The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril
Reviewed by Anthony Feinman
01/27/07

I have to admit to not being a big mystery reader. However, the only reason I picked this little beauty up is that it has a huge pulp magazine connection. It's story revolves around real life pulp writers Lester Dent and Walter Gibson, the principal writeres and creators of The Shadow and Doc Savage. Anyone who has gotten a chance to scan around this website or are fans of our books already knows why I had to review this book.

Set in the 1930's, these two literary giants of the Pulp Era are thrust together in a pulp mystery adveture of their very own. Being that The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril is his first novel, Malmont has done his research on the history of this era and probably on how these writers from this time would have interacted with each other. As literary competitors, this probably drove them to come up with more interesting stories on a regular basis. I found that the most unique or intriguing quality in this story is how it was told. When we are following Walter Gibson, the prose flows more like a Shadow Novel. When the audience is following Dent, the prose would fit more like a Doc Savage novel. I thought that this was a rather clever device to use and it totally made the adventure more fun being a fan of this genre of writing as well as a fan of both these author's works. Anyone who is familiar with either one of their wrting or both will get a big kick out of this story.

I should also note a few of the secondary characters that go along with Dent and Gibson on their "pulp" adventure. Along the way the meet up with a young L. Ron Hubbard, Robert Helein, and Dent's own wife, Norma has a key role in the plot. However, the whole catalyst that starts this mystery tale is the death of H.P. Lovecroft. His death itself is read just like one of Lovecraft's own stories: dark, mysterious, and not without a disfigured being of some kind.

The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril (say it ten times fast if you dare) is a great read. The characters jumped off the pages for me and probably more so since I am familiar with all of them through either their writing or historical background. Pick it up not only for a great read but also for a little historical background on what is was like to be a writer during this time in American history.

It is currently in hardcover as of this writing generally priced at $24.00 It can be purchased at any big named book retailer.
To order online, go to Amazon or Barnes & Noble.com

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