The Shadow: “Partners of Peril by Maxwell Grant (Theodore Tinsley), forward by Jerry Robinson, The Shadow Volume 9, Nostalgia Ventures 2007, oversized trade paper. “Partners of Peril” from The Shadow Magazine, November 1, 1936, plus “The Shadowy Origins of Batman” by Will Murray, and “Spotlight on The Shadow” by Anthony Tollin
As I said last week, I don’t remember listening to The Shadow on the radio, not did I ever see any of the pulp magazines featuring him. In spite of that, I was familiar with the character by reputation.
In this collection is Partners of Peril, a businessman, Reed Harrington, has been told he will be killed before midnight. He goes to the Police Commissioner, who happens to be with Lamont Cranston, to ask for protection. Cranston, as readers know, is The Shadow, and thus is the Knight of Darkness (as he is called here) drawn into the case.
Harrington is one of four men who co-owned a large chemical corporation, which they had recently sold. The company had created a deadly gas to be used in warfare. The U.S. Government had the secret formula, but the company is the maker of the gas.
It turns out that not only Harrington, but the other three previous owners have been threatened. Then Harrington, before the eyes of the police and The Shadow, is killed. Who did it? Why? Can the others be saved?
An exciting adventure that is more than a straight The Shadow vs. a crime gang story, which is what many of the earlier issues had been.
Theodore Adrian Tinsley worked in the insurance industry after WW I. Through his brother pulp artist Frank Tinsley he sold his first pulp story, a humorous western yarn. He wrote the Black Aces series about Major Lacey and his crime-busting Vets, and in 1932 broke into Black Mask. He scripted The Shadow for CBS Radio, he was assigned to back up Walter Gibson, writing four novels a year.
I enjoyed this one as much or more than the other novel, Lingo, reviewed last week.
Tip the Wink 
Like the covers. You must have a greater tolerance of bad dialogue than I do. After you wrote about the Shadow a few weeks back I found a Shadow story online. I couldn’t get past the “my God man, get a grip on yourself” type dialogue that abounded.
Never heard The Shadow on the radio. I was born in ’48 and a few years later it the tv not the radio shows anymore.
I accept them for what they are, Steve. They can be a fun break from heavier stuff.
I am glad you are enjoying these stories about The Shadow, Rick. I will try some of them sometime soon.
Your life won’t be adversely affected if you don’t read any, but I found them light and fast.
I think you summed up the appeal of The Shadow stories quite well, Rick, light and fast-reading. I’m not so sure about Tinsley but those by Gibson usually had a neat twist to them in the end as well. Your reviews are prompting me to find one to read one myself. Stay tuned!