Operation: Peril #3

Early pioneers faced their greatest test when crossing the treacherous western rivers—and survival depended on skill, courage, and knowing which method would work. From bull boats crafted from buffalo hides to perilous wagon fords through quicksand and hidden rocks, "River-Crossings Were Rough!" reveals how the settlers of the Old West conquered one of their most dangerous obstacles.

Deep in the Amazon jungle, Dr. Bartley and Dr. Eliot embark on an expedition to witness the Jivaro death ritual firsthand—but when Bartley learns that Eliot has secured the museum directorship he coveted, jealousy and ambition consume him. That night, as the drums of the Jivaro ceremony echo through the darkness, Bartley discovers something far more sinister than rivalry: glowing, talking things that cast curses on those who would disturb them. What unfolds is a tale of envy turned to horror, where the jungle's ancient magic exacts a price neither man anticipated.

In 1868 Fire Acres, California, the meekest man in town—checker champion Giles Hayes—is reluctantly elected sheriff to stop the dangerous outlaw Harrison Daly, with the townspeople banking on an unconventional strategy: Hayes's mastery of checkers might be the key to outwitting a man no gunslinger has survived facing. Agreeing to the unlikely plan, Hayes takes on the badge knowing his only real strength lies at the checkerboard.