Teeth of Doom

Introduction

Teeth of Doom. Received by Howard’s agent, Kline on August 31, 1933. Published as ‘The Tomb’s Secret‘ under the name: Patrick Ervin. Featuring Steve Harrison. Howard sold the story for $100 and after Kline got his share, he received $85.

The February 1934 issue of STRANGE DETECTIVE STORIES carried two stories by REH: “The Tomb’s Secret” and “Fangs of Gold”. It appears that the story titles were inadvertently switched. Howard’s agent, Otis Adelbert Kline, kept a list of titles and the magazines that purchased them.

Above “The Teeth of Doom” on Kline’s list, someone added “The Tomb’s Secret.”
Above “The People of the Serpent” on Kline’s list, someone added “Fangs of Gold.”

The story intricately weaves elements of mystery, international intrigue, and classic detective work against a backdrop of cultural and scientific exploitation, highlighting the ethical dilemmas associated with powerful technological discoveries.

From the letters

In a letter (#259) to H.P. Lovecraft, ca. September or October 1933 Howard tells him about his journey into detective stories:

Lately I’ve been trying to write detective yarns, something entirely new for me, and haven’t had much success — in fact none, so far, except for a short yarn, “Talons in the Dark”, written in San Antonio last spring, and which Kline, as my agent, sold to a magazine called Strange Detective Stories. Kline has been a big help in teaching me the technique of detective story writing; whether I am able to profit by his teaching remains to be seen. (Kline marketed another yarn for me since I wrote the above.)

The other story mentioned is probably this one, published as “The Tomb’s Secret.”

The story

In “The Teeth of Doom,” James Willoughby, a wealthy philanthropist, narrowly escapes an assassination attempt orchestrated by the mysterious Sons of Erlik. The assailants, misjudging that Willoughby had stayed in his car, fire a shotgun into it while he escapes on foot. Following the incident, detective Steve Harrison is brought in for protection and investigation.

Harrison meets with an underworld figure, Joey Glick, who reveals that Yarghouz Barolass, a leader within the Sons of Erlik, is behind the attacks. Barolass, known for blackmailing wealthy individuals through his black magic scams, was trying to secure a powerful secret from Willoughby. This secret pertains to a formula for a deadly gas, hidden in coded form and linked to physical symbols embedded in dental implants belonging to Willoughby and his deceased associates, Richard Lynch and Job Hopkins.

The narrative unfolds with several attempts on Willoughby’s life, involving complex setups including swapping cigarettes with poisoned ones, and physical attacks. Harrison thwarts these attempts through a combination of brute force and detective acumen, navigating the murky alliances and betrayals within the criminal underworld.

Ultimately, it’s revealed that Willoughby and his friends had discovered a deadly poisonous gas in China and, realizing its potential danger, had hidden the formula. The formula was split into parts, with each part hidden in a dental implant within each of the three friends. The assassins were after these implants to reconstruct the formula.

The story climaxes with a confrontation at the House of Dreams, a front for Barolass’s operations. Harrison, having been lured there under the pretense of negotiating for Willoughby’s safety, ends up in a deadly confrontation. The plot twists with the revelation that another faction, representing Chinese government interests, is also involved, aiming to prevent the formula from falling into the wrong hands. This faction successfully eliminates Barolass and secures the formula’s safety, thus ensuring no misuse in escalating global conflicts.

Characters

  • James Willoughby: Wealthy philanthropist, target of assassination for possessing part of a deadly formula.
  • Steve Harrison: Detective assigned to protect Willoughby and solve the assassination attempts.
  • Joey Glick: Informant from the underworld who provides initial clues about the attackers.
  • Yarghouz Barolass: Leader of the American branch of the Sons of Erlik, involved in various criminal activities including the attempts on Willoughby’s life.
  • Richard Lynch & Job Hopkins: Deceased associates of Willoughby, former holders of parts of the deadly formula.
  • Fang Yin: Chinese government representative working to secure the formula to prevent its misuse.

Alternate title:

THE TOMB’S SECRET.

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