Newspaper noir

Trouble in a little town where a serial killer is at large.

Photographer Henri Barbier is lured by his old friend Barbara to fake the theft of her jewels. It turns out that he is suspected of murder and extortion, while Barbara and her lover are the culprits, which is eventually revealed.

News reporter John Desmond acquires operative Anna Ray's contact list after her shooting. Her criminal organization pursues him, entangling him in their illegal activities and a perilous chase.

Unscrupulous and opportunistic San Francisco news media photographer Jack Early steps on and uses folks to get ahead, but in the end he tangles with the wrong people.

A fast-moving automobile fails to make a sharp turn of the highway from Malibu to Los Angeles. It overturns and its occupants, Tim Slade, Newspaper man turned private investigator, and Hugh Fresney, managing editor of the Los Angeles Currier, are pinned underneath. Both are seriously injured and are unable to move. As they wait for the tide to come in and cover them, Fresney recounts that his boss, Clint VAughn has been killed, presumably by gangsters in the pay of Nick Dyke, who Fresney has fought against through his newspaper columns. Slade had been hired to avenge Fresney if Dyke's gang killed him in retaliation, Slade, one-time sweetheart of Vaughn's dipsomaniac wife Julie Vaughn, believed she still loved him, but he had fallen for Dana Jons, Vaughn's beautiful secretary. Police Detective O'Haffey investigated Vaughn's death and unearthed several suspects, including Slade, Julie, Dykes and Dana, but Slade was not satisfied and looked elsewhere.

A woman apparently marries a corrupt deputy D.A. to get evidence that a certain criminal was framed for murder.