Brass Keys to Murder


Book Description

U.S. Navy Lieutenant Steve Craig is in one hell of a mess. Being accused of murder is bad enough, but the local police are convinced he’s killed his own father. Alfred Hitchcock couldn’t have conceived a more diabolical plot for Cary Grant . . . and now, for Steve Craig, the plot is about to get down and dirty. Steve’s safe from the cops as long as he stays aboard his Navy ship—but the word safe isn’t in his vocabulary. He slips off the vessel and vanishes into the seamy underside of the city, determined to find out who took his father’s life . . . even if it means risking his own. He follows a trail of smoke and mirrors and sudden violence to the Brass Keys to Murder. With them, Steve will seek to unlock the terrible truth behind his father’s death . . . and an astonishing secret that will change his life—and that of the woman he loves—forever. Ron knew well the life at sea and the world surrounding it. Not only was he the son of a naval officer, he traveled back and forth across the Pacific, plied the China coast in a working schooner and commanded an expedition aboard a four-masted ship to the Caribbean. He walked the waterfronts of countless ports, sharing stories with the colorful—and often shady—characters inhabiting them. Originally published in April 1935 under the pen name Michael Keith, Brass Keys to Murder is a direct result of those adventures.




Brass Keys to Murder


Book Description




Killer's Law


Book Description

Sheriff Kyle of Deadeye, Nevada, is headed east to the nation’s capital. Like Dennis Weaver in the television series McCloud, Kyle’s about to discover that the law can be even wilder in the big city than in the Wild West. It’s a fact that hits home when he’s the one accused . . . of murder. Kyle’s come to the city to give a report to his senator on the misdeeds of Nevada’s filthy rich copper kings. But before he has a chance, he’s knocked unconscious, later coming to alongside his senator—now dead, with Kyle’s knife imbedded in the corpse. Welcome to Washington D.C., where corruption, intrigue and murder are all in a day’s work. Kyle’s got no alibi, no memory, and apparently doesn’t have a prayer ... unless he can find a way to outwit, outfox and outmaneuver the masters of deception and double-crosses in this police procedural thriller. Much like Kyle, L. Ron Hubbard was born and bred on the western frontier and made his way east to explore and experience life in Washington, D.C. But unlike the sheriff, Hubbard enjoyed his time in the capital, where he went to college at Georgetown. He came to know the ins and outs of the city as well as he knew the arroyos and canyons of the west, giving him the kind of insights he needed to write stories like Killers Law. “...some of the most carefully and beautifully crafted trade paperbacks of our time.” —Mystery Scene




Six-Gun Caballero


Book Description

He’s handsome. He’s charming. He’s a total gentleman ... and he’s totally outgunned and outnumbered. He’s Michael Patrick Obañon. He is faced with a vicious claim jumper. Can he outwit this band of outlaws in the old west. Obañon’s lost his inheritance—a 100,000-acre New Mexico spread—and he could lose his life if he’s not careful. A ruthless band of renegades have seized his land, and he’s determined to get it back. Obañon’s got one secret weapon: his fierce intelligence. He can’t outshoot the outlaws, so he’ll have to find a way to outwit them.... Part Irish, part Mexican, Michael Patrick Obañon is as American as they come—crafty, confident, and cool under fire. It may be one man against the world, but before he’s done the world will know how the West will be won. In the 1930s a radio program, Writers and Readers, hosted by Bob de Haven, delivered news of the hottest authors of the day—interviewing the writers behind the stories. Here’s how he promoted an upcoming broadcast with L. Ron Hubbard: “He has placed in print a million and a half words. He is a quantity producer, well paid and in constant demand. He has outlined some valuable information on his lead novelette ... Six-Gun Caballero.” It is an introduction to Hubbard that is as pertinent now as it was then. “Hubbard uses the traditional Western form to tell a challenging and unpredictable story, where the hero outwits his attackers instead of merely having to outshoot them ... so intelligent and suspenseful.” —SomebodyDies.com




Cattle King for a Day


Book Description

Forged in the hot sun and sand of the Arizona desert, Chinook Shannon is as tough as they come—as steely-eyed and tall in the saddle as Randolph Scott. But Chinook is far from home—in the north country of Montana—and facing a challenge as big as the territory itself. Following his grandfather’s suspicious death, he’s come to Montana to claim his inheritance—the family’s cattle ranch. But the territory’s crawling with bandits and bankers, and they all want a piece of Chinook’s land. With foreclosure hanging over the ranch, Chinook’s got exactly twenty-four hours to find out who killed his grandfather and become the Cattle King. He’ll follow a trail of forgery, cattle rustling and murder to find the truth, knowing he has only one ally—his Colt Peacemaker. L. Ron Hubbard’s detailed knowledge of ranch life and mining techniques—as well as the economics and legal issues surrounding mining and water rights—informs Cattle King for a Day. He wrote: “I became thoroughly acclimated to Montana ranch life and the very rough and tough atmosphere. . . . It was also a mining area, and I used to pan in these streams for pocket money.” It’s no wonder, then, that these stories are pure gold. Also includes the Western adventure Come and Get It, the story of an Easterner who comes to Wyoming to find out who killed his father—but discovers that the only way to get justice is to cook up a new identity for himself. * An International Book Awards Finalist




If I Were You


Book Description

Does size matter? Is bigger better? That’s no small question to Tom Little—the circus midget with giant dreams. Tom may be king of the midgets, but he’s got far grander ambitions—to become the muscleman at the top, the ringmaster. Now, drawing on some dark ancient secrets and mystic texts, he’s about to get his wish.... Assuming another man’s identity, Tom discovers he must also take on his sins, debts, and enemies. He may be living large—but now there are those who want to make him pay for the big man’s sins. Also includes “The Last Drop,” an astounding tale of a New York bartender who mixes some very magical drinks—to amazing effect. The circus is coming to town, as If I Were You puts you in the center ring of the magic, mystery, and madness. “Unexpected twists ... keep you guessing as to what will happen next.” —SFsite.com




Under the Black Ensign


Book Description

Long before Captain Jack Sparrow raised hell with the Pirates of the Caribbean, Tom Bristol sailed to hell and back Under the Black Ensign. That’s where the real adventure begins. Bristol’s had plenty of bad luck in his life. Press-ganged into serving aboard a British vessel, he’s felt the cruel captain’s lash on his back. Then, freed from his servitude by pirates, his good fortune immediately takes a bad turn . . . as the pirates accuse him of murder—and leave him to die on a deserted island. Now all he has left are a few drops of water, a gun, and just enough bullets to put himself out of his misery. But Bristol’s luck is about to change. Finding himself in the unexpected company of a fiery woman and a crafty crew, he unsheathes his sword, raises a pirate flag of his own, and sets off to make love and war on the open seas. In his early twenties, Hubbard led the two-and-a-half-month, five-thousand-mile Caribbean Motion Picture Expedition. He followed that with the West Indies Mineralogical Expedition near San Juan, Puerto Rico, in which he completed the island’s first mineralogical survey as an American territory. It was during these two journeys that Hubbard became an expert on the Caribbean’s colorful history—an expertise he drew on to write stories like Under the Black Ensign. “A riveting tale of sailing ships, piracy and the high seas.” —Midwest Book Review * A National Indie Excellence Award Winner




Wind-Gone-Mad


Book Description

Who is Wind-Gone-Mad? He is an ace pilot, a fearless fighter, and the ultimate defender of a war-torn China. But like the storied hero Batman, he is also an enigma, a man in disguise, his true identity shrouded in mystery. And, as with the Caped Crusader and the Joker, he faces one ruthless nemesis above all . . . a man known simply as “The Butcher.” The epic battle has been set into motion by Jim Dahlgren—an American executive with the Amalgamated Aeronautical Company. He is determined to give China a fighting chance against The Butcher . . . and against the Western diplomats whose sole interest in the country is to profit from its internal strife. China’s only chance, Dahlgren realizes, is the legendary Wind-Gone-Mad. . . . To The Butcher, China is a side of beef to carve up and serve at his pleasure. But when Wind-Gone-Mad flies into the action, it may well be The Butcher who ends up being dead meat. Ultimately, the only thing more thrilling than the mystery man’s fighting spirit is the true nature of his identity. . . . As a young man, Hubbard visited pre-Communist China three times, where his closest friend headed up British intelligence. In a land where communists, nationalists, warlords and foreign adventurers schemed for control, Hubbard gained a unique insight into the treacherous and bloody battles for domination in the region. In addition, his personal experiences as a pilot gave his air stories a vivid sense of reality that no other writer could match. Combining this with his first-hand knowledge of China gave him the opportunity to create stories such as Wind-Gone-Mad, which left readers feeling like they had lived the adventures themselves. Also includes the Asian adventures, Tah, the tragic story of a twelve-year-old boy betrayed by his father . . . and by his life; and Yellow Loot, in which the pursuit of a priceless stash of ancient amber leads to a heart-stopping chase on the Great Wall of China. “Excellent.” —Midwest Book Review




All Frontiers Are Jealous


Book Description

A charming rogue cut from the same cloth as Robert Mitchum, American engineer Dan Courtney is learning fast that it takes more than a little charm to lay the groundwork for a railroad. Particularly when the plan is to build it across some of the roughest and most dangerous territory on earth. Courtney’s been hired to survey the land that would link up the Uganda Railway to the Anglo-Egyptian railroad. Running through desert, jungle and mountains, this is one line—and story—with more twists and turns than the New York City subway system. Diamond smugglers. A fearsome native tribe. A beautiful young American woman . . . and a man determined to kill her. Put them all together and you’ve got a world where All Frontiers Are Jealous. It’s up to Courtney to tame those frontiers—take on the tribe, save the woman, and save the future of the railroad . . . before his blood ends up on the tracks. L. Ron Hubbard based this story on the real-life history of the countless harrowing attempts in the late 19th and early 20th century to link up the two railroads. An experienced civil engineer and surveyor himself, Hubbard had worked in rough and dangerous terrain as part of the West Indies Mineralogical Expedition. All Frontiers Are Jealous may be a work of fiction, but as far as Hubbard was concerned, in his own life, the adventure couldn’t have been more real. “Terrific from beginning to end.” —Midwest Book Review




Sea Fangs


Book Description

Bob Sherman signs on the crew of the yacht Bonito with hopes of revenge, and he'll need every ounce of his strength and courage to overcome the forces arrayed against him--in Sea Fangs. He'll take on the forces of nature--a hurricane smashing into the boat off the Venezuelan coast. He'll stand up to the forces of ignorance--Bonito's incompetent captain. He'll defy the forces of corruption--the boat's owner, who stripped him of his land years ago. And he'll fight the forces of evil--a ruthless band of pirates who take all aboard, including the owner's daughter, to the uncharted Island of Death. His fate intertwined with a woman whose father stole everything he valued, Sherman is about to discover that there's one force as powerful, unpredictable and dangerous as the sea itself ... the force of a beautiful woman's love. The winds howl, the gunfire cracks, and the intrigue stirs as Sea Fangs puts you in the eye of the storm. "A must for his legions of fans and an impressive tribute to his storytelling skills." --The Midwest Book Review