Category: western fiction

June 1931 issue ~ cover art by J.W. Schlaikjer

June 1931 issue

cover art by J.W. Schlaikjer

~ Eugene Cunningham, “Gunhands”, Western with Bob Burney, 5th of 14 stories in BM

~ Carroll John Daly, “’The Flame’ and Race Williams”, 39th of 53 with RW, part 1 of 3, ‘pub.as The Third Murderer (1931)’, reprinted in Shooting out of Turn: The Collected Hard-boiled Stories of Race Williams, v.3 (Altus, 2017), 51st of 71 appearances in BM

~ James P. Olsen, “Gunman’s Goal”, ‘Tip Wing’, last of 6 Western stories in BM

~ Earl and Marion Scott, “Lights Out at Benetti’s”, 5th of 6 stories with ‘Phil Craleigh, once brilliant lawyer, now a drunk, given to bouts of reform’, Benetti’s is a nightclub, 15th of 17 stories in BM as a couple

~ Stewart Stirling, (‘possible pseud. of Stewart Sterling?’), “Two-Timer”, 2nd of 8 stories with ‘Johnny Hi Gear, a.k.a. K-5, Undercover Agent’ [Sterling and Stirling were pen names of Nathaniel Prentice Winchell, 20 total stories in BM]. Reprinted in Boomerang Dice: The Complete Black Mask Cases of Johnny Hi Gear (Steeger Books, 2020).

~ Raoul [Fauconnier] Whitfield, “For Sale – Murder”, ‘Center City yarn, Gil Baggart, a square dick’, sequel to “Soft City” in previous issue, 49th of 68 stories in BM [see also 24 stories as Ramon Decolta]

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October 1927 issue ~ cover art by Fred Craft

October 1927 issue

cover art by Fred Craft

~ William Donald Bray, “The Trap”, ‘Western; Deputy Lee Tyndall’, 3rd of 7 stories in BM

~ Tom Curry, “Murder Chains”, part 2 of 2, ‘gangster yarn; John Furnel, alias The Grand Street Kid’, 17th of 39 stories in BM

~ Francis James, “The Steele Avenger”, ‘Timothy O’Toole, bodyguard to Peter Holt’, only appearance of this character in BM, last of 20 appearances in BM

~ W.H.B. Kent, “The Killer”, 1st of 6 Westerns with Killer Blake, deputy sheriff & agent of the Stock Association

~ Murray Leinster (pseud. of Will F. Jenkins), “The Ending of El Jefe”, ‘Western bandits’; last of 7 appearances in BM’

~ Marion Scott, “Folded Evidence”, ‘Brent, detective from HQ, NYPD’, 1st of 3 by herself, 17 stories with Earl Scott in BM as a couple

~ J. Paul Suter, “The Man on the Bus”, 14th of 15 stories with The Reverend McGregor Daunt, ‘clergyman by profession and detective by choice’, 18th of 19 appearances in BM

~ Merle Thomas, “The Lettered Telegraph”, ‘RR holdup & telegraph operator’s daring’, sole appearance in BM

~ Edward Parrish Ware, “The Rebellious Egg”, ‘Crookedness & RR-building’, 6th of 9 stories in BM

~ Raoul [Fauconnier] Whitfield, “Sixty Minutes”, ‘Buck, who flies a Jenny, 1st person narrator, & Sam Ellis’, 15th of 68 stories in BM [see also 24 stories as Ramon Decolta]

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

April 1930 issue

better image than previously posted

cover art by J. W. Schlaikjer

~ Ramon Decolta (Raoul Whitfield), “Red Hemp”, Jo Gar, 3rd of 24 stories in BM, reprinted in West of Guam: The Complete Cases of Jo Bar (Altus Press, 2013)

~ J. J. Des Ormeaux, “Murderer’s Night”, ‘modern Western; 1st-person narrator,’ 1st of 5 stories in BM, (pseudonym of Forrest Rosaire)

~ Dashiell Hammett, “The Cyclone Shot”, Ned Beaumont, 2nd of 4 stories that will go together to make up The Glass Key (published 1931), 42nd of 45 stories in BM

~ Nels Leroy Jorgensen, “Your Play, Gentlemen”, 13th of 32 with Stuart “Black” Burton, ‘square-shooting gambler from the Southwest, often entangled with the law’, ‘Burton in NYC, features Kyoto Kara, a Japanese’, 17th of 39 stories in BM

~ Frederick L. Nebel, “Wise Guy”, 10th of 37 with Captain Steve MacBride and local reporter Kennedy ’& the usual company’, reprinted in Winter Kill: Complete Cases of MacBride & Kenney, v.2 (Altus, 2013), 22 of 67 stories in BM

~ Raoul [Fauconnier] Whitfield, “Killers’ Show”, Mal Ourney, last of 5 stories, ‘The Crime Breeders’, presented as separate stories rather than conventional serial’, published in hardcover in 1930 by Knopf as Green Ice, 39th of 67 stories in BM [see also 24 stories as Ramon Decolta]

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

September 1930 issue

cover art by J.W. Schlaikjer

better image than previously posted

~ Guthrie Brown, “Stalemate”, ‘Western lynching’, 1st of 2 stories in BM

~ Carroll John Daly, “Shooting Out of Town”, 37th of 53 with Race Williams who ‘goes out of town on a gun job’, 49thof 71 appearances in BM

~ Ramon Decolta (Raoul Whitfield), “Nagasaki Bound”, 1st half of Jo Gar story, 6th of 24 stories in BM, reprinted in West of Guam: The Complete Cases of Jo Bar (Altus Press, 2013)

~ J. J. Des Ormeaux, “The Dago Trick”, ‘crook tale’, 2nd of 5 stories in BM (pseudonym of Forrest Rosaire)

~ Joseph Harrington, “Footloose Goes Astray”, ‘Western’, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ Frederick L. Nebel, “Shake-Down”, 12th of 37 with Captain Steve MacBride and local reporter Kennedy, reprinted in Winter Kill: Complete Cases of MacBride & Kenney, v.2 (Altus, 2013), 25 of 67 stories in BM

~ Earl and Marion Scott, “Bullets for Murder”, 4th of 6 stories with ‘Phil Craleigh, once brilliant lawyer, now a drunk, given to bouts of reform’, million-dollar robbery, 13th of 17 stories in BM as a couple

~ Raoul [Fauconnier] Whitfield, “Death in a Bowl”, 1st of 3 serialized parts, ‘Ben Jardinn, Hollywood eye, & murder in Hollywood Bowl’, ‘(originally titled The Maestro Murder)’, published in hardcover in 1931 by Knopf, 41st of 67 stories in BM [see also 24 stories as Ramon Decolta]

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December 1935 issue ~ cover art by John Drew

December 1935 issue

cover art by John Drew

better image than previously posted

~ W.T. Ballard, “After Breakfast”, 2nd of 7 with ‘Red Drake, undercover investigator for the State Racing Commission, 1st-person narrator’, 16th of 43 stories in BM

~ Eugene Cunningham, “Tough People”, 1st of 2 with Det. Sgt. Bob Land, border patrol, 13th of 14 stories in BM

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Above the Law”, 62th Ed Jenkins, ‘The Phantom Crook’, 87th of 99 stories in BM

~ Nels Leroy Jorgensen, “The Man from Monaco”, 23rd of 32 with Stuart “Black” Burton, ‘square-shooting gambler from the Southwest, often entangled with the law’, 30th of 39 stories in BM

~ Eric Taylor, “Red Death”, ‘Gene Terry, detective, Metropolitan Agency’, 5th of 7 stories in BM

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September 1925 issue ~ cover art by H.C. Murphy

September 1925 issue

better image (by a little) than previously posted

cover art by H.C. Murphy

~ Ray(mond) King, “T. McGuirk Lends a Helping Hand”, ‘13th of 14 McGuirk stories, billed as “the quaintest character in the Underworld” & honest, more of less’, 13th of 15 stories in BM

~ Joseph Gollomb, “The Man Who Stole a Palace”, ‘study of Parisian police methods’, 2nd of 6 articles

~ Glenn G. Gravatt, “The Million Dollar Robbery”, ‘The Manhunters; for this series, see chiefly under Charles Somerville,’ author’s only appearance in BM

~ Dashiell Hammett, “Corkscrew”, ‘The Op [12th of 22] in Arizona, billed as ‘A Western Detective Novelette’, reprinted in As Tough as They Come (Perma, 1951), 17th of 45 stories in BM

~ William La Varre, “The Golden Head”, ‘A Daytime Story’, author’s only appearance in BM

~ Ralph E. Mooney, “Outside the World”, ‘attempted murder of an editor’, author’s only appearance in BM

~ L. King Tichenor, “A Just Price”, ‘The Senator’ [no other explanation], 4th of 5 stories in BM

~ Henry S. Whitehead, “The Gladstone Bag”, 1st of 2 stories in BM

~ Valleau Wilkie, “The White Elephant”, ‘Billed as “A Last Minute Mystery”’, 2nd of 2 stories in BM

~ Jack Woodford, “Blank Fingers”, ‘article; fingerprints; cf. under John Nicholas Beffel’, May 1925 issue

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