Category: aviation fiction

October 1929 issue ~ cover art by J.W. Schlaikjer

October 1929 issue

cover art by J. W. Schlaikjer

~ Tom Curry, “The Web”, John Flahertie, the lone wolf, Macnamara (Mac), NYPD 1st grade dick, a secondary character. 34th of 39 stories in BM

~ Carroll John Daly, “The Silver Eagle”, 32nd of 53,‘Pt. 1, Race Williams & The Flame; serial dropped after Pt.2’, 44th of 71 appearances in BM

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Straight from the Shoulder”, 28th of 73 with Ed Jenkins, with Helen Chadwick and Arthur Hemington, “here & elsewhere; cf. ‘Triple Treachery’” [12/1929 issue], 45th of 99 stories in BM

~ Dashiell Hammett, “The Maltese Falcon”, part 2 of 5 serialized parts before hardcover publication (1931), reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Black Mask Stories (Vintage, 2010), 36th of 45 stories in BM

~ Horace McCoy, “Hell’s Stepsons”, 2nd of 14 Frost stories with ‘Capt. Jerry Frost, Texas (Air) Ranger’, 3rd of 17 stories in BM

~ Raoul [Fauconnier] Whitfield, “Sal the Dude”, Gary Greer, last (9th) in the Laughing Dead series, ‘presented as separate stories rather than conventional serial; pub. As Five (1931) under the pseudonym of Temple Field’, 34th of 67 stories in BM [see also 24 stories as Ramon Decolta], reprinted in The Black Mask Boys (1985, Morrow)

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

better image than previously posted

December 1926 issue ~ cover art by H.C. Murphy

December 1926 issue

better image than previously posted

cover art by Henry C. Murphy

~ Tom Curry, “The Dick-Killer”, 5th of 23 with Macnamara (Mac), NYPD 1st grade dick, ‘on the NY docks’, 9th of 39 stories in BM

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Dead Men’s Letters”, 12th of 73 Ed Jenkins stories, this one with ‘Lois Lambert, a young and rich flapper’, reprinted in Dead Men’s Letters (1990, Carroll & Graf anthology of Jenkins stories), 20th of 99 stories in BM

~ (Charles John) Cutcliffe Hyne, “The War-Steamer of Donna Clotilde”, 2nd of 8 yarns with Captain Kettle

~ Nels Leroy Jorgensen, “I.O.U. – One Life”, 3rd of 32 with Stuart “Black” Burton, ‘square-shooting gambler from the Southwest, often entangled with the law’, 3rd of 39 stories in BM

~ Lt. Col. J.H. [John Henry] Patterson, D.S.O., “The Man-Eaters of Tsavo”, 3rd of 7 serialized parts of this ex-British Army officer’s account of building a railway in Kenya, 1898-1899; book published in 1927

~ Joseph T. Shaw, “Makings”, “Western; Alexis Gregory, nom de querre of Prince Dimitri Gregorejovich Alexandrov’, first fiction by the future editor, 1st of 7 fiction appearances

~ Raoul [Fauconnier] Whitfield, “Ten Hours”, 1st of 7 ‘Chuck Reddington & Jake Bailey; aviation stories’, 8th of 67 stories in BM [see also 24 stories as Ramon Decolta]

© Seattle Mystery Bookshop

February 15, 1924 ~ cover art by L.L. Balcom & Harry Fisk

February 15, 1924 issue

cover art by Julius Erbit

better image than previously posted

~ Eustace Hale Ball, “A Vengeance of Death”, ‘A Black Mask Fantasy’

~ Harold De Polo, “Salted”, 3rd of 6 stories in BM

~ Dashiell Hammett, “The New Racket”, ‘billed as a ‘tip for judges and lawyers’, 7th of 45 stories in BM

~ C.S. Montanye (Carleton Stevens), “The Lady in Handcuffs”, 6th of 10 with ‘Captain Valentine, that ‘attractive European scalawag’, adventurer and rascal’ 22th of 29 stories in BM

~ Herman Petersen, “That Yellow Devil”, 2nd of 2 parts, ‘Madame Pinar, Eurasian’, 17th of 20 stories in BM

~ Edith Lyle Ragsdale, “The Curse of Indra”, ‘daytime story’, author’s only appearance in BM

~ R.T.M. Scott (Reginald Thomas Maitland), “Esses Pip Seven”, ‘billed as a “novelty for veterans”’, 2nd of 2 stories in BM

~ Charles Somerville, “The Aeroplane Burglar” 25th of 47 articles in the ‘Manhunter’ series

~ Herbert Elisha Stover, “Fangs”, last of 3 pieces in BM

~ Merlin Moore Taylor, “Chains That Bind”, ‘billed as “A gripping detective novelette”’, 5th of 8 appearances in BM

~ Edwin Goodenow Wood, “Devil’s Bowl”, ‘Advertised as “A Novelette of Strangeness and Swiftness”’, 1st of 2 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

November 1928 issue ~ cover art by Fred Craft

February 1928 issue

cover art by Fred Craft

~ Tom Curry, “Under Cover”, DeVrite, NYPD undercover ‘secret agent’, 1st of 7, subtitled ‘The Receiver’, 20th of 39 stories in BM

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Yellow Shadows, 19th of 73 Ed Jenkins stories, in Chinatown with Helen Chadwick and Ngat T’oy; “headnote to story provides valuable data (background)”, 29th of 99 stories in BM

~ Dashiell Hammett, “The 19th Murder”, last of 4 Continental Op stories that will go together to make up Red Harvest (Knopf hc, 1929), reprinted in The Big Book of the Continental Op (Vintage, 2017), 35th of 51 stories in BM

~ Charles T. Hickey, “Left Helps the Cops”, ‘Lefty McRae, crook’, author’s only story in BM

~ Victor Shaw, “The Tommy-Knocker”, Dan Craig & hard rock mining, 2nd with Craig, 3rd of 5 stories in BM

~ David Thibault, “The Contract”, ‘Louisiana lumber swamps in Mississippi Delta, Irish dialect’, 1st of 2 stories in BM

~ Everett H. Tipton, “Leather Mask and Cowhide Vest”, ‘Western’, 2nd of 7 stories in BM

~ Raoul [Fauconnier] Whitfield, “Soft Goods”, ‘Little Bennie, a hood, & Charlie Harmer, detective, in Center City’, 18th of 67 stories in BM [see also 24 stories as Ramon Decolta]

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

[cover updated 1/22/26]

October 1932 issue ~ cover art by J.W. Schlaikjer

October 1932 issue

cover art by J. W. Schlaikjer

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “On Two Feet”, last Bob Larkin story, 1st since 9/1929, 64th of 99 stories in BM

~ Horace McCoy, “Wings over Texas”, 12th of 14 stories with Frost ‘Capt. Jerry Frost, Texas (Air) Ranger’ 15th of 17 stories in BM

~ James H[enry] S[eymour] Moynahan, “Blow-Off”, ‘O’Brien, private dick’, 2nd of 2 stories in BM

~ Frederick L. Nebel, “The Red Web”, 10th of 15 stories with ‘tough dick Donahue of Interstate’, ‘Donahue, a.k.a “The Hard Boiled One”’, reprinted in Tough as Nails (2012, Altus), 42 of 67 stories in BM

~ Joseph T. Shaw, “Fugitive”, 3rd of 4 parts, ‘Jack Henderson, set in Far East, eg, Rangoon’, 8th of 9 works of fiction in BM

~ Theodore A. Tinsley, “Party from Detroit”, ‘1st (of 25) Jerry Tracy capers, columnist on the (NYC) Planet, ‘mixer with poor and rich, the crooked and the straight, trailer of trouble and happiness’, 1st of 26 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

October 1932 Canadian issue – same contents, clearer, sharper, more colorful image

[US image updated 10/27/25]

May 1931 issue ~ cover art by J.W. Schlaikjer

May 1931 issue

cover art by J. W. Schlaikjer

better image than previously posted

~ William Donald Bray, “The Man Who Cased Himself”, ‘a suspected killer joins in the hunt to catch himself’, 7th of 12 stories in BM

~ Ramon Decolta (Raoul Whitfield), “Red Dawn”, 4th of 6 parts in the ‘Rainbow Diamonds’ sequence that take Jo Gar from Manila to San Francisco, 13th of 24 Gar stories in BM, reprinted in West of Guam: The Complete Cases of Jo Bar (Altus Press, 2013)

~ Grimes Hill (pseud. of Frederick Lewis Nebel), “The Spot and the Lady”, ‘short-short‘, 2nd of 2 stories in this issue by the author, last of 2 stories under this name in BM, reprinted in Street Wolf (Altus Press, 2014),

~ Horace McCoy, “Headfirst into Hell”, 9th of 14 stories with ‘Capt. Jerry Frost, Texas (Air) Ranger & Eddie Giles in Mexico (“Mañana land”)’, 10th of 17 stories in BM

~ Frederick L. Nebel, “Beat the Rap”, 14th of 37 with Captain Steve MacBride and local reporter Kennedy, reprinted in Shakedown: Complete Cases of MacBride & Kennedy, v.2 (Altus, 2013), 31 of 67 stories under Nebel in BM [2nd story in this issue, see Grimes Hill]

~ Joseph T. Shaw, “Derelict”, last of 4-part serialization of his 1930 novel, ‘murder, romance and disaster on a deserted ocean liner’, 5th of 9 fiction pieces in BM

~ Raoul [Fauconnier] Whitfield, “Soft City”, ‘Center City yarn’, 1st of 2 stories in this issue by RFW, 47th of 67 stories in BM [see also 24 stories as Ramon Decolta]

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop