At last! The return of Doc Savage’s cousin! (#SFWApro)

The best thing about the Doc Savage novel Fear Cay is that Pat Savage returns. We’ll get to the novel in the following post, but right now, let’s focus on Pat.
Pat debuted eight months earlier in Brand of the Werewolf, as an 18-year-old relative orphaned by the bad guys. In the middle of Fear Cay, she shows up in New York, informing Doc that after the excitement of battling murderous cutthroats with him, the Canadian wilderness is just too damn dull. Next thing you know, she’s helping investigate the sinister Fountain of Youth, Inc.; when the bad guys try to kidnap a young woman, Pat pulls a fast one and substitutes herself. She later admits she wound up facing more danger than she expected—”but I don’t mind much.”
Pat’s back again in Death in Silver, the follow-up book, which sets up the new status quo for her: Owning and running a Park Avenue beauty salon/health club that caters to the city’s elite. Which is pretty impressive for a woman who’s only 19. Unfortunately her role in the action is one fight protecting a witness, then she’s captured. Of course, all of Doc’s men get captured regularly, but they get more to do first.
The book specifically states that Pat wanted to sign on with Doc’s team full-time but Doc decreed it was an unsuitable job for a woman (though she would horn in on multiple adventures over the year). It’s a rather abrupt transition (taking place between books) and the beauty salon comes out of the blue which makes me wonder if he’d originally planned on her joining up, or at least thought about it. Then he changed his mind and settled on the beauty salon as keeping her available for occasional appearances. But that’s speculation, but maybe not.
Either way, it’s nice to see her again.