Out Like a Light

In Short

FBI Special Agent Kenneth Malone is sent to New York for what his superior promises will be a relaxing, routine assignment tracking down a stolen red Cadillac. Instead, Malone stumbles into an extraordinary case involving the Silent Spooks, a teenage street gang whose members possess the astounding ability to teleport at will. Aided by his partner Thomas Boyd, local law enforcement, and a telepathic old woman who believes she is Queen Elizabeth I, Malone must unravel the secrets of electro-psionic abilities, master teleportation himself, and capture the elusive delinquents before their chaotic antics destabilize the entire city.

The Story

The investigation begins innocently enough when Federal Bureau of Investigation Agent Kenneth Malone travels to New York to work alongside Agent Thomas Boyd on a cross-state automobile theft case. The pair soon discover that the stolen 1972 red Cadillacs are linked to a string of bizarre, impossible burglaries across the city. Malone's investigation takes a surreal turn when he crosses paths with Lieutenant Peter Lynch of the New York Police Department and discovers a high school notebook listing the members of a local teenage street gang known as the Silent Spooks.

When Malone attempts to confront the gang's leader, a teenager named Miguel "Mike" Fueyo, he witnesses an impossible spectacle: the boy vanishes directly out of police custody. Realizing that the teenagers possess genuine teleportation abilities—bypassing walls, locks, and physical barriers—Malone recognizes the severe implications for national security. However, proving the existence of teleporting juvenile delinquents to his superior, FBI Director Andrew J. Burris, proves almost as challenging as catching the boys themselves.

Navigating the eccentricities of New York, Malone consults with psionics expert Dr. O'Connor at Yucca Flats and receives mental guidance from Rose Thompson, a hospitalized, highly telepathic elderly woman living under the harmless delusion that she is Queen Elizabeth I. Guided by Miss Thompson's telepathic insights, Malone tracks the stolen notebook and the gang's operations to Mike's social worker, Kettleman, and eventually to Mike's sister, Dorothea.

Through Dorothea, Malone learns that teleportation is a learnable mental exercise involving precise spatial visualization and focus. As Lynch's police officers launch a chaotic raid on the gang's warehouse hideout—resulting in comical brawls where officers continuously swing at teenagers who instantly teleport out of harm's way—Malone realizes traditional law enforcement tactics will never work.

Studying the diagrams and exercises in the gang's notebook under Dorothea's instruction, Malone practices the mental discipline required for psionic transit. Concentrating intensely on a visual picture, he successfully teleports himself from his Manhattan hotel room straight to his personal office at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Equipped with his newly unlocked teleportation powers and backed by telepathic allies who can read the boys' intentions and mentally "freeze" their momentum, Malone successfully corners and secures the Silent Spooks. Rather than facing harsh punishment, the teenagers are recruited to work at the government's Yucca Flats research facility under psychiatric supervision, applying their unique psionic talents to official state service while Malone celebrates his success back in New York.

How It Unfolds

The routine assignment begins Agent Kenneth Malone arrives in New York expecting a restful break while tracking down a stolen red Cadillac that crossed state lines. He connects with his partner, Agent Thomas Boyd, but quickly finds that the case involves dozens of identical stolen luxury vehicles and unusual circumstances across the city.

The missing notebook appears While recovering from a minor injury, Malone acquires a student's high school notebook containing list references to NYPD Lieutenant Peter Lynch and Malone himself. Lieutenant Lynch identifies the other names in the notebook as members of the Silent Spooks, a local adolescent gang led by Mike Fueyo.

The impossible escape Malone attempts to interview Mike Fueyo, only to discover that the teenager can vanish instantly from police custody. Realizing the gang members possess true teleportation powers, Malone alerts FBI Director Andrew J. Burris and seeks assistance from psionics experts and telepathic allies.

The warehouse brawl Law enforcement tracks the Silent Spooks to an old warehouse, but Lieutenant Lynch's tactical raid devolves into complete chaos. The teenagers continuously wink in and out of existence, causing police officers to accidentally strike each other in the confusion while the gang easily evades capture.

The agent leaps across space Guided by Mike's sister Dorothea and the contents of the recovered notebook, Malone studies the mental visualization techniques required for psi transit. He concentrates on a diagram and successfully teleports himself instantly from New York to his office in Washington, D.C.

The delinquents are secured Using a combination of active telepathic monitoring and his own newfound teleportation capabilities, Malone counters the boys' spatial jumps and freezes them in place. The captured teenagers are assigned to the scientific research facility at Yucca Flats to put their unique talents to legitimate public use.

The People

• Kenneth Malone: A capable, easygoing FBI Special Agent who finds himself thrust into absurd paranormal investigations. He wants to solve his cases cleanly and get a peaceful vacation, but his assignments routinely force him to adapt to bizarre circumstances—ultimately learning to teleport himself to catch his targets.
• Thomas Boyd: Malone's burly, bearded FBI partner who resembles King Henry VIII. He desires a straightforward assignment and struggles to accept the reality of psychic phenomena, preferring to treat vanishing teenagers as an elaborate gag until forced to face the facts.
• Miguel "Mike" Fueyo: The teenage leader of the Silent Spooks street gang. He uses his natural teleportation abilities to orchestrate high-profile thefts and evade the police, seeking independence and wealth for his crew until he is outmaneuvered by the FBI.
• Andrew J. Burris: The Director of the FBI who demands results while struggling to comprehend the increasingly bizarre psionic cases Malone brings to his desk.
• Lieutenant Peter Lynch: A hot-headed NYPD officer determined to catch the local juvenile gang, whose aggressive tactics in the field often result in chaotic physical blunders.
• Dorothea Fueyo: Mike's perceptive sister who understands the mental mechanics behind the gang's abilities and assists Malone in mastering teleportation techniques.
• Rose Thompson ("Her Majesty"): A telepathic elderly woman residing at Yucca Flats who believes she is Queen Elizabeth I. She uses her formidable mental powers to locate Malone and offer strategic guidance.

In Its Own Voice

The sidewalk was as soft as a good bed. Malone lay curled on it thinking about nothing at all. He was drifting off into a wonderful dream and he didn't want to interrupt it.

Malone drifts into an elaborate fantasy after being knocked unconscious during his investigation.

"My goodness," he said. "Last year it was telepathic spies, and this year it's teleporting thieves. Malone, I hate to think about next year."

Director Burris despairs over the increasingly absurd cases assigned to the FBI's psionic division.

The vanishing trick Mike had worked out was being used by all of the kids. Cops were hitting other cops, Lynch was hitting everybody, and the kids were winking on and off all over the loft.

A police raid on the Silent Spooks hideout devolves into complete tactical anarchy.

What It's Really About

Beneath its comedic premise of teleporting juvenile delinquents, the novel explores the chaotic intersection of emerging human potential, law enforcement authority, and societal control. It asks how traditional institutions—represented by the FBI and the NYPD—must adapt when faced with revolutionary individual abilities that render physical barriers, handcuffs, and traditional policing entirely obsolete. The narrative highlights the tension between treating extraordinary talent as a criminal threat or redirecting it toward productive societal integration. Ultimately, the story suggests that mastering new frontiers requires flexibility, open-mindedness, and empathetic understanding rather than brute force and rigid bureaucracy.

Why Read It Today

Out Like a Light offers a lighthearted, fast-paced blend of mid-century science fiction and detective comedy. Readers who enjoy playful genre parodies, rapid-fire dialogue, and classic 1960s pulp absurdity will appreciate its breezy tone and humorous situational ironies. The novel maintains an energetic momentum as Special Agent Malone navigates absurd bureaucratic phone calls, eccentric telepaths, and chaotic physical brawls.

The text reflects the stylistic conventions and period attitudes of 1960s magazine pulp fiction. Readers should expect light mid-century slang, simplified street-gang archetypes, and a deliberate emphasis on slapstick comedy over hard scientific rigor. Despite these breezy conventions, the story's inventive premise, witty banter, and genuine charm make it an entertaining historical snapshot of silver-age science fiction humor.