The Carnival of Death

Working undercover at a carnival to bust a suspected drug ring, U.S. narcotics agent Bob Clark stumbles onto a series of headless corpses. All signs point to the carnival's biggest draw, four "ferocious African headhunters" imported and manacled for display to scare American audiences, but Clark chases another theory. Originally published in the November 1934 issue of Popular Detective, this horror/mystery tale roars to life through the kaleidoscopic auditory fabric of its carnival setting. R.F. Daley provides the overall narration as well as voices a minor character; Jim Meskimen, Ryan Cota, Tait Ruppert, Lori Jablons, and Nick Baybak render the remaining 14. Though the plot kicks off right away, the production increasingly gains traction as more of the cast chime in to layer the tale. Recommended. [Includes the ghost story "The Death Flyer" (1936).—Ed.]