Doc Savage #32 - Dust of Death

Dust of Death was the lead story in the October 1935 issue of Doc Savage. It was authored by Harold A. Davis, filling in for the title's most prominent author, Lester Dent. The house name is Kenneth Robeson, the original magazine cover artist was Walter M. Baumhofer, and the Bantam paperback, published in 1969, features a James Bama cover. I'm reviewing the paperback, which I also supplemented with the Audible audio version narrated by Os Guinness.

The story begins with Long Tom being captured in the midst of a raging geopolitical war between the fictional countries of Santa Amaoza and Delezon. However, the real villain is the cloaked Inca in Gray, an instigator who is simply keeping both parties embroiled in the feud for personal gain. When one country begins an upheaval destined to end the conflict, the Inca in Gray arrives to boost the opponent's ranks. The villain's chief dispatcher is a mysterious “dust of death”, a fatal toxin sprinkled on victims and targets. 

Doc Savage, Ham, and Monk become engaged in the fight after learning of Long Tom's capture. Their participation involves the team's stratospheric dirigible, a type of aircraft that can reach the edge of space. It is aboard the craft that Doc fights a fierce opponent, the vehicle is destroyed, and both Ham and Monk parachute into captivity. Their proposed demise of being munched to death by army ants was very disturbing. 

Dust of Death was just an average Doc Savage adventure – nothing more, nothing less. The book is mostly known for providing the introduction of Ham's ape Chemistry, a series regular. Also, series enthusiast and contributor Will Murray stated this was the first Doc Savage story he had read. I enjoyed the warring sides, the introduction of nefarious arms dealers, demented dictators, and the mystery of the Inca in Gray. I had some suspicions about who the character really was, but I was ultimately surprised with the grand reveal.

Get Dust of Death HERE