Major Hugh North is in Brazil investigating the activities of the Americus Arms Corporation, which employs several Fascist and Nazi sympathizers. After he moves his investigation from Sao Paulo to Rio de Janeiro, North learns of an unidentified ship which is headed to some unknown Brazilian port carrying Axis saboteurs, technicians and gold to help fifth columnists in their activities in gaining a foothold in Brazil and surrounding countries. North's mission is to find out the identity and destination of the ship and prevent its reaching any port in Brazil. He receives much help from Aurora Morrow, niece of a shipping magnate. The most interesting character in the novel, however, may be Paula Harte, who was born in Chile but whose father was a German subject who died during World War I. Paula is now acting as a freelance agent trying to sell information to the highest bidder.

Major Hugh North is in Brazil investigating the activities of the Americus Arms Corporation which employs several Fascist and Nazi sympathizers. After he moves his investigation from Sao Paulo to Rio de Janeiro, North learns of an unidentified ship which is headed to some unknown Brazilian port carrying Axis saboteurs, technicians and gold to help the fifth columnists in their activities in gaining a foothold in Brazil and surrounding countries. North's mission is to find out the identity and destination of the ship and prevent its reaching any port in Brazil. The events described in the story occur before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 but after the fall of France and Holland to the Nazis.

Using friends and contacts in Rio, North arranges a party to which are invited leading members of the local Patriotistas movement. All are suspected of being supporters of the Axis cause and most are either of Spanish, German, Italian or Japanese ancestry. At the party Luis da Evarista, President of Americas Corporation, is murdered. North decides that the solution of the murder may lead to the information he needs to stop the unidentified ship from reaching Brazil.

North receives much help from Aurora Morrow, niece of a shipping company owner. The most interesting character in the novel, however, may be Paula Harte who was born in Chile but whose father was a German subject who died during World War I. Paula is now acting as a free-lance agent trying to sell information to the highest bidder.

Major North's decoding skills play a big role in his success as a spy. He is capable not only of deciphering messages intercepted from his adversaries but also of sending to them false and misleading information.

When the local medical authorities are unable to determine the cause of the death of Luis da Evarista, Major North identifies the poison used and shows that it was administered through the cigar smoked by the deceased.

This is a fantastic civil war story and it's very touching.

Captain Hugh North of G-2 Army Intelligence is assisting Major Bruce Kilgour, a British agent, on a case involving a series of murders in Cairo. The killer leaves a red-and-black female garter fastened about the left arm of each victim. The murders are somehow linked with the recent supplying of Arab tribes with modern weapons. Trouble is now brewing in Palestine. England does not like this situation and France does not like it either because of Palestine's proximity to Syria.

Solution of the crimes is aided by the ability of North and his allies to decode messages. One such message is written in hieroglyphics.

The author is a big dropper of place names as he tries to reassure the reader that he has first-hand knowledge of Egypt and especially Cairo.

This book contains three of the earliest Hugh North stories. THE VESPER SERVICE MURDERS is only the second of the author's twenty-six books featuring Hugh North. Captain North is invited to participate in the investigation of a series of murders in the city of Deptford, Massachusetts. Dr. Walter Allan, a friend of North, is used as a narrator by Mason. North is already famous because of newspaper publicity about previous cases he has solved dating back to World War I army service in Europe. Knowledge of American Morse code is employed by North as a tool of detection in this case. The novel is written in the style of a police detective story and it shows the promise realized in the later entries in this series which deal entirely with espionage and international intrigue.

In THE YELLOW ARROW MURDERS Hugh North is actually working as an agent of G-2 of the United States Army on a case in a foreign country. He is sent to Cuba to either buy or steal plans for an advanced torpedo which are being sold by its inventor in Cienfuegos. The seller of the plans calls himself Alvarado but his real name is Doelger. He is a disgruntled American who was discharged from the U.S. Navy for dereliction of duty in 1918. When North arrives in Cienfuegos, he finds plenty of competitors already there seeking the prize. Some are agents of their governments while others are merely adventurers in the game for profit. In one role or another there are representatives from England, France, Japan, Germany, Russia, Portugal and Italy. This is the first novel in the series in which North operates in a foreign country under orders from G-2 on a matter of international intrigue.

In THE BRANDED SPY MURDERS Captain Hugh North is sent to Honolulu. His mission is primarily to prevent a war from breaking out between Japan and the United States. A Japanese naval squadron is headed towards Honolulu with unknown intent. North attends a party at the home of Abner Polk, owner of a big American steel company. The other guests at the party include intelligence operatives from Russia, France, England and Japan as well as steel barons from France and Germany. All have an interest in either starting or preventing the war. Before the evening is over a dead female is found floating near Polk's dock. She has a strange design on her shoulder. Perhaps it is a tattoo that has been erased. Who is the dead girl and how does her death fit into a plot to start a war? The toughest obstacle North faces in this adventure is his attraction to Nadia Stefan, a beguiling Russian agent. Considering the fact that the story was written in 1932, the near attack by Japanese naval ships on Honolulu shows the author to be gifted with uncanny foresight.

This is the fourteenth Hugh North story and the first one to present a cold war adventure. North is in Turkey pretending to be drunk and disillusioned but he is really trying to penetrate a network of communist spies. The goal is to obtain a certain microfilm containing secrets which will allow the United States to regain the lead from Russia in the development of missiles and bacteriological weapons. As usual the author gives us a fast-paced international thriller which reflects accurately the tensions of the times.

Captain Hugh North of Army Intelligence Services is a guest at a dinner party at the residence of Colonel Peter Andrews. The colonel is the commanding officer of Fort Espanto in the Philippines.

The original parts of the fort were built as a Jesuit monastery in 1660. A legend about hidden treasure in the fort has been passed down through generations of local residents. A Spanish officer vanished from the fort in 1801 shortly after he announced that he had learned the location of the treasure. In 1916 two men were killed after they arrived from Spain to search for the treasure.

During the dinner party Inez Sarolla tells the guests about the treasure. A search party for the treasure is spontaneously organized led by Ricardo Mendez, a cousin of Inez, and Lieutenant Bowen, the fiance of Inez. Mendez and Bowen disappear into the old ruins of the fort. Later a scream is heard. Mendez is found dead from a knife wound but Bowen is missing.

Colonel Andrews asks North to conduct an investigation of the murder. North begins his search both for the murderer and the location of the treasure. His only clues are two rosaries and a little piece of sheepskin. One rosary contains three extra beads while the other has six extra beads. The solution to this puzzle will lead to the treasure. The entire investigation lasts less than two days and in many respects the style of the novel resembles a classic mystery story of the post World War I era.

Trans-Pacific Airways has developed an emergency fuel formula which can provide clipper ships with a greatly increased flying range up to 6000 miles. The formula, however, has not yet been perfected.

When the operations manager of Trans-Pacific commits suicide, he leaves a note. It mentions the secret formula and its amazing possibilities. The suicide note is published in a newspaper giving the secret formula wide publicity. Trans-Pacific is an American airline and the United States War and Navy Departments do not want the secret to fall into unfriendly hands.

Captain Hugh North from G-2, Department of Army Intelligence, is sent to Hongkong to keep the formula away from any potential enemies in a future war. He quickly learns that there are several operatives seeking the formula. There is also a rival airline, Air Oriental, which is planning a Pacific route and will want to have the advantages of the new fuel. Air Oriental is registered as a Chinese corporation but uses German pilots and equipment.

Sam Patterson, the chief engineering officer of Trans-Pacific, is murdered. The company's safe is broken into and the formula is stolen. North believes that the murder of Patterson and the theft of the formula are connected. The murder scene reveals several clues including the victim's double-breasted coat which was buttoned on the wrong side and a glass water pitcher containing a woman's flesh-tinted stocking. The leading suspects are Patterson's former and current girl friends. Also under suspicion are the new operations manager of Trans-Pacific and the Macao manager of Air Oriental. In addition, North must consider Mr. Tashima, previously a lieutenant in the Japanese Navy but now in the postal service and Alexis Lebov, a professed White Russian who is thought to actually be working for the NKVD. Louis Martin and his wife are imposters who may really be representing French interests.

Hugh North has his work cut out for him in this case at a time when tensions are heating up before World War II in both Europe and the Far East. Germany in particular is singled out as a threat.

North is aided in his investigations by Sir George Amberson and Inspector Yu Shih of the Royal Victoria Police.

This book contains three early Captain North adventures set in the Far East: THE SULU SEA MURDERS(1933), THE FORT TERROR MURDERS (1931) and THE SHANGHAI BUND MURDERS (1933).

In THE SULU SEA MURDERS Captain Hugh North, D.C.I., is investigating a shooting in a bar in Zamboanga. A peardiver named George Lee is dying from a wound inflicted by an unidentified American soldier. The murderer is probably from Fort Winfield on the nearby island of Sanga Sanga. Before dying Lee tells North about some lost pearls.

As an officer of the Department of Criminal Investigation, North proceeds to Fort Winfield to find the killer. This is not a spy story. It is a tale about an investigation of a series of murders. In fact, North is sometimes referred to in the novel as a detective.

In THE FORT TERROR MURDERS Captain Hugh North of Army Intelligence Services is a guest at a dinner party at the residence of Colonel Peter Andrews. The colonel is the commanding officer of Fort Espanto in the Philippines.

The original parts of the fort were built as a Jesuit monastery in 1660. A legend about hidden treasure in the fort has been passed down through generations of local residents. A Spanish officer vanished from the fort in 1801 shortly after he announced that he had learned the location of the treasure. In 1916 two men were killed after they arrived from Spain to search for the treasure.

During the dinner party Inez Sarolla tells the guests about the treasure. A search party for the treasure is spontaneously organized led by Ricardo Mendez, a cousin of Inez, and Lieutenant Dale Bowen, the fiance of Inez. Mendez and Bowen disappear into the old ruins of the fort. Later a scream is heard. Mendez is found dead from a knife wound but Bowen is missing.

Colonel Andrews asks North to conduct an investigation of the murder. North begins his search both for the murderer and the location of the treasure. His only clues are two rosaries and a little piece of sheepskin. One rosary contains three extra beads while the other has six extra beads. The solution to this puzzle will lead to the treasure. The entire investigation lasts less than two days and in many respects the style of the novel resembles a classic mystery story of the post World War I era.

In THE SHANGHAI BUND MURDERS Captain Hugh North of G-2 is on a river boat heading towards Shanghai during a time when there is much fighting and turbulence surrounding that city. On the trip a young Englishman named Trenchard is murdered. North is joined on the boat by his friend from British military intelligence, Bruce Kilgour. North learns that Trenchard was a British agent trying to get information on an arms shipment being sent to General Wang, a warlord with ties to French and Italian interests. Wang is now threatening Shanghai which is defended by General Yuan who is backed by England and the United States. A third army planning to attack Shanghai is led by an American soldier of fortune named Sam Steel. He is an employee of a warlord named Wu.

After North arrives in Shanghai, he meets with American Admiral Clegg who explains the difficult task awaiting the intelligence captain. North's mission is to locate the arms shipment before either General Wang or Sam Steel can seize it. Hopefully North can find the shipment in time to prevent a disaster for the American and English residents of Shanghai.

Almost every country with a political or economic interest in Shanghai has a representative engaged in the struggle to acquire the arms shipment. As usual North finds that the lines between friend and foe often seem blurred.

Captain Hugh North of G-2 is on a river boat heading towards Shanghai during a time when there is much fighting and turbulence surrounding that city. On the trip a young Englishman named Trenchard is murdered. North is joined on the boat by his friend from British military intelligence, Bruce Kilgour. North learns that Trenchard was a British agent trying to get information on an arms shipment being sent to General Wang, a warlord with ties to French and Italian interests. Wang is now threatening Shanghai which is defended by General Yuan who is backed by England and the United States. A third army planning to attack Shanghai is led by an American soldier of fortune named Sam Steel. He is an employee of a warlord named Wu.

After North arrives in Shanghai, he meets with American Admiral Clegg who explains the task awaiting the military intelligence captain. North's mission is to locate the arms shipment before either General Wang or Sam Steel can seize it. Hopefully North can find the shipment in time to prevent a disaster for the American and English residents of Shanghai.

Almost every country with a political or economic interest in Shanghai has a representative engaged in the struggle to acquire the arms shipment. As usual North finds that the lines between friend and foe often seem blurred.

Set in Southeastern Asia just before the outbreak of World War II, this is a fast-paced story of international intrigue involving the struggle for a secret formula for making more effective steel for military armor. Most of the countries striving for power in the region at that time have an agent searching for the prize. Representing the United States is Hugh North who is promoted to Major in Army Intelligence early in the action. The author's development as a writer of international thrillers shows decided improvement in this book.