
better image than previously posted

[updated 7/31/25]

cover art by Don Creigh
better image than previously posted
~ William E. Brandon, “Handout”, ‘panhandler in trouble’, 1st of 7 stories in BM
~ Frederick C. Davis, “Seven Knocks at My Door”, ‘Dr. Joel Perry’, 4th of 16 stories in BM
~ Frank Gruber, “The Ring and the Finger”, ‘1st-person narrator’, 8th of 14 stories in BM
~ John Lawrence, “Deed of Gift”, 2nd of 2 stories with ‘Barron Hargraft & boxing in Detroit & NYC’, 4th of 14 stories in BM
~ William Tanquery, “At Stillson’s”, ‘newspaper reporter; Stillson’s – a bar’, 1st of 2 stories in BM
~ Roger Torrey, “Death Plays Tag”, ‘8th (of 14) in Pat McCarthy series, with Marge Chalmers often his “sidekick”; he is ex-NYC cop, ex-agency man (Chicago & St. Louis) who dislikes cops’, 35th of 50 appearances in BM
~ Donald Wandrei, “Make Me a Death Mask”, ‘young artist’, 3rd of 6 stories in BM
©Seattle Mystery Bookshop
[cover updated 10/27/25]

cover art by Delos Palmer
better image than previously posted

better image than previously posted
[updated 4/2/26]

~ Thomas Ewing Dabney, “The Drug of Ullua”, ‘Hard-Boiled Smith in Latin America’, 2nd of 2 stories in BM
~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Without No Reindeer”, 2nd of 10 Bob Larkin stories, 3rd of 99 stories in BM
~ Robert Lee Heiser, “The Norris Case”, ‘The Manhunters, for this series see chiefly under Charles Somerville’
~ Francis James, “The Green Enigma”, Prentice, Harvard-trained criminologist turned policeman with Police Chief Shannon, 2nd of 2 parts, issue also includes letter from the author with a small photo, 18th of 20 appearances in BM
~ Donald MacGregor, “The One-Dollar Bandit”, 2nd of 10 stories
~ William Rollins, Jr., “Dead Men of the Marshes”, 2nd of 3 stories with Jack Darrow, 16-year-old hero, ‘double murder’, 9th of 23 stories in BM
©Seattle Mystery Bookshop
[cover updated 1/3/26]

first published as a hardcover in 1938 by Knopf, his third novel

1951 Signet reissue – cover art by Ray Pease



[post updated 4/10/26]


1964 Horwitz International reissue

cover art by Robert McGinnis
Gouache on board, 22 x 15 inches (55.9 x 38.1 cm)
Signed lower center right: R. M.Ginnis


1971 Signet reissue, third printing
cover art by Robert McGinnis
[updated 11/5/25, 3/29/26]