Nick Carter-Killmaster

Nick Carter-Killmaster is a series of spy adventures published from 1964 until the late 1990s, first by Award Books, then by Ace Books, and finally by Jove Books. At least 261 novels were published.

No actual author is credited for the books, with the Nick Carter name being used as a house pseudonym. Volumes varied between first person and third person narrative. Authors known to have contributed entries in the series are Michael Avallone, Valerie Moolman, Manning Lee Stokes and Martin Cruz Smith.^[1]

The title character of the series serves as Agent N3 of AXE, a fictional spy agency for the United States government. The novels are similar to the literary James Bond novels - low on gadgets, high on action. Sexual encounters in particular are described in detail.

The Character

The definitive description of Nicholas J. Huntington Carter is given in the first novel in the series Run, Spy, Run. Carter is tall (over 6 feet / 1.83 m), lean and handsome with a classic profile and magnificently muscled body. He has wide-set steel gray eyes that are icy, cruel and dangerous. He is hard-faced, with a firm straight mouth, laugh-lines around the eyes, and a firm cleft chin. His hair is thick and dark. He has a small tattoo of a blue axe on the inside right lower arm near the elbow - the ultimate ID for an AXE agent. At least one novel states that the tattoo glows in the dark. Carter also has a knife scar on the shoulder, a shrapnel scar on the right thigh. He has a sixth sense for danger.

Carter practices yoga for at least 15 minutes a day. Carter has a prodigious ability for learning foreign languages. He is fluent in English (his native tongue), French^[2], German^{[3] [4]}, Italian^[5], Portuguese^[6], Putonghua (Mandarin)^[7], Russian^{[8] [9]} and Spanish^[10]. He has basic skills in Arabic^[11], Romansch^[12], Swahili^[13] and Vietnamese^[14].

The name Nick Carter was acknowledged by the series as having been inspired by the early 20th century pulp fiction detective of the same name in the 100th Killmaster volume (labelled Nick Carter 100) which included an essay on the earlier Nick Carter and included a Nick Carter detective short story alongside a Killmaster adventure.

Weapons and paraphernalia

Nick Carter uses three main weapons during the course of the series, all of which are named, and have histories. The gun, Wilhelmina, is a stripped down German Luger. In the earliest stories, Carter got the gun off a German officer during a harrowing mission during World War II. Later stories state that he has had a series of Lugers, all named Wilhelmina. The knife, Hugo, is a pearl-handled stiletto. The blade retracts into the handle, and the whole thing is worn on a special sheath on the wrist, designed to release the knife into the user's hand with a simple muscle contraction. The third member of the triad is Pierre, a poison gas bomb, which is a small egg-shaped device, usually carried in a pocket but sometimes as a "third testicle" at his scrotum. Activated with a simple twist, it would, within seconds, kill anybody, or anything, that breathed its odorless and colorless gas.

Carter often takes with him other weapons as the mission demands. These have included:

• "Cousin of Pierre" - a smaller version of Pierre the poison gas bomb that can be concealed even more easily - described in The China Doll;
• Fang - a poison-tipped needle worn on a concealed index finger cap described in Saigon;
• Pepito - a non-lethal stun grenade used in Checkmate in Rio.
• Tiny Tim - a nuclear grenade "containing half a grain of sand of fissionable matter" used in Istanbul

Carter has used a variety of equipment in the novels most of which have nicknames. These have included:

• "Antonio Moreno" - a lifelike facemask made of a latex substance called Lastotex (apparently named after Antonio Moreno the 1920s silent movie star);
• "Gladstone" - a rhino hide suitcase with multiple concealed compartments;
• "Oscar Johnson" - a small radio transmitter (it is unclear if it is named after Oscar Johnson, a baseball player active in the 1920s and 1930s, or Oscar G. Johnson the World War II Medal of Honor recipient;
• Quantity K - a powerful acid strong enough to destroy evidence/documents;
• Singing Sam – a radio transmitter-receiver concealed in electric razor/electric toothbrush used in Istanbul

AXE

The agency Carter works for is described as being smaller and far more secret than the CIA, mostly concerned with assassinations. In the first novel of the series, Run, Spy, Run, AXE is described as "the trouble-shooting arm of the US secret services". AXE headquarters are located in the 6th floor offices of a building in DuPont Circle, Washington, DC under the cover of the Amalgamated Press and Wire Service. AXE is purported to contain several different departments with specific functions including Editing (later called "Special Effects and Editing") - headed by Mr. Poindexter - which, among other things, creates false biographies for agents and provides appropriate props (e.g. fake latex fingerprints); Documents - whose role is to plant stories in the media to support specific activities and create false identification and travel documents; Records - which provides background information on suspects; and Operations - which provides logistic support for specific missions. AXE has a branch office near Columbus Circle, New York and affiliate offices in countries around the world.

Agents are given code designations; Carter's N3, which has at least once been stated as standing for Number three, identifies him as one of the elite Killmasters. The meaning of the code N3 is described differently in different novels - sometimes it is Carter's personal designation, other times it is considered a rank, with N1 being the highest, in other novels we are told that Carter is the third Killmaster to have worked for AXE with both his predecessors having been killed in action. David Hawk, described in early novels as looking a lot like Uncle Sam, is the head of AXE and Carter's personal boss. Della Strokes, Hawk's personal secretary, is a character similar to Bond's Miss Moneypenny - flirtatious but serious. Ginger Bateman is Hawk's personal secretary in later novels. Pointdexter, AXE's equivalent to Q, runs the Special Effects and Editing department, in charge of weapons, gadgets, disguises, and papers.

AXE Agents

In the first novel in the series (Run, Spy, Run), AXE is described as comprising 24 agents. They are identified by alphanumeric code. The following agents / codes have been described:
A4 Unnamed (mentioned in "Fraulein Spy")
A12 using pseudonym "Alfred" (mentioned in "Fraulein Spy")
A24 Unnamed (mentioned in "Run, Spy, Run")
B12 Unnamed but further nicknamed "Vitamin" (mentioned in "Fraulein Spy")
C4 Unnamed (mentioned in "Fraulein Spy")
E14 Red Turner (mentioned in "A Bullet for Fidel")
K7 Unnamed (mentioned in "Run, Spy, Run")
J2 Unnamed - briefs Carter on his trip to Japan (mentioned in "The China Doll")
N1 Stuart Hample (mentioned in "The Peking Dossier (1975)")
N1 David Hawk (in "Trouble in Paradise (1978)")
N1 Theodore Salonikos (dies in "Hide And Go Die (1983)")
N3 Nick Carter
N5 McLaughlin (mentioned in "Dr. Death (1975)")
N6 Joe Banks (stated dead in "Six Bloody Summer Days (1975)")
N7 (stated dead in "Hide And Go Die (1983)")
N12 John Sparks (mentioned in "Under the Wall (1978)") (stated dead in "Hide And Go Die (1983)")
N17 Dennis Gordon (dies in "The Golden Bull (1981)")
N17 Bill Qualley (mentioned in "Hide And Go Die (1983)")
N30 Kiki Pederson (dies in "Trouble in Paradise (1978)")
P3 David Trainor (murdered in "A Bullet for Fidel")
P4 Unnamed, described as a mole in the Kremlin (mentioned in "Safari for Spies")

Novels

N.B. the listing here is in series order (not necessarily by publication date, which is given)

1. Run, Spy, Run (Feb 1964) by Michael Avallone/Valerie Moolman
2. China Doll (Apr 1964) by Michael Avallone/Valerie Moolman
3. Checkmate in Rio (May 1964) by Valerie Moolman
4. Safari for Spies (Aug 1964) by Valerie Moolman
5. Fraulein Spy (Oct 1964) by Valerie Moolman
6. Saigon (Dec 1964) by Michael Avallone/Valerie Moolman
7. A Bullet for Fidel (Mar 1965) by Valerie Moolman
8. The 13th Spy (May 1965) by Valerie Moolman
9. The Eyes of the Tiger (Sept 1965) by Manning Lee Stokes
10. Istanbul (Oct 1965) by Manning Lee Stokes
11. Web of Spies (Jan 1966) by Manning Lee Stokes
12. Spy Castle (Jan 1966) by Manning Lee Stokes
13. The Terrible Ones (May 1966) by Valerie Moolman
14. Dragon Flame (1966) by Manning Lee Stokes
15. Hanoi (1966) by Valerie Moolman
16. Danger Key (1968) by Lew Louderback
17. Operation Starvation (1968) by Nicholas Brown
18. The Mind Poisoners (1966) by Lionel White/Valerie Moolman
19. The Weapon of Night (1967) by Valerie Moolman
20. The Golden Serpent (1967) by Manning Lee Stokes
21. Mission to Venice (1967) by Manning Lee Stokes
22. Double Identity (1967) by Manning Lee Stokes
23. Devil's Cockpit (1967) by Manning Lee Stokes
24. The Chinese Paymaster (1967) by Nicholas Brown
25. Seven Against Greece (1967) by Nicholas Brown
26. A Korean Tiger (1967) by Manning Lee Stokes
27. Assignment: Israel (1967) by Manning Lee Stokes
28. The Red Guard (1967) by Manning Lee Stokes
29. The Filthy Five (1967) by Manning Lee Stokes
30. The Bright Blue Death (1968) by Nicholas Brown
31. Macao (1968) by Manning Lee Stokes
32. Operation: Moon Rocket (1968) by Lew Louderback
33. Judas Spy (1968) by William L Rhodes
34. Hood of Death (1968) by William L Rhodes
35. Temple Of Fear (1968) by Manning Lee Stokes
36. Amsterdam (1968) by William L Rhodes
37. 14 Seconds to Hell (1968) by Jon Messmann
38. The Defector (1969) by George Snyder
39. Carnival for Killing (1969) by Jon Messmann
40. Rhodesia (1969) by William L Rhodes
41. The Red Rays (1969) by Manning Lee Stokes
42. Peking-Tulip Affair (1969) by Arnold Marmor
43. The Amazon (1969) by Jon Messmann
44. Sea Trap (1969) by Jon Messmann
45. Berlin (1969) by Jon Messmann
46. The Human Time Bomb (1969) by William L Rhodes
47. The Cobra Kill (1969) by Manning Lee Stokes
48. The Living Death (1969) by Jon Messmann
49. Operation Che Guevara (1969) by Jon Messmann
50. The Doomsday Formula (1969) by Jon Messmann
51. Operation Snake (1969) by Jon Messmann
52. The Casbah Killers (1969) by Jon Messmann
53. The Arab Plague (a.k.a. The Slavemaster in U.K.) (1970)
54. Red Rebellion (1970)
55. The Executioners (1971)
56. Black Death (1970)
57. Mind Killers (1970)
58. Time Clock of Death (1970)
59. Cambodia (1970)
60. The Death Strain (1970)
61. Jewel of Doom (1970)
62. Moscow (1970)
63. Ice Bomb Zero (1971)
64. Mark of Cosa Nostra (1971)
65. The Cairo Mafia (1972)
66. Inca Death Squad (1972) by Martin Cruz Smith
67. Assault on England (1972)
68. The Omega Terror (1972)
69. Code Name: Werewolf (1973)
70. Strike Force Terror (1973)
71. Target: Doomsday Island (1973)
72. Night of the Avenger (1973)
73. Butcher of Belgrade (1973)
74. Assassination Brigade (1973)
75. The Liquidator (1973)
76. The Devil's Dozen (1973) by Martin Cruz Smith
77. The Code (1973)
78. Agent Counter-Agent (1975)
79. Hour of the Wolf (1973)
80. Our Agent in Rome is Missing (1973)
81. The Kremlin File (1973)
82. Spanish Connection (1973)
83. Death's Head Conspiracy (1973)
84. The Peking Dossier (1973)
85. Ice-trap Terror (1974)
86. Assassin: Code Name Vulture (1974)
87. Massacre in Milan (1974)
88. Vatican Vendetta (1974) by George Snyder / Ralph Eugene Hayes
89. Sign of the Cobra (1974)
90. The Man Who Sold Death (1974)
91. The N3 Conspiracy (1974)
92. Beirut Incident (1974)
93. Death of the Falcon (1974)
94. The Aztec Avenger (1974)
95. The Jerusalem File (1975)
96. Counterfeit Agent (1975)
97. Six Bloody Summer Days (1975)
98. Dr. Death (1975)
99. The Z Document (1975)
100. The Kathmandu Contract (1975)
101. The Ultimate Code (1975)
102. Assignment: Intercept (1976)
103. Green Wolf Connection (1976)
104. Death Message: Oil 74-2 (1976)
105. The List (1976)
106. The Fanatics of Al Asad (1976)
107. The Snake Flag Conspiracy (1976)
108. The Turncoat (1976)
109. The Sign of the Prayer Shawl (1976)
110. The Vulcan Disaster (1976)
111. A High Yield in Death (1976)
112. The Nichovev Plot (1976)
113. Triple Cross (1976)
114. The Gallagher Plot (1976)
115. Plot for the Fourth Reich (1977)
116. Revenge of the Generals (1978)
117. Under the Wall (1978)
118. The Ebony Cross (1978)
119. Deadly Doubles (1978)
120. Race of Death (1978)
121. Trouble in Paradise (1978)
122. Pamplona Affair (1978)
123. The Doomsday Spore (1979)
124. The Asian Mantrap (1979)
125. Thunderstrike in Syria (1979)
126. The Redolmo Affair (1979)
127. The Jamaican Exchange (1979)
128. Tropical Deathpact (1979)
129. The Pemex Chart (1979)
130. Hawaii (1979)
131. The Satan Trap (1979)
132. Reich Four (1979)
133. The Nowhere Weapon (1979)
134. Strike Of The Hawk (Jan 1980) ^[15]
135. Day Of The Dingo (Apr 1980)
136. And Next The King (May 1980)
137. Tarantula Strike (Jun 1980)
138. Ten Times Dynamite (Jul 1980)
139. Eighth Card Stud (Aug 1980) by Robert E. Vardeman
140. Suicide Seat (Sept 1980)
141. Death Mission: Havana (Oct 1980)
142. War From The Clouds (Nov 1980)
143. Turkish Bloodbath (Dec 1980)
144. The Coyote Connection (Feb 1981)
145. The Q Man (Mar 1981)
146. The Society Of Nine (Apr 1981)
147. The Ouster Conspiracy (May 1981)
148. The Golden Bull (Jun 1981)
149. The Dubrovnik Massacre (Jul 1981)
150. The Solar Menace (Aug 1981) by Robert E. Vardeman
151. The Strontium Code (Sept 1981)
152. Pleasure Island (Oct 1981)
153. Cauldron Of Hell (Nov 1981)
154. The Parisian Affair (Dec 1981)
155. Chessmaster (Jan 1982)
156. The Last Samurai (Feb 1982)
157. The Puppet Master (Mar 1982)
158. The Dominican Affair (Mar 1982)
159. The Damocles Threat (Mar 1982)
160. Earth Shaker (Mar 1982) by Robert E. Vardeman
161. The Treason Game (Mar 1982)
162. Deathlight (Mar 1982)
163. The Israeli Connection (Mar 1982)
164. Norwegian Typhoon (Apr 1982) by Robert E. Vardeman
165. The Hunter (May 1982)
166. Operation: McMurdo Sound (Jun 1982)
167. Appointment In Haiphong (Jul 1982)
168. Retreat For Death (Aug 1982)
169. The Mendoza Manuscript (Sep 1982)
170. The Death Star Affair (Oct 1982)
171. Doctor DNA (Nov 1982) by Robert E. Vardeman
172. The Christmas Kill (Dec 1982)
173. The Greek Summit (Jan 1983)
174. The Outback Ghosts (March 1983) by Robert E. Vardeman
175. Hide And Go Die (1983)
176. The Kali Death Cult (May 1983) by Robert E. Vardeman
177. Operation Vendetta (1983)
178. The Yukon Target (July 1983) by Robert E. Vardeman
179. The Death Dealer (1983)
180. The Istanbul Decision (1983)
181. The Decoy Hit (1983)
182. Earthfire North (1983)
183. The Budapest Run (1983)
184. Caribbean Coup (1984)
185. The Algarve Affair (1984)
186. Zero-Hour Strike Force (1984)
187. Operation Sharkbite (1984)
188. Death Island (1984)
189. Night of the Warheads (1984)
190. Day of the Mahdi (1984)
191. Assignment: Rio (1984)
192. Death Hand Play (1984)
193. The Kremlin Kill (1984)
194. The Mayan Connection (1984)
195. San Juan Inferno (1984)
196. Circle of Scorpions (1985)
197. The Blue Ice Affair (1985)
198. The Macao Massacre (1985)
199. Pursuit of the Eagle (1985)
200. The Vengeance Game (1985)
201. Last Flight to Moscow (1985)
202. The Normandy Code (1985)
203. White Death (1985)
204. The Assassin Convention (1985)
205. Blood of the Scimitar (1985)
206. The Execution Exchange (1985)
207. The Tarlov Cipher (1985)
208. Target Red Star (1985)
209. The Killing Ground (1985)
210. The Berlin Target (1986)
211. Mercenary Mountain (1986)
212. Blood Ultimatum (1986)
213. The Cyclops Conspiracy (1986)
214. Tunnel for Traitors (1986)
215. The Samurai Kill (1986)
216. Terror Times Two (1986)
217. Death Orbit (1986)
218. Slaughter Day (1986)
219. The Master Assassin (1986)
220. Operation Petrograd (1986)
221. Crossfire Red (1987)
222. Blood of the Falcon (1987)
223. Death Squad (1987)
224. The Terror Code (1987)
225. Holy War (1987)
226. Blood Raid (1987)
227. East of Hell (1987)
228. Killing Games (1987)
229. Terms of Vengeance (1987)
230. Pressure Point (1987)
231. Night of the Condor (1987)
232. The Poseidon Target (1987)
233. The Andropov File (1988)
234. Dragonfire (1988)
235. Bloodtrail to Mecca (1988)
236. Deathstrike (1988)
237. Lethal Prey (1988)
238. Spykiller (1988)
239. Bolivan Heat (1988)
240. The Rangoon Man (1988)
241. Code Name Cobra (1988)
242. Afghan Intercept (1988)
243. Countdown to Armageddon (1988)
244. Black Sea Bloodbath (1988)
245. The Deadly Diva (1989)
246. Invitation to Death (1989)
247. Day of the Assassin (1989)
248. The Korean Kill (1989)
249. Middle East Massacre (1989)
250. Sanction to Slaughter (1989)
251. Holiday in Hell (1989)
252. Law of the Lion (1989)
253. Hong Kong Hit (1989)
254. Deep Sea Death (1989)
255. Arms of Vengeance (1989)
256. Hell-Bound Express (1989)
257. Isle of Blood (1989)
258. Singapore Sling (1990)
259. Ruby Red Death(1990)
260. Arctic Abduction (1990)
261. Dragon Slay (1990)

See also

• Able Team
• The Butcher
• Death Merchant
• The Destroyer
• The Executioner
• The Penetrator
• Phoenix Force

Footnotes

1. ^ http://www.thrillingdetective.com/trivia/avallone.html
2. ^ The Eyes of the Tiger
3. ^ Fraulein Spy
4. ^ The Eyes of the Tiger
5. ^ The Eyes of the Tiger
6. ^ Checkmate in Rio
7. ^ The China Doll
8. ^ The China Doll
9. ^ The 13th Spy
10. ^ A Bullet for Fidel
11. ^ Safari for Spies
12. ^ The Eyes of the Tiger
13. ^ Safari for Spies
14. ^ Saigon
15. ^ Number 134 to 179 are less certain numbering

References

• "Nick Carter bibliography". FantasticFiction. 2007. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/nick-carter/. Retrieved 2007-05-25.