Space Detective #1

Rod Hathway leads a double life as a wealthy philanthropist by day and the interplanetary crime-fighter known as the Avenger by night—and when a mysterious space pirate begins attacking passenger liners across Earth, Venus, and Mars, he and his secretary Teena spring into action to protect the luxurious *Star Queen* and her valuable cargo. Suspicion falls on Sirrah Vendoza, a distinguished passenger with a peculiar physical detail that matches the pirate captain's profile, but Avenger must determine whether the elegant gentleman is truly the ruthless criminal mastermind or merely a red herring. With an electronically cloaked bandit vessel closing in and danger lurking in every corridor, the Avenger and Teena race to uncover the truth before the pirates strike.

When Martian banks start exploding in silent, coordinated heists, the Avenger and his secretary Teena track the crimes to the ruthless space brigand Set Maag—but pursuing him across the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter proves far more perilous than they bargained for. After a desperate space chase ends in their ship's destruction, the two find themselves prisoners aboard Maag's vessel, headed for his hidden fortress on a tiny asteroid world he believes no one will ever find. With nothing but cunning and a moment of opportunity, the Avenger must figure out how to turn the tables before Maag executes his ransom scheme.

When Lucky Dale spends a week visiting her old friend Cap'n Landy on his newly acquired houseboat, their peaceful getaway is shattered when midnight intruders storm aboard searching for something hidden in the vessel's structure. As the criminals grow increasingly desperate and dangerous, Lucky must use her wits to survive their murderous scheme and uncover what secret from the past has made this ordinary boat worth killing for.

Officer Skelly spots a loiterer leaning against a wall near the state penitentiary and orders the culprit to move along—but the suspect's wise-guy attitude puts the no-nonsense lawman to the test in this quick, tongue-in-cheek slice of law enforcement from 1951.