Crime Must Pay the Penalty #2 (1948)

In the aftermath of a high-stakes mail truck robbery in Elizabeth, New Jersey, a group of criminals—Crowley, Killer, Cunniffe, and others—seize a fortune in payroll cash, only to begin turning on one another as paranoia and betrayal take hold. As law enforcement launches a massive manhunt across the country, the survivors flee from the law and each other, haunted by guilt and the ever-present fear of being exposed.

Walter Leganza, the ruthless "Tri-State Devil," leads his gang in a series of escalating crimes—from bank heists to hijackings—driven by greed and a brutal disregard for human life. After a failed ambush in Washington, D.C., and a desperate escape, he’s forced to flee, only to discover that one of his own, a captured informant, is alive and in a hospital. As the F.B.I. closes in and his gang fractures under pressure, Leganza’s paranoia and violence spiral, setting the stage for a final, desperate reckoning.

Harry Tracy, a violent convict with a taste for murder and escape, orchestrates a daring breakout from prison using cunning and deception, then teams up with his equally ruthless partner Dave Merrill in a relentless flight across the Northwest. As law enforcement closes in, Tracy’s sharp instincts and brutal tactics keep him one step ahead—until fate and the law finally catch up to his latest scheme.