Detective Picture Stories #4

In "Fifty Dollar Ride," a young driver named Jo takes a simple job to deliver a car to Chesterton—until he finds a dead gangster in the trunk. With no time to think, Jo alerts the police, setting off a tense plan to catch the remaining criminals before they strike again.

Hammer Donovan, a man with a past and a badge, is pulled back into the fray when a string of police killings rocks the city. With the underworld shielding the killer and his gang, Hammer must navigate a web of secrets and danger—no rules, no safety net, just a single mission: find them before they strike again.

When petty criminal Tony ropes nightclub dancer Dot Brown into an easy-money scheme, she agrees to pose as a wealthy socialite during a high-society party—but Pat O'Day's detective work uncovers far more than a simple jewel heist in this 1937 crime tale by Joe E Buresch. As Pat pieces together the suspicious behavior of the woman claiming to be the Dexters' daughter, a kidnapping plot emerges from the shadows of what started as a straightforward robbery. The real crime is far darker than anyone suspected, and O'Day is on the case.

In "Kidnapped," football star Tom Collins is snatched by the crooks Spike and Rose, who plan to keep him from playing in a crucial game. With quick thinking and nerves of steel, Tom pretends to be sick, then turns the tables by crashing their car and alerting a passing officer—just in time to make it to the field and help his team win.

Detective Clem Bowers stumbles onto a slick con when a well-dressed stranger poses as a wealthy patron at a barbershop, then vanishes after leaving three street kids in barber Angelo's care—and disappears without paying. When the same smooth talker later tries to pull a violin scam using planted cheap instruments and a fake millionaire routine, Bowers shadows him across town and rounds up both the con man and his accomplice. There's poetic justice waiting back at Angelo's chair for the crook who thought he could outsmart a detective.

Inspector John Darrin pursues the master spy known as The Brain, who's orchestrating a dangerous plot involving naval secrets and the new battleship U.S.S. Alaska. When Darrin infiltrates The Brain's headquarters, he uncovers the gang's scheme to spy on the ship's tests—but The Brain has other plans for the inspector. Darrin manages to escape and teams up with the Navy to intercept The Brain and his operatives before they can strike.

In "The Will of Uncle Dan," cousins Banning and Tom gather at the bedside of their ailing uncle Dan, where a deadly secret stirs beneath the surface. When Banning tries to eliminate Tom to secure the inheritance, Tom’s survival sets off a race against time—just as Dan faces the final decision on his will.