Toying with fate; or, Nick Carter's narrow shave

"Toying with Fate; or, Nick Carter's Narrow Shave" by Nicholas Carter is a turn-of-the-century crime story about the renowned detective Nick Carter, as he steps into a perplexing murder case featuring a convict named Alfred Lawrence, who was just released from prison. The story begins with an old man wandering the streets of New York City, a tragic figure whose history suggests a larger hidden plot connected to his time in prison. After this man is found murdered, Nick Carter starts his investigation, revealing some details about Lawrence’s unfair imprisonment for forgery and important people, like the puzzling Isabella Porter and her connections to dangerous people. This start leads to a complicated trail of secrets, revenge, and hidden motives that Carter has to untangle to get to the truth about the murder.