Little Al of the Secret Service #3

Secret Service agent Little Al and his partner Ox Collins are sent to Istanbul to make contact with Piper, a European resistance leader fighting Soviet occupation—a mission that has already claimed four American agents. When a porter steals one of Al's bags at the airport, the agents don't realize they've walked straight into a trap set by the ruthless Communist operative Timko, who's trained his vicious wolfhounds to track them using the scent from Al's stolen shirt. As Al and Ox close in on their target in a local café, they discover that nothing in this shadowy world of espionage is quite what it seems.

Little Al and his sidekick Ox Collins are assigned to crack a spy ring determined to steal America's most secret weapon—an atomic artillery shell—by tracking a seemingly ordinary clerk named Maxon who's been leaking information. When the trail leads them to Madame Umbraga's fortune-telling operation and a suspicious oil tanker called the "Vespole" lurking off the Jersey coast, Al discovers the spy network may be using the crystal ball readings as a cover for wireless transmissions. With Ox hospitalized after a mysterious attack and only the clue-gathering Linda to help him, Al must infiltrate Madame Umbraga's inner circle before the ring completes its dangerous objective.

When a Secret Service agent uncovers counterfeit bills in rural Michigan, he and his partner follow an unexpected trail of clues—dead fish in the creek—that lead them straight to a hidden operation run by a pair of criminals masquerading as lodge developers. What the counterfeiters didn't realize is that their own carelessness would give them away in the most surprising way.

Little Al Conway, the mighty mite of the Secret Service, plunges into a dangerous case when he infiltrates a gang smuggling defense materials to enemy nations—only to find himself thrown overboard with a concrete block tied to his feet. Rescued from the sea and armed with a cryptic clue, Al tracks the operation to a shadowy figure known as Dakor, who orchestrates the entire smuggling ring from high atop the Empire State Building using concealed signal equipment. With help from Rita Vernay, a woman trapped in the gang's web, Al sets his sights on cornering his quarry where the city spreads out below them.

The Secret Service deploys a range of investigative techniques to crack down on criminal enterprises, from examining office waste for incriminating evidence to employing expert safe-crackers and language specialists in the field. This educational story walks through real methods used to gather proof against suspects, including surveillance technology and careful forensic work that leaves no trace of investigation. Discover how the agency's specialized personnel and equipment combine to build airtight cases against even the most cunning offenders.