Case Closed! Podcast Episode Summary

Episode Title: Michael Shayne and The Epic Casebook
Date: January 21, 2026
Source: RelicRadio.com

Episode Overview

This dual-feature episode from the golden age crime anthology "Case Closed!" presents two classic radio mysteries:

1. The Case of the Generous Killer – A gritty and atmospheric Michael Shayne private eye tale set in New Orleans, involving murder, mistaken identity, and double-crosses on the waterfront.
2. Death is the Victor from The Epic Casebook – A British racing mystery where a murder at the stables follows a dramatic horse race, and Inspector Carr pursues a cunning killer motivated by gambling intrigue.

Both stories highlight the era's love for intricate puzzles, strong-willed detectives, and shadowy suspects.

Segment 1: The New Adventures of Michael Shayne – "The Case of the Generous Killer"

Key Points:

• A Mysterious Proposal (00:29–02:42):

  • Michael Shayne is approached by a five-foot-tall "pint-sized ship's cook" bearing an anonymous hundred-dollar bill, intended as payment for Shane to come arrest a passenger from the Star of Bermuda.
  • The messenger offers no details, heightening Shane's suspicion and intrigue.

  Notable Quote
  "It wasn't a pretty picture. His throat had been slit not more than a minute ago. I started around the corner of the warehouse after the killer."
  — Michael Shane (00:29)

• Finding the Hanging Man (04:00–05:41):

  • Shane boards the Star of Bermuda, finding the supposed client hanging by a rope in a ship's cabin, with no identification.
  • Inspector Lefever and Sergeant Dykes arrive, suspecting Shane's involvement. They find no papers on the body and debate the purpose behind the staged suicide.

  Memorable Moment:
  Shane’s internal monologue as he considers both the hundred-dollar bill and the baffling circumstances:
  "So I come down and arrest him. After which the little guy leaves and I spend about half an hour trying to figure out the deal. Well, I finally gave up because nothing about it made sense. Except of course one thing. A hundred dollar bill. As far as I was concerned, that made very good sense." (03:20)

• Slippery Contacts and the Weasel’s Fate (08:00–11:34):

  • Shane meets with "Weasel," a small-time informant who admits to lifting the dead man's wallet and discovers the victim is Victor Gross, a notorious but never-seen contract killer.
  • Weasel offers to split the reward with Shane if they inform the cops about Gross’s identity but is murdered (throat slit) moments later in a dark warehouse.
  • Shane is knocked unconscious as he tries to pursue the killer.

  Notable Exchange:
  "You and me, we’re the only ones who know the stiff is Victor Gross."
  — Weasel (09:55)
  "So? So there ought to be a payoff."
  — Michael Shane and Weasel (10:02)

• Under Suspicion and Unmasking the Plot (11:34–17:06):

  • Shane is hauled in by police, suspected in both murders.
  • Inspector Lefever ultimately believes Shane’s innocence and posits that the real Victor Gross orchestrated a fake suicide by planting his ID on a drifter, then murdered Weasel to recover the missing documents.
  • The "cook" who delivered the initial hundred dollars is likely Gross himself, establishing an alibi while setting a trap.

  Key Revelations:
  "He wants you to come down, discover the body. And everybody thinks Gross committed suicide. The case is closed and the pressure's off the real Gross, that little guy who would’ve been the fade." — Michael Shane (16:32)_

• A Daring Trap and Final Confrontation (17:41–23:46):

  • Shane volunteers (albeit reluctantly) to act as bait on the streets to lure out Victor Gross, who could be in disguise.
  • Tense encounters: a flower lady, a mysterious car, and a stranger asking for a light—all heightening paranoia (19:18–22:00).
  • In an alley, the disguised Gross attacks Shane, demanding the ID papers. As Gross is about to kill him, a bystander (the flower seller) distracts the killer, giving Shane the chance to fight back and subdue Gross as the police arrive in the nick of time.

  Standout Quote:
  "Victor Gross had gotten to me at last…Victor, please, I have very little time." — Michael Shane (21:57); Victor Gross (22:29)

• The Hundred-Dollar Twist and Denouement (23:46–25:25):

  • The flower lady returns the original hundred-dollar bill—accidentally given to her—completing the circle: Gross’s own money helps bring about his downfall.
  • Shane chides the police for losing his tail due to a wrong turn:
    "I walked north instead of south. You mean all the time, your boy wasn't even close. That's right. You were all alone" (25:15).

Segment 2: The Epic Casebook – "Death is the Victor"

Key Points:

• Horse Racing Intrigue (27:04–30:51):

  • Inspector Carr recounts attending the prestigious "Thousand Guineas" at Sandown Park, where favorite Gay Wastrel wins.
  • The celebratory mood is shattered when the owner, Scotty Baylis, is found murdered—stabbed repeatedly with a pitchfork in his stables.

  Notable Moment:
  "For something like a hundred years, it has been traditional that the winner of the guineas should give a banquet… Strangely precipitant under the circumstances." — Inspector Carr (30:53)

• The Crime Scene and Early Suspects (33:39–38:22):

  • Carr inspects the stables and interviews Simpson, the trainer, who had a financial incentive but plausibly alibis himself.
  • The area is remote, invisible from the nearby houses—suggesting premeditation.

  Key Dialogue:
  Simpson, nervously:
  "It's all such a shock to see him lying there with a pitchfork in his back. Besides, he hadn't... well, he hadn't given me... I don't know what I'm going to do." (33:39)

• Mapping Motives and Alibis (39:29–42:41):

  • Carr consults with Ernest Giles, racecourse architect and friend, to map the route between the racecourse and the stables, suggesting the murderer slipped away unnoticed during race-day chaos.
  • Interrogates the jockey, Leatherby, who reveals Baylis once offered him a bribe not to win, but then changed his mind and instead encouraged a genuine effort.

• Unraveling the Double Cross (44:41–48:25):

  • Dawes, owner of a competing horse (Insulated), emerges as the prime suspect.
  • Through telephone records and witness statements, Carr establishes Dawes’s motive: with Baylis backing out of a scheme to rig the race, Dawes stood to lose massively, leading him to murder Baylis in revenge.

  Critical Confession:
  "It was his idea. He got me to put a fortune on Insulated so that he could get the generous odds of 2 to 1 on his own filly. What a dirty trick." — Dawes (52:09)

• Resolution and The Clue (53:29–54:16):

  • Carr pieces it together: Dawes’s hurried celebratory banquet booking was out of character and suspicious, suggesting he assumed victory in a rigged race.
  • The story warns of the dangers in race-fixing and the fatal consequences of double-crossing.

  Inspector Carr’s Moral:
  "Racehorse owners never interfere with a jockey riding, lest you get pitchforked into trouble. Good night." (53:29)

Notable Quotes and Timestamps

• "It wasn't a pretty picture. His throat had been slit..."
  — Michael Shane, 00:29

• "You and me, we’re the only ones who know the stiff is Victor Gross."
  — Weasel, 09:55

• "He wants you to come down, discover the body. And everybody thinks Gross committed suicide. The case is closed and the pressure's off..."
  — Michael Shane, 16:32

• "Now, Mr. Shane, the identification papers, please."
  — Victor Gross, 21:57

• "Victor Gross had gotten to me at last."
  — Michael Shane, 21:57

• "Racehorse owners never interfere with a jockey riding, lest you get pitchforked into trouble. Good night."
  — Inspector Carr, 53:29

Memorable Moments

• Shane’s sardonic humor and crisp internal monologues.
• Sudden violence on the pier and the chilling, atmospheric descriptions of New Orleans at night.
• The irony of Gross’s own hundred-dollar bill leading to his capture.
• Inspector Carr’s patient, intellectual unraveling of the murder and the British racing world’s strict etiquette and secretive undercurrents.

Important Timestamps

• 00:29–02:42: Michael Shayne receives mysterious job offer.
• 04:00–05:41: Discovery of the "suicided" man.
• 09:55–11:34: Weasel reveals the victim's identity, then is murdered.
• 13:34–17:06: Shane is interrogated; the plot against him and the false suicide revealed.
• 19:18–23:46: Shane acts as bait, faces tense encounters, and finally is attacked by the true killer.
• 27:04–30:51: Epic Casebook begins; the horse race and murder.
• 33:39–38:22: Inspector Carr investigates stables, interviews trainer Simpson.
• 39:29–42:41: Carr meets Giles, maps the crime route, interrogates the jockey.
• 44:41–48:25: Dawes's role and motive are discovered.
• 53:29–54:16: Inspector Carr concludes with the final clue and moral.

Tone

• Michael Shayne: Fast-paced, hard-boiled, injects dry humor and weariness. ("Always kidding, eh, Mikey? Yeah, always kidding.")
• Epic Casebook: British formality and understated suspense. Insightful, measured narration with a touch of sardonic wit.

For New Listeners

This episode offers two top-shelf examples of the golden age of radio detection:

• Michael Shayne’s story pulses with noir danger, brisk banter, and twisted reasoning on the foggy New Orleans docks.
• Inspector Carr’s Epic Casebook mystery is a neatly plotted British procedural thick with racing jargon and class intrigue, ending with a tidy lesson.

Each story stands alone, showcasing the era’s narrative economy and flair for memorable, twist-filled mysteries.

For more great crime stories, keep tuning in—case closed!