Doc Savage: El Inca Gris

"El Inca Gris" by Kenneth Robeson This Spanish-language Doc Savage adventure begins in the South American republic of Santa Amoza, currently embroiled in a four-year war. Long Tom Roberts, one of Doc Savage's five assistants and an electrical expert, lands at a military airfield despite official resistance, armed with diplomatic documents. An assassin disguised as a beggar murders the officer examining Long Tom's credentials and steals the documents, then reports to a mysterious superior that Doc Savage's associate has arrived—a development that alarms the organization. Long Tom reaches Alcalá, the capital, where he is ambushed by apparent beggars who are actually coordinated assassins. Using his fighting prowess and a knockout gas derived from Doc Savage's genius, he escapes. He then visits the government hospital to see Ace Jackson, a pilot friend from the European War, now hospitalized after being shot down by someone or something called "the Grey Inca." Jackson's romantic connection to Anita Carcetas, daughter of the republic's president, becomes apparent as the story develops amid growing peril.