The Phantom Patrol

August 1, 2011
Hubbard was a popular writer of the pulp fiction era, and this short novel, first published in the January 1935 issue of Five Novels magazine, shows why: it features nonstop action and a hero to root for. Coast Guard skipper Johnny Trescott, who's hot on the trail of drug-runner Georges Coquelin, changes course to answer an SOS from wealthy James Ferguson, whose plane has ditched in the Gulf of Mexico. Unfortunately, Georges arrives at the scene in time to kidnap Ferguson and shanghai Johnny, his crew, and his boat. Johnny eventually escapes, only to find that piracies Georges committed with Johnny's Coast Guard scow are being blamed on him. Though much of the writing is generic, the story moves briskly and maximizes the scenes of gunplay and hand-to-hand combat. Hubbard knew how to fulfill reader expectations for this sort of tale.

October 1, 2011
Before writing the best-selling book that made him known to the world, Hubbard was a prolific writer of pulp fiction, including detective stories, westerns, sf/fantasy, and adventure. In this then-contemporary tale of piracy in the Gulf of Mexico, Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Johnny Trescott and crew are kidnapped, then held hostage on an island while villainous rake Georges Coquelin uses their patrol boat to hijack unsuspecting vessels. After an action-packed opening on stormy seas, this has everything you'd expect, from false accusations to daring escapes to a pretty gal who knows how to take care of herselfand has an eye for Trescott. Like many pulps, this one shows the speed of its creation with some uneven writing, and it contains a few cultural stereotypes. But fans of adventure stories looking for light diversion won't be disappointed. Hubbard is said to have had extensive experience at sea, and that seems to show through as the somewhat two-dimensional story is made more realistic by the many nautical details.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)