E. J. Liston 27 min read

A cop and the crook he's escorting by air are thrown together when the giant airliner hits bad weather, and worse.

E. J. Liston's 1948 story opens with wry banter between lawman Hale Jenkins and captured criminal Bud Griffin as their flight enters dangerous skies, launching a tale of terror. Brisk, atmospheric SF-horror with a hard-boiled setup. Read it for a fast golden-age chiller that starts with cops and robbers and turns to dread.

In its time

Published in 1948, during the 1940s, the golden age begins.

Reading it

27 min read (a novelette, room for a turn or two).