Catalogue facts
Introduction
The Tomb’s Secret is the published form of Teeth of Doom in which the detective is Brock Rollins rather than Steve Harrison. It appeared under the byline Patrick Ervin in the February 1934 issue of Strange Detective Stories.
The issue also carried Fangs of Gold, and Kline’s records indicate that the two publication titles may have been inadvertently switched. The structured catalogue facts record a sale amount of $85 and Howard’s receipt of $72.25 after commission.
Summary spoilers
"The Tomb's Secret" is a suspense-filled detective story where the central plot revolves around a dangerous and hidden chemical formula capable of world domination. The story follows Brock Rollins, a determined detective, as he navigates through a complex web of murder, betrayal, and international conspiracy to protect his client and uncover the truth.
The narrative begins with James Willoughby, a millionaire philanthropist, narrowly escaping an assassination attempt. He survives due to his quick thinking, but the incident sets off a series of events that involve Rollins delving deeper into the underbelly of the criminal world. Rollins meets with Joey Glick, an informant who reveals that Yarghouz Barolass, a leader of the Sons of Erlik, is orchestrating these attacks. Unfortunately, Glick dies mysteriously during their meeting, which propels Rollins to investigate further.
As Rollins investigates, he discovers that Willoughby, along with his deceased colleagues Richard Lynch and Job Hopkins, developed a potent chemical weapon in China. To safeguard the formula from misuse, they encrypted it and divided the key among themselves by embedding symbols in their dental work. Following their deaths, their bodies are targeted by criminals wanting to unlock and sell the formula.
The plot thickens with Rollins' relentless pursuit leading him to a confrontation with Yarghouz Barolass, who he initially believes is the mastermind behind the attempts to gather the symbols. The climax reveals a twist where a mandarin, a servant of the lord of Peking, intervenes. It turns out the mandarin orchestrated events to prevent the warlord Yah Lai, who had been manipulating Barolass, from obtaining the formula and threatening global security.
The mandarin successfully eliminates Barolass and retrieves the symbols, ensuring the safety of the formula. He then disappears, leaving Rollins with more questions than answers, but with Willoughby safe and the immediate threat neutralized.
"The Tomb's Secret" combines elements of noir detective stories with international espionage, presenting a tale of moral ambiguity, where the lines between right and wrong are blurred amidst the shadows of greater threats.
From the letters
In a letter (#259) to H.P. Lovecraft, ca. September or October 1933 Howard tells him about his story:
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 “The Teeth of Doom,” published as with the title "The Tomb's Secret".