The Squeaking Goblin

Doc Savage (Bantam) #35

by Lester Dent

The tale of a skeletal sharpshooter who used a strange squeaking weapon was told around the backwoods campfires. To most it was just a legend, but for some it became a terrifying reality - especially those whose skulls were shattered by the deadly "disappearing bullet." Doc Savage dodges flying death as he tracks the spectral killer who defies every law of nature!

Genres: Adventure, Fiction, Pulp, Mystery, Action, Science Fiction, Crime

Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 1934

About the author

Lester Dent (1904–1959) was born in La Plata, Missouri. In his mid-twenties, he began publishing pulp fiction stories, and moved to New York City, where he developed the successful Doc Savage Magazine with Henry Ralston, head of Street and Smith, a leading pulp publisher. The magazine ran from 1933 until 1949 and included 181 novel-length stories, of which Dent wrote the vast majority under the house name Kenneth Robeson. He also published mystery novels in a variety of genres, including the Chance Molloy series about a self-made airline owner. Dent’s own life was quite adventurous; he prospected for gold in the Southwest, lived aboard a schooner for a few years, hunted treasure in the Caribbean, launched an aerial photography company, and was a member of the Explorer’s Club.

Reviews

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s nothing like a good ol’ Doc Savage novel to fill in the cracks when you feel you’ve been reading a lot of long and involved books and just need a break. This one is among the better ones as it boasts a good solid plot involving a mountain-style family feud, lost pirate treasure, and plenty of good old fashioned pulp-era type characters. All five of Doc’s assistants are included this time around and it’s not top heavy with the Monk/Ham squabbling which can get annoying. Doc also displays many of his gadgets over the course of uncovering the dastardly plot as well as his intellectual adaptability to any given situation, including a pretty cool way to x-ray the contents of a safe.

Plenty of action, fight scenes, and misdirection in this one. I do have to say that for being among the world’s foremost experts in their fields, Doc’s aides can be pretty obtuse about what is really going on. But it’s all in good fun as they are really just there to make Doc look good anyway.

[Tobin Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a couple of others have said, I think I liked this one more because Monk and Ham (and Habeas Corpus) were mostly sidelined, allowing Renny and Johnnie more airtime this go-round. Nice change.

And once again, though there was the standard lovely lady in the mix, she was not transfixed and hypnotized by the uber-Alpha male, Doc Savage, nor did any of his band of merry men try to catch her eye.

As for the actual mystery this time around? It was more about why it was going on and less about who was masterminding it...because that was obvious. The eventual explanation for the spookyness aspect was a little underwhelming, but I was pretty much ready for that.

In the end, typical Doc Savage adventure, this time, in the middle of a Kentucky clan war. Big dumb fun, as usual.

[Stormcrow Hayes · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun Doc book that has most of the familiar tropes, but breaks free from a few as well. I enjoyed Renny and Long Tom being the key sidekicks instead of Monk and Ham. At this point in my life, I find their bickering tiresome so it was a nice break that when Monk does show up, he joins the other two sidekicks to help out. It's nice change that we don't start in NYC, but instead begin in Maine and end in Kentucky. There isn't some super weapon involved, but it's more of a simple murder mystery (only an entire family line is being murdered) and money. A little different for Doc which was nice.

I enjoyed the mystery of the spooky nemesis though calling him the Squeaking Goblin just sounds so silly and not the least bit menacing.

Also, you'd think after all the adventures and Scooby Doo reveals Doc's crew has faced by now, they wouldn't think this might actually be a spook! But I guess it's for the readers.

Lastly, it was fairly obvious to me who the villain was, so any misdirection later was a misfire. But again, a nice change of pace for a Doc book. 3 - 3.5 stars.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Squeaking Goblin is a "Doc Savage" novel by Kenneth Robeson. Kenneth Robeson was the house name used by Street and Smith Publications as the author of their popular Doc Savage novels. Though most Doc Savage stories were written by the author Lester Dent, there were many others who contributed to the series, including:
William G. Bogart
Evelyn Coulson
Harold A. Davis
Lawrence Donovan
Alan Hathway
W. Ryerson Johnson
I love reading these old pulp novels from time to time. I recently came across several of them in a used bookstore and snapped them up. I read about 80%+ of the Doc Savage novels when I was a teenager but that was a very long time ago.
In this one, Doc Savage and his men are in the thick of it again. The action is classic Doc Savage, filled with good old fashion adventure and with gadgets that always seem to be there when the hero needs them. You can relax and escape for a little while. A good read in the Doc Savage series.

[Dennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Doc Savage saga begins along the coast of Maine and finishes in the mountains of Kentucky. This story was enjoyable and an entertaining mystery, despite the fact that the identity of the Squeaking Goblin is easily deduced halfway through the tale.

In this, an old fashioned long gun is used, but with a silencer equipped.
It is this silencer that produces the squeak when the weapon is fired. Also, a chemical projectile that dissolves after a few moments exposure to the air is used. In this way, the mystery of how people are killed is maintained.

I enjoyed this book, finding the story well crafted. Johnny is back to using big words in this saga. Once again, Doc’s speedy amphibious plane is destroyed along the banks of a Maine island. This was a fun and entertaining book and one of Doc Savage’s better stories.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title of this book makes me wonder if someone thought of it then challenged the author to write a story around it. In any case, i is a pretty entertaining novel in the series, with Doc and his helpers getting involved in, of all things, a hillbilly feud and trying to find out who is behind pitting these two families against each other. There was some amusing interaction between Monk and Ham, my two favorite characters, but not as much as I would have liked. Still, it was a fun read.

[Scooter · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the more inventive and enjoyable adventures so far in my chronological reading (#18). The same purple prose, Lots of false leads and twists and turns; The 5 adventurers were each used well in the story. Fun Hicksploitation Hillbilly setting ( I kept picturing the Li'l Abner cast of characters.

[Bill Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read back in the sixties, then again this year. I always loved the pulp-era adventures of Doc Savage and his five aides (and later his cousin). This was one of the best with its ghostly frontiersman and his mysterious rifle that emits a squeaking like noise when fired.

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good Doc adventure that I read back in the 70s.

[Devin Coryell · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 / 5

[Jeff J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pulp novel featuring Doc Savage. An odd entey in the series involving a hillbilly feud in Kentucky.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quirky little adventure/mystery starring Doc Savage and his team. The world felt literal and simple, a bit reminiscent of Mark Twain’s Huck Finn. Not exactly my cup of tea, but I see the appeal.

[Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first Doc Savage story appeared in 1933 and the series ran in pulp and later digest format into 1949. Bantam reprinted the entire series in paperback with wonderful, iconic covers starting in the 1960's. Doc was arguably the first great modern superhero with a rich background, continuity, and mythos. The characterizations were far richer than was common for the pulps; his five associates and their sometimes-auxiliary, Doc's cousin Pat, and the pets Chemistry and Habeas Corpus, all had very distinctive characteristics and their byplay was frequently more entertaining that the current adventure-of-the-month. The settings were also fascinating: Doc's Fortress of Solitude, the Hidalgo Trading Company (which served as a front for his armada of vehicles), and especially the mysterious 86th floor headquarters all became familiar haunts to the reader, and the far-flung adventures took the intrepid band to exotic and richly-described locations all over the world. The adventures were always fast-paced and exciting, from the early apocalyptic world-saving extravaganzas of the early days to the latter scientific-detective style shorter works of the post-World War Two years. There were always a few points that it was difficult to believe along the way, but there were always more ups than downs, and there was never, ever a dull moment. The Doc Savage books have always been my favorite entertainments... I was always, as Johnny would say, superamalgamated!

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A true nail-biter and one of the best Doc novels so far. I realize I keep saying that. Lester Dent is reaching his stride here. By this time I'm sure he was getting feedback on the series and was getting a pretty good idea of what was working and what wasn't. Again, we have a situation where Doc is fighting multiple enemies and has to decide what is important to his investigation and what isn't. He's gotten himself mixed up in a Kentucky feud, and one of the participants is the Squeaking Goblin, the ghost of an old feuder, who seems to appear out of nowhere, kill and disappear, not even leaving his bullet behind. Because Doc and his men are seen as outsiders, neither side will help him, but he gets mixed up in it anyway. Really a great action story!

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice, solid Doc Savage novel.
Interesting mystery, Renny and Long Tom get to be the main sidekicks, a really creepy bad guy, the hillbilly feud was an interesting twist and some great action set pieces.

Liked that the 'exotic' settings for this novel were the coast of Maine and the hills of Kentucky and the bad guy's plot was not 'I will rule the world!'.

There's a comforting formula to these books, but at the same time it is always a pleasant surprise when they play with the formula a little.

[Little Timmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of all the pulp era heroes few stand out above the crowd, Doc Savage is one of these. With his 5 aides and cousin he adventures across the world. Fighting weird menaces, master criminals and evil scientists Doc and the Fab 5 never let you down for a great read. These stories have all you need; fast paced action, weird mystery, and some humor as the aides spat with each other. My highest recommendation.

[Fraser Sherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover portrays the villain perfectly--a coonskin clad ghost who fires disappearing bullets from a rifle that squeaks instead of roars, and disappears whenever pursued. Why is he stirring up a feud in the Kentucky mountains? What is his real agenda? A good series entri.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doc Savage vs. goblin hillbillies (well, sort of)! "The Squeaking Goblin" is a decent tale, though not great.

[Dale Rosso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice entry in the series.

[Normand Kosztko · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Well written adventure novel

[Ronald · Rating 4 out of 5]

read sometime in 2011

[Ronald · Rating 3 out of 5]

possibly read in spring 1969

[José Gilberto]

bizzare story.the hillbilly talk gets annoying.Standard Dent troupes