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!

 

When Muriel Havens discovers the corpse of a famous Swiss scientist, the Phantom is plunged into a baffling trail of crime and intrigue which has repercussions the world over! Richard Curtis Van Loan goes on the manhunt when a ruthless murderer stalks big game!

 

Oftentimes readers of Pulp magazines in their Golden Age of publication read the wild, over the top stories for one reason - escape. Looking to get out of the humdrum of the Great Depression or War era America, fans of all ages marveled to the adventures of larger than life heroes and insane villains. The Phantom Detective met this qualification to be a Pulp Hero, but also stood out in his own unique way as a relatable character to fans of all ages. Though born into wealth, Richard Curtis Van Loan became a self-made man when he decided to become The Phantom Detective. Undertaking to train himself in every aspect of crimefighting, including disguises and escape techniques, Van Loan crafted his own destiny. He also did this without a super scientist father, a likely mystical training in a far-off land, or any other such devices. Granted, he had wealth that many of his readers did not have at his disposal, but still, Van Loan was in many ways a regular joe who saw a need and came up with a very unique way of helping fill it. Yes, he is introduced in the earliest stories as a world renowned detective, but later tales fill out how he came to be such by his own dedication and sheer will, why law enforcement around the world respects a masked man so much, something that many of his counterparts before, during, and after his series did not enjoy.

 

The Crooked Mile River Murders was originally published in the January 1948 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: Two Shades of Red

Chapter 2: Van Looks On

Chapter 3: The Phantom!

Chapter 4: In a Beam of Light

Chapter 5: Small and Blonde

Chapter 6: The Shack

Chapter 7: Word From Thatcher

Chapter 8: Out of the Shadows

Chapter 9: Empty House

Chapter 10: The Phantom Moves

Chapter 11: Nailed

Chapter 12: Blueprint for Murder

Chapter 13: In the Jar

Chapter 14: Ugly and Ominous

Chapter 15: 711

Chapter 16: Footsteps

Chapter 17: Turnabout

Chapter 18: Hundred-to-One Shot

Chapter 19: Filled With Flame

Chapter 20: Tomorrow