May 1946 issue ~ cover art by Rafael DeSoto

May 1946 issue

cover art by Rafael DeSoto

better image than previously posted

~ Dale Clark, “The Early Corpse Gets the Worm”, 25th of 28 with house dick Mike O’Hanna story, at San Alpa Resort hotel, 28th of 32 stories in BM

~ Harry Epstein, “The Case of the Mind-Reading Seal”, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ Julius Long, “Murder By the Carton”, 12th of 17 stories with ’Ben Corbett, D.A.’s chief investigator, 1st -person narrator’, 17th of 23 stories in BM

~ James R. McKenna, “Caliente”, short-short, horse racing, 1st person narrator, author’s only appearance in BM

~ Robert Martin, “Rat Race in Foxtown”, ‘Foxtown is 45 miles SW of Cleveland’, 1st of 8 stories in BM

~ Jim T. Pearce, “Always Leave ‘Em Dying”, author’s sold appearance in BM

~ William Rough, “My Gun Hires Legitimate”, ‘Ben Slabbe, p.i., who has his own agency; 3rd of 5 capers’ in BM

~ H.H. Stinson, “Unholy Matrimony”, 23rd of 27 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

December 1946 UK issue

[US cover updated 1/29/26]

January 1947 issue ~ cover art by Rafael DeSoto

January 1947 issue

cover art by Rafael DeSoto

better image than previously posted

~ Dale Clark, “Heavenly Homicide”, 27th of 28 with house dick Mike O’Hanna, at San Alpa Resort hotel, 31st of 32 stories in BM

~ William Campbell Gault, “The Cold, Cold Ground”, 2nd of 5 with Mortimer Jones, 2nd of 9 stories in BM

~ Julius Long, “I Remember Murder”, 15th of 17 stories with ’Ben Corbett, D.A.’s chief investigator, 1st -person narrator’, 20th of 23 stories in BM

~ Donn Mullally, “The Corpse I Left Behind Me”, ’Martin Fowler in Hollywood’, 1st of 2 stories in BM

~ William Rough, “Hot Ice”, ‘Ben Slabbe, p.i., who has his own agency; last of 5 capers’ in BM

~ Donegan Wiggins, “The Double-Cross”, ‘brief-brief’, author’s only appearance in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

June 1947 UK edition

[UK cover added 5/16/25]

cover art by Reginald Heade

Sweetheart With a Wreath, paperback cover, 1953
Watercolor and gouache on board with paper appliqué
14.25 x 9.25 in. (sight)
Signed lower left


This painting, originally depicting a blonde, was published as the cover for Curves Cause Trouble by Gene Ross, Leisure Library #21, 1953. The work was subsequently published as the cover of Sweetheart With a Wreath by Michael Storme, Harborough, 1953, for which the image was manipulated to illustrate a darker haired female in a black tiara.