Once Upon a Star — Kendell Foster Crossen

In four zany episodes, the unflappable detective Manning Draco travels the 35th-century galaxy to tackle a variety of insurance frauds, scams, and con men. In the process, he encounters bizarre-looking aliens from different planets, woos the most alluring humanoid females, is almost forced to wed a crocodilian princess, competes in futuristic games, and finally overcomes his rivals to win the affection of the fairest damsel in all of outer space. Three further adventures in the Manning Draco series await the reader of volume 2, Whistle Stop in Space. Kendell Foster Crossen, a mainstay of the science fiction pulps in the 1950s, also published over forty-five detective and spy novels under a variety of pseudonyms, including M.E. Chaber, Christopher Monig, Richard Foster, and others.