Crime and Punishment #73

When boxing fixer Angel Torak's corruption scheme hinges on a championship fight, undercover detective Ben Noran infiltrates the crime boss's inner circle by posing as a crooked operator—but the boxer he's been ordered to manipulate refuses to take the dive, even knowing what happened to fighters who defied Torak before him. As the title bout approaches and the stakes mount, Noran finds himself caught between his undercover role and his growing respect for a fighter willing to risk everything to stay honest.

In Midvale, a gang of street toughs has turned the city's dark alleys into a hunting ground, stripping parked cars and leaving a trail of beaten victims in their wake. Patrolman Eddie Jackson, sidelined with an injury but desperate for action, goes undercover among the gang to earn their trust and learn their operation from the inside. When Jackson finally infiltrates their ranks and discovers their next big job, the hunt reaches a deadly turning point.

Everyone dismissed Egbert as a dumb mutt without the brains for police work, but the scruffy dog possessed something far more valuable—guts and determination. When a butcher is found dead and his killers lay an ambush for the cop investigating the crime, Egbert's instincts and loyalty become the only thing standing between his partner and a deadly crossfire. Sometimes the qualities that matter most can't be taught in a training school.

In mid-1920s Hell's Kitchen, a scrappy street kid named Lucky Dropper is spotted by mobster Mike Torro and offered a shortcut out of poverty—a job in Torro's protection racket. Though his friend Johnny warns him there's no escape once you're in, Lucky takes the deal, believing he can build a quick bankroll and walk away. Years of crime follow, and Lucky rises to become the ruthless "King of the Underworld," but his promises to himself prove hollow as he finds himself trapped in an ever-tightening web of violence and fear.

When a revival of the musical "Great Views" begins rehearsals, director Max Lillian must choose a lead from among the hopeful actresses—but backstage murders and a missing knife turn the production into a crime scene. As the body count rises and suspicion falls on the understudy Cora Fontaine, Scott Seven and the investigating officer must uncover whether someone is eliminating rivals for the starring role, or if there's a darker secret lurking in the theatre's past.