Private Detective 62 1933

In France, Donald Free is caught trying to steal French state papers. He is released from his job and deported back to the United States. Back in the U.S., during the Great Depression, Free faces real trouble finding another job and the sudden drop in opportunities. In a bid to survive, he convinces Dan Hogan, a crooked and incompetent private detective, to become his partner. Unbeknownst to Free, Hogan is financed by the gangster Tony Bandor, and this shady alliance quickly expands into a money-making operation.

Bandor complains that society woman Janet Reynolds is winning too much at his gambling tables and hires Hogan to uncover some sort of scandal he can use to stop Reynolds from collecting her winnings. Hogan pulls Free into the scheme without disclosing the true purpose of the request, drawing Free deeper into a web of deception.

While keeping a wary eye on Reynolds, Free finds himself falling in love with her. When Reynolds tells Bandor that she intends to claim her winnings, Hogan suggests to Bandor that they fool Reynolds into thinking she has killed Bandor under suspicious circumstances. In a ruthless double-cross, Hogan hires a thug to shoot Bandor after Reynolds leaves the apartment. Reynolds seeks Free’s help, and Free gradually uncovers the real killer’s identity and traces him back to Hogan.

As the plot thickens, Hogan attempts to blackmail Reynolds, trying to leverage the situation to his advantage. After Free has Hogan arrested, he is offered his old job again, but he tells Reynolds that the life would be too heavy a burden for anyone to share with him, so he leaves. In the end, as Free walks away, Reynolds steps forward with a proposal of marriage, and he accepts, choosing a life that goes beyond crime and danger.