Scratch a Thief by John Trinian

Scratch a Thief
by John Trinian

1961 Ace Books
Reprinted by Stark House Press, 2016

An ex-con on parole can't catch a break living straight and participates in one last heist.  He's double-crossed, and he turns to the cop who hates him the most to rescue his kidnapped daughter.

Well written, but the plot is way too basic.  The story is 90% being miserable, the heist takes like two pages, and the ending is literally everyone meets, shoots each other, and the good guys live.

I try to be fair to older books that use these cliches, as it was less well-worn at the time, but all I could think of was almost the exact same story from Captain America comics involving a giant armadillo man.

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House of Evil by John Trinian

House of Evil
by John Trinian
Pyramid 1962
Reprinted by Stark House Press, 2016

A conman starts a religious cult and begins to believe his own con.  Other con artists move in to steal his cash, and the stash of compromising films.  A b-movie actor is accidentally roped into the scene, and he's out to rescue a girl that the cult leader has a lecherous eye on.

Some tone issues with this one.  It threatens to get dark, then turns to goofball humor, and ends with the actor flopping around in a fishman costume.

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Original paperback from AbeBooks