The Black Star
Johnston McCulley and Johnston Mcculley
Read by Roger Melin
The Black Star was a master criminal who took great care to never be identifiable, always wore a mask so nobody knew what he looked like, rarely spoke to keep his voice from being recognized, and the only mark left at the scenes of the crimes which he and his gang committed were small black stars which were tacked as a sign of their presence, and an occasional sarcastic note to signify his presence and responsibility. Even those who worked for him knew nothing of him, all of which were making his crimes virtually unsolvable. The police were at a complete loss as to his identity and at a method of stopping his criminal activities. He seemed to have the perfect strategic setup and all advantages were in his favor. He even somehow knew where the wealthy kept their jewels and money, and knew when they would remove valuable items from their safes and deposit boxes. Thus Roger Verbeck decided to take on the case of the Black Star using his own methodology. The Black Star will keep you guessing from beginning to end, just as he kept the police and Verbeck guessing.
Johnston McCulley was a prolific writer in the pulp fiction vein, and his Zorro series would become immensely popular. However, prior to Zorro, the Black Star was among his first repeating characters which kept readers of the day in continual suspense until his next appearance. McCulley also wrote mysteries and detective stories using various pseudonyms, including Harrison Strong. (Introduction by Roger Melin) (8 hr 6 min)
Chapters
01 - An Aided Escape | 19:15 | Read by Roger Melin |
02 - The Black Star | 10:48 | Read by Roger Melin |
03 - Into the Pit | 22:06 | Read by Roger Melin |
04 - Rogue For a Day | 15:48 | Read by Roger Melin |
05 - Muggs on Guard | 10:37 | Read by Roger Melin |
06 - An Unprofitable Afternoon | 11:10 | Read by Roger Melin |
07 - Identical Orders | 10:54 | Read by Roger Melin |
08 - The Police Get a Tip | 13:14 | Read by Roger Melin |
09 - "Chickens Come Home To Roost" | 19:26 | Read by Roger Melin |
10 - Caught In a Net | 11:08 | Read by Roger Melin |
11 - Close Quarters | 12:39 | Read by Roger Melin |
12 - At the Charity Ball | 15:06 | Read by Roger Melin |
13 - Muggs - Great Little Man | 11:23 | Read by Roger Melin |
14 - Unexpected News | 5:04 | Read by Roger Melin |
15 - The Challenge | 14:40 | Read by Roger Melin |
16 - A Nocturnal Visit | 17:21 | Read by Roger Melin |
17 - Interrupted Conversation | 12:04 | Read by Roger Melin |
18 - Mysteries | 18:15 | Read by Roger Melin |
19 - Suspicion | 20:47 | Read by Roger Melin |
20 - The Voice on the Wire | 17:05 | Read by Roger Melin |
21 - The End of the Wire | 15:40 | Read by Roger Melin |
22 - On the Scent | 9:54 | Read by Roger Melin |
23 - Into the Vault | 7:59 | Read by Roger Melin |
24 - How It Ended | 13:30 | Read by Roger Melin |
25 - Shadowed by Three | 7:23 | Read by Roger Melin |
26 - A Man of Mystery | 17:32 | Read by Roger Melin |
27 - In Black Star's Hands | 18:44 | Read by Roger Melin |
28 - The Police Launch | 8:29 | Read by Roger Melin |
29 - Black Star Takes a Trick | 11:45 | Read by Roger Melin |
30 - Muggs in Action | 13:09 | Read by Roger Melin |
31 - In the Bank | 11:39 | Read by Roger Melin |
32 - A Narrow Escape | 12:25 | Read by Roger Melin |
33 - Puzzled Police | 14:23 | Read by Roger Melin |
34 - What Happened to the Chief | 12:26 | Read by Roger Melin |
35 - An Unexpected Blow | 9:55 | Read by Roger Melin |
36 - In Custody | 13:01 | Read by Roger Melin |
Reviews
The Black Star
A LibriVox Listener
Very good story. Kept me interested until the very end with its surprise twist of plot. Of course the reader, Roger Melin, was excellent as usual.
Awesome ride, loved it!
mikezane
First of all, props to Roger M, he's a great reader, glad he is still reading for librivox. Now to the story - This is a neat mystery/adventure novel where a wealthy businessman decides to match wits with a sneaky thief with extraordinary planning capabilities. It is going to take more than the average detective to catch this crook. Despite being a bit far-fetched at times, the story was still great. Enjoy!
Not one of my favorites
Sorilea
probably bly just had too wide high an expectation of a work by the brilliant mind that consumed could save the character of Zorro one of my favorites I was disappointed in this Editing this impossible!This is ridiculous
A LibriVox Listener
my favorite reader indeed I love your voice many nights I have listened to your story telling ....you just have a way I tell you ....keep them coming ...cant wait for another and another ....best wishes to you indeed
Good Listen
NicNac
Ar first, I was a bit annoyed at how clueless our hero was, but he did redeem himself in the end as others here have said. Turned out to be a fun listen.
GIVE ME MORE
AVID READER
A great tale, well-sculpted and read perfectly. As one commentator stated. it was a bit farfetched at times, but this is fiction: indulge your imagination. Perfect ending. Enjoy!
Roger saves the Day
JoeZimmermanSalchaAk
Exciting story, from start to finish , thanks so much for these storys (i call them movies) greatly read , thank you for your time. enjoyed Alot
Thanks Roger
Womandy
Lots of fun if you just need something a bit silly to listen to. Lots of unbelievable action - like an old style Saturday morning serial at the movies!