Carroll John Daly 
South Sea Steel [EPUB ebook] 
Race Williams #12 (Black Mask)

Race Williams is in Honolulu for a little R&R. Whether it be the eloquent “waxing” of a fat and florid businessman or the devil-may-care attitude of Williams, the Confidential Agent purchases a ticket to go traipsing around the Pacific on a little trader that beat its way from island to island. Before he can get aboard and enjoy his vacation, Williams finds himself rescuing a fleeing woman from the knife’s edge, putting her attacker down easily. Yet, before Race can turn and ask if she’s okay, the dame disappears. With no dog in this fight, Williams runs from the scene, too, leaving the bleeding man to fend for himself. How bad could things get for a man who was looking for rest and seclusion? Story #12 in the Race Williams series.

Carroll John Daly (1889–1958) was the creator of the first hard-boiled private eye story, predating Dashiell Hammett’s first Continental Op story by several months. Daly’s classic character, Race Williams, was one of the most popular fiction characters of the pulps, and the direct inspiration for Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer.