Here is another interesting series by the “King of Pulps” H. Bedford-Jones (1887-1949): Treasure Seekers.
This fast-paced 10-part series ran in Blue Book magazine from July 1945 to April 1946. Reprinted by Steeger Books as part of their H. Bedford-Jones Library, it shows the Blue Book covers on the back in postage-stamp-size, and includes the original illustrations. Each story has four pen-and-ink-wash pieces by Maurice Bower, several running over two pages. I have no idea the source for the cover artwork, but it does fit in.
The series is about a trio of former soldiers, now using a “treasurer finder” two of them invented to find lost treasures in post-WWII Europe and North Africa. And as we must have action and adventure, there will be those who want to take it from them, including former Nazis, Fascists, etc.
We meet our trio in the first story. Bill Carson (our narrator) and Frank Murchison are Americans, graduates of Boston Tech, and part of the U.S. Army, now demobilized. They had been working on a mine detector to deal with all the mines left by the Germans. But their device, which they call “Carson’s folly,” doesn’t find small things or to work less than three feet down. So it’s useless to find anti-personnel mines, but should be great for finding buried treasure, and it can distinguish between gold, silver, stone, wood, paper, etc. It seems like a combination of ground penetrating radar and metal detector.
Joining them is a French nobleman and former officer with the Maquis, Vicomte de Gondy, whom they call “Gondy.” He will be their frontman, scouting out where they will do their treasure-seeking next. All three men have an equal partnership, sharing in their finders fee.
The first story actually takes them to Gondy’s family estate. During the war, his father hid the treasure of a museum, but it went missing. The family was forced to cover the loss, which was extensive. We learn that Gondy is not the head of the family, that is his older brother, Lucien, who married Felice. The trio finds the family wealth that had been hidden from the Prussians in 1871 and the museum treasure. But Lucien and his wife decide to poison the three rather than pay their fee. In the process, Lucian is killed and Felice flees, to be a threat in future stories. She knows how the device works and wants it for herself. You’ll need to read to find out how long. And Gondy’s father suddenly returns.
So having proven that the treasure finder works, they will in each story go after another treasure. There will be those that want to take it, and the threat of Felice, as well, so things will be varied. One story in addition to finding a treasure, they also get involved in helping a former British commando find the French girl who had helped him.
The next story takes them to Algiers, where the former home of the top Nazi agent should have the wealth he hid away. But is the agent really dead? And how does a one-legged dancer fit in, as well as Felice?
Then they are off to Italy to find Mussolini’s wealth, cached in the “grotto of the virgins,” next to Venice, then to the Italian Riviera.
The next stories take them to Brittany, to the northern coast of France, and then back to England for two stories, one having them look for the treasure lost by King John. And the final takes them back to France to help clear out a harbor of mines while also looking for a treasure in the villa they rented.
Each story has them looking for different treasures, with new local people to meet and engage with, and new threats as well. Overall this was a fun read, as I hadn’t read much from Bedford-Jones that is post-WWII. All of his works I read have been well-written and fast-moving, and this one is no exception. I would say this is more a thriller-type story than a crime or spy novel, though there are hints of those. Do check this one out.
