Detective and Mystery – Retro Radio Podcast

Despite being his secretary, Effie is jealous over seeing Sam out with another woman. He soon returns to the office to deliver the report on his latest case. The weather had been bad, and the same for business. Donald O Stryker comes from an old English family, and wants to hire Sam. A dieing man warns him to beware of a siren, and gives him a picture. Is it just a wacko, or is there real concern? Checking on leads,Sam finds an out of tune boarding house matron, singing to an also out of tune piano. Sam isn’t in time to stop a murder, but he lets the cops handle the matter. His next step is to track down the siren in the picture. Murder seems to be a step ahead of Sam, as his trail grows closer to the red headed dame in the picture. Visiting the morgue, Sam discovers more clues about the murders connected to the dame. Though he tries to warn Dundee, the cop can’t do much about crimes that haven’t happened yet. Sam is sure the dame isn’t the killer, but that she’s working with someone. What’s the motive behind it all? Tailing a contact, Sam is led to the dame, and a connection to a plan that was hatched from prison, and is now playing out. Will he ever catch up to the evasive dame? Will he Figure out a trap to catch his bad guys? You know he will, and the truth will be exposed.

There’s a matter of a stolen diamond, and a murdered body that has Johnny Dollar on the case. He goes to interview the family to learn what he can about the events, especially the missing diamond that his company insured. Who knew about the diamond, where it was, and the combination to the safe? Might the family lawyer hold some answers? Johnny uncovers a romance between the daughter and Carragan the lawyer. When Johnny gets too close to the truth, he gets a thump on the head for his troubles. The cops are called onto the case, and Betty, the daughter, becomes their main suspect when a gun with her fingerprints is found. Though the murder seems to be under control, Johnny is still an insurance investigator, and the diamond is yet to be found. Johnny finds yet another player in the story, a hired man to do the dirty work. It’s the thug who slugged him, but he doesn’t seem to know much more. Johnny is sure that when he finds the diamond, he’ll find the killer as well. The widow holds the answer, but the danger and plot twists aren’t over yet.

Chasing down clues, Marlowe gets slipped a mickey. Is it related to the crime he’s working on? It doesn’t matter because now, Marlowe is out for vengeance. The bar tender claims to be a fan of the famous Hollywood detective. Philip finds his man, but its too late, Sammy has already been killed. The trail involves jewel thieves, and a jewel covered lady in a mansion. Before he’s done, Marlowe may also be looking at a thump on the head, but is he going to be on the giving, or receiving end of it? At gun point, Marlowe is forced to take a long drive to nowhere. A traffic ticket is just the thing to save Marlowe’s life, but he has too many loose ends to wrap up. The trail of thugs seem endless, but at least one provides the clue to rush back to the jewel covered Bessie and her mansion. Answers explode to the surface to put an end to the mystery. Note: Verna Felton plays both the crusty land lady of the cheap flophouse where Marlowe found his first body, and the ritzy lady with the diamonds. Also the snooty lady in the French jewelry store.

The wife of a public relations man comes to Nero Wolfe to turn a gun over to him. She tells the rotund detective her plan, and how easy it would be to kill the man she no longer loves. Her mind has been constantly working out to kill her husband in her mind, and the temptation grows. Will simply handing the gun over to Nero ensure she won’t be blamed if her husband should be killed? Is that all it will take to hire Nero to represent her in all confidence and shield her from the police? Examining the gun, Archie can’t prove conclusively it hadn’t been fired recently. No smell of gun powder, and no empty chambers, but it doesn’t mean it hadn’t been cleaned and reloaded. Sure enough Barry ends up dead, and Nero needs to get more details from the victim’s wife. Where was she? What was the timeline of the where abouts of her husband… the maid? Frustrated, and barely convinced of her story, Nero sets Archie on the street to find out all he can, and stay a step ahead of the cops. It doesn’t take long for Inspector Kraemer to come knocking on Nero’s door. Though he thinks Nero is with holding information, Nero is prepared to tell all if a ballistics report links the gun to the murder. More suspects emerge. How does the employee of the dead man fit into the mystery? Is he privy to screwy business relations? A part of a love triangle with his wife? Nero has his work cut out as he investigates the new developments, and interviews the players. The strange, and wealthy business clients are caught by Archie, and along with a secret lock box, he wrangles them all to Nero’s office. Cutting to the chase, Nero identifies a motive of black mail. He’s sure his client didn’t kill her husband, but will he wring out the information he needs to expose a killer? It means turning up the fire under the feet of the business partners, and applying some extortion of his own. Frustrations come to a boil for Kraemer, and Nero still has loose ends to work out, but stand by for the big reveal with all the suspects brought together in Nero’s office.

Effie Perine is in tears, but is it over something she did wrong? Sam comforts her, and dictates his report to her. He had gone to a client who needs help locating her long lost husband. Sam is familiar with her story, and the scam she has fallen into. Though she is amazed he knows about it before she can tell it, it’s an old con that Sam knows all about. It doesn’t take much for Effie to pull out the records that Sam needs, although she seems to be having trouble knitting argyle socks. Pedro Rodriguez is tied to other gangsters who claim a Spanish prisoner needs help getting bailed out. In return, treasure troves of gold will be repaid to the one helping him. Sam convinces the not so bright gangsters he wants to be in on the scam too. Sam has one problem, he looks too honest to satisfy Lola that’s he’s a real crook. Suspicions break out in fist fights, which means Sam wakes up from a thump on the head. Getting hold of his cop friend, Dundee, Sam tries to turn the matter over to the bunko squad. Things escalate fast when murder enters the picture. When Effie tells how she grabbed the wrong file, Sam learns he’s not dealing with a simple con game, but with counterfeiters. Not one to take being conned, Sam manages to turn the tables for justice. amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "retrootr-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_title = "Sam Spade on Amazon"; amzn_assoc_asins = "B00BDR8A9M,B006421JJY,1570196451,1932806229"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "d044d97d5e71edb0df9497c070c428e8";

In the third day of the trial, Nero Wolfe is called on to take the witness stand. First, the manager of a boarding house tells how the policy works to accept callers. What are the other events of the evening that Mr Bagby witnessed on that crucial night of the murder? Stepping out of the court room, Nero shares to Archie why he thinks the testimony is preposterous. Taking the opportunity outside the court, Nero does his own investigating of the impudent creatures. Is there evidence of tampering with witness testimony? Who had motive? Who else are players in the mystery? Philanthropists, women in a love triangle, secrets, and cover ups abound. Nero is determined enough that he actually has been outside the office, and tramping the streets, in the fresh air, with Archie Goodwin. Wading through hostile suspects, Archie finds some that are friendly, and even oppressed by some big players in the mystery. With the cops on the look out for Nero, who ducked out of court, he and Archie have to evade their usual stomping grounds. Where will Nero go to lay his head? Will he have the evidence he needs by the next day’s session in court? Nero finds himself in a tricky situation, where he needs to speak with the witness for the opposition, but do it without being arrested. Time for swearing in at court, and Nero takes the stand. Relying on his genius, Nero evades being trapped by the law as he presents the facts. Facing charges of contempt of court, taking the law into his own hands, and possibly worse, Nero Laying out all the details, Nero has his big reveal in court.

Protecting the interests of his insurance company, Johnny is on the way to the island nation of Haiti. He has to investigate the case of a man diing of a voodoo curse. Doubting the superstitious element, Johnny looks into the mans personality by interviewing his family and friends. He explores the medical outlook on superstitions like curses. Johnny even visits the witch doctor who placed the curse to find out what he can learn. Not believing the smoke and mirrors routine of the witch doctor, Johnny goes back to the ship that’s anchored in the harbor to confront the family, and the bogus tricks surrounding the curse. Is it all for real, or just a scam? The tricks used to substantiate the curse are actually based on good science, and any of them could produce a deadly situation, putting poisonous gases in the air, or displacing oxygen. Johnnies interferance may have gotten rid of the witch doctor, but now the people behind the anticipated murder have to resort to more common ways to deliver death. He has it figured out, and Johnny has to act fast. In one fell swoop Johnny nabs the bad guys, and rescues his client from the mental stress that he has been under. PS: In facing the witch doctor, Johnny basically tells him to leave the matter alone or risk losing his license to practice. Huh? Do witch doctors have a license, or need one? I don’t think it matters all that much. It makes me wonder where I might go to get my degree to practice witch doctoring. Do they need to consult a witch pharmacist? Or do they handle their own prescriptions? What about collecting on bills? Pay up or I’ll shrink your head! Can you imagine the piped in music in the waiting room? Soft, easy listening versions of That Old Black Magick, or The Cipmonks sing the Witch Doctor Song.

Out on the streets, our hardboiled detective gets a broken leg that’s bad enough to require a stay in a hospital room. While flat on his back, a dame comes to him with trouble with her gambling brother. This is such an easy job that Marlowe can handle it from his hospital bed… right? Calling in some favors, and street contacts, he soon ends up with body in his room, while shady characters parade through the room, and out the fire escape outside the window. Is there more going on besides the gambling? Who would want to interfere badly enough to bring murder into the picture? Through the string of folks passing through the room, one after another, dames, bookies, and thugs of all shapes and sizes, Marlowe is finally confronted by the killer, and has to do some fast bluffing to save his life. He is bluffing… right? Note: I purposely cut my show note short today. I like the concept of solving a mystery, without the need to hit the streets. However, I have some issues with the story. First, where are the nurses? Why did nobody discover there was a body in the room… at all… other than Marlowe who never calls it in. Shouldn’t the nursing staff have been concerned about a ton of people going to visit a patient, but few of them leaving, since some of them went out the window? I get the idea of a window that opens to a fire escape. Though that practice isn’t done anymore in modern high rise buildings, it was common back then. Good try to the story writers, but I felt it was a little over the top.

Audio is good, maybe a little muffled, but still good. Nero and Archie bicker over looking at the comics page. Sent out on messenger duty, Archie visits a room full of temperamental writers. The frustrations with the eccentrics are alleviated for Archie when a dame, and executive secretary fills him in on the meeting. A theft of a gun, and a list of people who had access to the desk where it was stored are revealed. Will it be so easy to figure out who the surprised burger was? Archie is detained, since the artists can’t be rushed, and their quirks be disturbed. Battling radios at full volume, drafty windows, breakfast after noon, and more. As he passes time, the quirks won’t stop. Hours pass, but the creative juices of art seem to be shutting his questions off. Archie has enough of being jerked around, and though the original gun has shown up, his is missing. It’s enough to make him swear… just a little bit. What do you think? Isn’t it about time a body makes the scene? Inspector Kramer is called, but the cop thinks Archie is telling lies when he explains what happened. Suddenly, the artists tell conflicting stories as to why they hired Nero, and what Archie was supposed to be doing. The other artists and writers seem to have stories to put Archie on the hot seat. Why are they lying, and setting Archie up? What part does the monkey have in the weird crime? Back in the office, Archie tells Nero all the details. The scandal soon spreads to threaten to take down Nero’s detective business as well. Dirt is dug up on the artists and writers. Confrontations made. You know how this ends… Nero cuts through the twisted mess of a mystery. Get ready for the big reveal, and the truth behind the vendetta against the rotund detective.

Responding to a call to meet a client in the local dive, the Blue Chip, Marlowe is to pose as a man who is targeted for death. How will this help protect the man, and won’t that mean that Philip may end up being dead himself? Despite the danger, its right up Marlowe’s alley. It doesn’t take long before Marlowe finds the man has already committed suicide, and a roving thug ends up with a thump on the head from Marlowe, and tucked away in a tool crib. The goal is to keep the suicide a secret for as long as possible, as leverage to win a cash settlement in a legal case, but when the wife of the dead man shows up, that could be hard to do. Going into battle damage control, Marlowe goes to ensure the lid is kept on his thug, but he only finds that the body count has risen. Sharing what he knows thus far with his client, secrets burst to the surface, as twists to the story emerge. New threats to Marlowe’s life kick it up a notch, and our hard boiled detective will need to think fast if he wants to stay alive to share yet another insightful and sentimental epilog to the show.

A man who has been claimed to be dead four years ago is seen alive. Now the insurance company needs to verify the matter and either prove fraud, or learn what’s going on. Johnny heads out to interview George Brewster, the man who has been sighted and may be the aledged dead Earl Chadwick. The mousey man is reluctant to admit who he is at first, but his story reveals how his wife ran off with the insurance money. What will happen when a confrontation between Earl, his wife, and her new husband goes down? Is George actually Earl, or has he faked his identity? Dental records could hold the answer, unless they’ve been misfiled, or has false evidence been planted? Are the police certain about their files on Earl? Is George just a fraud who heard about the old case of fraud and embezzlement, and is trying to take advantage of Earl’s widow and her new husband? Questions, questions, questions. Murder could be brewing, and it’s up to Johnny to stop it, and get to the bottom of what’s going on with the mixed up identity. Which will it be, the case of a gold digger who ran off with defrauded money? Or a wacko who wants adventure in his boring, mousey life? There may not be a tidy conclusion, but Johnny blows the lid off the truth.

As Archie sets the stage, Nero steps out for some shopping, with the complaining Fritz. A customer pops in to tell Archie her story. Has she seen a rival business woman in cahoots with someone in her firm? Will Nero take well to being interrupted from his private time to learn of the case? When the woman ends up strangled in Archie’s absence, Nero has little choice, but to be forced to get involved? Inspector Kramer is on hand, and is sure that Archie is holding back information. The upset Nero is ready to call out all the operatives he has at his disposal, but twists keep showing themselves in the matter. Nero is dead set on solving the crime before the cops, and gets more information from the head of the company. Let the betrayals and parade of lies begin. Nero tears into the rival reputations between the companies. He spares no expense to find out names. The investigators are being investigated, but the tables will soon be turned as clues and motive begin to materialize. Alibi’s, possible love triangles, and the uphill battle to learn the killer’s identity may only come after the cops have won this one,

Join in to enjoy this rehearsal where the transitional music is gone, but the drama remains. Johnny finds himself in a matter that’s delicate and requires extreme caution. Sidney Ryecroft has been kidnapped, and time is short. Will a payoff be forced, or can Johnny manage to turn the tables? There’s no garantees with a kidnapper, and though the money is dropped off, Johnny has to nervously await word for when and where to pick up Sidney Ryecroft. While he does, he learns that shady events may have been afoot. Sidney is a champion boxer, but is the kidnapping a fraud, or not? Who would benefit from his being taken out of action? Or who might benefit from his timely release? Still digging for the truth, all Johnny knows is that the ransom money is in the hands of the kidnappers, as is Sidney. He puts his doubts on the line to Mrs Ryecroft, but does she know anything helpful? When the word arrives that Sidney is found dead, her sadness is believable, and Johnny moves his questioning in a new direction. Turning up the heat only brings out dangers for Johnny, and rather than phoning for the police to handle matters, he races in to face it himself. Stand by for the truth, and confessions to come pouring out in the uncovered plot twist that explains all.

A cantankerous business partner wants to make sure his partner doesn’t short change him, or try to kill him. The man’s wife is more practical. She just wants things to continue, nobody to be killed, and the business to go on being lucrative. When Eugene is found dead with Nero’s receipt on his person, the genius detective is forced to report what has transpired in his office. Accusations fly, and the suspected business partner seems just as surprised to learn of his partner being blown up. Inspector Kramer wants to arrest the wife of the dead client, but Nero thinks that’s as preposterous as arresting the dead man himself. Nero sets Archie, and his sometimes extra man, Saul, onto tracking down the suspects. Annoyed by the idea of the wife as the suspect, he is sure the partner, Blaney, did it, but just needs more solid evidence against him. Is there a woman involved… a love triangle? Archie looks for all the tricks. The novelty gags are examined by Nero Wolfe, but has he underestimated the deadly potential? The investigation has taken complex turns, with bodies piling up, but Archie is beginning to pull the matter to a close. The whole processes has inspector Kramer exploding in rage over Nero playing fast and loose with the law. A man hating dame is behind the matter, and though Nero may or may not think she did wrong, he doesn’t like being played for a fool. He tells all to Kramer in clarifying the mystery.

The man with the action packed expense account, Johnny Dollar. Johnny pays a call at the estate of the wealthy Harold Trandom. An attempt on his life was made, and while Johnny is talking over the matter, a shot rings out, and Harold Falls dead from the bullet. Where did the shot come from? Who had the opportunity to do it? With his cantankerous attitude, there’s a long list of people who might have had it out for Mr Trandom. Mrs Trandom is a woman who had it all, money, furs, a comfortable life, but she lived in a bitter marriage without love. Who is Lila? Charities are also the recipient of the dead Harold’s wealth, and might have a reason to inherit them earlier. To learn the truth, Johnny races to find out what dirt that he might be able to dig up. Aided by Harold’s former bodyguard, Max, Johnny makes the rounds to fill out the slate of characters and their motives for the murder. A manhunt is in full swing to find the fleeing Mabel Transom before another murder is on their hands. Did Mabel kill her husband? Who wants her dead? Listen in and these questions won’t be mysteries any longer. Get ready for a happy, and just ending that Johnny doesn’t always get the opportunity to experience.