El Aliento de Kiai

Catalog Note "El Aliento del Kiai" (The Breath of the Kiai), by Lou Carrigan, is a detective-mystery serial beginning in Washington, D.C. The protagonist Jerry Stack arrives at an apartment building seeking a man named Nakajima in connection with the murder of Dr. Teruhiko Maeda, a Japanese scientist found decapitated. Stack learns this is the latest in a series of murders across the United States—all victims are brilliant men in politics, economics, medicine, and science, all killed by decapitation, none with recovered heads. After questioning the building concierge and visiting the Science Club where Maeda was a member, Stack rents a car and returns to his hotel, where he is confronted by Detective Sergeant Sarah Barrow, who has been tracking his inquiries. When Stack attempts to contact Nakajima at the Anatomical Center, he discovers no such doctor exists there. The narrative emphasizes Stack's unusual composure and physical capabilities.