Strange Planets #10

An interplanetary sleuth and his young secretary pursue a case of opium smuggling across Venus, only to uncover that their arch-enemy from Mars is orchestrating the illicit operation from the shadow. As they close in on a conspiracy reaching from Earth to the murky Venutian jungles, the stakes explode—literally—in a desperate race against sabotage and capture. From the glittering theaters of the Venus Free State to hidden factories buried in steaming tropical wilderness, this 1963 tale delivers all the science-fiction intrigue and high-stakes danger you'd expect.

An intrepid avenger and his companion Teena pursue the notorious space brigand Maag across the asteroid belt after a string of high-tech bank robberies rocks the Martian Union. When a hypnosis ray loosens the tongue of a captured suspect, they learn Maag's next target and race to intercept—only to be shot down in the vastness of space and forced aboard the pirate's vessel. Now deep within Maag's hidden asteroid fortress, the avenger must find a way to turn the tables on a criminal who's always one step ahead.

Lucky Dale's quiet week visiting her old friend Cap'n Landy aboard his houseboat takes a sinister turn when mysterious strangers begin demanding he sell the vessel—and then armed intruders descend on them in the dead of night, tearing the boat apart searching for something buried in its deck. With Cap'n Landy in mortal danger and the criminals' murderous intentions clear, Lucky must use her wits and nerve to survive the chaos unfolding on the water and uncover what treasure has made the houseboat a target.