Book Description

PERIL PRESS presents: Collier’s, March 2 1940 MR. WONG FOOTWORK by Hugh Wiley illustrated by Irving Nurick Footwork. James Lee doing some fast thinking. The killer of Radford was clever. But, as James Lee said, “A man can dig his grave with his tongue” 2900 Words Collier’s, April 13th 1940 MR.WONG THE ROOM OF DEATH (later rewritten as Cigarette of Death - Saint Detective Magazine, April 1955) by Hugh Wiley illustrated by Irving Nubick The Room of Death. James Lee shoots it out. Page 23 A telephone call at midnight and two shots from the dark start another exciting adventure for resourceful James Lee 3900 Words Blue Book Magazine, May 1940 MR WONG: THE FOURTH MESSENGER by Hugh Wiley illustrated by Austin Briggs That Famous Chinese-American G-man known as James Lee here deals with a most spectacular crime. 4800 Words Blue Book, June 1940 Mr. Wong: COLD BLOOD A James Lee detective story— by Hugh Wiley illustrated by Hamilton Greene 6000 Words Blue Book, September 1941 THE JADE DAGGER A James Lee Detective story by Hugh Wiley Illustrated by Austin Briggs Hugh Wiley's famous Chinese-American detective James Lee deals in characteristic style with one of his strangest cases. 4500 Words The Saint Detective Magazine, April 1955 MR.WONG CIGARETTE OF DEATH (Originally published as The Room of Death – Collier’s, April 13th 1940) by Hugh Wiley “One cigarette before I die!” was James Lee’s plea. To the Russian it seemed unlikely that a smoke ring could tighten into a noose. Armchair adventure may be quite beguiling enchanting and remote from reality, or it may be so harsh, frightening and immediate that it seems to be happening right before your eyes in a room hazy with gunsmoke. But when a story is written with unsparing honesty the very harshness takes on an exciting quality we wouldn’t trade for all the security on earth. Hugh Wiley who ruggedly realistic crime yarns featuring the spirited James Lee have appeared frequently in COLLIER’S scores here a veritable double bull’s-eye. (Publisher’s note: This is a Cold War rewrite of a World War II story. See “The Room of Death” for the original. References to Japan have changed to Russia/The Soviet Union. Also, numerous conversational transitions have changed.) 4100 Words This edition includes the illustrations and covers to Collier's magazine for all 6 stories. With the success of Fox's Charlie Chan and Mr. Moto movies, Monogram decided they wanted a piece of that action and hired Boris Karloff to play Hugh Wiley's Detective James Lee in a series of Mr. Wong movies.