Forged in war, The Phantom Detective wages a one-man battle on crime! Solving impossible mysteries and delivering his own justice, he is the underworld’s masked nightmare!
Murder, theft and arson are the weapons of a monarch of crime who wages a desperate campaign of terror against America’s automotive industry!
Desperate to find his place in the world and to help others, millionaire and war veteran Richard Curtis Van Loan follows a suggestion made by Frank Havens, his father’s friend, and solves a crime that local police can’t. Inspired by his success, Van Loan sets himself on a path to become the world’s greatest crimefighter. Following a regimen of his own design, Van Loan not only trains himself to be in excellent physical shape, he also pursues the skills necessary to deal a crushing blow to the underworld. Learning all that he could about crime detection and the various sciences associated with it, including forensics and psychology, Van Loan turned himself into a master detective. He also went to great lengths to become an expert in both escaping any situation and in concealing his identity through disguises, making him a veritable phantom, impossible to identify. Hence, The Phantom Detective was born.
After undertaking several cases that were as much adventures he survived with luck and disguises and then delving into mysteries that tested his abilities, The Phantom became world renowned amongst men on both sides of the law. Because, however, no one knew his true identity, that is except for Frank Havens, the masked man carried a personal calling card, a platinum badge cast in the shape of the domino mask, like the one he wore on his face. In this way, law enforcement and lawbreakers alike knew they were dealing with the real Phantom Detective!
‘The Torch of Doom’ was originally published in the February 1937 issue of The Phantom Detective Magazine and is read with pulse pounding intensity by award winning voice actor Milton Bagby.
Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: Palace Kill
Chapter 2: Park Avenue Gentleman
Chapter 3: Crime-Deep
Chapter 4: Career’s End!
Chapter 5: Death Follows Through
Chapter 6: Gun Work
Chapter 7: Rip Sosne’s Ghost
Chapter 8: Hate
Chapter 9: The Rocket Mystery
Chapter 10: Contact With Death!
Chapter 11: Grim Token
Chapter 12: Blind Trails
Chapter 13: Speed Mad
Chapter 14: Death’s Holiday
Chapter 15: The Torch Strikes
Chapter 16: Murder Race
Chapter 17: The Card Trick
Chapter 18: Flames of Vengeance
Chapter 19: Phantom Clue
Simply the Best 
