Strange Suspense Stories #18

Sam Match earns his reputation as the Matchless Firebug by torching buildings for pay, but when a client named Kron hires him to burn down a warehouse for insurance money, Sam decides to keep more than his agreed fee—by using the same incendiary liquid that fuels his crimes in a way that eliminates witnesses. What Sam doesn't realize is that Kron's parting gift, an expensive cigar, has already been treated with that very same accelerant, and karma has a way of catching up with those who play with fire.

In "Tight Squeeze," prospector Jeb stages a murder to steal his partner Vance’s share of gold dust, framing it as a robbery with Jeb as a victim—except his plan hinges on a flaw he didn’t anticipate.

Ace Madigan, a fearless photographer, ventures into the remote Kalanga village to capture the legendary dragon ritual—a ceremony shrouded in danger and sacrifice—despite warnings that outsiders never return alive. Hidden inside the sacred idol itself, Madigan documents the proceedings and even rescues an unconscious girl meant for sacrifice, but his interference with ancient tradition sets off a chain of events that puts him directly in the path of the dragon's wrath.

Two escaped convicts—twin brothers with a deadly history—collide in a cramped apartment where vengeance, betrayal, and mistaken identity spiral toward a brutal end. As one brother tries to slip away from a vengeful rival, the arrival of the other and the closing net of the law turn "Face to Face!" into a tense crime tale where nobody walks out unscathed.

In "Dead Right!" from *Strange Suspense Stories* #18 (1954), two ambitious reporters chase a lead that takes them to Mr. Mord’s eerie wax museum—only to find the exhibits are far too lifelike to be mere displays. What begins as a routine assignment quickly spirals into something far darker, as the line between art and reality begins to blur in the most unsettling way.