Shocking Mystery Cases #60

Duke Morane thinks he's found the perfect crime formula—scout a target, disable its defenses from the inside, and strike when the moment's right—but his arrogance and his crew's loose tongues might be exactly what brings the police down on him. Detective Sergeant Sam Ellis is closing in, and Duke's confidence that he's "too smart" for the law is about to meet a very different kind of reckoning. A sharp reminder that even the slickest schemes unravel when criminals believe themselves untouchable.

In pre-Nazi Vienna, the beautiful and ruthless Hilda Pomeroy sets her sights on wealth through manipulation and poison, charming an elderly admirer while her jealous boyfriend Karl tempts her with a deadly scheme. As Hilda climbs higher through each calculated act, the thorough detective Mr. Rankert begins closing in, uncovering the truth behind a web of suspicious deaths and insurance schemes. Justice proves as relentless as her ambition in this dark true crime tale.

In 1850s New York, the ruthless gang leader Bill "Bill the Butcher" Poole dominates the West Side through violence and intimidation, working for the political boss Rynders at the Americus Club—until the fierce fighter Morrissey challenges his supremacy and threatens to tear the operation apart. As rival gangs clash over control of elections and the ballot boxes themselves, Bill must contend with enemies closing in from all sides, including the vengeful Jim Turner and Lew Baker who share an undying hatred for him. Political brutality and street warfare collide as these strongmen battle for dominance in a lawless era.