Review of
Don Winslow Saves the Secret Formula,
by Frank V. Martinek
Four out of five stars
Action/adventure story of the early forties
Written while
Word War II was raging in Europe, but the United States was not yet involved,
this is a story must stick to conventional non-alien villains. The basic
premise is that the United States is in possession of chemical formulas for
extremely deadly new gases that could be used to wipe out entire populations. The
two heroes are U. S. Navy Commander Don Winslow and his faithful sidekick Lieutenant
Red Pennington. Their main adversary is known as Scorpion and his sidekick is
his daughter, known as the Mask.
The Scorpion is
a strong villain, suitable as an adversary of James Bond. His goal is world
domination and the purpose of his acquiring the formulas for the extremely
deadly gases is to pursue that aim. The Scorpion’s agents are everywhere, and
the story opens with Don and Red in possession of the formulas on the way to a
secluded lab where a expert chemist is conducting research.
A major
snowstorm intervenes on their way to the lab and their adventure becomes one of
determining who can they trust. The Scorpion has a massive underground facility
for residence and operations much like the Bond villains. There is no mention
of the Scorpion having any international affiliation or backing.
There are two
women on the Winslow side of the battle, the daughter of a high-ranking naval
officer and a large black woman that fits the stereotype used in the forties.
The daughter provides some expansion of the plot, the black woman does not.
This adventure
is right out of the serials, the adventure moves along with miniature cliff
hangers, failures that allow the story to move along. The Scorpion proves to be
very elusive, very well financed and willing to allow his workers to be killed
in order to advance his cause. Of course, the formulas are recovered, yet a
great deal of room is left to continue the adventures of Don Winslow.
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