El escudo del diablo

Catalog Note *El escudo del Diablo* by Clark Carrados (1975) is a supernatural mystery-thriller set in Vienna. Professor Victor Hossuth, after an evening with a woman pursuing him romantically, encounters a young blonde woman being accosted by a tall, red-eyed figure in a dark cape on a rainy street. When Hossuth intervenes, the mysterious man flees into traffic and is struck by an automobile—but his body impossibly transforms into a flat black membrane that dissolves into a storm drain. The girl vanishes. Two weeks later, Hossuth receives two letters: one from the woman he visited (Luisa Wagendorf), another from Countess Leonora Witebska, the mysterious girl, inviting him to her castle at Zuwalath and referencing the street incident. A giant messenger named Hans visits, warning that Leonora is mentally ill and threatening Hossuth with displays of supernatural strength. Hossuth determines to investigate, consulting a psychiatrist about the countess's condition. The narrative builds toward revelation of darker forces at work.