Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 539

Catalog Note "The Invisible Fiend's Masquerade," by William H. Manning, opens this detective serial with a crime plot centered on capturing "Old Doubledark," a persistent detective. Criminals led by Miles Rogerson plan to trap him near the Hudson River, using a decoy invitation to lure him to ambush, bind him, and imprison him in a dungeon to starve. The scheme initially succeeds in capturing a man they believe is the detective. However, Old Doubledark has anticipated the trap through careful investigation and observation, orchestrating the capture of an innocent accomplice instead. He rescues the captive and delivers him to police headquarters, claiming he will methodically dismantle Rogerson's criminal enterprise. The narrative then shifts to the Catskills summer locale, where a well-dressed stranger named Gordon Brentwood approaches the refined landowner Edward Wayne with mysterious warnings of danger. The serial presents themes of criminal conspiracy, detective cunning, and aristocratic vulnerability in rural settings.