Cry at Dusk — Lester Dent

A college football star's dark past catches up with him when his uncle is murdered

Johnny Marks knows all about running, and not just because he's a standout on the football field. Ever since he was twelve, he's been raised by his shady Uncle Walter, moving from town to town and using a different name each time, until forged transcripts land him a place at a top-tier college. Johnny, now going by the name Oliver Stringer, doesn't know why he and his uncle are on the run, only that the reason is somehow connected to his late father.

Stringer thinks that by being in the public eye, no one will suspect his past identities. But when he appears on a sports newsreel, the wrong people notice him. Soon Jennifer appears, an angelic-looking but dangerous dame who had caught Stringer in a love triangle a year ago. The third point of that triangle was Herman Bouncett, a sadomasochistic bookie who's hunting Walter. When his uncle is found shot to death, Stringer is convinced that Bouncett and the bookie's crony, Pedro Tamus, are behind it. Now he must chase down two diabolical characters, as well as his own family secrets.