In Tom Swift and His Great Searchlight, Tom is asked by the U.S. Customs Department to help them catch smugglers who are bringing into the U.S. valuable goods from Canada by patrolling the border in one of his airships. Tom is willing to help, but needs to invent a strong searchlight in order to tell friends from foes. As luck would have it, some wires powering one of Tom's regular searchlights get crossed, resulting in a beam that shines for miles and miles! Amazing! In short order, Tom and his buddies are in the air looking for bad guys. Wait until you see who they catch!
Victor Appleton was a pen name used by at least eight authors who wrote for Edward Stratemeyer. Of the 38 titles in the first Tom Swift series, Howard Garis (April 25, 1873 November 6, 1962) wrote the first thirty-five, while Harriet Stratemeyer Adams (December 12, 1892 March 27, 1982), daughter of Edward Stratemeyer, wrote the remaining three.