Skip to main content
OTR.FM
All shows
Suspense - Radio’s Outstanding Theater of Thrills artwork

On demand

Suspense - Radio’s Outstanding Theater of Thrills

Presented by OTR.FM Network

Unravel the Mystery with Suspense! - The Classic Radio Thriller Series Step back in time to the golden age of radio with ”Suspense!” - the iconic series that captivated audiences from 1942 to 1962 with its thrilling tales and unforgettable performances. Featuring over 900 broadcasts penned by renowned authors and directors, ”Suspense!” brought the finest in thriller and mystery genres to the airwaves. Broadcast on the CBS Radio Network, ”Suspense!” showcased Hollywood’s brightest stars, including Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart, Orson Welles, and Marlene Dietrich. Under the masterful direction of William Spier, known as the ”Hitchcock of the airwaves,” the series delivered gripping human dramas that kept listeners on the edge of their seats. From the eerie introductions by the ”Man in Black” to the evocative scores by Bernard Hermann and Lucian Moraweck, ”Suspense!” was a paragon of radio production excellence. The show’s unique formula of minimal rehearsal and genuine unease created authe...

649 episodes

  1. A Little Piece of Rope

    Apr 26, 2026 · 30 min

    Originally Aired: October 14, 1948 Suspense #311, "A Little Piece of Rope," stars Lucille Ball as Isabel, a con artist who preys on wealthy older men by posing as an innocent schoolgirl. Her scheme is simple yet effective: she lets respectable gentlemen pick her up near exclusive schools, waits until they drive to a secluded location, then knocks them unconscious with a blackjack and steals their wallets. Her victims never report the crimes, too ashamed to admit they were pursuing what they believed was a young girl. Isabel has built a comfortable life from this racket, earning up to a thousand dollars a month while her landlady believes she's a sweet, invalid tenant who takes therapeutic walks. Everything changes when Isabel targets Alexander Rice, a seemingly ordinary insurance salesman who picks her up near Miss Cadwaller's school. After knocking him out as usual, she discovers something horrifying in his wallet: newspaper clippings about an unsolved series of murders and a small piece of rope. Isabel realizes she has just robbed the notorious strangler who has killed five girls in the past year, always leaving them in the hills with rope around their necks. Now the hunter has become the hunted, and Isabel must figure out what to do with her deadly knowledge.

  2. Night Cry

    Apr 25, 2026 · 30 min

    Originally Aired: October 7, 1948 Suspense #310, "Night Cry," finds Detective Lieutenant Mark Duglin nursing a bitter grudge after being passed over for promotion in favor of his colleague, now Captain Knight. The department believes Duglin is too much of a lone wolf, too quick with his fists, and unwilling to work as part of the modern investigative team. When a murder occurs at an upscale gambling club - a man named L.O. Morrison stabbed to death after a fight - Duglin sees it as an open-and-shut case. The victim had brawled with Candel Payne, a war hero, earlier that evening, and Payne has a fresh bandage over his eye to prove it. Against his partner Riley's advice to wait for the medical examiner and identification team, Duglin rushes off alone to confront the suspect. Duglin finds Payne in his apartment, packing to leave, and the tense confrontation quickly turns volatile. The war hero is defiant and hostile, refusing to cooperate with the aggressive detective. As Duglin's temper flares and his methods grow increasingly brutal, the stage is set for a dangerous game of cat and mouse that will test whether this old-school cop's instincts are as sharp as he believes - or whether his refusal to play by the rules will finally catch up with him.

  3. The Man Who Wanted To Be Edward G Robinson

    Apr 24, 2026 · 30 min

    Originally Aired: September 30, 1948 Suspense #309, "The Man Who Wanted To Be Edward G Robinson," stars Edward G. Robinson himself in a darkly comic psychological thriller. Homer J. Hubbard is a meek, browbeaten husband who has endured twenty years of constant nagging and persecution from his domineering wife, Ada. His mundane existence takes a dramatic turn when he sees the reissue of Little Caesar and becomes utterly transfixed by Edward G. Robinson's tough-guy persona. Homer begins obsessively identifying with the actor, noticing their similar voices and features, and escaping into elaborate daydreams where he assumes Robinson's commanding personality. He imagines himself holding up his office at gunpoint and confronting his timid reality with the actor's trademark swagger. Homer's fantasy world intensifies as he sees every Robinson picture multiple times and practices the actor's mannerisms in secret. When Ada catches him imitating Robinson while shaving and ridicules his pathetic performance, something inside Homer snaps. The humiliation pushes him past his breaking point, and he decides to kill his wife. The question becomes whether this meek daydreamer can actually summon the ruthless determination of his cinematic idol to commit murder.

  4. Celebration

    Apr 23, 2026 · 30 min

    Originally Aired: September 23, 1948 Suspense #308, "Celebration," follows Todd Ward as he visits his wife Emily at a sanitarium on what she believes is their recent wedding anniversary, though in reality eight years have passed. Emily suffers from brain damage after falling down the stairs, creating pressure that distorts her grasp on reality but cannot be operated on without fatal consequences. As Todd takes her out for the day to revisit their old haunts by the lake, Emily cheerfully announces her surprise: she has packed a suitcase and plans to come home with him for good, eager to redecorate their house together. Todd faces an agonizing dilemma as he drives to their familiar spots, knowing Emily can never truly come home but unable to make her understand why. The tension escalates when Emily discovers a box of 38 caliber soft-nosed shells in her purse while freshening her makeup. As their bittersweet celebration unfolds against the backdrop of cherished memories, the discovery of the ammunition transforms their anniversary outing into something far more sinister, leaving Todd's true intentions chillingly uncertain.

  5. Hitch-Hike Poker

    Apr 22, 2026 · 30 min

    Originally Aired: September 16, 1948 Suspense #307, "Hitch-Hike Poker," presents a harrowing tale of betrayal on the open road. Ridge Fowler, a college student hitchhiking home, gets picked up by the seemingly affable J. Stuart Beldon, a well-dressed middle-aged man driving a canary yellow convertible. As they travel down the California coast, Beldon teaches Ridge a harmless game called license plate poker and even gifts him an expensive camel's hair coat. But the friendly atmosphere takes a deadly turn when Beldon suddenly transforms into a cold-blooded predator on a treacherous mountain road. Without warning, Beldon opens his door, twists the wheel, and leaps from the speeding car, leaving Ridge to plunge over the cliff. Miraculously surviving the crash, Ridge struggles back up the hillside only to find Beldon waiting with a gun, determined to finish the job. After narrowly escaping and making his way back to Santa Inez on foot, Ridge seeks sanctuary at the police station, ready to report the murder attempt. But when he walks through the door, he discovers Beldon has already arrived with a shocking accusation of his own.

  6. The Big Shot

    Apr 21, 2026 · 30 min

    Originally Aired: September 9, 1948 Suspense #306, "The Big Shot," stars Burt Lancaster as Charlie Morton, a young mining engineer with curly blonde hair and a baby face who has learned to compensate for his innocent appearance with ruthless violence. Morton arrives in Mexico to work for Quinn on an illegal gold operation—setting up a secret stamping mill to process half a million dollars in gold ore and smuggle it out of the country before the government or local bandits discover it. Morton's cut is twenty-five thousand dollars, but his arrogance and barely concealed greed quickly put him at odds with Quinn, who warns him to keep a low profile and stay away from Lolita, the beautiful daughter of the local cantina owner. As tensions mount at the remote mining site, Morton's need to prove his toughness leads to a violent confrontation with one of the miners named Logan. When Logan refuses to follow orders, Morton's brutal response results in the man falling over a cliff to his death. With Quinn calling it murder and the operation now threatened by Morton's hair-trigger violence, the young engineer's ambitions and dangerous temperament threaten to destroy everything—unless his ruthlessness becomes the very thing that saves him.

  7. The Morrison Affair

    Apr 20, 2026 · 30 min

    Originally Aired: September 2, 1948 Suspense #305, "The Morrison Affair," stars Madeline Carroll as Sheila Morrison, a desperate Englishwoman seeking the help of Boston attorney Mr. Ballou. She needs advice about divorcing her husband, Dr. Paul Morrison, a prominent surgeon from a distinguished family, but she's terrified to reveal her identity. As she reluctantly tells her story, she explains how she met and married Paul in London in 1939, where they were happy until the war changed him hideously. Unable to have children of her own, Sheila begged Paul to adopt an orphan, but he refused, citing concerns about heredity and insisting any son must truly belong to both of them or not at all. After Paul returned to America with the Army Medical Corps, Sheila remained in London, consumed by loneliness and her desperate desire for a child. On a fateful train journey to the countryside, she encountered a struggling war widow traveling with three children, including an infant named Jamie whose father had just been killed. As Sheila held the baby and the overwhelmed mother spoke wistfully about wishing someone well-off could give him a better life, a dangerous opportunity presented itself that would lead to the desperate circumstances now forcing Sheila to seek legal help.

  8. Song of the Heart

    Apr 19, 2026 · 30 min

    Originally Aired: August 26, 1948 Suspense #304, "Song of the Heart," Neil Wilson walks into a police station with a shocking confession: he has murdered his beloved Aunt Alice by smothering her with a pillow. As he tells his story to the skeptical officers, Neil explains how his carefully ordered life unraveled after meeting Muriel Jones at the company picnic. The brash, forward Muriel is unlike anyone the shy, introverted Neil has ever encountered, and he's swept into a whirlwind romance that leads to a marriage proposal within hours of their first meeting. As Neil prepares to build a new life with Muriel, small but telling conflicts emerge with Aunt Alice, the woman who raised him from childhood. When Neil announces he'll skip their traditional breakfast together to have coffee at Muriel's apartment instead, the gentle confrontation reveals deeper tensions. That night, unable to sleep after dreaming of his new love, Neil awakens to find Aunt Alice playing a melancholy old phonograph record downstairs, setting the stage for the tragic events that will lead to his confession.

  9. Crisis

    Apr 18, 2026 · 30 min

    Originally Aired: August 19, 1948 Suspense #303, "Crisis," presents a harrowing tale that begins with Martha Scott's character, Mary Norquist, keeping a desperate vigil over her gravely ill baby, Kurt, who is suffering from pneumonia with a dangerously high fever of 106 degrees. With no nurses available due to a widespread epidemic and her husband Paul away on business, she must battle exhaustion and fear alone through the critical night. The doctor warns her that the baby will reach a crisis point before morning, one way or the other. As Mary fights sleep while tending to the steam tent and constant sponge baths, her mind begins to wander into the future. In her exhausted delirium, Mary envisions Kurt's sixth birthday party and the troubling years that follow. She witnesses her son grow into a disturbing young man who steals, forges report cards, and shows alarming sociopathic tendencies. The vision culminates in a shocking confrontation when Paul attempts to discipline the teenage Kurt, who pulls a gun on his own father. This psychological thriller explores a mother's worst fears as she tends to her dying child, leaving listeners to wonder whether these dark visions represent premonition, fever dream, or something else entirely.

  10. Beware the Quiet Man

    Apr 17, 2026 · 30 min

    Originally Aired: August 12, 1948 Suspense #302, "Beware the Quiet Man," Margie finds herself in a terrifying situation when she stops at Charlie's bar to wait for her boyfriend Ralph. A smooth-talking private detective strikes up a conversation and reveals he's been hired by a bank teller to investigate his cheating wife. As the detective describes his client, a quiet, unassuming man with thinning brown hair and glasses who works at Second National Bank, Margie's blood runs cold. The details match her own husband, Arthur Banning, perfectly. The detective explains his theory that quiet men are the most dangerous because they never reveal what they're thinking until it's too late, and this particular client seems like the type who might murder his unfaithful wife rather than seek a divorce. Panicked, Margie calls Ralph and warns him to stay away from the bar. Now she must decide what to do with this information. Should she confront Arthur, or is the whole thing just a terrible coincidence? As the detective continues to elaborate on his client's murderous potential, Margie realizes she may be in grave danger from the man she's been deceiving.

  11. An Honest Man

    Apr 16, 2026 · 30 min

    Originally Aired: August 5, 1948 Suspense #301, "An Honest Man," stars Charles Lawton as Freddie, a 44-year-old store clerk whose lifelong devotion to his mother has just ended with her death. For 26 years, Freddie has worked faithfully for Mr. Kelsey, shaped by his mother's harsh childhood lesson that dishonesty is the worst sin imaginable. But after his mother's passing, Freddie experiences an unsettling revelation: he's actually glad she's gone. His newfound freedom draws him to Dora, an attractive co-worker who has caught his eye. When Freddie works up the courage to walk Dora home, their conversation takes a fateful turn. She reveals her "dream man" must have a steady job and a thousand dollars saved in the bank—a nest egg Freddie knows will take him years to accumulate. As temptation looms and his desperation grows, the honest man his mother created faces a terrible choice. With the store's daily receipts sitting in the safe and Mr. Kelsey's complete trust in his hands, Freddie must decide whether a lifetime of honesty can withstand his first real chance at happiness.

  12. The Yellow Wall-paper

    Apr 15, 2026 · 30 min

    Originally Aired: July 29, 1948 Suspense #300, "The Yellow Wall-paper," Agnes Moorhead stars as a woman whose husband John, a doctor, has rented an isolated country house for the summer to help cure her nervous condition. Against John's orders, she keeps a secret journal to record her thoughts and feelings. Despite the beautiful grounds and his caring attention, she finds something deeply unsettling about the house, particularly the nursery room at the very top where John and his sister Jenny insist she stay. The room features barred windows, mysterious rings in the walls, and most disturbing of all, a repulsive yellow wallpaper that appears torn and scratched by previous occupants. As her husband dismisses her concerns and forbids her from working or writing, the narrator becomes increasingly obsessed with the hideous wallpaper surrounding her. She describes its revolting color and strange patterns of strangled heads, bulbous eyes, and fungus growths that seem to mock her. While John and Jenny smother her with kindness and concern, she begins to sense something sinister in the room itself, feeling that the wallpaper hates her as much as she hates it.

  13. Deep into Darkness

    Apr 14, 2026 · 30 min

    Originally Aired: July 22, 1948 Suspense #299, "Deep into Darkness," stars Douglas Fairbanks Jr. as Ken Matthews, an ex-convict struggling to rebuild his life in New York City after serving seven years in Joliet Penitentiary for manslaughter. Released early for good behavior, Ken follows the warden's advice to start fresh in a new city, but quickly discovers that his criminal record makes finding legitimate work nearly impossible. Desperate and down to his last few dollars, he makes a fateful purchase: a gun. His reasons remain unclear even to himself, but the weight of the weapon in his pocket mirrors the dead-end existence he's living. Everything changes in a shocking instant when Ken spots a man emerging from a chauffeur-driven car on a New York street. The man is Lee Burke, impossibly alive and well, despite being the very person Ken was convicted of killing seven years earlier. As Ken watches Burke walk into a bank, his mind reels with the implications. The wheels start spinning as he relives the night of the crime, remembering fragments of his past life in Chicago and a woman named Lila who danced in a cheap nightclub.

  14. Summer Night

    Apr 13, 2026 · 30 min

    Originally Aired: July 15, 1948 Suspense #298, "Summer Night," Anna Macaulay makes a desperate phone call to her old friend Helen after years of self-imposed isolation. For nearly four years since her father's death, Anna has lived as the town's recluse in a gloomy house with locked windows and doors, shutting out the world and earning a reputation as the town's "queer one." But tonight is different—Anna urgently needs Helen to come to her house immediately, insisting it's a matter of life and death. The small town is gripped by fear as a serial killer known as "the lipstick killer" has struck again. Two young women have been murdered with a knife, each victim marked with a distinctive cross drawn in orange lipstick on their foreheads. Phone lines are jammed as panicked residents try to reach the police and mayor's office. Windows that would normally be open on a warm summer evening are locked tight as frightened neighbors huddle inside their homes, knowing a maniac remains at large somewhere in their community.

  15. Deadline at Dawn

    Apr 12, 2026 · 60 min

    Originally Aired: May 15, 1948 Suspense #296, "Deadline at Dawn," brings together two desperate strangers racing against time to solve a murder before sunrise. Quinn Williams and Brickie Coleman find themselves standing over a dead man's body in a quiet apartment, knowing they must find the real killer or face incrimination themselves. As the night wears on, they frantically search for clues, following leads through empty streets and dark hallways. A mysterious woman, a stolen check, and borrowed matches all become crucial pieces of a deadly puzzle. The pair discovers connections to money, family secrets, and hidden safes as they try to untangle the truth. With dawn fast approaching as their deadline, Quinn and Brickie must work together despite being virtual strangers. The investigation leads them through a maze of suspicious characters and cryptic evidence, including notes passed in secret and money hidden in mattresses. The dead man on the floor holds secrets that someone was willing to kill for, and the two amateur detectives must piece together what happened before the police arrive and suspicion falls on them. Every passing minute brings them closer to daybreak and potential disaster if they cannot uncover the murderer's identity in time.

  16. Life Ends at Midnight

    Apr 11, 2026 · 30 min

    Originally Aired: May 8, 1948 Suspense #295, "Life Ends at Midnight," stars Faye Bainter as Mrs. Bates, a poor, worn woman living in a miserable tenement apartment in the Chicago slums. Her troubled son Walter arrives unexpectedly from Pittsburgh, claiming to visit his mother, but he's really desperate for money. Walter has embezzled $1,500 from his employer and must repay it by midnight or face ten years in prison. He demands the bonds his father left, but Mrs. Bates reveals she already spent them getting him out of his last legal trouble. As Walter grows increasingly frantic and violent, grabbing his mother's arm and accusing her of holding out on him, their confrontation is interrupted by Mr. Chalmers, Mrs. Bates' gentle boarder who rents the back bedroom. The episode explores the dark side of maternal love as Mrs. Bates faces an impossible choice between protecting her son once again or finally letting him face the consequences of his actions. With the midnight deadline looming and Walter growing more desperate, the tension mounts in the cramped tenement apartment where a mother's devotion collides with her son's criminal desperation.

  17. The Blind Spot

    Apr 10, 2026 · 60 min

    Originally Aired: May 1, 1948 Suspense #294, "The Blind Spot," presents a psychological thriller centered on research pioneer Leland Rogers, who finds himself receiving mysterious threatening messages as he prepares to publish his controversial survey findings. When narrator Eric Strange arrives at Rogers' hotel suite to settle a business matter, he discovers his colleague deteriorating under the pressure of the threats and unexplained aberrations plaguing him since the messages began appearing. The investigation draws in several key figures from Rogers' organization, including his efficient assistant Mona Bartlett and the ambitious Gregory Rome, who arrives from San Francisco under suspicious circumstances. As Rogers' paranoia intensifies and violence erupts, Strange finds himself caught in a web of corporate rivalry, hidden pasts, and deadly intentions. The police investigation uncovers disturbing secrets about Rome's brutal history, including a vicious assault that got him expelled from his previous position. With Rogers' mental state crumbling and someone clearly targeting him, Strange must navigate between loyalty, logic, and fear to uncover who is exploiting Rogers' psychological blind spot before it's too late.

  18. The Search

    Apr 9, 2026 · 44 min

    Originally Aired: April 24, 1948 Suspense #293, "The Search," follows Sid Latch and a young woman named Iris as they flee across the country, pursued by authorities investigating the mysterious death of wealthy cowboy Roger Miles. The pair found themselves trapped with Miles during a severe blizzard, and when the man died under suspicious circumstances in Sid's wagon, they became the prime suspects in what authorities believe was murder for thrills or blackmail. Now on the run in Miles' stolen blue convertible, they're racing against time as police broadcasts describe their vehicle and warn local authorities to watch for Sid's distinctive Montana sheepdog, Bo. As the fugitives try to stay ahead of the law, the evidence mounts against them. An autopsy reveals traces of arsenic in Miles' system, and witnesses place Sid and Iris at the scene. The loyal dog Bo becomes both their companion and their liability, as police know the animal will eventually lead them to his master. Tensions rise between Sid and Iris as they struggle with exhaustion, fear, and the terrible secret of what really happened that night in the wagon, while the net steadily closes around them.

  19. Crossfire

    Apr 8, 2026 · 60 min

    Originally Aired: April 10, 1948 Suspense #292, "Crossfire," brings the acclaimed RKO radio picture to life as Captain Finley investigates the brutal beating death of Joseph Samuels in a Washington, D.C. apartment. The case centers on a group of soldiers who met Samuels in a bar earlier that evening. When Montgomery returns to the apartment looking for his buddy Mitchell, he walks into a murder scene. Mitchell's wallet is found behind the sofa cushions, making him the prime suspect, but Mitchell has vanished. As Finley digs deeper, he brings in Sergeant Keeley, Mitchell's roommate and closest friend, who insists Mitchell isn't capable of murder. Keeley reveals that Mitchell has been struggling with loneliness and separation from his wife, prompting Keeley to call her and arrange for her to fly to Washington that very night. As the investigation unfolds with Mitchell still missing and his wife en route, Finley must determine whether the troubled soldier is a killer or simply another victim of circumstance. With Montgomery's testimony and Mitchell's wallet as evidence, the captain faces mounting pressure to solve the case before the trail goes cold.

  20. Suspicion

    Apr 7, 2026 · 60 min

    Originally Aired: April 3, 1948 Suspense #291, "Suspicion," presents a chilling domestic mystery when a husband becomes convinced that his household may harbor a deadly secret. The narrator, recovering from mysterious bouts of nausea and illness, becomes increasingly paranoid as news spreads about a sweet, motherly-looking poisoner on the loose—a middle-aged cook who mixed arsenic into her delicious meals. When his wife Ethel falls ill with symptoms the doctors cannot diagnose, his suspicions turn toward their own cook, Mrs. Mummary, especially after he discovers arsenic in the house. As the narrator's terror intensifies, he confides in Brooks and watches helplessly as Ethel grows paler and more wasted. The presence of young Wellbeck, who seems unusually attentive to Ethel, adds another layer of unease to the household. Trapped between his fear of seeming foolish and his dread that something sinister is unfolding under his own roof, the narrator must decide whether to act on his suspicions or dismiss them as paranoid delusions brought on by his own illness and the sensational murder case dominating the news.

  21. Night Must Fall

    Apr 6, 2026 · 61 min

    Originally Aired: March 27, 1948 In Suspense #290, "Night Must Fall," charming but unsettling Dan arrives at the isolated Bramson cottage after Mrs. Chalfont, a guest at the nearby Tall Boys hotel, mysteriously disappears. Scotland Yard investigators search the surrounding forest, but it's Dan who captures everyone's attention—especially the wealthy, bedridden Mrs. Bramson. Dan works at the Tall Boys and has gotten the maid, Dora, into trouble, yet he seems strangely unbothered by the brewing scandal or the police presence. His eerily precise description of the missing woman and his calculated charm raise immediate suspicions with Mrs. Bramson's niece, Olivia Grain, who recognizes something dangerous beneath his surface pleasantries. As Dan ingratiates himself with the demanding Mrs. Bramson while dismissing Olivia's warnings, the tension builds around this remote cottage surrounded by dark forest—"a proper place for a murder," as the narrator ominously notes. The police continue their search, but the real mystery centers on Dan himself: his unsettling composure, his manipulative charisma, and his connection to the vanished woman. Robert Montgomery stars as the dangerously charming Dan, with Dame May Whitty as Mrs. Bramson in the role she created on the London stage.

  22. Wet Saturday and August Heat

    Apr 5, 2026 · 61 min

    Originally Aired: March 20, 1948 Suspense #289, "Wet Saturday and August Heat," presents two chilling tales of murder and madness. In the first story, the respectable Princey family gathers in their living room on a rainy afternoon, united by a shocking secret. Millicent Princey has just killed a curate named Withers in a moment of rage after learning he intends to marry another woman instead of her. As Mr. Princey desperately tries to interrogate his daughter and devise a plan to avoid scandal and the hangman's noose, tension mounts. The curate's boots remain visible through the doorway to the sun porch, a constant reminder of the crime. Mrs. Princey grows hysterical while son George lounges uselessly on the couch. Just as Mr. Princey attempts to piece together whether anyone witnessed the murder, an unexpected neighbor, Captain Smollett, arrives unannounced. The family must now maintain the appearance of normalcy while a body lies mere feet away, threatening to destroy their reputation and lives.

  23. Nightmare

    Apr 4, 2026 · 60 min

    Originally Aired: March 13, 1948 In Suspense #288, "Nightmare," Vince awakens from a terrifying dream, but the nightmare refuses to release him to the morning. He vividly recalls a white-masked woman's face turning evil, a struggle with a shadowy figure, and killing a man whose body he locked in a closet with a clover-shaped key. As he dismisses it as nothing more than a bad dream - perhaps caused by that late-night salami - he discovers disturbing physical evidence that shatters his sense of reality. Fresh bruises circle his throat, a deep scratch mars his wrist, and most chilling of all, he finds a strange button in his pocket and an unfamiliar clover-shaped key that matches nothing he owns. Desperate for answers and increasingly terrified, Vince reaches out to his sister Lil, hoping to speak with her husband Cliff, who works as a detective. As the boundary between dream and waking life dissolves, Vince must confront an impossible question: Did he actually commit murder while asleep, or is he losing his grip on sanity itself?

  24. In a Lonely Place

    Apr 3, 2026 · 61 min

    Originally Aired: March 6, 1948 In Suspense #287, "In a Lonely Place," Dixon Steele is a former Air Force pilot turned aspiring novelist, trying to adjust to civilian life in post-war Los Angeles. When he reconnects with his old war buddy Brub Nicolai, Dix discovers that his friend has become a detective with the LA police force. The reunion seems pleasant enough, but there's an underlying tension as Dix leaves abruptly after giving Brub his phone number. That same foggy night, Dix encounters a young woman waiting alone at a bus stop on Camden Drive, and their chance meeting takes an ominous turn. The next morning, Dix wakes to find a newspaper headline screaming "Strangler Strikes Again." As he prepares for dinner with Brub and his wife Sylvia at their beach club, the implications become clear. Dix is a man harboring dangerous secrets, and now his closest friend from the war is a homicide detective. The hunter and the hunted have become intertwined in what Dix himself describes as "amusing and more exciting than anything that had happened in a long time."

  25. The House by the River

    Apr 2, 2026 · 60 min

    Originally Aired: February 28, 1948 Suspense #286, "The House by the River," presents a dark tale of murder and its aftermath. When something terrible happens to Emily, a young servant girl, the protagonist finds himself desperately trying to cover up the crime. John Burns takes a motorboat out on the river, searching the angry black water in ever-narrowing circles, looking for signs of what he has done. As night rushes in and the water turns black beneath him, the weight of his actions begins to close in around him. The story unfolds as those around John begin to notice Emily's disappearance. Questions arise about the pretty young girl who has suddenly vanished, with some being told she has run off to Venice with a gentleman friend. But suspicions grow, and an investigation seems inevitable. The tension mounts as John struggles to maintain his composure while the truth threatens to surface from the dark waters of the river, where secrets refuse to stay buried.