Police Comics #118

Detective Ken Shannon takes on a seemingly straightforward blackmail case when Gloria Akely seeks his help—her past love letters are being used to extort her, threatening to expose a scandal that could destroy her husband's government career. But when the blackmailer, the unsavory Lester Pizer, turns up shot dead right before Shannon's eyes, the detective finds himself in a bewildering bind: the body vanishes, his skeptical homicide contact won't believe him, and a mysterious new player emerges with the corpse and demands of their own. As Shannon digs deeper into this tangled web, he discovers that without a body, the law may not protect him—or his client—the way he'd hoped.

When a factory fire claims the life of its janitor, Inspector Marty Denver takes on what looks like a routine arson case—until he discovers the owner, George Seevers, has motive and means. Using psychology and a calculated bluff, Denver sets a trap to uncover whether Seevers hired the arsonist or if there's something darker at play.

T-Man Pete Trask is caught in a deadly international conspiracy when he arrives in Karachi expecting to meet an old friend—only to discover Jimmy Ladras has vanished under mysterious circumstances, and his replacement, Ray Dastur, has a dangerous assignment involving the volatile Kashmir Conference. Trapped in a web of intrigue and abandoned on a Parsi burial tower to die, Pete must uncover who's behind a world-shaking frameup and why the Maharajah and his daughter Mirvani are playing a deadly game with foreign powers.

Detective Alan Sykes investigates a shooting at the Casino Club, where owner Nick Sergeant claims he killed his former partner Joe Duncan in self-defense—but the detective spots a fatal flaw in the story that proves murder, not protection. This "Pict-O-Crime" puzzle challenges readers to spot the same clue before the solution is revealed.

Officer Gary Malone has a soft spot for the people on his beat, but his compassion puts him at odds with the hardened criminals operating in his neighborhood—particularly Nick Kronin, who runs a protection racket that has the merchants terrified into silence. When Malone tries to help Mr. Slater and his rebellious son Louie, he unwittingly draws Kronin's dangerous attention, forcing a confrontation that will test whether a good-hearted cop can be tough enough to take down a crime boss and his gang.