Crime Does Not Pay #30

Monk Eastman rises from the tough streets of Corlears Hook to become a ruthless crime boss, building a fearsome gang and running protection rackets across the Bowery with brutal efficiency. As his power grows and his ambitions expand, Monk's violent methods and reckless decisions begin to catch up with him, drawing unwanted attention from those determined to stop his criminal reign. Adapted by Dick Wood, this hard-hitting account of a real underworld figure shows how raw ambition and cruelty in the crime world eventually lead to a reckoning.

A cocky drifter named Star Daley murders a rancher and kidnaps the man's widow, convinced he's untouchable because Texas law forbids capital punishment—but the desperate widow and outraged townspeople have other plans. When Daley escapes from a conveniently loosened jail cell, frontier justice catches up with him in ways the law never could. This true crime tale shows how a killer's arrogance can be his own undoing.

When D. I. Davis escapes from a Texas prison farm with help from his brother Colly, the two launch a brazen robbery spree across Amarillo that leaves a trail of violence in their wake. As authorities close in with little to go on but a telltale scar, the brothers' desperation and willingness to use guns pushes them deeper into crime—and bloodshed. This true crime story from 1943 charts how a family bond twisted toward lawlessness ultimately leads both men toward a reckoning with justice.

A pair of laughing killers—James Roedl and Leroy Ritchey—lead a rampage of theft and murder across the country, treating their crimes like a twisted joke. But when greed turns partners against partners and ambition outweighs loyalty, both men find themselves locked behind bars facing the ultimate consequence for their mockery of the law. Based on a true crime account, this story shows how even the most brazen criminals can't laugh their way out of justice.

When convicts Riordan, McGale, and Walters smuggle guns into Sing Sing, they hatch an audacious escape plan—one involving hidden rope, a secret tunnel, and careful coordination among the prison's trusted workers. Their breakout succeeds, but the manhunt that follows proves far deadlier than the walls they left behind.

In 1925 Cicero, Detective Sweeney spots a car full of mobsters who appear ready for violence and moves to intercept them before a gang war erupts. When the criminals pull over and draw their guns, Sweeney springs into action—and his quick thinking and experience help him track down the fleeing suspects and bring them to justice.

In Depression-era Texas, lawman Johnny Sherman is investigating a wave of car thefts when he's mysteriously shot and killed—his only clue a pair of distinctive patent leather shoes left at the scene. As local authorities piece together the case, they uncover a desperate gang of thieves led by a dapper criminal who refuses to answer for his crimes without bloodshed. With each new robbery turning violent, the law closes in on the "Patent Leather Killer," determined to prove that justice in Texas runs swift and sure.

Charles Biro and Bob Wood, editors of Crime magazine, receive an anonymous letter from Fritz Dorsen confessing that he plans to murder correspondent Victor Dane—and inviting them to witness it. Racing to Dane's apartment, they arrive just in time to catch the killer red-handed and turn him over to police. But when they return to the crime scene to gather sketches for their story, they discover a detail that doesn't add up, setting them on the trail as amateur detectives to uncover the truth behind the murder.