bill lennox – SMB Noir

September 1940 issue ~ cover art by Rafael DeSoto

September 1940 issue

cover art by Rafael DeSoto

~ Cleve Adams, “That Certain Feeling”, ‘Engelhardt & Dewey, Car 97, LA setting’, 2^nd of 6 stories in BM

~ W.T. Ballard, “Pictures for Murder”, 22nd of 27 stories with ‘Bill Lennox, troubleshooter for Consolidated Films’, 34th of 43 stories in BM

~ William E. Brandon, “Danny, Once the Rat”, ‘police-stoolie & Nazi spies’, 3^rd of 7 stories in BM

~ Dale Clark, “Killer in the Wind”, 2^nd of 28 with house dick Mike O’Hanna story, at San Alpa Resort hotel, 4^th of 32 stories in BM

~ John Lawrence, “Death in the Pluperfect”, 1^st of 2 stories with ‘Ace McGuire, Broadway squad, 1^st-person narrator’, 7^th of 14 stories in BM

~ Robert Reeves, “Dog Eat Dog”, Cellini Smith and RR’s debut, 1^st of 3 parts that will be published as the novel No Love Lost in 1941, reprinted in Dead and Done For: The Complete Black Mask Cases of Cellini Smith (Steeger, 2020), 1^st of 12 appearances in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

May 1942 issue ~ cover art by Rafael DeSoto

May 1942 issue

cover art by Rafael DeSoto

~ W.T. Ballard, “Lights, Action – Killer!”, 27^th and last Lennox story in BM, 40^th of 43 stories in BM

~ D.L. Champion, “Blood from a Turnip”, 8^th of 26 with Sackler, reprinted in Murder Costs Money: The Complete Black Mask Stories of Rex Sackler (Steeger, 2020), 9^th of 30 stories in BM.

~ Dale Clark, “Murder is No Joke”, 9th of 28 with house dick Mike O’Hanna story, at San Alpa Resort hotel, 11^th of 32 stories in BM

~ Norbert Davis, “Don’t Cry for Me”, 1^st of 3 with Hollywood piano man John Collins, 10^th of 13 stories in BM

~ C.P. Donnell, Jr., “Death of the Party ”, 9th of 16 with Colonel Walter (Doc) Rennie, USA Medical Corps psychiatrist, 9th of 20 stories in BM

~ Cornell Woolrich, “Dormant Account”, 19th of 24 (22 original) stories to appear in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

October 1934 issue ~ cover art by Fred Craft

October 1934 issue

better image than previously posted

cover art by Fred Craft

~ W.T. Ballard, “Snatching Is Dynamite”, ‘Lennox & ‘The Secret Five’ of Hollywood’, 9th of 27 BM stories with ‘Bill Lennox, troubleshooter for Consolidated Films’, 9th of 43 stories in BM

~ Raymond Chandler, “Finger Man”, “Finger Man”, unnamed LA PI, first person narrator, first book appearance in the collection The Simple Art of Murder (Houghton Mifflin hardcover, 1950), first paperback, Trouble is My Business (Pocket, 10/51), various paperback editions, reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Pulps (Vintage, 2007), 3^rd of 11 stories in BM

~ Nels Leroy Jorgensen, “Immunity Murders”, 21^th of 32 with Stuart “Black” Burton, ‘square-shooting gambler from the Southwest, often entangled with the law’, with his wife Vivian, 28^th of 39 stories in BM

~ Horace McCoy, “Somebody Must Die”, last of 14 Frost stories with ‘Capt. Jerry Frost, Texas (Air) Ranger, last of 17 appearances in BM

~ Thomas Walsh, “Best Man”, ‘Carver, plain-clothesman, Homicide; reprinted in The Hard-Boiled Omnibus (1946)’, 4th of 6 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

November 1938 issue ~ cover art by James Lunnon

November 1938 issue

cover art by James Lunnon

better image than previously posted

~ W.T. Ballard, “Mobster Guns”, 20th of 27 stories with ‘Bill Lennox, troubleshooter for Consolidated Films’, 30th of 43 stories in BM

~ Hugh B. Cave, “Curtain Call”, 4th of 9 stories in BM

~ Eric Howard, “Fifty Grand Frail”, ‘Tim Ryan, private snoop, 1st person narrator’, 5th of 6 stories in BM

~ Edgar Pangborn, “Bullet Song”, ‘Tom Paradine, music critic’, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ Theodore A. Tinsley, “Station K-I-L-L”, ‘23rd (of 25) Jerry Tracy capers, columnist on the (NYC) Planet, ‘mixer with poor and rich, the crooked and the straight, trailer of trouble and happiness’, 24th of 26 stories in BM

~ Donald Wandrei, “Tick, Tock”, ‘time bomb’, 5th of 6 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

February 1942 issue ~ cover art by Rafael DeSoto

February 1942 issue

cover art by Rafael DeSoto

better image than previously posted

~ W.T. Ballard, “The Colt and the Killer”, 26th of 27 stories with ‘Bill Lennox, troubleshooter for Consolidated Films’, 39th of 43 stories in BM

~ William E. Brandon, “Wake Up and Give!”, ‘skullduggery & a college bequest’, 4^th of 7 stories in BM

~ John Lawrence, “Murder, Maestro, Please”, ‘Jamie Harrod, ‘Maestro of Swing’, 1^st -person narrator, framed for murder; set in Detroit’, 11^th of 14 stories in BM

~ Peter Paige, “The Night You Shot Hitler”, ’Murder of an RAF pilot in NYC’, 10th of 12 stories in BM

~ C.G. Tahney, [pseud of Charles Green, not to be confused with Charles M. Green], “And a Little Child Shall Bleed Them”, Nickie and Uncle Pat, 3rd of 5 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

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December 1936 issue ~ cover art by John Drew

December 1936 issue

cover art by John Drew

~ Dwight V. Babcock, “Murder on the Side”, ‘unemployed reporter, 1^st-person narrator’, 12^th of 21 stories in BM

~ W.T. Ballard, “Whipsawed”, 17th of 27 stories with ‘Bill Lennox, troubleshooter for Consolidated Films’, 23rd of 43 stories in BM

~ James Francis Bonnell, “Address Unknown”, short-short, only appearance in BM

~ Paul Cain, “Dutch Treat”, ‘emeralds’, reprinted in The Complete Slayers (2011 Centipede Press), last of 17 stories in BM

~ Lester Dent, “Angelfish”, 2^nd Oscar Sale story, last story in BM, reprinted in The Hardboiled Dicks (1965), and The Hard-Boiled Detective (1977), last of 2 stories in BM. Reprinted in Luck: The Complete Black Mask Cases of Oscar Sail (Steeger Books, 2021).

~ James Duncan, “Thoroughbred”, ‘Jerry Breton 1^st-grade dick, & Florida Racing Commission’, 5^th of 10 stories in BM

~ E.G. Morris, “Panic”, ‘petty crook’s panic’, author’s only appearance in BM

~ Roger Torrey, “The Irish Have It”, ‘2nd (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’, 23rd of 50 appearances in BM

better image than previously posted

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

[image updated 6/2/24]

September 1936 issue ~ cover art by John Drew

September 1936 issue

cover art by John Drew

~ Dwight V. Babcock, “Men of the FBI”, 6^th of 7 with LA FBI agent Chuck Thompson, 11^th of 21 stories in BM

~ W.T. Ballard, “There’s No Excuses for Murder”, 15th of 27 stories with ‘Bill Lennox, troubleshooter for Consolidated Films’, ‘LaBrea Tar Pits figure into the story’, 21st of 43 stories in BM

~ Raymond Chandler, “The Curtain”, PI Carmody #3 of 4, reprinted in the anthology Killer in the Rain, 1963 Hamish Hamilton UK hardcover, first book appearance, 10^th of 11 stories in BM

~ George Harmon Coxe, “Too Many Women”, 18^th of 27 with Flashgun Casey, 21st of 31 stories in BM

~ Theodore A. Tinsley, “Murder Maze”, ‘17th (of 25) Jerry Tracy capers, columnist on the (NYC) Planet, ‘mixer with poor and rich, the crooked and the straight, trailer of trouble and happiness’, ‘Tracy meets a Coney Island “Hindu”, reprinted in Murder Maze: The Complete Black Mask Cases of Jerry Tracy, vol.2 (Steeger 2022), 18th of 26 stories in BM

[cover updated 11/8/25]

December 1934 issue ~ cover art by Fred Craft

December 1934

cover art by Fred Craft

~ Dwight V. Babcock, “Too Many Slips”, ‘1^st Al, bodyguard, story’, 3^rd of 21 stories in BM

~ W.T. Ballard, “Murder Isn’t Legal”, 11th of 27 stories with ‘Bill Lennox, troubleshooter for Consolidated Films’, 11th of 43 stories in BM

~ Eugene Cunningham, “An Old Spanish Custom”, 2^nd of 2 with Western with Pony Kerr, 12^th of 14 stories in BM

~ Hugh Lundie, “A Farewell to Strife”, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ H.H. Stinson, “Trivial, Like Murder”, 2nd of 14 with ‘Ken O’Hara, fighting reporter on Los Angeles Tribune’, 2nd of 27 stories in BM

May 1936 issue ~ cover art by John Drew

May 1936 issue

cover art by John Drew

better image than previously posted

~ W.T. Ballard, “Blackmailers Die Hard”, 14th of 27 stories with ‘Bill Lennox, troubleshooter for Consolidated Films’, 19th of 43 stories in BM

~ John K. Butler, “Dark Return”, ‘Mark Dana, ex-G-man’, 3^rd of 11 stories in BM

~ George Harmon Coxe, “Murder Mixup”, 16^th of 27 with Flashgun Casey, 18^th of 31 stories in BM, reprinted in The Hard-Boiled Omnibus (1946)

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Beating the Bulls”, 63th of 73 Ed Jenkins stories, ‘The Phantom Crook’, 88th of 99 stories in BM

~ Eric Taylor, “Murder to Music”, ‘Jess Arno, private eye’, 6th of 7 stories in BM