Tommy of the Big Top #12

Young Tommy Tilton and his friend Hamgravy arrive at a rival carnival run by the crooked Carney Calson, hoping to convince him to move his show elsewhere—but discover that Calson plans to use a beautiful dancer named LaRue as cover while his pickpockets rob the crowds blind. When Tommy and Hamgravy learn that LaRue is being held against her will and threatened by Calson's thugs, they spring into action to help her escape the carnival's clutches before opening night.

When Tommy and Hamgravy help Larue escape from Carney Calson's carnival and bring her to the safety of the Bingham Circus, they think their troubles are over—but Calson's thirst for revenge won't be satisfied so easily. In a case of mistaken identity, the vengeful carnival boss and his men kidnap Sue Graham instead of Larue, setting off a tense chain of events that forces Tommy to slip back into Calson's territory undercover and match wits with a criminal desperate enough to do anything to keep his scheme under wraps.

Tommy searches the Calson Carnival for his kidnapped friend Sue Graham, but gets tangled up with Sally, a smooth carnival operator, and her muscular boyfriend Big Sam—who's all too eager to throw his weight around. When Tommy nearly stumbles onto Sue's hiding place, a clever escape plan and a hastily thrown hair ribbon become his only clues to cracking the case wide open.

Tommy and his friend must infiltrate a carnival to rescue Sue, who's being held captive by the sinister Carney Calson in one of the wagons. Using the cover of darkness and quick thinking, they navigate the carnival grounds to reach Sue before Calson's gang can stop them. It's a race against time as Tommy's enemies close in—will our heroes manage their daring escape?