Trapped! #1

A young magician's love of sleight-of-hand tricks turns into a crooked career of high-stakes card games and con jobs across luxury liners and New York hotels, until his path intersects with an unexpected passenger—the very author whose book inspired his criminal education. As Gil Bass and his crew close in on their next mark, they discover their target knows exactly who they are and what they've been doing. This sharp crime tale explores how a single moment of fascination can set someone down a dark road, with no shortage of clever tricks and double-crosses along the way.

Mickey Toady, a hardened ex-con with a hair-trigger temper, lands a warehouse job after burning bridges in the crime world—until he stumbles onto a shipment of genuine pari-mutuel ticket paper destined for the racetrack. Spotting a chance to print counterfeit betting tickets and get rich quick, Mickey persuades a coworker named Gandry to help him pull off the scheme, but their operation soon draws the attention of the law. The walls close in as Mickey makes a desperate run to escape with his stashed cash and the evidence of his crimes.

Mike Joyce tried to escape a gangland trap by running away with Lila and a fortune stolen from his mob boss, only to discover that hiding in a small town under a new identity couldn't protect them from the past. When Trick Volper's gunmen track them down, Mike must face the man he double-crossed—and learn that his talent for painting might be the only thing worth saving. A gritty crime tale about a washed-up artist who gambles everything on redemption, only to find that retribution catches up faster than forgiveness.

Twin brothers Fred and George Morley seemed destined for different paths—one decent and hardworking, the other drawn to trouble—but when they both fall for beautiful Helen Morris, their diverging lives collide with tragic consequences. Years later, as Fred descends into the criminal underworld working for racketeer Ben Anthony, George's honest metal stamping business becomes an unexpected target, forcing him to confront just how far his brother has fallen. District Attorney Wayne Leonard's crusade against the city's growing gang violence sets the stage for a reckoning that neither brother may survive.