Underworld #4

Two teen-aged criminals, Swifty Williams and Lil Badger, embark on a violent crime spree across the countryside, inspired by their idol and determined to avenge his capture—but their rampage draws the attention of law enforcement closing in from all sides. When they take a traveling magician named Zara Kenny hostage, they have no idea she's working against them in ways they'll never see coming. A gritty 1948 crime story that shows how twisted ambition and revenge can lead young lives down a deadly path.

When a speeding truck forces detective Dan Stacy and his assistant Ginger off the road near the waterfront town of Watertown, they discover a murdered truck driver—and stumble into a web of hijackings and sabotage that Sheriff Sam Bligh seems oddly reluctant to solve. As Stacy digs deeper into a series of thefts involving "worthless" ship-cleaning fluid, bullets start flying, and he and Ginger find themselves imprisoned and racing to crack the real scheme behind the waterfront's mysterious decay. This detective yarn unravels a cunning criminal operation hidden in plain sight.

When a wealthy man confronts his father's executor over a devastating embezzlement, a violent struggle erupts—and a shot rings out, leaving the executor dead. Detective Edgar Peck must untangle the mystery of who really pulled the trigger, as a trained dog and a crucial piece of evidence point toward an unexpected truth. A clever twist on guilt and innocence sets this 1948 case apart from your typical murder frame-up.

Spiritualist con man Slick Conley has perfected a racket preying on grieving people—using fake séances and inside information to bilk them out of their savings, then steering them toward phony mining stock. When a sharp young policewoman, Jean Adams, goes undercover as a client to gather evidence, she discovers far more than she bargained for, and the stakes shift from fraud to something far more dangerous. It's a clever battle of wits and deception where even the criminals' own tricks may turn against them.

When childhood petty thieves Rocky Caforti and Mike Conley catch the eye of crime boss Dutch Krug, they're recruited into his ruthless beer empire during Prohibition—until ambition and resentment threaten to upend the entire operation. This hard-hitting crime tale from *Underworld* #4 charts the rise and fall of two young hoods learning that loyalty in the underworld comes with a deadly price.

Richard Kane and Laurence Doyle are tired of working with crude criminals, so they strike out on their own with a novel approach to burglary—committing their crimes with impeccable manners and erudite conversation, earning themselves the nickname "the Polite Burglars." As the cultured duo elude police while stealing from society parties and galleries, the law devises a trap to catch them at last. Their refined methods may set them apart from common crooks, but there's no escaping the final reckoning.

Butch McGinty tries his luck flirting with what he thinks is a cute stranger on the street, but his attempt at smooth talking backfires when she recognizes him from a crime he committed the night before. What starts as a confident pickup line ends with the law closing in faster than he can talk his way out.

A young man claiming Spanish nobility insinuates himself into a Chicago mob in 1932, saving its leader's life and earning the nickname Spanish John—but his charm and ruthlessness mask a hunger for power that will ultimately turn the gang against itself. Told from the cold perspective of a criminal underworld, "The Caballero Killer" peels back the legend of the dapper charmer to reveal what truly lies beneath his tailored exterior and aristocratic airs.