The Gold Skull Murders by Frank L. Packard, 1931

 

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About the author: Frank L. Packard (1877 - 1942) was born in Montreal, Quebec. As a young man he worked as a civil engineer for the Canadian Pacific Railway. His experiences working on the railroad led to his writing many railroad stories, then to a series of mystery novels, the most famous of which featured a character called Jimmie Dale. Several of his novels were made into films. (Wikipedia)

Major characters:

Dr. Ronald Ward, alias Bob Curle

Michael Ward, Ronald's father

Gourlay, plantation manager

Sarlow, the Ward's agent in Singapore

Li Yuan, Japanese millionaire

Whitey Jahal, Singapore gangster

Joan Robb, Andrew Robb's daughter

Explorers on The Hawk:

Michael Ward, Ronald's father

Henry Maclin-Clyne

Andrew Robb

Tom Gresham

Bob Rankin

Locale: Taletee Island, Malaysia; and Singapore

Synopsis: Ship's surgeon Dr. Ronald Ward is on his father's plantation on Taletee Island in Malaysia. He has come to handle the estate of his father, Michael Ward, who has recently died. The plantation is being run by the manager, Gourlay.

One night a stranger enters the house and leaves a package addressed to Michael Ward, apparently unaware he is dead. Ronald opens the package to find a small gold skull and a mysterious note. Goulay says Michael had some dealings with that person before. Ronald wraps up the estate business and heads home on the steamer Watabi. Two murders occur on board, accompanied by gold skulls and a maniacal laugh. Ronald figures out the murders are connected to those who sailed on the Hawk with his father on an expedition.

The steamer catches fire and sinks, and Ronald escapes on a raft. He is picked up by the Japanese yacht Sen-Chu and finds the owner, Li Yuan, gravely ill with appendicitis. Ronald operates using kitchen utensils, and Li Yuan, in gratitude, tells him how to find the people behind the gold skulls in Singapore. Once in Singapore, Ronald assumes the alias of Bob Curle and immerses himself in the waterfront underworld of gangster Whitey Jahal. Ronald and Joan Robb are kidnapped and taken on a boat to the island of Batai, home of a tribe of headhunters.

Review: This is a good read for a cold winter night as we deal with the hot, steamy tropics and rusty old steamships. Packard brings his usual wealth! of exclamation points! in every sentence! to this story! as Ronald encounters amazing adventures! Murder, shipwrecks, adrift on a raft, waterfront gambling hells and bars, and even headhunters! Suspend disbelief and enjoy the ride!

 

The Adventures of Jimmie Dale by Frank L. Packard, 1917

 

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This title was also published in 1929 in Collier's Front Page Mystery series.

About the author: Frank L. Packard (1877 - 1942) was born in Montreal, Quebec. As a young man he worked as a civil engineer for the Canadian Pacific Railway. His experiences working on the railroad led to his writing many railroad stories, then to a series of mystery novels, the most famous of which featured a character called Jimmie Dale. Several of his novels were made into films. (Wikipedia)

Major characters:

Our protagonist has three distinct identities:

Jimmie Dale - millionaire, bachelor, and man-about-town

Larry the Bat - a Bowery dope fiend

The Gray Seal - a benevolent safecracker

Jason, Jimmie Dale's butler
Benson, Jimmie Dale's chauffeur

Herman Carruthers, managing editor of The Morning News-Argus

Marie LaSalle, a.k.a "she",  'The Tocsin', and "Silver Mag"

Inspector Clayton

Locale: New York City

Synopsis: Millionaire Jimmie Dale inherited a fortune from his father, president of a safe manufacturer. Not only did he inherit his millions, but also the knowledge of cracking safes. He lives in a luxury apartment on Riverside Drive, along with butler Jason and chauffeur Benson. He spends his leisure time at the posh St. James Club, many times with his friend Herman Carruthers, managing editor of The Morning News-Argus.

Dale has a secret identity, that of Larry the Bat, a  dope fiend. He maintains a shabby tenement room, 'The Sanctuary', in the Bowery, where he changes into Larry the Bat, in order to move around and infiltrate the seamier side of New York City.

His motive is to right wrongs, many times outside the law. Whether as Dale or Larry the Bat, he leaves a calling card at the scene of his "crimes": a small grey diamond-shaped label (seen held in tweezers in the cover above) which gives him the name of The Gray Seal, always wanted by the police.

Review: I enjoy Packard's railroad adventure books, but his mysteries are quite ... the only word I can think of is 'dense'. High page counts (this one has 468), repetitive phrases throughout, lots of characters - each having two, three, or four nicknames. A flood of exclamation points, and a constant barrage of rhetorical questions; so the reader doesn't forget all the loose ends pouring out of the fire hose:

A good editor could have cut this book in half without losing anything. I did resort to skimming ... the first sentence of each paragraph will get you through it just fine.

I do see a similarity to The Saint here, in Dale's  quest to right wrongs outside the law; as well as Batman, with a secret identity, hideout, and faithful butler (although this butler is unaware of his secret identity). 

The book has two major parts. In Part One, each chapter is self-contained, contains some series characters, and follows a consistent formula:

1. The mysterious woman delivers an envelope with instructions
2. Dale goes to The Sanctuary in the Bowery and changes to Larry the Bat
3. Larry the Bat skulks around the bars and waterfront to get information
4. Dale cracks a safe to obtain some essential evidence, leaving a gray seal behind
5. A twist ending rewards a victim and punishes an evildoer

In Part Two, Jimmie learns the identity of the mysterious woman, and together they seek to tie up all the loose ends.

On the Iron at Big Cloud by Frank L. Packard, 1911

 

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(no review)

Tiger Claws by Frank L. Packard (1928)

 

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About the author: Frank L. Packard (1877 - 1942) was born in Montreal, Quebec. As a young man he worked as a civil engineer for the Canadian Pacific Railway. His experiences working on the railroad led to his writing many railroad stories, then to a series of mystery novels, the most famous of which featured a character called Jimmie Dale. Several of his novels were made into films. (Wikipedia)

Major characters:

• Allan Wharton, sea trader
• Keith Wharton, his younger brother, a.k.a. Rookie Dyke
• Gur Singh, their East Indian navigator
• Hoka, a Malay crewman
• Taipi, a Malay crewman
• Blackie, one of four shipwrecked criminals
• Whitie, one of four shipwrecked criminals
• The Weasel, one of four shipwrecked criminals
• The Magpie, one of four shipwrecked criminals, with no fingers
• Bob Clinton, US Secret Service, a.k.a. Canary Jim

Locale: The South Pacific and New York City

Synopsis: Allan and Keith Wharton are successful sea traders on their schooner Malola. The crew includes Hoka, Taipa, and navigator Gur Singh. They spot a signal fire on a small, supposedly uninhabited island. Four of them set out to the island in a rowboat, leaving Gur Singh on board. No sooner do they land, then they are overpowered by four castaways. In the fight, Allan and Taipi are killed, Keith and Hoka left for dead. When they revive, the find the castaways have stolen their rowboat, rowed out and disappeared with the Malola.

Keith and Hola survive a while on the island, then Gur Singh arrives in a different schooner. He finds Hola dead from his injuries, and rescues Keith. He relates what he learned about the four criminals when he was on board with them: 

1. The four are named Blackie, Whitie, The Weasel, and The Magpie
2. They have a small mahogany box which is very valuable
3. Their ultimate destination is New York City.

Keith sets out in pursuit to bring the four to justice. In New York, he teams up with old friend, Secret Service agent Bob Clinton. The two go underground on the Upper East Side - Clinton as Canary Jim, Keith as Rookie Dyke - to track them down.

Review: The book has two major parts: the island scene and (mostly) the New York City scene. The New York scene is a really nice portrayal of the tun down lower East Side, with lots of shady characters and dim light bulbs. Much of the dialogue is rendered in tough-guy phonetics, which gets tedious: "Youse can count on Bowery Sal for anythin' youse wants any time; an' I'll tell Tony youse're de one an' only."

Packard's writing style takes a little getting used to - plenty of exclamation marks, run-on sentences, and stacks of rhetorical questions. But still there is a solid adventure underneath. 

This book features well-oiled hinges.

The Big Shot by Frank L. Packard (1929)

 

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About the author: Frank L. Packard (1877 - 1942) was born in Montreal, Quebec. As a young man he worked as a civil engineer for the Canadian Pacific Railway. His experiences working on the railroad led to his writing many railroad stories, then to a series of mystery novels, the most famous of which featured a character called Jimmie Dale. Several of his novels were made into films. (Wikipedia)

Major characters:

Enid Howard, a Canadian author, our protagonist

Phil Martin, reporter for the New York Herald Star

Joe Caprillo, proprietor of the Gondola Restaurant

Shive Frank, a hoodlum and informer

The Big Shot, a.k.a. Hal Varney, Norman "Norry" Kane

Roy Howard, Enid's MIA brother

Izzy Myers, junk dealer

Locale: New York City

Synopsis: Enid Howard, a Canadian author living in New York City, dines each evening at the Gondola Restaurant operated by Joe Caprillo - a place which skirts the prohibition laws and is frequented by some underground characters. She becomes acquainted with newspaper reporter Phil Martin who eats there with her often. 

Phil reveals he is working on a story to expose the identity of the biggest gang leader in New York, only known as the 'BigShot'. He is working with an informer, Shive Frank, who is going to provide a photo of the Big Shot. Shive follows Enid on the street and hands her the photo for Phil. Shive is then killed in a drive-by shooting. Enid looks at the photo and is convinced the Big Shot is her own brother, Roy Howard, who went MIA (Missing in Action) in France during the war, and has not been heard of since. 

Enid tracks down the Big Shot and claims he is her long-lost brother, but the Big Shot denies it. While they are meeting, the police come in. The Big Shot and Enid flee. She sustains a minor gunshot wound in the process, and now the police think she is part of the gang. The Big Shot knows all about Phil, and now Enid tries to save him while falling in love with him at the same time. Enid is trying to prove to the Big Shot he is really her brother, while he is trying to prove he is not. Of course, he has a hidden agenda - now he is falling in love with her!

Review: We are in gangland New York in prohibition times, where tough guys and hoodlums abound. There is lots of youse-tough-guys talk. 

The story reads a lot like a Hardy Boys adventure, with lots of things happening all the time! Every moment! With plenty of exclamation marks! And cliffhanger endings to each chapter! Lots of ingredients: conflicting love stories, chases, creepy dark houses, girls tied up, narrow escapes, and of course someone with amnesia!

The Big Shot solves the is-he-the-brother question in a unique and surprising way. 

Note use of some ethnic slurs for persons of Italian ancestry and stereotypes for persons of the Jewish faith.

This book features well-oiled hinges.

I have one of Packard's railroad novels (Running Special) which I enjoyed. I look forward to escaping into his The Adventures of Jimmie Dale which is lurking in my TBR pile.