The Falcon in Hollywood

On vacation in Los Angeles, Tom Lawrence runs into Inspector McBride at the Hollywood Park Racetrack. He asks McBride about Louie Buchanan, a casino owner Lawrence helped convict who now seems to be missing. The encounter hints at trouble brewing that will pull him into a studio world he didn't expect.

Returning to his seat, Lawrence notices Buchanan nearby and sees Lili D'Allio seated beside him. When Lili leaves to place a bet, Peggy Callahan sits in her place and, upon departing, mistakenly takes Lili's purse. The incident sharpens the sense that hidden motives and rivalries are active behind the scene.

Tom hails a cab driven by Billie Atkins to catch Peggy Callahan. Atkins’s quick wit helps push the pursuit, which leads toward Sunset Studio where the next clues are said to lie. The chase marks a shift from racing to the film set’s murky intrigues.

Hearing a gunshot, Lawrence rushes to a deserted sound stage and discovers a corpse bearing a large, unusual ring. The discovery suggests foul play connected to the current production. The eerie scene sets the tone for a studio-centered mystery.

When Lawrence returns with a studio guard, the body he found is inexplicably gone. This twist deepens the mystery and raises questions about what really happened on the set. The absence of the corpse pushes investigators to search the prop and storage areas for answers.

In a later search, Atkins helps identify Ted Miles, the deceased leading man, as Roxanna's former husband. Roxanna, the studio's costume designer, becomes a prime suspect due to her connection with the victim. The discovery ties personal relationships to the murder's motive.

Roxanna shows no emotion when Miles' body is presented, while she mentions an upcoming marriage to the autocratic director Alec Hoffman. The scene highlights the harsh power dynamics on the set and suggests a possible cover-up. The combination of indifference and alliance deepens the intrigue.

Studio executive Martin Dwyer's 'jinxed' production becomes the central thread of the investigation. Lawrence and Atkins move through the crew, looking for connections between the sabotage, the murders, and the investors. The production's finances frame a broader conspiracy.

McBride questions Dwyer, who has an apparently solid alibi until his gun surfaces in the model shop, hidden in a plaster head. Dwyer claims he reported the gun stolen weeks earlier, shifting suspicion toward Hoffman. Hoffman is arrested but released on bail, allowing the film to push forward amid tension.

Callahan uses a prop gun loaded with live ammunition to shoot Hoffman during a scene, badly wounding him. McBride questions the crew as panic and suspicion ripple through the set. The reckless act confirms how danger pervades the production.

Lawrence discovers Callahan and Buchanan conferring in secret, with Buchanan promising to deliver the killer the next day at the Los Angeles Coliseum. The plan signals a looming confrontation and shifts the chase toward a public location. The Coliseum becomes a pivotal setting for the next act.

Buchanan arrives as promised but dies on the steps, his finger bearing a poisoned ring identical to Miles'. The parallel signatures tighten the mystery and point to a calculated killer on the inside. Tom's instincts grow stronger as the pattern links the victims.

With police closing in, Dwyer breaks for it and engages Lawrence in a fierce gun battle on a studio soundstage. Dwyer is shot and falls to his death, ending his scheme once and for all. The confrontation exposes how greed and fear drove the murders.

Lawrence concludes that Dwyer sold eight investors a 25% stake each and sabotaged the film to avoid paying them off. As the production regains momentum, Dwyer murders Miles and Buchanan because they knew too much. The case closes with justice and a clearer understanding of corporate greed in cinema.