A ferocious killer is stalking the Arkansas swamp! As the Man of Bronze and loyal companions venture forth to unmask the dread villain, they encounter some of the most horrifying perils of their careers — including the Crimson Serpent itself!
Hidalgo Trading Co – Chuck Welch – Flearun
I’ve always kind of liked this one, despite Davis’s usual silly tricks. Some nice moody scenes in the swamp, and though the murder device is mundane before you realize what it is it is still pretty scary.
It took me a long time to read this book even though I bought it when it came out. I think it was the Pfeiffer cover (I hadn’t gotten used to Doc without Bama; sort of like Spiderman without Ditko or Fantastic Four without Kirby. Or, heck, Conan without Frazetta.) But the story, when I read it, seemed rather above par for the Doc Savage novels of 1939. This was also a time when they started getting ever so shorter as the war approached. I’m not sure if I’ll ever reread this book, but for those who haven’t read it, it’ll be a fun afternoon or evening with Doc and his scrappy friends.
Starts well, with an intriguing setup, but rapidly starts coming apart about mid-way through. The climax is silly and quite disappointing. The castle in the swamp is a direct rip-off of Dent’s QUEST OF THE SPIDER. At least “death by alligator gar” was a bit novel…