Looks That Kill

VALDOR, the master mind reader, saw clearly the horrifying vision of Arlene . . . unconscious, bound and gagged . . . he saw a mysterious Egyptian room filled with a deadly poison gas . . . and he knew that two women had clashed over one man! Death and destruction crowded those other visions out of his mind . . . and he saw that the man they had fought over, the man they had killed for, was himself, Valdor the Mind Reader. But Valdor did not know that his broadcast set the tempo for this mad dance that meant . . . murder. Even Valdor did not realize that a simple twist of the dial, the turn to his mind-reading program, started the chain reaction that spread havoc from coast to coast!

Looks That Kill (Murder Mystery)

By Walter B. Gibson

Fiction House Press

ISBN #978-1514614945

Price $14.95

237 Pages

Rating 5-Stars

“A Good Mystery With A Nice Twist.”

Valdor the Mighty Mind does his mental magic on the air. Sponsored by Moonbeam Soap Company, the program airs from Studio G between 9 and 9’30 pm on Tuesday evenings. Visitors leave questions in a box outside the studio door, and the mental wizard tunes in on the visitors’ thoughts.  One night a visitor is murdered with an invisible knife in his back; the knife isn’t truly invisible, it’s made from volcanic rock which is like glass. D.A. investigator James Dorrance believes someone at the studio is the murderer. A young blond in the studio had caused an interruption in the program, and this brings her in contact with Valdor and the investigation. This also involves them both in the investigation. The big question is, if Valdor actually can read minds, does he know who the murderer is?

This was a fun mystery by magician and The Shadow creator, Walter B. Gibson, and you can see the influence in both the character and magic. I wasn’t sure who the main character was at times, however, Valdor the Mighty Mind, or James Dorrance, the D.A. investigator, but that’s in keeping with The Shadow novels, in which secondary characters led the story, while the hero stayed in the background. But Valdor does not always stay in the background, as, like The Shadow, he has to come to the rescue of the blond, Arlene Jennings, a few times. Definitely a fun read. Highly recommended.

Tom Johnson

Detective Mystery Stories

AGE OF THE UNICORN

AGE OF THE UNICORN #7, from 1980. Tom Johnson’s original publication of FROM SHADOW TO SUPERMAN, with a cover by Frank Hamilton. This was the first study done on Dennis Lynds and the BELMONT SHADOW series.

From Shadow To Superman

“From Shadow To Superman” by Tom Johnson. Tom’s original research into the 1960s Belmont Books series of The Shadow. From Walter B. Gibson’s “The Return of The Shadow” to Dennis Lynds following eight stories that brought the cloaked avenger into the 1960 spy genre. Published by FADING SHADOWS in 1991, with a cover by Ron Wilber. It was later included in ECHOES 30, the 30^th anniversary issue of ECHOES by ALTUS PRESS in 2012. Some copies of “From Shadow To Superman” may still be in stock, and can be ordered direct from Tom for $5.00, plus postage, but ECHOES 30 is the better product. It is available for $22.46 from ALTUS PRESS at www.altuspress.com and Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Echoes-30-Decades-Greatest-Magazine/dp/1618270796/ref=la_B008MM81CM_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1422711995&sr=1-4

Return Of The Shadow

In 1964, the US Army sent me and other soldiers to an Air Base in Turkey during a NATO Exercise - during the Cypress Crises. At the time I was reading spy novels, but had just got hooked on Edgar Rice Burroughs. A friend thought I would be interested in a certain paperback on the rack at the AFB Stars & Stripes store. That paperback was Walter B. Gibson's "The Return of The Shadow", and my friend was correct. I was instantly a fan of The Shadow from that point on. This is the cover of that very paperback I bought at the Stars & Stripes, still in my book collection. I understand that Tony Tollin, of Sanctum Books, will be reprinting this lost gem in 2012, with interior artwork this time by Mike Kaluta. I will probably buy the new edition, but that old Stars & Stripe purchase will always be on my bookshelf.