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 the ruthless Secret Six demonstrate their contempt for law, The Phantom is called upon to stem the tide of blood which threatens to engulf a fashionable resort city!
The fact that The Phantom Detective Magazine ran essentially for twenty years, allowing for publishing delays and the like, is amazing, making it the longest running Pulp magazine in history. What is just as fascinating, however, is that the lead character rarely, if ever, appeared on the front cover of his own magazine as he was described in his stories.
When Pulp fans think of The Phantom Detective, they most likely picture in their minds a handsome man wearing a domino mask in evening clothes and sporting, of all things, a stylish top hat. This image is very deserved, as the editors of The Phantom Detective Magazine decided to portray their lead character in exactly this fashion on the cover of the magazine each and every month, top hat usually included. This was likely done in part to establish a signature look for the character, much like the red scarf and droop brimmed fedora of The Shadow or the fright mask and, yes, also a fedora for the Spider. Even though the editors allowed for various writers to put their own spin on The Phantom Detective, it seems they were aware of a need for a consistent costume for such a character on the covers to perhaps visually appeal to readers, to make sure they were getting the right Hero. And, even though The Phantom Detective never appeared in such a costume within any of his original stories, it would appear that this editorial choice was a good one, as the magazine did indeed run for two decades!
‘The Master of Death’ was originally published in the March 1938 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: Murder Lurks in Darkness
Chapter 2: War Declared!
Chapter 3: The Secret Six
Chapter 4: The Phantom Strikes
Chapter 5: Trapped!
Chapter 6: Orders to Kill
Chapter 7: “That’s the Murderer!”
Chapter 8: From the Frying Pan —
Chapter 9: The Shadow at the Window
Chapter 10: The Phantom on the Spot
Chapter 11: Below Deck
Chapter 12: Cheating on Death
Chapter 13: Geyser from Hell
Chapter 14: The Phantom Faces Death
Chapter 15: Surprise Clue
Chapter 16: Black Magic
Chapter 17: Signal to Death
Chapter 18: Triple Doublecross
Chapter 19: Four Hooded Men
Chapter 20: Terrible Doom
