Each guide is written from the episode itself, sets up the story and never gives away the ending. Every recording is remastered for the stream: cleaned of rumble, hiss and mains hum (and the old TV whine where we found it), then levelled in two passes to steady broadcast loudness, so one show is never quieter than the next.
Box 13: 84 episode guides
Box 13 - A Perfect Crime (1948)
Mystery writer Dan Holiday receives a letter from Dr. John Dobbs, a criminology professor, claiming he will commit the perfect crime and inviting Holiday to be his audience. After discussing the theory of an unsolvable murder, Dobbs calls Holiday three days later and asks him to fly to Chicago, where he confesses to police that he has killed a woman named Caroline Standish. The police release them both without charges.
A city with an airport and connections to Chicago; Dr. Dobbs' rooms at the university; an airplane; Chicago police headquarters; Dan Holiday's apartment · Dan Holiday, Dr. John Dobbs, Susie, Lieutenant (police officer)
Listen for: The clever setup of Dr. Dobbs' theory about the perfect crime and his mysterious confession to a murder he may or may not have actually committed.
Box 13 - Actor's Alibi
Dan Holiday receives a mysterious invitation to a radio broadcast, where he meets actress Jean Blake at a restaurant. She reveals she needs his help, claiming she will be killed, and desperately pleads for his assistance despite his reluctance to get involved.
A radio station, the Mayfair restaurant, and Dan Holiday's office in the city. · Dan Holiday, Susie, Jean Blake, Marvin Masterson, Pop
Listen for: A mysterious woman's plea for help, a cryptic phone call, and the revelation of a murder threat.
Box 13 - Archimedes and the Roman (1948)
Dan Holiday receives a letter from a young boy named Marty Kennedy in Collinwood asking for help. Marty is worried that something has happened to Ted Whitman, an astronomy assistant at the Williams Observatory on a nearby mountain peak, because Ted hasn't come down for his weekly visit or signaled from the tower as usual. Holiday drives to the observatory to investigate and discovers that something sinister is indeed happening at the facility.
Collinwood and the Williams Observatory on a mountain peak · Dan Holiday, Marty Kennedy, Susie, Ted Whitman, Professor Irving
Listen for: A boy's mysterious letter, a tree house meeting, signals from a mountain observatory, and danger at the observatory facility.
Box 13 - Blackmail Is Murder
Dan Holliday, a writer seeking story ideas, receives an urgent letter from Agatha Marsh asking him to come to her hotel room. When he arrives, she reveals she has discovered a dead man in her closet and begs him to help her dispose of the body rather than call the police, fearing the scandal it would bring to her reputation back home in Indiana.
The Star Times newspaper office and Room 718 of the Bradford Hotel in the city · Dan Holliday, Agatha Marsh, Susie, Lieutenant Kling
Listen for: The tense confrontation when Lieutenant Kling arrives at the hotel room to investigate a tip about the dead body, forcing Holliday and Marsh to face the consequences of their decision to hide the corpse.
Box 13 - Dan and the Wonderful Lamp (1948)
Dan Holiday wins an ugly lamp at a charity bazaar after finding a mysterious note directing him to guess the number of beans in a jar. When he takes the lamp home and falls asleep, he's knocked unconscious and his apartment is ransacked by burglars—but they steal nothing of value, leaving Dan convinced they were after something hidden inside the lamp itself.
A charity bazaar, Dan Holiday's office, and his apartment · Dan Holiday, Susie, The night manager
Listen for: The mysterious note that appears in Dan's pocket, the strange burglary that targets nothing of value, and Dan's discovery that the lamp may contain something worth stealing.
Box 13 - Daytime Nightmare
Dan Holiday accepts a lunch invitation from attorney Mr. Waring, who promises adventure and profit. Instead of a conversation, Holiday is drugged, abducted, and placed in a sanitarium where he is told he is Edward Stokes, a supposedly insane man. Holiday discovers that Stokes is actually dead, and that Waring, Stokes's wife, and the sanitarium's Dr. Cordell have orchestrated an elaborate frame to make Holiday the perfect patsy for murder.
A city restaurant, a private sanitarium, and the surrounding woods and roads near the sanitarium · Dan Holiday, Mr. Waring, Susie, Dr. Cordell, Hugo, Samuel, Edward Stokes, Clarice Stokes
Listen for: The clever murder scheme where Holiday is made to impersonate a dead man so he'll take the fall for a crime, and his desperate escape through the woods
Box 13 - Daytime Nightmare (1948)
Dan Holiday accepts a mysterious lunch invitation from attorney Mr. Waring, who offers him a dangerous proposition involving a ten-million-dollar estate. After lunch, Waring takes him for a ride, and Holiday awakens in a sanitarium, where he is told he is Edward Stokes, a patient who needs a year of rest—despite his insistence that he is Dan Holiday, a writer.
A city with the Golden Arrow restaurant and a private sanitarium · Dan Holiday, Mr. Waring, Susie, Mr. Cordell, Samuel, Hugo, Edward Stokes
Listen for: Holiday's attempts to convince his captors of his true identity and his discovery that Waring and Cordell have somehow imprisoned him under a false name
Box 13 - Death Is No Joke
Dan Holiday arrives at the country estate of Bernard Trendler, who recently inherited a substantial fortune after being missing for fifteen years. A series of escalating pranks and vandalism has been plaguing the household, and Alex fears someone intends to commit murder. Dan investigates the mysterious incidents and uncovers a dangerous deception at the heart of the family mystery.
Bernard Trendler's country estate and surrounding areas including a high school and town · Dan Holiday, Alex, Ruth, Bernard Trendler, Henry Drenner, Martha Drenner, Susie
Listen for: The revelation of the practical jokes as a cover for something sinister, the brake line sabotage, and the shocking identity fraud that explains the entire mystery
Box 13 - Death Is No Joke (1948)
Dan Holiday arrives at the Trendler estate after receiving a mysterious letter from his friend Alex. A valuable inheritance has brought Bernard Trendler home after 15 years away, and since his arrival, the household has been plagued by increasingly vicious practical jokes that are escalating from harmless pranks to genuinely dangerous incidents.
The Trendler family estate, a wealthy household with multiple rooms including a library and bedrooms. · Dan Holiday, Alex Jovon, Bernard Trendler, Henry Trendler, Martha Trendler, Ruth, Susie
Listen for: The escalating nature of the practical jokes and hints about who might be behind them; tension between the household members over Bernard's inheritance.
Box 13 - Death Is a Doll (1948)
Dan Holliday arrives in Baloo, Louisiana to investigate a mysterious illness afflicting Bart Lefay, a young man who is wasting away despite medical tests showing nothing physically wrong. The townspeople believe Bart is dying from witchcraft, and Bart himself is convinced he has only two days to live. Holliday must uncover who started the rumor and why it persists before the power of belief destroys an innocent man.
Baloo, Louisiana, a small town on the edge of the bayou in the early 20th century. · Dan Holliday, Doris Gordon, Bart Lefay, Dr. Brennan, Susie
Listen for: The growing mystery of Bart's wasting illness and Holliday's investigation into the source of the witchcraft rumor that is killing a man through belief alone.
Box 13 - Delinquent's Dilemma (1948)
Dan Holiday receives a pencil-written note leading him to Mrs. Kerr, whose son Biff sits in jail accused of breaking into a store and stealing a cash box. Though Biff initially denied the crime, he suddenly confesses, but Dan suspects the boy is lying and taking the fall for someone else. When a mysterious visitor appears in Dan's apartment in the dark, threatening him to lay off the Kerr kid, the case becomes far more dangerous than a simple theft.
A city with a jail, a store, and Dan Holiday's apartment · Dan Holiday, Mrs. Kerr, Biff Kerr, Cling, mysterious visitor
Listen for: The puzzle of why Biff would confess to a crime he didn't commit and the identity of the mysterious intruder warning Dan away from the case
Box 13 - Design For Danger
Dan Holiday receives a plea to help Johnny Tide, a young man freshly released from prison who is believed to be seeking revenge against Rick Martin, the man who framed him. Holiday tries to talk Tide out of violence, but the situation spirals into murder when Rick Martin is killed and suspicion falls on the ex-convict. Holiday must uncover the real killer before more people die.
Watertown, a rough section of the city, including Patty's pool room, the Blue Chip nightclub, an oil barge, and a warehouse by the pier · Dan Holiday, Johnny Tide, Janice Reed, Rick Martin, Fatty Ralston, Tyler Bennett, Lieutenant Cling, Suzy
Listen for: The clever use of Egyptian cigarettes and oil from the barge as clues to identify the true killer, and Holiday's realization that he was shot in the back while facing Johnny Tide
Box 13 - Design for Danger (1948)
A girl named Janice Reed sends a desperate message to Dan Holiday asking for help when Johnny Tide is released from prison. She fears he will kill or be killed by morning, but insists there is good in him. Holiday arrives in Watertown to investigate and discovers that Johnny was framed by Rick Martin, a man who wanted the same girl that Johnny loved.
Watertown, a separate district of an unnamed city, including its waterfront, pool room, pawn shop, and the Blue Chip nightclub · Dan Holiday, Janice Reed, Johnny Tide, Fatty Rosten, Rick Martin, Lieutenant Clinton, Tyler Bennett
Listen for: The mystery of why Johnny Tide was really framed and what he plans to do now that he's been released from prison
Box 13 - Double Trouble
Dan Holiday receives an anonymous typed letter asking him to come to an apartment to prevent a murder. He arrives to find Pat Kennedy dead, and becomes the prime suspect when he's discovered alone with the body. A mysterious man named Philip Duvall bails him out and reveals he knew the victim, then turns up murdered himself, forcing Holiday to piece together the real killer's identity.
Edgemont, a city three hours away by train, featuring an apartment building on North Greeley Street and police headquarters. · Dan Holiday, Susie, Pat Kennedy, Lieutenant Johnson, Cassidy, Marvin Redmond, Philip Duvall, Mrs. Duvall
Listen for: The clever trick Holiday uses to alert someone in the police station, the revelation that a cop is the killer, and Holiday's deduction about the typewritten letter and the missing original.
Box 13 - Extra Extra
Dan Holiday, a writer who runs an advice box, is visited by young Johnny Moran, a newspaper boy whose father has been arrested for a jewelry store robbery. Johnny desperately believes his father is innocent and asks Holiday to help prove it, but the evidence—stolen goods found in Moran's apartment—appears damning, and the district attorney dismisses Holiday's inquiries.
A city with a jewelry store, police headquarters, and Holiday's office in a building with a mail drop called Box 13. · Dan Holiday, Susie, Johnny Moran, John Moran, Clark, Grace Woolard
Listen for: A young boy's faith in his father's innocence and Holiday's struggle to decide whether to take on a seemingly impossible case of proving a man innocent when the evidence points clearly to his guilt.
Box 13 - Find Me, Find Death (1948)
Dan Holiday, a trouble-solver whose advertisements appear in the Star Times, receives an anonymous letter threatening to kill him within four days. The writer challenges Holiday to discover his identity before the deadline, warning that if Holiday contacts the police, he will be killed immediately. Holiday begins investigating the threat, consulting a psychiatrist about the psychological profile of such a person, while grappling with the terror of not knowing who wants him dead.
A big city with an apartment building, the Star Times newspaper office, and various urban locations · Dan Holiday, Susie, Lieutenant Cling, Apartment building clerk, Psychiatrist, Doctor
Listen for: The tension builds as Holiday receives threatening letters with countdown deadlines and must decide whether to risk police involvement or investigate alone; the psychiatrist's analysis of the killer's psychological need for superiority
Box 13 - Flash of Light (1948)
Dan Holiday receives a letter from Jerry Fuller, a small-town boy who has lost two days of his life in the city and fears returning home. Dan investigates Jerry's mysterious blackout at the Red Swan nightclub, discovering the young man was accompanied by an unknown woman who checked him into a shabby rooming house as his wife. As Dan begins to unravel the mystery, a violent stranger emerges from Dan's own apartment, and Jerry arrives beaten and terrified.
A big city with the Red Swan nightclub, a cheap rooming house on East Central Street, Dan Holiday's apartment building, and Union Station depot. · Dan Holiday, Jerry Fuller, Susie, The landlord, Kitty, Jerry's landlord
Listen for: The mysterious flash of light Jerry remembers from the Red Swan, the identity of the woman who accompanied him, and why a stranger was in Dan's apartment.
Box 13 - Hare and Hounds (1948)
Dan Holiday receives a mysterious out-of-town letter at his Box 13 office, but a peculiar visitor named Mr. Worker steals it during a seemingly friendly visit. When Holiday travels to Bridgeport to investigate the letter's intended recipient, Arthur Holmes, he discovers the man murdered in his apartment and finds himself holding the murder weapon, framed for a crime he didn't commit.
Dan Holiday's office at the Star Times newspaper, an apartment building in Bridgeport, and an all-night hamburger stand · Dan Holiday, Susie, Mr. Worker, Arthur Holmes
Listen for: The clever clue of the blotter that reveals the Box 13 address, Worker's suspicious behavior and theft of the letter, and Holiday's predicament as the prime suspect in a murder he didn't commit.
Box 13 - House of Darkness (1948)
Dan Holiday receives a mysterious letter from a blind man named William Michaels who has discovered a hidden message scratched in Braille on a library book reading "Help me. One, two, one, seven, Granger Avenue." Holiday and Michaels trace the book's checkout card to Mrs. Martha Corbett and decide to investigate further, leading Holiday to visit a doctor whose name appears connected to the case.
A city with a public library, Braille reading room, and doctor's office; the story involves tracking a mysterious Braille message and following leads through library records. · Dan Holiday, William Michaels, Susie, Mrs. Martha Corbett, Dr. Folsi
Listen for: A desperate cry for help hidden in plain sight within a Braille book; the suspicious reactions when Dan Holiday mentions Mrs. Corbett's name to the doctor.
Box 13 - Insurance Fraud
Dan Holiday receives a mysterious summons to meet with Abner Blake, the chief investigator for Northern Insurance. Blake believes that Dr. Max Alexander, who disappeared seven years ago after a failed brain surgery, is actually alive and faking his death to allow his widow to collect on his large insurance policy. Blake hires Holiday to find the missing doctor before the seven-year limit expires and the insurance company must pay out.
A city with newspaper offices, insurance company building, and various locations where the investigation leads · Dan Holiday, Abner Blake, Susie, Dr. Max Alexander, Mrs. Alexander, Alexander's daughter
Listen for: The mysterious anonymous message in Box 13, Abner Blake's cold determination, and Holiday's initial reluctance to take on an insurance fraud case
Box 13 - Killer At Large
Dan Holiday receives a letter from Simon Andrews requesting that he kill him. When Holiday investigates, he learns that Andrews has paid $25,000 to a man named Benny Franklin to hire an assassin. Franklin turns up dead, and Holiday must track down the mysterious killer named Scott before Andrews becomes the next victim.
A city with a gambling syndicate, cocktail lounges, and various residences including Andrews' house on South Marvin Boulevard and an apartment building where Holiday lives. · Dan Holiday, Simon Andrews, Susie, Benny Franklin, Mrs. Franklin, Scott, Nicky, Talling
Listen for: The clever twist where Holiday uses a bluff to catch the killer by claiming he called the police, when he actually never did.
Box 13 - Killer at Large (1948)
Dan Holiday receives a mysterious letter from Simon Andrews requesting that Holiday kill him, offering $50,000. When Holiday arrives at Andrews' house to investigate, he discovers Andrews has actually paid $25,000 to a middleman named Benny Franklin to arrange his own murder. Now that Franklin has been killed in what appears to be an underworld slaying, Holiday must track down the unknown assassin before Andrews becomes the victim of his own twisted plan.
A large house on South Marvin Boulevard; the city streets and homes where Dan Holiday investigates the mystery. · Dan Holiday, Simon Andrews, Susie, Torey, Benny Franklin, Mrs. Franklin, Scott
Listen for: The noir atmosphere of a man trapped by his own suicidal scheme; Holiday's attempts to uncover the identity of a hired killer working in the shadows; the revelation that Andrews' middleman has been murdered, cutting off the only link to the assassin's identity.
Box 13 - Last Will and Nursery Rhyme (1948)
Dan Holiday accepts an invitation to spend a relaxing weekend at his friend Ted Kenworth's inherited estate, Pharaoh's. Ted reveals that despite his uncle's reputation for wealth, he left behind only the house and no money. When Dan hears mysterious footsteps in the night and discovers signs of someone searching an upstairs room filled with childhood toys, he begins to suspect the missing fortune may still be hidden somewhere on the grounds.
Pharaoh's, a large mansion Ted inherited, located in the countryside about 200 miles from the city · Dan Holiday, Ted Kenworth, Susie, Helen Stark
Listen for: The mysterious sounds in the night and Dan's growing suspicion that something valuable is hidden in the old house despite Ted's insistence there's nothing to find
Box 13 - Mexican Maze
Dan Holiday receives an urgent letter from Arthur Mead, a man in Mexico City claiming he's in mortal danger and requesting his help. When Holiday arrives and tries to locate Mead, he discovers a tangle of connections involving Robert Lucas, an importer with sinister intentions, and Marilyn Cooper, a dancer who warns that Lucas wants to prevent Mead from closing a crucial business deal.
Mexico City, including Robert Lucas's office, the Club of the Three Flowers nightclub, and a rooming house on Alvarado Drive · Dan Holiday, Arthur Mead, Robert Lucas, Marilyn Cooper, Barnes
Listen for: The mystery deepens as Holiday closes in on Mead's location, with questions about Mead's criminal past, the nature of the export business deal, and what Lucas is truly after
Box 13 - Much Too Lucky
Dan Holiday, a mystery writer, arrives in a city where betting agents are losing thousands weekly to a mysterious winning syndicate. The culprits consistently pick long shots that no one should be able to predict in advance, and none of them ever visit the track. Holiday investigates the most consistent winners and arranges to meet Terri Vaughn, a singer who has won twenty thousand dollars today alone with seemingly impossible bets.
A city with legal betting agents; a betting office with a wire room receiving live race broadcasts from the track; a nightclub where Terri Vaughn sings. · Dan Holiday, Bert Hendricks, Susie, Billy, Terri Vaughn, Mike
Listen for: How Dan Holiday discovers the method behind the impossible winning streak; what connection Terri Vaughn has to the syndicate; how the winners are getting advance information about race outcomes.
Box 13 - Much Too Lucky (1948)
Dan Holiday investigates a scheme defrauding betting agents across the state. A mysterious group of twenty consistent winners, who never visit the racetrack, manage to place bets on long shots just before races begin and never lose. Holiday's investigation leads him to interview Terry Vaughn, a nightclub singer who has won substantial sums with improbable accuracy.
A state where betting is legal; a betting establishment with a wire room receiving live racetrack broadcasts; a nightclub · Dan Holiday, Bert Hendrix, Susie, Billy, Terry Vaughn
Listen for: The mystery of how a ring of twenty bettors consistently predict race winners without ever visiting the track, and what connection Terry Vaughn has to the scheme.
Box 13 - One of These Four
Dan Holiday receives a mysterious invitation with a plane ticket and luxury liner ticket, instructed to meet at Pier 9. Instead, he's taken aboard a yacht where he finds himself locked in a cabin. The next morning, he discovers three other guests have been similarly summoned: Stanley Waring, Philip Clayton, and Catherine Lansing. A man named Mallory finally appears and reveals he has investigated each of them, but his full explanation remains to be heard.
A luxury yacht at sea, having departed from the city harbor at night. · Dan Holiday, William, Stanley Waring, Philip Clayton, Catherine Lansing, Mallory
Listen for: Mallory's explanation for why he has brought these four people together and what he wants from them.
Box 13 - One of These Four (1948)
Dan Holiday receives mysterious tickets to a luxury liner that turn out to be fake. Instead, he's taken by boat to a private yacht where he finds three other people—Stanley Waring, Philip Clayton, and Catherine Lansing—who were similarly summoned. A man named Mallory appears at dinner and reveals he has investigated each of them, but his true purpose remains unclear.
A private yacht at sea · Dan Holiday, William Stuart, Mr. Mallory, Stanley Waring, Philip Clayton, Catherine Lansing
Listen for: Why Mallory has kidnapped these four specific people and what he plans to do with them
Box 13 - Round Robin (1948)
Dan Holiday receives an anonymous message directing him to register at a hotel as John Johnson and retrieve a package, promising five hundred dollars. When he collects the package from a nervous woman in room 502, he discovers it contains a diamond necklace that is being used as blackmail against her. Holiday offers to carry the fake package himself to draw out the blackmailer, and follows a man who trails him to a coffee shop where a tense confrontation ensues.
A city hotel (the Maris/Morse Hotel) and a coffee shop. · Dan Holiday, Susie, Mrs. Terese Clemens, Blackmailer
Listen for: A tense standoff in a coffee shop as Holiday confronts the mysterious man who has been following him, with threats of calling the police and revelations of Holiday's private detective credentials.
Box 13 - Sealed Instructions (1948)
Dan Holiday receives an urgent letter offering $10,000 to retrieve something mysterious from Manila for a nervous, reclusive man named Joseph Krell. Holiday agrees to the errand, sewn a sealed envelope into his jacket lining with instructions, and travels to the Philippines. Upon arriving at the contact's address in Manila, Holiday discovers the man is dead, and he finds himself facing the local police with no answers and a dangerous situation unfolding.
A crowded neighborhood on Carson Street, and later Manila in the Philippine Islands · Dan Holiday, Joseph Krell, Lieutenant Keith, Sergeant Enrique Coddas, Susie, Carlos
Listen for: The mystery of what's in the sealed envelope and why Krell's contact has been killed
Box 13 - Speed To Burn
Dan Holiday receives an unsigned letter inviting him to witness a 1938 car traveling at 100 miles per hour on a highway. The mysterious challenge leads him to Nancy Peters, who asks him to infiltrate a stolen car syndicate operating out of a garage to help rescue her brother Tom from the criminal organization. Holiday takes a job at the Acme Filling Station and works his way into the inner workings of an elaborate car-theft ring that dismantles and disguises stolen vehicles for shipment across the country.
A city with a highway route 36, an Acme Filling Station on Braddock Road, and the Southern Auto Works garage at 714 South Elm Street, a movie theater lobby, and the streets of the city. · Dan Holiday, Nancy Peters, Tom Peters, Swanson, Mike, Marty, Susie
Listen for: The description of the elaborate stolen car operation including the special paint that washes off with caustic soda, the collection of license plates from different states, the removal of manufacturer's numbers from engines, and the specially modified getaway car with a British tank engine and armor plating.
Box 13 - Speed to Burn (1948)
Dan Holiday receives an unsigned letter about a 1938 car doing 100 miles per hour—an apparent impossibility. A mysterious woman named Nancy Peters drives up and reveals her brother Tom is trapped in a stolen car syndicate and cannot escape without help. Holiday takes a job at the Acme Filling Station to investigate the operation from the inside.
A city and surrounding areas, centered on the Acme Filling Station on Braddock Road · Dan Holiday, Nancy Peters, Tom Peters, The Station Boss
Listen for: Holiday going undercover at the filling station and beginning to learn about the stolen car operation
Box 13 - Tempest in a Casserole
Dan Holiday receives a letter from Nick, a restaurant owner on 10th Street, asking for help with his business troubles. When Dan visits, he finds that Nick's restaurant is being overrun by coffee drinkers who nurse single cups all day, driving away his paying customers. Dan suggests a minimum charge sign to solve the problem, but when Nick implements the solution, unforeseen consequences create a new crisis that brings Nick calling back for Dan's assistance.
Nick's restaurant on 10th Street, between Caldwell's department store and a bank; Dan's office · Dan Holiday, Nick, Susie, Steve
Listen for: The mix-up between a carousel and a casserole that Susie ordered; Nick's growing panic as his solution to the coffee drinkers backfires dramatically; the escalating phone calls from an increasingly desperate Nick.
Box 13 - The Biter Bitten
Dan Holiday receives an urgent telegram from Dr. Theodore Miller at the Belvedere Hotel, who claims a dangerous king cobra has escaped from his room. When Holiday arrives, he finds Miller frantic but evasive. Soon after, a colleague of Miller's, Dr. Cunningham, is found dead at another hotel from a cobra bite, and Holiday begins to suspect Miller's story doesn't add up.
The Belvedere Hotel in the city, with a secondary location at the Molten Hotel two blocks away. · Dan Holiday, Dr. Theodore Miller, Mr. Larkin, the hotel manager, Dr. Roy Cunningham, Susie, Police detective, Medical examiner, House detective
Listen for: The tense scene where Holiday and Larkin search Miller's room and discover the cobra hidden in a leather bag, then the climactic confrontation where the snake is used against Miller himself.
Box 13 - The Dead Man Walks
When a young woman writes to Dan Holiday asking for help finding her paroled father, he discovers the man dead in a pawn shop—only to learn the same man reported to his parole officer hours later. As Dan digs deeper, he uncovers a dangerous counterfeiting operation and a plot to steal hidden printing plates.
A city with a pawn shop at 517 Slack Street, an old house at 618 Brennan Square, police headquarters, and surrounding neighborhoods. · Dan Holiday, Susie, Sheila Corbett, Albert Winslow, Michael Bono, Lieutenant Kling, Eddie, Charlie
Listen for: The clever twist of a dead man who comes back to life, the fake phone call to the parole officer, and the hidden counterfeit plates concealed inside a Seth Thomas clock.
Box 13 - The Dead Man Walks (1948)
Dan Holliday receives a letter from Mrs. Sheila Corbett asking him to find her father, who disappeared the day after his parole release. When Dan investigates an address left by the missing man, he discovers a dead body in a pawn shop and is knocked unconscious. Upon waking, he finds himself in the countryside with no memory of how he got there, and the police are skeptical of his story.
A city neighborhood and surrounding countryside, including a pawn shop at 517 Slack Street. · Dan Holiday, Mrs. Sheila Corbett, Albert Winslow, Susie, Lieutenant Klingau, Sergeant
Listen for: The mysterious phone call to Albert Winslow, the cryptic note with an address and time, and the puzzling discovery of the dead body followed by Dan's unexplained unconsciousness and displacement.
Box 13 - The First Letter
Dan Holiday, a writer who advertises for adventure, receives a mysterious message at Box 13 at the newspaper office. A woman named Carla Williams calls him to ask for help with a blackmail situation, requesting that he serve as a witness while she makes a final payment to her blackmailer and retrieves incriminating letters. Dan agrees to help and accompanies Carla to the blackmailer's apartment, where they discover the door unlocked and lights on.
A newspaper office, a French restaurant on Lege Street, and a blackmailer's apartment in the city. · Dan Holiday, Susie, Carla Williams, Bartender
Listen for: The mystery of who the blackmailer is and what secrets Carla has been keeping for five years, plus the danger that may arise when they discover the apartment already occupied.
Box 13 - The Perfect Crime
Professor John Dobbs, a criminology expert, writes to mystery writer Dan Holiday claiming he will commit the perfect crime and inviting Holiday to be his audience. Dobbs argues that a perfect murder requires three conditions: an unconnected victim, a body that disappears entirely, and successful escape from detection. Over weeks, Dobbs makes false confessions to murders across multiple cities before claiming he will actually kill a stranger named Alexander Ferris. When Ferris goes missing from a hotel under suspicious circumstances, Holiday must unravel how Dobbs pulled off his elaborate scheme.
A city with a hotel, university, and police headquarters; also Chicago and Ferris's hometown · Dan Holiday, Dr. John Dobbs, Susie, Lieutenant (Police), Alexander Ferris, House Detective
Listen for: The clever explanation of how Dobbs used misdirection like a magician to create the illusion of a perfect crime, and Holiday's final realization about the switch and the body's true location
Box 13 - The Philanthropist (1948)
Dan Holiday receives a letter at his Box 13 address from a red-haired man asking for help. The man, who goes by Red, explains that his friend Suki has gone missing after they were separated by railroad detectives while traveling together. Red believes Suki was supposed to meet him at a rescue mission in town but never arrived. Dan agrees to help investigate what happened to Suki.
A city park by a lake, a rescue mission, and Dan Holiday's office. · Dan Holiday, Red, Suki, Mrs. Work, Izzy
Listen for: The mystery of what happened to Suki and why Red's letter brought Dan into this strange case.
Box 13 - The Treasure of Hang Li (1948)
Dan Holiday receives an unsigned letter instructing him to visit a Chinese curio shop and examine a piece of jade called a hang-li piece. When he arrives at Quon High's shop in Chinatown and expresses interest in the mysterious jade, he's taken to a back room and meets the enigmatic Mr. Kwan, who reveals that the piece is part of a larger treasure and is inscribed with a Chinese legend claiming that whoever translates the writing will be led to a fortune beyond price.
Chinatown; a curio shop belonging to Quon High and run by Mr. Kwan · Dan Holiday, Susie, Mr. Kwan, Quon High's clerk, Lan
Listen for: The description of the jade treasures in the back room; Kwan's discussion of Confucius and jade; the legend of the three pieces of hang-li jade and the treasure it supposedly leads to.
Box 13 - Three to Die (1948)
Contractor Douglas McIntosh hires Dan Holiday to investigate mysterious accidents and delays plaguing his tunnel construction project under a river. McIntosh suspects sabotage but cannot involve the police without risking unfavorable publicity and losing his contract. Dan descends into the dangerous underground workings to discover who is deliberately causing the disasters.
A tunnel construction site beneath a river, including McIntosh's office and the underground workings where sandhogging operations are underway. · Dan Holiday, Douglas McIntosh, Fred Harris, Angus Campbell, Miss Jordan
Listen for: Details about the sabotage causing accidents in the tunnel, the identity of who is responsible, and how Dan Holiday will solve the mystery while managing the hazards of working under extreme air pressure.
Box 13: 1948-xx-xx (002) Insurance Fraud
Dan Holiday, a writer who advertises for adventure, is summoned by Abner Blake, chief investigator for Northern Insurance. Blake believes Dr. Max Alexander, who disappeared seven years ago after a failed brain surgery, is still alive and staging an insurance fraud to allow his widow to collect on his large policy. Holiday accepts the case and begins investigating the doctor's past.
A newspaper office, an insurance investigator's office, and the city morgue. · Dan Holiday, Abner Blake, Susie, The Chauffeur, Mrs. Alexander
Listen for: The mysterious summons in Box 13, Blake's theory about the insurance fraud, and Holiday's investigation into Dr. Alexander's disappearance.
Box 13: 1948-xx-xx (003) Blackmail Is Murder
Dan Holiday, a writer seeking story ideas, receives a special delivery letter from Agatha Marsh asking for help. When he visits her hotel room, the elderly woman shows him a dead body in her closet and begs him to help her dispose of it rather than call the police. Holiday reluctantly agrees to assist, but complications arise when a police lieutenant unexpectedly arrives at the room.
The Star Times newspaper office and the Bradford Hotel in an unspecified city · Dan Holiday, Agatha Marsh, Susie, Lieutenant Kling
Listen for: The tension between Holiday's better judgment and his reluctant involvement in Agatha Marsh's scheme to hide a murder; the arrival of the police lieutenant just as they attempt to move the body
Box 13: 1948-xx-xx (004) Actor's Alibi
Dan Holiday receives a mysterious ticket to a radio broadcast and a note written in blood-red lipstick asking him to attend. At the broadcast studio, he encounters the actress Jean Blake, who tracks him down at the Mayfair restaurant with an urgent plea for help. Blake claims she is in great danger and begs Holiday to assist her, despite his protests that he is a writer, not a detective.
Los Angeles, including Dan Holiday's office, the Federal Broadcasting Studios, and the Mayfair restaurant. · Dan Holiday, Susie, Jean Blake, Marvin Masterson, Henri
Listen for: The mysterious phone call that interrupts Holiday's conversation with Jean Blake, and the caller's cryptic warning about her future.
Box 13: 1948-xx-xx (005) Extra! Extra!
When a young newspaper boy named Johnny Moran contacts Dan Holiday through his Box 13 advertisement, he asks for help freeing his father from jail. John Moran has been arrested for a jewelry store robbery, with stolen goods found in his apartment, but Johnny insists his father is innocent. Holiday finds himself drawn into the case despite skepticism from the district attorney.
A city with a jewelry company, police station, and Holiday's office; a soda fountain where Holiday meets with Johnny. · Dan Holiday, Susie, Johnny Moran, John Moran, District Attorney Clark, Grace Woodard
Listen for: A young boy's desperate plea for help and Holiday's investigation into a jewelry theft with suspicious evidence.
Box 13: 1948-xx-xx (006) Shanghaied
Dan Holiday, an author, receives a mysterious invitation to go fishing aboard the Ruthie J. schooner. He's knocked unconscious when boarding and wakes to discover he's been shanghaied by the enigmatic Marie Gordon, who keeps herself locked in her cabin while Holiday is forced to fish with the captain. As Holiday questions the strange arrangement, he realizes there's more to this abduction than a simple vacation invitation.
Aboard the fishing schooner Ruthie J, somewhere off the Carolinas in the ocean. · Dan Holiday, Susie, Marie Gordon, Manny, The Captain
Listen for: The mystery of why Marie Gordon has kidnapped Dan Holiday and what she wants from him; Holiday's attempts to figure out her true motives and what she's hiding in her cabin.
Box 13: 1948-xx-xx (007) Short Assignment
Dan Holiday, a writer who takes assignments from mysterious messages in Box 13, is hired by detective George Flit to attend a party in Flit's place. Holiday's assignment is to watch over Kenneth Bolton, the troubled nephew of party host Gilbert Bolton, and prevent him from taking his own life, as Kenneth has been deeply depressed since his father's suicide.
A party at Kenneth Bolton's house, about fifteen miles outside of town. · Dan Holiday, George Flit, Susie, Gilbert Bolton, Kenneth Bolton, Rita Martin
Listen for: The mysterious circumstances surrounding Kenneth Bolton's father's death and what might lead to bloodshed at the party, as Gilbert Bolton warned.
Box 13: 1948-xx-xx (008) Double Mothers
Dan Holiday receives an anonymous letter arranging a midnight meeting in the park, where he encounters a young girl named Janie who claims to have two mothers. When a woman calls claiming to be Janie's real mother, she asks Dan to keep the child for a few days and warns that both he and Janie are in danger.
A city park at night, then Dan Holiday's apartment and office · Dan Holiday, Susie, Janie, Janie's mother (voice on phone)
Listen for: The mysterious circumstances surrounding Janie's two mothers and the cryptic warning about danger
Box 13: 1948-xx-xx (009) Book of Poems
Dan Holiday receives a mysterious book of Sir Walter Scott poems in the mail addressed to Box 13, with the sender's identity unknown. The book once belonged to Robert Chase, who died in a fire at his estate Fairmell Rose ten years ago. When Holiday meets Mildred Chase, the surviving daughter, he learns her brother was left paralyzed by the tragedy and still lives in the remaining wing of the burnt mansion.
The offices of Box 13 at the Star Times newspaper, Mildred Chase's residence, and the grounds near Fairmell Rose estate · Dan Holiday, Susie, Mac, Mildred Chase, The old caretaker
Listen for: The mystery of who sent the book of poems and why it was addressed to Dan Holiday. The significance of the book falling open to a poem about Fairmell Rose. The circumstances surrounding the fire that killed Mildred's parents and paralyzed her brother.
Box 13: 1948-xx-xx (010) The Great Torino
Dan Holiday receives a desperate letter through Box 13 from a woman named Maria, who asks him to pick up a theater ticket at the Tivoli. At a charity show, he discovers Maria is the assistant to the Great Torino, a magician performing a dangerous illusion involving a loaded rifle aimed at her. Holiday is selected as part of the committee to mark bullets and verify the rifle, and after Torino miraculously fires at Maria without harming her, Maria slips Holiday a note asking to meet him.
The Tivoli Theater in the city, and surrounding locations including a coffee shop three blocks away. A charity event featuring various acts including singers, dancers, and the Great Torino's magic show. · Dan Holiday, Maria, The Great Torino, Susie, Committee members (G, K.R., H)
Listen for: The impossible rifle illusion and why Maria is so frightened of the Great Torino despite working with him. The mystery of how Torino performed the trick when the bullets were marked by audience members.
Box 13: 1948-xx-xx (011) Suicide or Murder
Dan Holiday receives a letter from Mrs. Catherine Daly, who believes her son Arthur, a newspaper reporter, was murdered in a saloon brawl rather than killed in a drunken fight as the police concluded. Holiday investigates the case, visiting the mother, consulting with Lieutenant Kling at the police department, and heading to the River View bar where Arthur died. Someone begins following Holiday as he pursues the truth.
A city with a newspaper office, police department, and a seedy neighborhood along River Street featuring the River View bar. · Dan Holiday, Mrs. Catherine Daly, Susie, Lieutenant Kling, Arthur Daly, bartender at River View
Listen for: Holiday's investigation into whether Arthur Daly's death was murder or accident, the bartender's evasive responses, and the mysterious figure who begins tailing Holiday.
Box 13: 1948-xx-xx (012) Triple Cross
Dan Holiday answers an anonymous ad offering adventure and receives an airmail letter from Nevada with a plane ticket and cryptic instructions. Upon arriving at Los Maros, he's directed to a casino where he's told to bet on specific roulette numbers with provided money, winning a fortune. At the bar afterward, Holiday encounters a nervous woman named Eva and begins to feel increasingly disoriented.
Los Maros, Nevada—the Paradise Hotel and its casino · Dan Holiday, Susie Reed, Eva, Bellhop, Bartender, Croupier
Listen for: How Dan Holiday got into this mysterious gambling scheme and whether Eva is connected to the people behind the mysterious messages
Box 13: 1948-xx-xx (013) Damsel in Distress
Dan Holiday receives a desperate letter from Constance McLean asking for help, claiming she's in danger. When he meets her at a street corner, he discovers she's actually a scared seventeen-year-old girl who has received an extortion note demanding a thousand dollars, with a threat to never see her again if she doesn't pay by the day after tomorrow.
A fashionable suburb of the city, including the street corner at Gateway and Lakeview Boulevard, Smudgy Mary's ice cream parlor, and a finishing school dormitory. · Dan Holiday, Constance McLean, Barbara Rodney, Susie, Miss Ogleby, Smudgy Mary
Listen for: The mystery of who is extorting money from the young schoolgirl and what threat lies behind the ransom demand.
Box 13: 1948-xx-xx (014) Diamond in the Sky
Dan Holiday receives a mysterious letter from William Martin requesting his help transporting a valuable diamond called the Mirabilis from Paris to the United States. Martin's plan is clever: Holiday will carry the diamond while Martin travels as a decoy tourist, so any thieves watching will follow the wrong man. But trouble begins immediately when a letter meant for Holiday mysteriously appears in a stewardess's hands.
Paris and an ocean liner traveling between Europe and the United States · Dan Holiday, Susie, William Martin, Ariene Carson
Listen for: The clever scheme to smuggle a valuable diamond, and the mysterious appearance of the letter that suggests someone may already be onto their plan.
Box 13: 1948-xx-xx (015) Double Right Cross
Dan Holiday receives a note from Johnny Capelli, an old wartime friend and middleweight boxing contender, inviting him to watch his fight against Brennan. When Dan arrives at the stadium, Johnny has already been knocked out in what appears to be a suspicious performance. After the fight, Johnny barricades himself in his dressing room and escapes through a window, leaving everyone confused about what happened.
A boxing stadium and hotel in the city, with flashbacks to wartime Italy at Anzio · Dan Holiday, Johnny Capelli, Helen, Eddie, Boxing Commission Commissioner
Listen for: The mystery of why Johnny threw his fight and what frightened him so badly that he fled and refused to see anyone, including his girlfriend Helen
Box 13: 1948-xx-xx (016) Look Pleasant, Please
Dan Holiday receives a mysterious note asking him to meet a woman at the Mercantile building. The woman, who calls herself Mary Jones, asks him to pose for photographs with her, then disappears. The next morning, Dan discovers a newspaper announcement of his engagement to Marcia Jameson, a prominent heiress, featuring their photograph together. Marcia later asks Dan to pretend to be her fiancé until the 16th of the month, though she won't explain why.
A city with a mercantile building, photographer's studio, newspaper office, and the Jameson home. · Dan Holiday, Susie, Mary Jones / Marcia Jameson, Uncle Roger Jameson, Cling
Listen for: The mystery of why Marcia Jameson needed Dan to pose for photographs with her and what happens on the 16th that requires him to maintain the engagement charade.
Box 13: 1948-xx-xx (017) The Haunted Artist
Dan Holiday investigates artist Michael Davis's mysterious claim that his studio is haunted. Davis insists that a portion of his painting—a stone quarry—appears on his canvas each night despite his locked doors and windows, and he has no memory of painting it. Holiday sets a trap using ceiling wax to prove whether an intruder is entering the studio or something stranger is occurring.
Michael Davis's art studio in the city · Dan Holiday, Michael Davis, Susie, Betty Harper
Listen for: The mysterious phone call warning Holiday to stay away from Davis, and Holiday's clever plan to catch the phantom painter using ceiling wax and his signet ring
Box 13: 1948-xx-xx (018) The Sad Night
Dan Holiday receives a child's copybook through Box 13 addressed to Marina Layton. When he visits the Laytons to return it, he discovers conflicting stories: Mrs. Layton claims her seven-year-old daughter sent it, while Mr. Layton insists the girl is dead. Holiday refuses to hand over the book until he understands why they want it so badly, and that night an intruder breaks into his apartment seeking the copybook.
A big house on Lakeshore Boulevard and Dan Holiday's apartment in the city · Dan Holiday, Susie, Mrs. Theresa Layton, Mr. Layton, Cling
Listen for: The mysterious drawings and Spanish words in the copybook that suggest something sinister lies behind the Laytons' desperate search for it
Box 13: 1948-xx-xx (019) Hot Box
Dan Holiday receives an anonymous message instructing him to bid on an old Chinese teakwood box at a Mason auction. He arrives too late to bid, but follows a nervous man who purchases the box. After the man is struck by a car, a red-haired woman steals the box and flees in a taxi. Holiday tracks down the woman, Ruth Cornwall, and retrieves the mysterious box, only to have it taken from him at gunpoint in an alley.
A city with an auction house, apartment buildings, and streets · Dan Holiday, Susie, Ruth Cornwall
Listen for: The identity and contents of the teakwood box, and who is pursuing it
Box 13: 1948-xx-xx (020) The Better Man
Dan Holiday receives a mysterious dinner invitation from wealthy eccentric Charles Winthrop, who proposes an unusual game: Holiday and three strangers will compete to find a hidden packet containing $100,000. The twist is that if anyone finds the money, Winthrop will match it with another $100,000 for charity—but Winthrop admits one of the four competitors is willing to kill for the prize, and he's orchestrated the competition purely for his own amusement.
The city, primarily Winthrop's home and Holiday's office · Dan Holiday, Charles Winthrop, Suzy, William
Listen for: Holiday's internal struggle over whether to participate in Winthrop's cynical game despite the charitable incentive; the arrival of the first puzzle clue in the morning mail.
Box 13: 1948-xx-xx (021) The Professor and the Puzzle
Dan Holiday is summoned to Riddell College by his friend Bob Lanham, a professor who is troubled by a puzzle: his fiancée Evelyn has broken off their engagement and is now engaged to Ed Maclin, her late uncle's laboratory assistant. The strange part is that Evelyn ended their engagement just before her uncle, Professor Gardner, died by suicide—despite the professor having no apparent reason to take his own life. Dan begins investigating the mysterious death.
Riddell College and the surrounding town of Radellen, a small college town where Professor Gardner taught mineralogy and crystallography. · Dan Holiday, Bob Lanham, Susie, Evelyn, Ed Maclin, Professor Gardner, Lieutenant Kling, Chief Carson
Listen for: The mysterious circumstances of Professor Gardner's suicide and the strange timing of Evelyn's broken engagement with Bob, combined with her sudden decision to marry Ed Maclin.
Box 13: 1948-xx-xx (022) The Dowager and Dan Holiday
Dan Holiday receives a letter from the wealthy and reclusive Mrs. Matilda Cartland requesting his help. At dinner the following evening, Mrs. Cartland shocks Dan by announcing to her grandson Peter and his girlfriend Peggy Wright that she and Dan are engaged. Mrs. Cartland reveals her true motive: she believes Peggy is a fortune hunter after Peter's inheritance, and she wants Dan to pose as her fiancé to discourage the girl by making it clear Peter won't inherit her money.
The wealthy Cartland mansion and surrounding city locations; primarily Mrs. Cartland's darkened home and the dining room. · Dan Holiday, Mrs. Matilda Cartland, Peter, Peggy Wright, Susie
Listen for: The tense initial meeting between Dan and the imperious dowager, the shocking dinner announcement of their supposed engagement, and Mrs. Cartland's scheme to protect her grandson from a fortune hunter.
Box 13: 1948-xx-xx (047) Double Trouble
Dan Holiday receives an anonymous typed letter asking him to visit an apartment in Edgemont to prevent a murder. He arrives to find Pat Kennedy dead, and becomes the prime suspect when Lieutenant Johnson's detective Cassidy leaves him alone in the room. A mysterious man named Philip Duvall bails him out and claims to know who the killer is, but before Holiday can meet with him again, Duvall is also found murdered.
Edgemont, a city reached by three hours of train travel from Holiday's home base, specifically apartment 1B at 327 North Greeley Street and the local police headquarters. · Dan Holiday, Lieutenant Johnson, Cassidy, Pat Kennedy, Philip Duvall, Mrs. Duvall, Marvin Redmond, Susie
Listen for: Holiday's clever use of the interoffice communication system to ensure a witness to his confrontation with the real killer, and the revelation that a police officer himself is responsible for the murders.
Box 13: 1948-xx-xx (048) The Biter Bitten
Dan Holiday is summoned to the Belvedere Hotel by Dr. Theodore Miller, a herpetologist who claims a king cobra has escaped from his room. Shortly after, Dr. Miller's colleague Dr. Cunningham is found dead at another hotel from a cobra bite. Dan begins to suspect Miller's story doesn't add up and that the snake escape may be a deliberate cover for murder.
The Belvedere Hotel and the Molten Hotel in the city, with a visit to police headquarters. · Dan Holiday, Dr. Theodore Miller, Dr. Roy Cunningham, Mr. Larkin (hotel manager), Susie, Police medical examiner, House detective
Listen for: The clever trap Dan sets using an extension cord and the dramatic climax where Larkin must play Miller's pipe to control the cobra while the house detective retrieves his gun.
Box 13: 1948-xx-xx (051) The Clay Pigeon
Dan Holiday receives a mysterious letter from Mr. Alexander directing him to visit Dr. Ogden, a psychic who claims to divine information through supernatural means. When Holiday provides his name to Dr. Ogden through a written note, the doctor reacts with extreme fear and throws him out. Holiday then discovers that Dr. Ogden is actually Marvin Smith, a suspect in an unsolved murder from years past, and that Mr. Alexander may be Philip Carey, the brother of the victim seeking revenge.
A city with Dr. Ogden's office, Holiday's apartment building, a newspaper morgue, and Bay Boulevard and Shore Drive Park · Dan Holiday, Susie, Mr. Alexander, Dr. Ogden (Marvin Smith), Philip Carey, Matthew Carey
Listen for: The clever setup of the blackmail scheme and how Holiday becomes the unwitting pawn in a revenge plot; the revelation that Dr. Ogden and Marvin Smith are the same person
Box 13: 4x-xx-xx (09) A Book of Poems
Dan Holiday receives a mysterious book of Sir Walter Scott's poems addressed to his Box 13, sent from the library of a man named Robert N. Chase who died ten years ago in a fire that destroyed his estate, Fairmellrose. The book falls open to a poem about the estate, prompting Holiday to investigate the tragedy and discover why someone wanted him to look into it.
A city with a newspaper office, the ruins of Fairmellrose estate in a canyon, Mildred Chase's apartment, and a hospital · Dan Holiday, Susie, Mildred Chase, Inspector Cling, Bertha, Carl
Listen for: The mystery of the missing plaque from the trophy case and what really happened the night of the fire at Fairmellrose
Box 13: 4x-xx-xx (15) Double Right Cross
Dan Holiday reunites with Johnny Capelli, a boxer he knew during World War II, when Johnny sends him a ticket to a crucial fight for the middleweight title. Johnny loses badly to Brennan and mysteriously disappears, leading Dan to discover that Johnny was drugged before the match and couldn't see his opponent in the ring. Dan must uncover who administered the drug and why.
A city with a boxing stadium, hotel, and commission offices; flashbacks to wartime Anzio. · Dan Holiday, Johnny Capelli, Helen, Eddie (Helen's brother), Baker (Johnny's manager), Brennan, Commissioner, Doctor
Listen for: The revelation that the drug was administered through chewing gum; Eddie's confession about pawning Helen's brooch and betting against Johnny; the final playful boxing lesson between Dan and Susie.
Box 13: 4x-xx-xx (26) Delinquent's Dilemma
When a desperate mother writes to Dan Holiday asking for help, he discovers her son Biff has confessed to robbing a store. But Biff's sudden change of heart from denying the crime to admitting it seems suspicious, and a mysterious thug's nighttime visit to Dan's apartment suggests someone powerful wants him off the case. Dan must uncover why the boy is willing to take the fall and expose the real criminals behind a deadly warehouse robbery.
The city, including a poor neighborhood, a police precinct, a jail, Dan's apartment, and an office building downtown. · Dan Holiday, Mrs. Kieran, Biff Kieran, Lieutenant Kling, Gilly Costro, Pete Vossen, Susie
Listen for: The cat-and-mouse game between Dan and the hired thug Gilly in Dan's darkened apartment; Dan's attempts to convince young Biff to testify despite his fear for his mother's safety; the clever plan to flush out the real criminals by running a newspaper story.
Box 13: 4x-xx-xx (27) Flash of Light
Dan Holiday receives a letter from Jerry Fuller, a small-town visitor who has lost two days of his memory after a night out in the city. When Dan investigates, he discovers that Jerry's blackout is connected to a murder case involving a killer named Marty Kane and a criminal named Billy Farn, forcing Dan to piece together what really happened at the Red Swan nightclub.
A large city with various locations including a shabby rooming house on East Central Street, the upscale Red Swan nightclub, apartment buildings, a police station, and a train depot. · Dan Holiday, Jerry Fuller, Lieutenant Kling, Marty Kane, Billy Farn, Susie, Beth, The landlord
Listen for: A photograph from the nightclub becomes crucial evidence; a small child's innocent observations help crack the case; the mention of a 'flash of light' that Jerry remembers proves to be the key to everything.
Box 13: 4x-xx-xx (28) Hare and Hounds
Dan Holiday receives a mysterious letter at Box 13 from a man named Arthur Holmes containing half of something important. When an odd visitor named Worker steals the letter from his office, Holiday travels to confront Holmes in person—only to find him murdered with a gun in Holiday's own hand. Framed for the killing, Holiday must evade the police and uncover the truth behind the murder, discovering that Worker is the real culprit with a sinister plan.
A city with apartment buildings, offices, police stations, and streets; the story moves between Holiday's Box 13 office, the Star Times newspaper office, the Rocks More Apartments in Bridgeport, a hamburger stand, a drugstore, and various city streets and alleys. · Dan Holiday, Susie, Thomas Worker, Arthur Holmes (Albert Henning), Charles Madison, Police Officer, Taxi Driver
Listen for: The clever radio play technique where Holiday narrates his own mistakes and observations as events unfold; the tense scene in the alleyway where Worker attempts to manipulate Madison into shooting Holiday; the revelation that Holmes was actually a spy named Albert Henning who had stolen photographs of Navy jet fighter plans.
Box 13: 4x-xx-xx (29) Hunt and Peck
Dan Holiday receives a desperate letter from Martin Kirby, a man on death row with only 48 hours to live, convicted of murdering his friend Leslie Roberts. Convinced of Kirby's innocence, Holiday races against time to uncover the real killer before the execution, discovering that William Morgan, Kirby's business partner, may be the actual murderer.
A city with a state penitentiary, police headquarters, the Star Times newspaper offices, and various city locations including Morgan's apartment · Dan Holiday, Martin Kirby, Susie, Lieutenant Cling, William Morgan, Mrs. Roberts, Leslie Roberts
Listen for: The clever deduction about typewriter typing styles (hunt and peck versus touch system) that helps identify the real killer; the tense confrontation between Holiday and Morgan in the final hour before execution; Lieutenant Cling's last-minute intervention.
Box 13: 4x-xx-xx (30) Death Is A Doll
Dan Holiday travels to a small Louisiana town to investigate the mysterious illness of Bart LaFaye, a healthy young man who believes he is dying from witchcraft. Holiday must discover who has placed a curse on the boy and why before Bart succumbs to his imagined fate in just two days.
Vallu, Louisiana, a small village near the bayou · Dan Holiday, Doris Gordon, Bart LaFaye, Dr. Brennan, Didge Lawson, Melissa, Grandma Juneau, Gage
Listen for: The eerie descriptions of the bayou at midnight, the revelation of the voodoo doll, and Gage's motive for cursing Bart.
Box 13: 4x-xx-xx (31) One One Three Point Five
Dan Holiday receives a letter from a woman calling herself Dorothy Simmons asking him to find her missing brother in the city. When they meet, a mysterious man begins following them, and Holiday soon discovers the case involves a stolen rare Dante first folio worth $20,000, a murdered private investigator, and a chauffeur found dead with only cryptic numbers on him.
A modern city with a coffee shop, a private investigator's office, Kettering's mansion, and the public library. · Dan Holiday, Dorothy Simmons, Susie, Lieutenant Kling, R. Deakin, Josiah Kettering, Carl, the chauffeur
Listen for: A clever mystery involving a stolen rare book hidden in a public library, with the solution discovered through handwriting analysis and library cataloging numbers. The story features multiple murders, double-crossing thieves, and a tense confrontation in the library stacks.
Box 13: 4x-xx-xx (32) Dan and The Wonderful Lamp
Dan Holiday receives a mysterious invitation to a charity bazaar where he wins an ugly lamp as a prize for guessing the number of beans in a jar. When his apartment is ransacked and he's beaten by thugs demanding the lamp, he discovers that a valuable diamond—the Mannering Blue—has gone missing from a nearby estate, and the lamp may hold the key to the theft.
A charity bazaar at the Mannering estate, Dan's apartment and office, a lamp dealer's shop, a country hideout, the Mannering mansion, and the city dump. · Dan Holiday, Susie, Arthur Mannering, Max, Carol Moshe, The Secretary, The Lamp Dealer, The Farmer
Listen for: The clever setup of the bean-guessing contest as a cover for the diamond heist, the discovery that the diamond was hidden inside a light bulb within the lamp, and the action-packed finale at the city dump as Dan races to recover the hidden gem before the criminals catch him.
Box 13: 4x-xx-xx (33) Tempest In A Casserole
Dan Holiday receives a letter from Nick, a restaurant owner on 10th Street whose business is being destroyed by a campaign of sabotage. After advising Nick to sublet the place as bait, Dan discovers the real target isn't the restaurant itself but something far more valuable hidden next door. The answer lies in an unusual sound Dan hears while investigating the scene.
A city with Nick's restaurant on 10th Street, positioned between Caldwell's department store and a bank. The story moves between the restaurant, Dan's office, the department store, and police headquarters. · Dan Holiday, Nick Narrakios, Susie, Lieutenant Cling, Mr. Bartow, Miss Conning, Miss Robling
Listen for: The compressed air tube system that runs through the building walls—the key to solving the mystery of the seemingly pointless campaign against Nick's restaurant.
Box 13: 4x-xx-xx (34) Mexican Maze
Dan Holiday receives a desperate plea from Arthur Mead to come to Mexico City, claiming he's in mortal danger. Upon arrival, Holiday discovers a tangled web of deception involving an importer named Robert Lucas, a mysterious woman named Marilyn Cooper, and a dangerous deal that someone is willing to kill to prevent. As Holiday investigates, he finds himself framed as the dead man while the real culprit orchestrates an elaborate scheme to fake Mead's suicide.
Mexico City, including the Hotel Mariposa, Robert Lucas's office, the Club of the Three Flowers, 34 Alvarado Drive, and the Hotel Del Crado. · Dan Holiday, Arthur Mead, Robert Lucas, Marilyn Cooper, Ernesto (the grin), Lieutenant Cassandra, Susie, Hotel clerk
Listen for: The clever reversal where Holiday discovers he's been framed as Arthur Mead; the revelation that Lucas is actually Mead himself; the poisoned coffee trap set for Holiday; and the final explanation of how all the pieces fit together in this Mexican maze of deception.
Box 13: 4x-xx-xx (35) Sealed Instructions
Dan Holiday receives an urgent letter offering $10,000 to retrieve something valuable from the Philippines for a mysterious, frightened man named Joseph Krell. Holiday travels to Manila to contact Krell's associate but finds him dead, murdered by a fake police officer who is actually Krell's former partner seeking the same mysterious item.
Manila, Philippines and the United States · Dan Holiday, Joseph Krell, Lieutenant Keith, Lieutenant Marinos, Sergeant Enrique Coddas, Carlos, Susie
Listen for: The revelation that the item Krell sought was actually a map leading to hidden money, and Holiday's clever substitution of the treasure with a flag representing the people Krell betrayed
Box 13: 4x-xx-xx (36) Find Me, Find Death
Dan Holiday receives mysterious letters from someone who claims to have seen his newspaper advertisement and threatens to kill him within four days. The sender challenges Holiday to discover their identity before the deadline, warning that contacting the police will result in immediate death. Holiday consults a psychiatrist about the letters' authenticity and begins investigating while trying to stay alive.
Dan Holiday's apartment building and office in the city, with streets and surrounding urban locations. · Dan Holiday, Susie, The Clerk, Doctor, The Letter Writer
Listen for: The mysterious threat letters and Holiday's growing concern about whether the threat is genuine or an elaborate prank; his decision to investigate while refusing to involve police.
Box 13: 4x-xx-xx (41) The Treasure of Hang Li
Dan Holiday receives an anonymous letter directing him to purchase a mysterious jade piece called the Hang Li from a Chinatown shop. When he obtains it, he becomes entangled in a deadly quest involving a young woman seeking revenge for her father's murder, a mysterious shop owner with secrets of his own, and a murderous man named Benson who will kill for the three pieces of an ancient carved screen.
Present-day Los Angeles, including Chinatown and an apartment building downtown. · Dan Holiday, Susie, Mr. Kwan, Greta Loring, Benson, Lan, Fisher
Listen for: The clever setup of the jade trap, the layered revelations about the three-piece screen and its deadly history, and the philosophical twist where the treasure turns out to be merely a proverb about contentment rather than gold or riches.
Box 13: 4x-xx-xx (46) House of Darkness
Dan Holiday receives a mysterious letter from a blind man named William Michaels who discovers a hidden message in a Braille library book pleading for help at a specific address. Holiday investigates and uncovers a dangerous situation involving a woman named Mrs. Martha Corbett being held captive by relatives who are forcing her to sign her will before they murder her.
A city with a public library and a house on Granger Avenue; also includes a doctor's office and various city streets. · Dan Holiday, William Michaels, Mrs. Martha Corbett, Dr. Folsi, Mr. Whitley, Susie
Listen for: The clever use of a Braille library book as a secret message; Dan's disguise as a power company inspector to infiltrate the house; Michaels' resourcefulness despite his blindness in helping catch the criminals by reading license plate numbers with his fingers.
Box 13: 4x-xx-xx (50) Archimedes and The Roman
Dan Holiday answers a letter from young Marty Kennedy, who is worried that his friend Ted, an assistant at a remote mountain observatory, has stopped signaling him. Holiday drives to the observatory to investigate and discovers that a fugitive jewel thief named Frank has taken over the facility, holding Ted, Professor Irving, and now Holiday himself hostage while he waits for the police to stop searching before he escapes.
A remote astronomical observatory on a mountain peak near the town of Collingwood, and the surrounding mountain roads. · Dan Holiday, Marty Kennedy, Ted Whitman, Professor Irving, Frank, Billy, Susie
Listen for: The story of Archimedes and the Roman soldier, told by Professor Irving to remind Frank that history remembers the great scientist, not the man who kills him. Marty's clever use of Morse code to signal for help, hiding a hidden message in the first letters of each word.
Box 13: 4x-xx-xx (51) The Clay Pigeon
Dan Holiday receives a mysterious letter instructing him to call a doctor and Mr. Alexander for further instructions. After following the directions, Holiday discovers he's been drawn into a dangerous scheme involving a psychic named Dr. Ogden and a murder from the past. As Holiday investigates, he uncovers connections to an unsolved killing and finds himself caught between a blackmailer and a killer seeking revenge.
A city with a newspaper archive, drug stores, apartments, and a park by Bay Boulevard and Shore Drive · Dan Holiday, Susie (Holiday's secretary), Dr. Ogden (Marvin Smith), Mr. Alexander (Philip Carey), Matthew Carey (deceased)
Listen for: The clever setup where an innocent man is nearly framed for a murder that was meant to cover up an old crime; the twist revelation that Mr. Alexander is actually Philip Carey, the brother of a murder victim seeking revenge.
Box 13: 4x-xx-xx (52) Round Robin
Dan Holiday answers a mysterious ad offering $500 to register at a hotel as John Johnson and wait for instructions. He's drawn into a scheme involving a stolen diamond necklace, a desperate woman with a gun, and a private detective agency running a con. As Holiday investigates, he uncovers a web of lies masking a simpler truth about gambling debts and marital fear.
A city featuring the Morris Hotel, a private detective agency, the Clemens' home, a coffee shop, and the post office. · Dan Holiday, Susie, Mrs. Theresa Clemens, Charles Clemens, Barrett, Phil, Mr. Clemens
Listen for: Holiday's clever detective work as he traces the fake blackmail scheme; the confrontation in the hotel room with the woman and her Luger; Holiday's phone call to Mrs. Clemens from Barrett's office that confirms his suspicions; the final revelation that Mrs. Clemens orchestrated the entire blackmail hoax to cover her gambling losses.
Box 13: The First Letter (1948)
Dan Holiday, a freelance writer who accepts adventures through classified ads, meets Carla Williams at a French restaurant. She reveals she has been paying blackmail for five years and asks Dan to witness her final payment to the blackmailer tonight at his apartment, where she expects to recover the letters being held over her. Dan agrees to help, and they arrive at the apartment to find the blackmailer is not there.
A city newspaper office, a French restaurant on Lege Street, and the apartment of an unknown blackmailer, all on a rainy night. · Dan Holiday, Carla Williams, Susie, Ed, Bartender
Listen for: The mysterious absence of the blackmailer when Dan and Carla arrive at his apartment, and what they discover inside with the lights on.