Mean Streets, Dark Alleys & Bad Coffee

A corpse found on the steps of city hall; stolen jewels secreted away in a crumbling tenement; a missing woman and the traces of conspiracy that seem to rise up in her wake. What commonality is shared by these items?

None, save for the familiar sense of trademark dread, heartache and rage that wafts from a good crime yarn like the clinging trail of vapor from a half-smoked Pall Mall. Happy endings aren't a regular thing here and if that's what you came for, you might want to find more sidewalk. Our only concern here are facts, and the cold, hard realities that they normally lead to.