1959 Dell paperback original anthology of short stories by women crime writers, an idea initiated by MacDonald
cover painting by Ron Lesser
1962 Fontana edition from the UK
cover art by John L. Baker
better image than previously posted
[post updated 10/8/25]
November 1950
better image than previously posted
Robert Martin, “Slayers Burn Slow” (Jim Bennett)
Donn Mullally, “A Bullet for Baby”
T.T. Flynn, “Build-Up for Murder”*
Rufus Bakalor, “Homicidal Hobby”
Raymond Drennan, Jr., “Killer’s Luck”
John D. MacDonald, “Tri-Kill Cutie”
*reprint from 1941
cover art by Rudolph Belarski
better image than previously posted
~ Dwight V. Babcock, “Hide-Out”, ‘1st G-Man Chuck Thompson story of 7; CT, Special Agent, FBI, in LA’, 6th of 21 stories in BM
~ W.T. Ballard, “Murder Makes a Difference”, 2nd of 2 Jimmy DeHaven stories, 14th of 43 stories in BM
~ Raymond Chandler, “Nevada Gas”, Johnny DeRuse, first book appearance Five Murderers (Avon digest, 2/3/44), first hardcover appearance The Simple Art of Murder (Houghton Mifflin, 1950), then Pickup on Noon Street (Pocket, 1/52), various paperback editions 5th of 11 stories in BM
~ George Harmon Coxe, “Thirty Tickets to Win”, ‘Flashgun Casey at the race-track’, 11th of 27 Casey, 11th of 31 stories in BM
~ Roger Torrey, “Dead Men Can Talk”, last of 11 Dal Prentice capers, Magna City police dick, ‘one tough guy’, 16th of 50 appearances in BM
©Seattle Mystery Bookshop
[cover updated 11/9/25]
January 1948 issue
better image than previously posted
cover art by Peter Stevens
~ Curtis Cluff, “Snow at Waikiki”, 1st of 3 with Honolulu PI Johnny Ford, ‘1st-person narrator, ‘snow=heroin’, 1st of 4 stories in BM
~ Merle Constiner, “Bury Me Not”, ‘Luther McGavock, private detective; he works for Atherton Browne who heads a Memphis-based agency, last of 11 of the McG stories; usually rural setting’, reprinted in Let the Dead Alone: The Complete Black Mask Cases of Luther McGavock (Steeger, 2020), last of 12 stories in BM
~ Norman A. Daniels, “Death is No Stranger”, Rick Trent, ex-PI, ex-con, 1st person narrator, 3rd of 4 stories in BM
~ Robert C. Dennis, “Murder Tops the Cast”, 4th of 6 with ‘William (Willie) Carmody, Confidential Investigations & Margaret O’Leary, writer, Hollywood, WC is first-person narrator’, 4th of 10 stories in BM
~ C.P. Donnel, Jr., “Keep the Killing Quiet”, ‘1st-person narrator’, last of 20 stories in BM
~ George F. Kull, “Red Christmas”, ‘in Reno‘, 1st of 2 stories in BM
©Seattle Mystery Bookshop
[updated 2/28/26]
SMB Noir 
