The Shadow in Temple of Crime

Howdy, you Trackers And Sleuths! 

Hope everyone is doing well because we have a mystery to solve!  And it's a classic, too!  This time we're going to talk about a story that appeared in The Shadow magazine, it's called "Temple of Crime".

It was written by  Walter B. Gibson but published under the house name of Maxwell Grant by Street and Smith in November of 1941.  However, my copy is in "The Shadow #77" published by Sanctum Books in 2013.  I got my copy from Radio Spirits, a company that specializes in CDs of old-time radio shows and other (sometimes loosely) related items.

This issue also features another Shadow story called "The Curse of Thoth", a brief essay by Will Murray, and a radio script for an Egyptian-themed episode of Nick Carter.

So here's the situation in this one:  a rich guy named Amru Monak has reconstructed an Egyptian temple of Ammon-Ra on his estate and started up a cult to worship him.  The Shadow sent Margo Lane to join the cult, to investigate it from within.  During their first ceremony in the temple, a murder occurs!  

Amru Monak is one of the primary suspects, but not the only one.  The other two suspects are  Basil Gorth, an archaeologist who was part of the expedition who found the temple in Egypt; and Jan Ravion, a university professor who hopes to be the first person to translate the mysterious hieroglyphics on the pedestal that supports the statue of Ammon-Ra.

The premises are stalked by Monak's sinister servants and also a mysterious gang of ruffians who wear masks styled after Egyptian gods.  The weird temple seems to be magical...or haunted.  And at one point, The Shadow gets locked in a mummy case!

I'm not going to spoil the ending for you, but I will tell you that there are abundant action scenes, panicky crowds, the enigmatic Book of Thoth, and mysterious goings-on!  The Shadow does not "cloud men's minds" like he does in the radio show, but he does seem to have the supernatural ability to...well...become darkness, and therefore go unseen by human eyes. 

I have only read a few Shadow stories, so I don't know how the die-hard connoisseurs rate this one, but I enjoyed it very much.  If you like pulps, you'll certainly like this!  Or maybe you've found it already, if so tell us what you thought about it in the comments below!  I'll be back in a few weeks to talk about something else!

Until then, I wish you all...

Good Adventuring!
Timothy A. Sayell