Category: Hardboiled

August 1940 issue ~ cover art by Rafael DeSoto

August 1940 issue

cover art by Rafael DeSoto

better image than previously posted

D.L. Champion, “There was a Crooked Man – ” (Inspector Allhoff)

Norbert Davis, “This will Kill You!” (Bail-Bond Dodd)

John Lawrence, “The Death of the Party” (Marquis of Broadway)

Merle Constiner, “Strangler’s Kill” (The Dean)

O.B. Myers, “United We Fall”

March 1938 British edition ~ cover art by Raymond S. Pease

March 1938 British edition

cover art by Raymond S. Pease

contents same as US issue:

~ Max Brand, “The Silent Witness”, short-short, 2nd of 2 BM stories

~ Joseph Csida, “Bank Night Kill”, ‘narrated by a “contest dick”, 1st of 2 stories in BM

~ Steve Fisher, “You’ll Always Remember Me”, ‘young punk murderer; psychopathic narrator’, reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Pulps (Vintage, 2007), 4th of 9 stories in BM

~ Frank Gruber, “Dog Show Murder”, 4th of 10 with ‘Oliver Quade, The Human Encyclopedia’, reprinted in The Hardboiled Dicks (1965), 5th of 14 stories in BM

~ H.H. Stinson, “Three Apes from the East”, ‘Kerry Thorne, detective in L.A.’, reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Black Mask Stories (Vintage, 2010), 8th of 27 stories in BM

US March 1938 issue

better image than previously posted

[US cover added 6/12/26]

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

February 1930 issue ~ cover art by J.W. Schlaikjer

February 1930 issue

better image than previously posted

cover art by J.W. Schlaikjer

~ Ramon Decolta (Raoul Whitfield), “West of Guam”, 1st of 24 Jo Gar stories in BM, reprinted in West of Guam: The Complete Cases of Jo Bar (Altus Press, 2013)

~ Dashiell Hammett, “The Farewell Murder”, the Op [21st of 22], 40th of 45 stories in BM

~ Nels Leroy Jorgensen, “Black Burton Hits Back”, 11th of 32 with Stuart “Black” Burton, ‘square-shooting gambler from the Southwest, often entangled with the law’, 15th of 39 stories in BM

~ W.H.B. Kent, “Framing the Killer”, 5th of 6 Westerns with Killer Blake, deputy sheriff & agent of the Stock Association

~ Hapsburg Liebe, “The Regeneration of John Carter”, Western, 2nd of 4 stories in BM

~ Frederick L. Nebel, “Alley Rat”, 9th of 37 with Captain Steve MacBride and local reporter Kennedy, reprinted in Winter Kill: Complete Cases of MacBride & Kenney, v.1 (Altus, 2013), 21 of 67 stories in BM

~ Henry Wallace Phillips, “Just a Canter”, 5th of 8 with Red Saunders, 9th of 12 stories in BM

~ Earl and Marion Scott, “Seven Glass Beads”, 5th of 6 stories with ‘Cameo Kirby, reformed jewel thief’, ‘Kirby & Wah Foo Wah, Chinese murderer’, 11th of 17 stories in BM as a couple

~ Raoul [Fauconnier] Whitfield, “Green Ice”, ‘Mal Ourney; part 3 (of 5), ‘The Crime Breeders’, presented as separate stories rather than conventional serial’, published in hardcover in 1930 by Knopf as Green Ice, 37th of 67 stories in BM [see also 24 stories as Ramon Decolta]

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

July 1934 issue

July 1934 issue

cover art by J. W. Schlaikjer

better image than previously posted

~ W.T. Ballard, “Whatta Guy”, 7th of 27 stories with ‘Bill Lennox, troubleshooter for Consolidated Films’, reprinted in That’s Hollywood: The Complete Black Mask Cases of Bill Lennox, Vol.1 (2023 Steeger Books), 7th of 43 stories in BM

~ Raymond Chandler, “Smart-Aleck Kill”, 2nd Mallory, first book appearance in the collection The Simple Art of Murder (Houghton Mifflin hardcover, 1950), first paperback appearance Pickup on Noon Street (Pocket, 1/52), various paperback editions,  2nd of 11 stories in BM

~ George Harmon Coxe, “Hot Delivery”, 5th of 27 with Flashgun Casey, 5th of 31 stories in BM

~ Eugene Cunningham, “If Murder Can Be Funny”, 3rd of 5 with undercover Texas Ranger Cleve Corby, 9th of 14 stories in BM

~ John Graham, “Murder Crate”, ‘ambulance crew; NYC setting’, 1st of 2 stories in BM

~ Raymond Jae Moffatt, “Death in the Dark”, ‘Patrolman tries to avenge murdered father’, 1st of 2 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop