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The Shadow Pulp #23
The Shadow's Shadow
Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?
It was to be the perfect crime. A daring heist that would net the greedy mobsters undreamed-of millions. And with internation criminal mastermind Felix Zubian and ace gunman Gat Hackett at the head of the determined gang, nothing could go wrong.
Nothing, that is, except the unwelcome intervention of The Shadow, phantom of the night, scourge of evildoers everywhere. The conspirators of crime h it upon a grim, ingenious scheme--use The Shadow's own dreaded techniques of stealth and surprise against him. In short, shadow The Shadow--and blast him into the grave!
It was to be the perfect crime. A daring heist that would net the greedy mobsters undreamed-of millions. And with internation criminal mastermind Felix Zubian and ace gunman Gat Hackett at the head of the determined gang, nothing could go wrong.
Nothing, that is, except the unwelcome intervention of The Shadow, phantom of the night, scourge of evildoers everywhere. The conspirators of crime h it upon a grim, ingenious scheme--use The Shadow's own dreaded techniques of stealth and surprise against him. In short, shadow The Shadow--and blast him into the grave!
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First published February 1, 1933
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About the author
Maxwell Grant
652 books32 followersMaxwell Grant was a pseudonym often used by Walter B. Gibson to write stories of "The Shadow".
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 28, 2024
This is a great Shadow novel where the bad guys find out about his alias and almost get to him. Enjoyed it very much.
February 2, 2025
An unusual Shadow story. Not just some murders and a who done it. Crooks want to steal two million dollars in uncut diamonds but know The Shadow will stop them so they plan to get him out of the way first. A simple trap with guns does not work so Felix Zubian, a clever tracker is set on him.
He finds out The Shadow is Lamont Cranston, and captures Harry Vincent and Rutledge Mann to help him kill The Shadow but The Shadow saves them, and hides them, with Cranston having to go under cover too and he uses his Henry Arnaud identity, which Zubian also spots.
Of course, Zubian has to die, and in the final fight, we read:
"An arm swept upward from the floor. Behind it came those glowing eyes; but it was not the eyes that stopped Felix Zubian. He was staring into the face of The Shadow - not the disguised features of Lamont Cranston or Henry Arnaud, but the visage of The Shadow himself!
What Zubian saw there; what expression on The Shadow's countenance made even that fiendish villain gasp in horror; no one could ever know. For Felix Zubian knew his last moment of life in that fateful instant.
His trembling finger faltered on the trigger of his gun. The Shadow's unfailing hand did not yield. The last shot that was fired on that night came from The Shadow's automatic."
What horror Zubian saw, in this story written by Gibson himself, we will never know. Certainly not the face of Kent Allard.
He finds out The Shadow is Lamont Cranston, and captures Harry Vincent and Rutledge Mann to help him kill The Shadow but The Shadow saves them, and hides them, with Cranston having to go under cover too and he uses his Henry Arnaud identity, which Zubian also spots.
Of course, Zubian has to die, and in the final fight, we read:
"An arm swept upward from the floor. Behind it came those glowing eyes; but it was not the eyes that stopped Felix Zubian. He was staring into the face of The Shadow - not the disguised features of Lamont Cranston or Henry Arnaud, but the visage of The Shadow himself!
What Zubian saw there; what expression on The Shadow's countenance made even that fiendish villain gasp in horror; no one could ever know. For Felix Zubian knew his last moment of life in that fateful instant.
His trembling finger faltered on the trigger of his gun. The Shadow's unfailing hand did not yield. The last shot that was fired on that night came from The Shadow's automatic."
What horror Zubian saw, in this story written by Gibson himself, we will never know. Certainly not the face of Kent Allard.
November 20, 2019
A gangster involved with a plotted jewel heist also has another purpose -- the find the identity of, and kill, The Shadow. This is definitely one of the better entries in the series that I have read so far, and would make a hell of a movie.
March 8, 2018
Better than average yarn as a gangster figures out the Shadow's secret identity(twice!) by observation. Plot centers on a diamond heist.
August 5, 2018
Totally different from the radio show, the shadow is much more sinister and ruthless. Great fun!
January 19, 2016
This is a really great Shadow mystery. A master crook decides to kill the Shadow but instead of just using brute force, he decides to try to use his brains. He has plenty of gangsters behind him, but his own abilities lead him to deduce who the Shadow's real identity is. He is able to track down two of the Shadow's agents and have them captured. In addition, he plans to marry a woman that doesn't want him and pull off a major diamond heist.
Cliff Marsland and Clyde Burke appear in the story.
Zubian is the name of the master crook and he knows of the individual called The Black Eagle during World War I and is sure that he is the Shadow's identity. He also is able to see the Shadow's real face, and his reaction support the idea that the Shadow's real face has been horribly disfigured.
There is also some extremely major gun battles that go on between the Shadow and groups of thugs, and an interesting nobody-in-the-car chase that happens.
I think this is one of the best Shadow novels.
Cliff Marsland and Clyde Burke appear in the story.
Zubian is the name of the master crook and he knows of the individual called The Black Eagle during World War I and is sure that he is the Shadow's identity. He also is able to see the Shadow's real face, and his reaction support the idea that the Shadow's real face has been horribly disfigured.
There is also some extremely major gun battles that go on between the Shadow and groups of thugs, and an interesting nobody-in-the-car chase that happens.
I think this is one of the best Shadow novels.
January 10, 2013
This is an outstanding adventure of The Shadow, containing all the strengths and weaknesses of the series. After two of The Shadow's operatives are fingered by gangsters, three very different hoods take it upon themselves to rub out crime's nemesis. We get a good look inside The Shadow's organization, a good look at some of The Shadow's disguises (including his favorite, Lamont Cranston...no he is not The Shadow, despite the radio series' claim), and one of the hoods gets a good look at the face of The Shadow himself...well, that doesn't really turn out too well for him, so I can't recommend it. As with all the stories, there are thrills and chills, as well as many misdirections and plot twists.
February 2, 2016
When it comes to pulp heroes there are 2 or 3 great standouts and the Shadow is one of those. The stories are fast paced and action filled. The mystery just adds to the excitement. With his army of agents to help the Shadow never lets you down for a great read. Highly recommended
April 17, 2016
A pretty good entry in the Shadow series. Gangsters are looking for The Shadow, and send an international criminal to find out who he is.
The criminal gets lucky and trails him to the Cobalt Club, and penetrates the Lamont Cranston identity.
Luckily, The Shadow planned ahead.
Good stuff.
The criminal gets lucky and trails him to the Cobalt Club, and penetrates the Lamont Cranston identity.
Luckily, The Shadow planned ahead.
Good stuff.
July 7, 2013
just finished this one another very good pulp read from yesteryear.
April 1, 2015
Having become a Shadow fan through the radio show I don't enjoy the books as much as I might have otherwise. Doc Savage or Tarzan are much better examples of this period.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews