Dan Fowler story. Paperback is 31.46. Featuring additional articles by Johnson and Murray, this is the ultimate history of the series. The hardback is $44.95 from Altus Press www.altuspress.com

Exciting Pulp Tales: The exciting sequel to Tom Johnson's 2010 anthology, PULP DETECTIVES, EXCITING PULP TALES brings you ten more all-new stories featuring classic pulp heroes such as The Angel, The Green Ghost, The Cobra, The Crimson Mask, Gentle Jones, The Purple Scar, Funny Face, Mr. Death, The Jungle Queen, and Ki-Gor. Paperback is $22.46. The hardback is $34.95 from Altus Press www.altuspress.com

Operator #5: The entire history of the The Purple Invasion, the War and Peace of the pulps which ran for over a year in the pages of Operator #5! Loaded with illustrations from the original pulps. Paperback edition is $13.46. The hardback is $24.95. I think the hardback is still available. Check with Altus Press www.altuspress.com

The Black Bat Companion: This one is not in hardback yet, but I wanted to list it anyway. One of the most beloved pulp characters, The Black Bat, is finally celebrated with this 340 page deluxe retrospective. Author Tom Johnson has indexed each issue, listing everything you need to know about the series, along with the following highlights: - A complete reprint of the rejected Black Bat adventure, "The Lady's Out for Blood" - A breakdown of the newly-discovered final Black Bat story, "The Celebrity Murders" - All 800 German Black Bat stories newly identified for the English audience - Nine complete reprints of the Black Bat's golden Age comic book stories - An interview with series creator Norman Daniels as well as his complete payment records... available here for the first time Featuring additional articles by Will Murray, this is the ultimate history of the series. Paperback edition $26.96 from Altus Press www.altuspress.com

Pardon Me Miss Brooks ...

Pardon Me Miss Brooks … (A Coming of Age Novel)

By Walter Lime

ISBN #978-0615891576

Amazon

296 Pages

Price $8.96

Rating 5-Stars

“Superb Writing And Story Telling”

Donny is a 15-year old student with a crush on his super sexy English teacher, Miss Brooks. He goes to extreme efforts to impress her, figuring out gimmicks that always end in calamity. But he doesn’t give up, relying on his indomitable powers not to destroy the world in his goal of winning the beautiful teacher as his own true love. My favorite was the incident with the garter belt, but you will have to read the book to find out more.

This was a fun novel, and will bring back great memories for everyone reading it. Though perhaps I was a little strange since my crushes were on lady intellectuals and teachers with gray hair. I’m sure there must have been a beautiful, sexy teacher somewhere in there like Donny’s Miss Brooks. At least I was spared the many troubling set backs that befell the main character. Unlike Tom Sawyer, Donny doesn’t talk someone else into painting picket fences. He tackles whatever schemes he comes up with, always to end in his own downfall. Ah, true love does play tricks on young hearts, doesn’t it?

Whether he attempts to become a great pitcher like Sandy Koufax, a heroic fireman, or super strong like Kendall Carson, fate is bound to cause him some mischief along the way. It is that attempt that drives the story, and always at the end waits the love of his life, Miss Brooks. For readers who enjoy a coming of age tale, or merely wishes to look back at their own school days when we stared in awe at a beautiful, worldly teacher, you’ll find this novel hilarious, gripping, and moving. I must admit, the great cover by Keith Garvey is what first attracted my attention, and then the title cemented my interest in reading the book. I was always a fan of Eve Arden’s Our Miss Brooks, who also happened to be an English teacher, I believe. Highly recommended reading.

Tom Johnson

Echoes Magazine