Doc Savage: Death in Silver

Doc Savage: Death in Silver, Kenneth Robeson, Golden Press, 1975

Doc Savage is a very unique individual. With his bronze skin, off-the-scale intellect, and strength to match, he has dedicated his life to rooting out all forms of evil. His adventures were also an important part of 1930s pulp fiction, which is where this novel was first published.

New York City has seen its share of crime waves, but this is different. This time, the perpetrators are a group of people who wear identical head to toe silver suits, including silver masks that cover their entire heads. They are able to rob an armored car, or kill someone who knows too much, and make a clean getaway. The police have no idea who, or where, they are. The city is in an uproar.

Usually, Doc has five assistants, each of them an expert on their own, to help him in his never-ending battle against evil. This time, three of them are overseas, and the others, Ham and Monk, spend part of the book being kidnapped. Doc survives several assassination attempts; the gang's leader knows never to underestimate Doc Savage. The story shifts to the bottom of the East River in Manhattan, where a battle takes place between the occupants of a couple of submarines.

A certain shipping company has a record of getting close to a competitor, interested in a merger. Suddenly, the other owner suffers an "untimely demise," or the other company suffers a severe financial setback, allowing it to be taken over. As this novel opens, another shipping company owner, whose shipyard was used for a secret purpose, gets cold feet, and tells "Mr. Big" that he is going to the police. Moments later, his office, with him in it, is destroyed by a massive explosion.

This one is pretty good. I can easily see this novel serialized over three or four months in a pulp magazine, right next to a science fiction, detective, or sports pulp magazine. For those who appreciate such literature, this has plenty of action, and is worth checking out.