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 glamour and greed blend in a brew of crime spiked with mysterious murder, the Phantom Detective scours the wastelands of the West in a daring and perilous manhunt!
The Phantom Detective early on established a trope, or at least took more advantage of it than other characters of the same type did, that his comic book descendants latched onto whole heartedly. Even pulp heroes following his debut picked up on this. Even though he wore a mask, one that many fans note barely conceal his true identity, Van Loan also had another ace in the hole, a single individual who knew who he really was. This was inherent from the beginning of the series, as it was Clarion newspaper publisher Frank Havens who suggested to Richard Curtis Van Loan that he should distract himself by trying to solve a mystery even the police couldn’t. This directly led to Van Loan becoming The Phantom Detective. Although this could have been a one and done instance and Havens forgotten as a character, the choice was made to make him a crucial part of The Phantom Detective’s supporting cast.
Having his very own skyscraper, the Clarion Building, Havens installed a red beacon atop the building. Using his position as a newspaper publisher, Havens often kept abreast of crimes in the city and, when he felt the need, he would turn the beacon on, the flashing light a signal to summon The Phantom Detective. Though the obvious comparison to be made here is to Batman’s Bat Signal, it is interesting that, in The Phantom Detective’s case, it wasn’t an official summoning of the police, but simply the one man who knew his true identity.
Death in the Desert was originally published in the June 1943 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: Desert Rat
Chapter 2: Informal Party
Chapter 3: What is Missing?
Chapter 4: Death Leads the Phantom
Chapter 5: Narrow Win
Chapter 6: Hidden Death Motive
Chapter 7: Borrowed Identity
Chapter 8: Stool Pigeon
Chapter 9: Off to Arizona
Chapter 10: One More Dies
Chapter 11: Desert Hermit
Chapter 12: Ghost Town
Chapter 13: Castle in Hades
Chapter 14: Message from a Killer
Chapter 15: Jail Break
Chapter 16: Traitor’s Payment
Chapter 17: Lock for a Killer
Chapter 18: Gems of Mystery
Chapter 19: The Phantom Takes Charge
Chapter 20: Grim Netherworld
Chapter 21: Grim Showdown
Great listening 
