Man Alive

Originally Aired: November 24, 1952

In Suspense #488, "Man Alive," San Francisco columnist Man Jackson finds himself drawn into a dangerous mystery when Mama Caruso pleads for his help at her waterfront restaurant. Her cousin Tony Colucci, a concertina player who entertains passengers on the Oakland ferry, has been viciously attacked. While performing on the foggy deck of the six o'clock boat, Tony was struck on the head after a strange encounter with an unseen man who asked if he was playing "Boris." The attacker disappeared into the mist, leaving Tony bleeding and unconscious. Dr. Oscar Ames, who treated Tony at the scene, believes the wound came from a gun butt, not a simple club.

As Man Jackson investigates, unsettling details emerge. Plainclothes police were waiting at the ferry slip, questioning passengers and even taking a red-haired woman with a package into custody. What seemed like a random assault on a street musician begins to look like something far more sinister. With national security potentially at stake and someone willing to kill to protect their secrets, Man Jackson must uncover the truth before another attack occurs on the fog-shrouded waters of San Francisco Bay.