Thomas now lives on the estate of wealthy novelist Robin Masters (who is never seen) and provides security for the grounds in exchange for living quarters. Thomas reports to British manservant Jonathan Quayle Higgins III whom Magnum suspects is really Robin Masters.

To get around the island Thomas has two options. He can snag a ride from his buddy Calvin who runs a helicopter service, or he can borrow one of Robin Masters' Red 3 litre V8 308 Ferraris parked on the estate. Most times, Thomas opts for a ride in a Ferrari, but first he must get past the ever-watchful eyes of Higgins and his Doberman pinscher guard dogs Apollo and Zeus who roam the estate and who are none to fond of Thomas. But usually with a little bit of finesse and fast foot work, Magnum outwits Higgins and the dogs and gets a car off the estate to go investigating crimes. Thomas charges $200 a day plus expenses for his services. In his spare time, Thomas worked on the manuscript entitled How To Be A World Class Private Investigator.

When not on the trail of a suspect, Thomas visits his friend Rick Orville Wright, a bartender and managing partner at Thomas’ favorite hangout, The King Kamehameha Club where he can also find Theodore “T. C.“ Calvin, the owner of Island Hoppers Helicopter Services [Magnum served with T. C. in Vietnam]. Magnum's other acquaintances included Carol Baldwin, the assistant district attorney; local policeman Lt. Tanaka; Francis Hofstetler [a.k.a. “Ice Pick”] an elderly underworld boss who helps Thomas from time to time; navy Lt. Maggie Poole; and Lt. Mac Reynold, Magnum‘s navy buddy [killed in 1982]. Cynthia Farrell, an attorney became Magnum's love interest after he traveled to Los Angeles to serve her with a subpoena – courtesy of Robin Masters. Thomas’ relatives included his mother Katherine Peterson; his father, Lieutenant Thomas S. Magnum senior; stepfather Frank Peterson; Magnum’s grandfather Thomas Sullivan Magnum II; cousins Billy and Karyn; and Aunt Phoebe Sullivan.

Thomas Magnum with his friends Rick, Calvin and Higgins

So, what are Magnum's typical clients like? Well, they range from celebrities, total strangers, local friends and military veterans. In the celebrity department there was the case involving an obnoxious tennis star who hired Thomas as a bodyguard; the case concerning the shotgun suicide of a beautiful film queen; the case of a sassy prima ballerina whom Thomas needed to protect; and the case when Thomas teamed with mystery novelist Jessica Fletcher to discover who was trying to kill one of Robin's guests. Oh, and let's not forget the young prince threatened by Terrorists who takes refuge at Robins Nest.

Strangers to cross Magnum's path included a wrestler who finds his long-lost son (who insists his father died in 1955); an old blind woman being blackmailed over something in her granddaughter's past; a Chinese girl who hires Magnum to protect her and an ancient vase from the Tong. And speaking of artifacts, there was the case when Magnum was hired to protect a cursed Hawaiian artifact that appeared to be killing anybody who tried to possess it. Magnum also had occasional brushes with the Underworld as when he got involved with a samurai from Japan who sought a porcelain plate stolen by Ninja warriors; or the time when Magnum rescued a friend of Robin's from Sicilian mobsters.

Former military also presented Thomas with challenges. A supposedly trusted Vietnam veteran suckered Magnum into transporting an order of encyclopedias (filled with marijuana) and then there was an old Navy buddy found dead with 10 bags of cocaine in his stomach. Even a British general on the lamb from IRA thugs sought sanctuary on the Masters' estate and a former Russian pilot defected to the US and hired Magnum to kidnap his fiancée from the KGB. Magnum also came to the aid of a young woman to prove her father innocent of desertion charges (from Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941) and in so doing, have his ashes buried on his ship: The USS Arizona.

When Thomas wasn't battling Ninjas, Sicilian mobsters, or conmen, he found the time help out his friends in need like the case when Magnum investigated the death of a lady surfer; the case when Thomas helped his pal T.C. when he was arrested for smuggling a man into Hawaii; the case when Magnum's friend Rick inadvertently purchased a stolen yacht; or the case when Higgins was accused of murdering the abusive husband of his former fiancé. And when he ran out of friends to help Thomas took up the causes of animals as in the time he helped a woman guard her dogs from dognappers or the time he signed on to protect a farmer's prize jumping horse.

Besides Magnum's "normal" cases, there were also a number of unusual ones. They included the case about a ghost of a woman who committed suicide 35 years earlier; the case of woman who hires Magnum to portray a Bogart style private eye to fulfill one of her fantasies; the case when Magnum solved an old case (while sleeping) of a labor leader accused of murdering a wealthy industrialist; the case of a psychic who hires Thomas after she "sees" her own murder; and the case when Magnum got locked in a bank vault with a loony dame named Susan Johnson, who later returned to Hawaii to give Thomas more grief.

Continued next page >

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