The Scorpia Menace is the second of two novels written by Basil Copper for The Phantom series for Avon Books and which was more recently reprinted Hermes Press. It's graced with a wonderful cover by George Wilson which is full of derring-do and romance and no small amount of mystery.
The story begins with the Phantom in his lair, but soon shifts its focus to Diana Palmer who is a young and vivacious sports celebrity and the girlfriend of the Ghost Who Walks. As this story begins, she is taking some college work in history and undertakes some research into an old and presumed defunct pirate band named "Scorpia". But her mild celebrity status makes her research somewhat newsworthy for the more-gossipy oriented news outlets and her searches become known to mysterious villains who it turns out are members of the not-so-defunct Scorpia.
We are treated to several chapters of these baddies as the news travels along the intricate and secretive chain of command. When the leader of the international gang decides he'd like to meet the fetching Diana Palmer, her death is faked, and she is kidnapped and whisked to his island stronghold. The news of her tragic "death" reaches the ears of the Phantom, and he comes to America to get to the bottom of it. By this time, we are half-way through the novel. Once the Ghost Who Walks is on the case things move swiftly and the solution to this adventure is a most satisfying one indeed. The pure physical power of the Phantom is emphasized to great effect.
Though no mention is ever made of the infamous Singh Brotherhood, the Phantom's abiding hatred of pirates is referenced. One small quibble is that in my Hermes reprint, which is handsomely done in most respects, there are breaks missing between sections inside the chapters. This will cause the reader to run up on the next scene abruptly. But once you know, it's fine for the most part.
Next time it's The Veiled Lady. Ron Goulart takes over the writing.
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