Prize Mystery #3

A lieutenant investigating a hijacking on Route 25 questions the truck driver, Sal Trapan, about how the thieves knew which vehicle carried valuable furs—a detail supposedly known to no one. As the driver recounts the robbery, the detective spots a fatal inconsistency in his story that reveals his own guilt. Can you solve the mystery before the case closes?

Charley Hoxey's whole life has been shaped by hunger, but when a mysterious man offers him anything to eat he wants, his dream seems finally within reach. Suspicious but hopeful, Charley orders an elaborate feast—only to discover the man's generosity comes with a devastating price. A sharp tale about desire and the true cost of getting what you've always wanted, wrapped in the dark humor Prize Mystery does so well.

A young man desperate to prove himself worthy of promotion learns that success demands brains—until he steals a rare stamp from his boss's collection and discovers that conscience weighs heavier than ambition. When L.W. Harris discovers the theft, the employee faces an unexpected choice between keeping quiet and doing what's right, testing whether he truly has the intelligence he's been claiming all along.

Young Tod Hunter adores his grandfather, a former sheriff brimming with tales of the Old West—stories that comfort the fearful boy far more than his worried mother approves. When Tod's beloved grandpa passes away, the grieving child clings to a small wooden sheriff figure carved as a gift, believing it will protect him just as his grandfather promised. But a cunning criminal has noticed the wealthy boy's vulnerability, and plans to exploit it for ransom.

A hardened crook named Lefty escapes from prison with revenge on his mind—he's determined to settle the score with the detective who sent him up. But when Lefty breaks into the detective's home to set his trap, he discovers that his adversary's wife is far more formidable than he bargained for. What looks like the perfect opportunity for vengeance becomes something very different when intelligence and quick thinking turn the tables.