The Gray Phantom

by Herman Landon

Set in a secretive New York playhouse, The Gray Phantom follows a playwright drawn into a web of intrigue when a woman is murdered mid-performance and the body vanishes without a trace. Rumors swirl about Mr. Shei, a criminal enigma whose name was whispered by the victim in her final breath.

But Helen suspects a deeper truth, one that may connect the infamous legend to a man she once knew. As suspicion spreads and secrets deepen, she must decide who to trust before the killer strikes again.

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1921

About the author

Herman Landon was a writer of mysteries in the 1920's and 1930's.

Reviews

[Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent mystery just not really my cup of tea

[for-much-deliberation ... · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic crime/mystery story, with the likes of strange laughter, drugs...

[AJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

great little mystery that keeps you guessing.

[Julie Davis · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's something about these pulpy mystery thrillers from the early 1900s that I just love. I listened to Roger Melin's recording for Librivox. This isn't the best of the genre but it filled the bill for light summer listening.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series. Classic mystery with a protagonist who has a criminal history and now lives at a private retreat. He has a love interest, Helen, and finds himself accused of a crime, protecting Helen, and solving the crime to clear his name.

In this story, the mysterious Mr. Shei commits murder in a theater full of people and the Gray Phantom is the prime suspect. Mr. Shei kidnaps Helen, and plans to extort millions of dollars from the richest business men in the city by injecting them with a fever that gradually causes madness and death. The Gray Phantom has to race against time to rescue Helen and find the antidote while avoiding the police.

[Col Hornsby · Rating 1 out of 5]

Worst book ever. Unbelievably tedious. Listened to the Librivox audiobook version and all I could think was that the reader deserved a medal and a life pension for wading through this swamp on behalf of unknown others. Selfless heroism worthy of a congressional honour. I couldn't finish the book.

[Mark Rabideau · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty good mystery. It is a bit slow but the characters, plot twists and intrigue are all above average.