Martin Kane, Private Eye #2

Martin Kane takes on a deadly assignment: escorting atomic physicist Professor Yugar and his classified H-bomb trigger plans from New York to Washington by rail—but the job turns into a desperate chase when mysterious gunmen intercept the train and make off with both the Professor and the briefcase. Working from a slim lead found on one of the thieves, Kane infiltrates a suspicious experimental theatre and finds himself drawn into a dangerous dance of deception with Marta Voreine, an actress with her own agenda, as the case spirals toward answers that could reshape the balance of power.

Martin Kane lectures a police athletic league on how natural athletes sometimes turn to crime—and uses Zack Bodego, the Crusher, as a cautionary tale. This muscular vagrant-turned-wrestler begins a criminal career stealing from small towns, and his path soon leads him into the orbit of the scheming Arch Megger, who sees far bigger opportunities to exploit Zack's raw strength. Kane's investigation traces the Crusher's descent from petty robbery to something far more dangerous.