Public Defender in Action #9

When a down-on-his-luck drifter named Barefoot Chuck Reed wakes on a park bench wearing a murdered socialite's shoes, Richard Manning, the public defender, suspects the evidence is too convenient. Manning digs deeper into the case, questioning a mysterious acquaintance and uncovering a crucial detail about a locket that could prove Barefoot's innocence and expose the real killer. It's a race to find the truth before an innocent man takes the fall for a crime he didn't commit.

When bank examiners uncover embezzlement at the Middleton Trust Company, vice president Amos Burton becomes the obvious suspect—but public defender Richard Manning isn't convinced. As Manning digs deeper into the case, he discovers that the real culprit may be closer than anyone realized, forcing him to expose a witness willing to lie under oath to protect the true thief.

Crack reporter Judy Jones spots a telltale clue—a large bow tie—in photographs from a jewel store heist and pursues the lead with characteristic determination, tracking down taxi drivers and staking out the waterfront. When the thieves realize a newspaper reporter is closing in on their hideout, they move to silence her permanently. Jones must use her wits and whatever's at hand to turn the tables on two desperate criminals who underestimated her tenacity.

A man freshly released from prison tries to build an honest life with his wife, but when an old criminal associate shows up demanding a favor, Eddie Moran's hot temper lands him in court facing an assault charge. Public defender Richard Manning believes in Moran's desire to go straight and devises a risky plan to expose the real culprit behind a larger crime, giving his client the chance he desperately needs to prove himself.