Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 523

This issue of Beadle & Adams' Half Dime Library (No. 523, October 31, 1888) contains "The Lost Detective" by Captain Howard Holmes, author of the "Flash Dan" and "Denver Duke" series.

The serial follows Captain Raymond of the Fifth Cavalry and scout Solid Sam as they arrive at the mining town of Red Jack in Dakota. Raymond leads cavalry troops investigating the six-month-old disappearance of a Government detective named Nicholas Norway, who vanished with stagecoach driver Whistling Dave while traveling through the mountains. Their only clue is a recovered stage hub-band. Raymond seeks out his old wartime acquaintance Major Diamond, now a wealthy mining magnate, who welcomes him and questions the investigation's progress. Diamond owns a pretty daughter. Through a window, Raymond glimpses a mysterious man in corduroy and large hat watching the house. The narrative combines frontier adventure with detective mystery elements as Raymond presses for information about the vanished stage and its passengers.