A Woman at Bay; Or, A Fiend in Skirts

Introduce detective Nick Carter, known for his cunning, called upon by a railroad president to investigate a shadowy criminal mastermind rumored to run the yeggmen network across the rails. He and his diverse team—Chick, Patsy, and Ten‑Ichi—go undercover, blending in with a rough camp of tramps. The story opens around a crackling fire where the line between lawman and outlaw blurs.

As Carter listens to the men’s slang and learns about the legend of “Hobo Harry,” the king of hoboes, the stakes become clear: thousands of dollars lost each month to coordinated thefts. The narrative follows Carter’s methodical pursuit, balancing wit, disguise, and the gritty reality of the railway underworld. Listeners will be drawn into a tense chase that pits a seasoned detective against a phantom leader whose existence is as contested as his crimes.