August 1940 issue ~ cover art by Rafael DeSoto

August, 1940 issue

better image than previously posted

cover art by Rafael DeSoto

~ Wyatt Blassingame, “10,001 Motives for Murder”, 2nd of 6 stories with The Bishop, political writer on a Southern newspaper, 60ish and peg-legged, 4th of 8 stories in BM

~ George Harmon Coxe, “Case and the Blonde Wren”, 19th of 25 with Flashgun Casey; ‘Wren = Women’s Royal Naval Service officer’, 23rd of 29 stories in BM

~ G.T. Fleming-Roberts, “Rats Breed Rats”, ‘Detective Sergeant Bill Teed, tough cop, & Pop Walter, sentimental reporter’, 1st of 8 stories in BM

~ Eaton K. Goldthwaite, “The Frame Didn’t Fit”, ‘Duke Brian & Franny Steinmetz, ‘ex-felons from Philly’, now private dicks, more or less, Brian narrates’, 1st of 5 stories in BM

~ John Graham, “Too Tough”, ‘Vic Smail, kidnapper’, 2nd of 2 stories in BM

~ Charles E. Jestings, “Jim Gregg: A Prison Poem”, 2nd of 2 stories in BM

~ Stewart Sterling (pseud. of Prentice Winchell), “Ten Carats of Lead”, 1st of 9 stories with ‘Special Squad (pawnshop detail), NYPD, & Det. Mike Hansard’, reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Black Mask Stories (Vintage, 2010), 4th of 12 stories

~ Roger Torrey, “Murder – For No Reason”, ‘debut of Bryant (4 stories), a regular U.S. Army man, who works in a CCC camp; 1st-person narrator’, 46th of 50 appearances in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

September 1949 issue ~ cover art by Norman Saunders

September 1949 issue

cover art by Norman Saunders

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]