Oil on board, 13 x 8-1/2 inches (33.0 x 21.6 cm) (sight) – Not signed
The present work is published on the cover of Dividend on Death by Brett Halliday (Dell, 1952).
first published novel under the name Brett Halliday, first Michael (or Mike) Shayne novel
better image than previously posted
September 1949 issue
better image than previously posted
~ D.L. Champion, “Blackmail Backfire”, 25th of 26,‘Red Sackler & Joey Graham’, 29th of 30 stories in BM
~ Frederick C. Davis, “Let Me Kill You Sweetheart”, 14th of 16 stories in BM
~ James Hall, “Back Door to Hell”, author’s only appearance in BM
~ Hiawatha Jones, “Murder Express”, author’s only appearance in BM
~ Louis L’Amour, “Collect from a Corpse”, noted author’s sole appearance in BM
~ Phil Richards, “The Slay’s the Thing”, ‘James Greer, ex-playwright’, author’s sole appearance in BM
~ Robert P. Toombs, “Not Necessarily Dead”, 2nd of 3 stories in BM
~ Robert Turner, “Man’s Best Friend”, ‘A dog named Satan’, 1st of 4 stories in BM
©Seattle Mystery Bookshop
[updated 3/1/26]
Gouache on board, 22 x 16-1/2 inches (55.9 x 41.9 cm)
Signed and dated lower right
The work is published in The Bramble Bush by David Duncan (Macmillan, 1948).
cover art by James Meese
cover art by James Meese
“First Edition. ‘New York bibliophile visits the back room of Sewell’s Bookstore one evening and death strikes him down. The police arrive and discover that there is a book worth $100,000 missing.’ Uncommon bibliomystery.”
First Edition. Hawkins dustjacket art. Rare hard-boiled mystery by this author who died young in 1945.
first novel with private eye Cellini Smith
there had been seven Smith short stories published in Black Mask Magazine by the time of the author’s death.
“First Edition. Author’s only mystery, one which tells the tale of gangland violence in the American west. The author was a Denver detective.“
[updated 12/27/25]
SMB Noir 
