The Menace

The Menace (1928) is a science fiction novella featuring Taine of San Francisco, Keller's recurring detective character. Published in Amazing Stories Quarterly (Summer 1928), the story follows Taine through four connected adventures as he confronts a mysterious criminal organization called "The Powerful Ones" whose schemes threaten the economic and social stability of the United States.

The novella is part of Keller's "Taine of San Francisco" series, which appeared in Hugo Gernsback's pulp magazines throughout the late 1920s and early 1930s. While the story reflects the racial attitudes and pseudoscientific ideas common in pulp science fiction of its era, it remains a significant example of early American science fiction detective fiction.