The world’s greatest sleuth makes death-dealing gamblers show their hands! When death stalks the Sayles-Morrow Circus, the Phantom Detective plunges into a savage tangle of big-time swindlers and impenetrable mystery that challenges all his powers!
The Phantom Detective hit the stands in February 1933, a little less than two years after The Shadow magazine debuted. Ned Pines, owner of a publishing company (named Thrilling, Standard, and Better at different times), saw the success competitor Street & Smith had with The Shadow and an opportunity to capitalize on and perhaps capture a bit of their triumph for himself. The second character to lead his own magazine, The Phantom Detective debuted, causing Street & Smith to cry foul. Threatening lawsuit, The Shadow’s publisher maintained that Pines essentially copied The Shadow and made a few minor changes. Before it could develop into full blown legal action, though, other magazines hit the stands featuring titles and characters with names like Secret Agent X and The Spider, among others. Hero Pulps were now a thing all their own and, in a way,, that is thanks to Ned Pines and The Phantom Detective for taking that risk initially.
Although seen as rather formulaic by some, The Phantom Detective stories had some unique aspects. Richard Curtis Van Loan was in essence just a normal man. He did not have special training, being self taught, nor were their occult forces or super science influences that created him. The Phantom Detective was literally a self made hero, something that honestly was rare in Hero Pulps and even comics and such after the Pulp era.
‘Murder Under the Big Top’ was originally published in the December 1943 issue of The Phantom Detective Magazine and is read with pulse pounding intensity by award winning voice actor Milton Bagby.
Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: Packaged Death
Chapter 2: Picture of the Phantom
Chapter 3: “I Give You — Murder”
Chapter 4: Battle in the Dark
Chapter 5: Rolling Menace
Chapter 6: Death on Two Sides
Chapter 7: Two Without Alibis
Chapter 8: Letter of Death
Chapter 9: Ride to Danger
Chapter 10: Motive for Murder
Chapter 11: Caged!
Chapter 12: Threat Accomplished
Chapter 13: Knife Duel
Chapter 14: Secret of the Past
Chapter 15: Suspect Eliminated
Chapter 16: Hostage
Chapter 17: Clue in the Clippings
Chapter 18: The End of a Stooge
Chapter 19: Witness to Murder
Chapter 20: Killer on a Trapeze
Murder Under the Big Top 
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