cover art by Rafael DeSoto
“The Arm of Mother Manzoli” by Merle Constiner (with The Dean)
“The Big Four” by C.P. Donnel, Jr. (with Colonel Kaspir)
“Send Coffins for Seven” by Julius Long
“No Haunting Allowed” by G.T. Fleming-Roberts
[updated 5/14/25]
cover art by Rafael DeSoto
better image than previously posted
T.T. Flynn, “Murder in a Dead Heat” (Mr. Maddox)
C.P. Donnell, Jr., ‘The Sweet Waters of Death” (Colonel Kaspir)
Cornell Woolrich, “The Body in Grant’s Tomb”
D.L. Champion, “The Grave Brings Silence”
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]
cover art by Rafael DeSoto
~ W.T. Ballard, “Lights, Action – Killer!”, 27th and last Lennox story in BM, 40th of 43 stories in BM
~ D.L. Champion, “Blood from a Turnip”, 8th of 26 with Sackler, reprinted in Murder Costs Money: The Complete Black Mask Stories of Rex Sackler (Steeger, 2020), 9th 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, 11th of 32 stories in BM
~ Norbert Davis, “Don’t Cry for Me”, 1st of 3 with Hollywood piano man John Collins, 10th 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
November 1943 issue
cover art by Rafael DeSoto
~ William E. Brandon, “It’s So Peaceful in the Country”, ‘Horse Luvnik, ex-con goes to work for academic types, reprinted in The Hard-Boiled Detective (1977)’, last of 7 stories in BM
~ Merle Constiner, “Kill One, Skip One” ‘Luther McGavock, private detective; he works Atherton Browne who heads a Memphis-based agency, 5th 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), 5th of 12 stories in BM
~ C.P. Donnel, Jr., “So Red the Ruby”, ‘Privates Maguire & Caldwell on a 3-day leave in NYC’, 16th of 20 stories in BM
~ Julius Long, “The Devil’s Jack-Pot”, ‘Addison Secore, criminal lawyer, is villain‘, 4th of 23 stories in BM
~ H.H. Stinson, “Two Rings for Murder”, ‘Sam South, loan company proprietor, & Nazi spies’, 18th of 27 stories in BM
©Seattle Mystery Bookshop
cover art by Rafael DeSoto
better image than previously posted
~ D.L. Champion, “Killer, Can You Spare a Dime?”, 9th of 26 with Rex Sackler, 10th of 30 stories in BM
~ Norbert Davis, “Bullets Don’t’ Bother Me”, ‘Sam Carey & Japanese agents in wartime San Francisco’, 11th of 13 stories in BM
~ C.P. Donnell, Jr., “Dead Ahead Lies Yesterday”, 10th of 16 with Colonel Walter (Doc) Rennie, USA Medical Corps [perhaps a prequel as Hagemann notes ‘psychiatrist-detective’ enters US Medical Corps], 10th of 20 stories in BM
~ John Lawrence, “Treasonable Facsimile”, 2nd of 2 stories with disbarred attorney, Larssen T. (Larceny) Kyne, 13th of 14 stories in BM
~ Peter Paige, “Death Is a Souvenir”, ’Captain Hammer (private eye), “one-man war department’” 11th of 12 stories in BM
©Seattle Mystery Bookshop
February 1943 Canadian issue
better image than previously posted
cover art by Rafael DeSoto
Robert Reeves, “Over a Barrel” (Bookie Barnes)
John K. Butler, “The Corpse That Couldn’t Keep Cool” (Steve Midnight)
Norbert Davis, “Have One on the House ” (Bail Bond Dodd)
C.P. Donnel, Jr., “Pressure Island” (Colonel Kaspir)
Jan Dana, “Corpse of a Different Killer” (Acme Indemnity Op)
SMB Noir 