The Masked Avenger

The Masked Avenger by Tom Johnson. Only three novellas were written, and original published in WEIRD STORIES and DOUBLE DANGER TALES, then in ALTUS PRESS’ TRIPLE DETECTIVE series www.altuspress.com  and now on Kindle for $0.99 each: see my Amazon page at http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B008MM81CM

After an episode of The Equalizer around 1987, where-in a young boy with AIDS and his grandmother were being harassed by a group of rednecks from a bar in the neighborhood, it made me think the pulps needed a masked hero to protect children back in the day. If you remember the segment, it was a Christmas episode, and the boy had a poster of a superhero hanging on his wall. He thought The Equalizer was the superhero and called him for help. Well, I decided right then I was going to create a pulp hero who would be a protector of children, while wiping out gangdom at the same time, thus was born The Masked Avenger.

The Black Bat's War

THE BLACK BAT’S WAR by Tom Johnson. In the trenches of war-torn Germany, soldiers were dying from the medicines they received for their wounds. The Army generals blamed America for the bad drugs, yet nothing could be done until the source of the deadly medicine was uncovered and replaced with good drugs. While investigators are stymied, The Black Bat and his team of crime fighters take up the challenge in New York, uncovering a giant plot by a master criminal. But would they be in time to save brave young soldiers dying of their wounds in a far off No-Man’s Land? Available on Amazon Kindle for $1.99 at http://www.amazon.com/Black-Bats-War-Tom-Johnson-ebook/dp/B00C0ZAIDC/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Eyes of Satan

EYES OF SATAN by Tom Johnson. From war-torn Europe comes a mastermind with plans to unite all the mobs under his leadership, but while he is making future plans, a small-time thief murders his young bride, calling for vengeance first. That vengeance results in the death of three people, the small time thief, a respected jewel dealer, and a city cop. Those murders bring in the underworld’s dreaded nemesis, The Phantom Detective. But when the lovely Muriel Havens, daughter of the Phantom’s only contact, Frank Havens, is kidnapped, can even the master detective run down the killer before death strikes again? Available on Kindle for $1.99 at http://www.amazon.com/Eyes-Satan-Tom-Johnson-ebook/dp/B00C1HIBP6/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

ECHOES 30

Echoes 30 by Tom & Ginger Johnson, the longest-running pulp fanzine of all time, is back for a special 30th anniversary issue, and it's the largest single-issue pulp fanzine ever published. Released in 2012 by ALTUS PRESS, enjoy over 300 pages of articles on pulps as well as a pair of classic reprints, written by a variety of pulp experts. Lots of articles and photos from the authors’ files. 302 pages, $22.46 available from Amazon at

http://www.amazon.com/Echoes-30-Decades-Greatest-Magazine/dp/1618270796/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Cop Job

Cop Job (Murder Mystery)

By Chris Knopf

The Permanent Press www.thepermanentpress.com

ISBN #978-1579623937

Price $29.00

288 Pages

Rating 4-Stars

“Good Mystery, Well Written, But Slow.”

Alfie Aldergreen, confined to a wheelchair, is found floating in the bay with his hands strapped to the chair. He was an Army veteran suffering from PSTD, and delusional. Why would anyone kill him? Sam Acquillo and Jackie Swaitkowski, two of his friends, are asked by the police chief to find out what they can about the murder. It seems that the victim was a police informer, and he wasn’t the only police informer murdered recently.  Then the DA calls them in. She believes there may be bad cops involved. 

The case has twists and turns, with enough suspects to fill an Army platoon, and strangely there is an Army connection hidden somewhere deep in the mystery, but what does that mean?

This well-written mystery novel kept my interest throughout, though the action was infernally slow. Oh, there was a bit of a wrestling match in the first 100 pages, then a short battle on a boat at the end of the story. It’s definitely character driven, with a well worked out plot.  I was able to stay with the story to the end, though at times I wanted to toss the book in the trash. Besides being slow, the dialogue left me cold. I cannot believe men and women throw the “f” word about in ever-day normal conversation, and in mixed company, as if it goes on everywhere. Made me wonder if there is a quota for the “f” word now. For me, it made the characters appear unrealistic, and left me wishing I hadn’t read the book.  Mystery lovers who can accept the unbelievable dialogue will love the mystery, however.

Tom Johnson

Detective Mystery Stories