Underworld #9

When Big John Fernandez faces deportation for his racketeering empire, he vows to become a criminal without boundaries—and sails for Rio de Janeiro to start fresh. But Rio already has a king-pin in Senhor Big Mike Cortez, and he's made it clear there's no room in his city for a loud American operator. Stripped of his wealth and forced to survive on the streets, Big John devises a cunning scheme to reclaim his power, only to discover that even his newfound allies may have ambitions of their own.

When a string of mysterious wins at Monte Carlo's famous casino threatens the bank's profits, authorities suspect croupier Luigi Renaldi of somehow controlling the wheel—but the real scheme runs deeper than anyone imagined, involving a tall American gambler named Phil Henderson and a web of corruption that stretches far beyond the roulette tables. As the Sûreté closes in on Henderson's operation, a murder surfaces that may finally provide the evidence needed to stop him. This crime story weaves together glamorous casino intrigue and gritty detective work into a taut seven-page mystery.

When Willis Whitman uses his wealth and influence to prey on a struggling trucking operator and his daughter Rhoda Walker, his schemes of blackmail and sabotage set off a chain of violence that draws the attention of a determined investigator. As arson, assault, and mystery surround the Walker family, a careful detective begins piecing together clues—a white mask, torn fabric, and gasoline-stained gloves—that will expose the real criminal hiding behind a respectable businessman's facade.

An honest man in the wrong place at the wrong time, Jack Moon watches a card game at a cheap hotel and finds himself framed for murder when violence erupts—now he's hunted by both cops and the gangster "Red" Mike who set him up. Desperate to clear his name, Jack pursues Red through city streets and into a tense confrontation at a gambling casino, where he finally gets the chance to prove his innocence to the authorities. With the truth hanging in the balance and danger closing in from all sides, Jack must stay one step ahead of the law long enough to expose who really pulled the trigger.

When harbor police close in on a freighter with a tip about smuggled jewels aboard, mess-hand Arthur Radd finds himself caught between the incoming search and the contraband he's hidden—with just an hour to figure his next move. It's a high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse on the docks, where one wrong decision could sink everything.

When Mary Hudson seeks spiritual guidance at a fashionable "Mind and Body Society," she falls under the spell of the mysterious Swami Rah and his increasingly expensive séances—unaware that her new guru and his associates are running an elaborate con with hidden gadgets and clever deceptions. As Mary's obsession deepens and her family's finances crumble, her suspicious husband Joe decides to investigate the operation himself, only to discover the racket is far more dangerous than simple fraud. What unfolds is a dark lesson in how greed and false promises can destroy everything a family holds dear.