Frank Lucius Packard (1877–1942) was a Canadian novelist who first worked as a civil engineer on the Canadian Pacific Railway, an experience that gave him plenty of material when he turned to writing. His most famous creation was an early superhero, Jimmie Dale, a wealthy socialite who by night turned into a safecracker known as The Gray Seal. The stories were published in magazines and then collected into novels. Some of them were adapted for film. Several are available on Project Gutenberg and on Faded Page. See Mike Grost’s essay about Packard on the Golden Age Detection Wiki here: http://gadetection.pbworks.com/w/page/7931301/Packard%2C%20Frank
Golden Skull Murders (Doubleday, Doran & Gundy, 1931) is one of Packard’s later mysteries. As much of an adventure story as a mystery, it is set in exotic locales with colorful characters and over-the-top dialogue, typical for the time. The writing and the plot are of the early 20th century; the first few pages were slow reading until I became accustomed to the style.
Ronald Ward is on the tiny island of Taletee in Malaysia, settling his father’s estate. Someone breaks into the villa at night to leave a threatening note addressed to his father with a small skull replica painted gold. No one he talks to can explain it.
He leaves the plantation in the hands of his father’s overseer and sails for Singapore to meet with his father’s business manager. One of the passengers is murdered and the same gold skull is found clutched in the victim’s hand. A search for the killer is derailed when the ship runs into trouble. After much adventure and a narrow escape or two, Ward’s investigation leads him to a criminal in Singapore and he takes up a double life, posing as a thug for hire while dealing with his father’s executor.
This book reads a lot like a Clive Cussler adventure story with a few murders thrown in. The mystery wasn’t solved until the last few pages; Ward didn’t make a great detective. I understand why it would make a good film, lots of action and opportunities for splendid costumes. The scene in the lowlife bar with drug addicts, drunks, and criminals would be a great visual. An interesting look at crime fiction from the early 1900s.