April 1928 issue ~ cover art by Fred Craft

April 1928 issue

better image than previously posted

cover art by Fred Craft

~ William Donald Bray, “The Trick Play”, Western, 5th of 12 stories in BM

~ Tom Curry, “Wheels Within Wheels”, DeVrite, NYPD undercover ‘secret agent’, 3rd of 7, 22nd of 39 stories in BM

~ Carroll John Daly, “The Law of Silence”, ‘1st half of a crime story with Charlie, 1st person narrator’, 32nd of 71 appearances in BM

~ Joseph E. Dash, “Cass Munroe Plays a Hand”, Western, only story in BM

~ Bob Du Soe, “A Score Settled”, ‘action in NYC night clubs’, last of 3 stories in BM

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Snow Bird”, 21st of 73 with Ed Jenkins stories, with Paul Boardman and the others, 31st of 99 stories in BM

~ Leslie N. Johnson, “The Killing of Antone Mulvaney”, ‘ex-con attempts vengeance’, 1st of 2 stories in BM

~ W.H.B. Kent, “The Killer Comes In”, 2nd of 6 Westerns with Killer Blake, deputy sheriff & agent of the Stock Association

~ David Thibault, “Muddy Waters”, ‘fighting crooks against Mississippi-flood background’, 2nd of 2 stories in BM

~ Everett H. Tipton, “Noose Law”, ‘Western’, 4th of 7 stories in BM

~ Raoul [Fauconnier] Whitfield, “Little Guns”, ‘police & gangsters in Center City’, 19th of 67 stories in BM [see also 24 stories as Ramon Decolta]

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

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

June 1930 issue

better image than previously posted

cover art by J. W. Schlaikjer

~ Carroll John Daly, “Tainted Power”, 34th of 53, ‘Williams &‘The Flame’ aka Florence Drummond, ‘The Girl with the Criminal Mind’, Pt. 1 of loosely organized 3-pt. serial; pub. As novel (1931) under same title’, 46th of 71 appearances in BM

~ Ramon Decolta (Raoul Whitfield), “Signals of Storm”, Jo Gar, PI with office in Manila , 4th of 24 stories in BM, reprinted in West of Guam: The Complete Cases of Jo Bar (Altus Press, 2013)

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Hell’s Kettle”, 33th Ed Jenkins & his wife Helen Chadwick, 2nd of a 3-part story with The Crime Crusher, 50th of 99 stories in BM, reprinted in The Black Mask Boys (1985, Morrow)

~ Dashiell Hammett, “The Shattered Key”, Ned Beaumont, last of 4 stories that will go together to make up The Glass Key (published 1931), issue includes editor’s note on DH, 44th of 45 stories in BM

~ Hapsburg Liebe, “Red Dice”, ‘Blaze Hanson in Florida cattle country; see p. 120 for HL’s comment on story’ 3rd of 4 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

March 1938 issue ~ cover art by Walter Baumhofer

March 1938 issue

cover art by Walter Baumhofer

better image than previously posted

Carroll John Daly, “A Corpse on the House” (Race Williams)

Raymond Chandler, “The King in Yellow” (Steve Grace, housedick) – first appearance of this story, one often reprinted

Frederick C. Davis, “Crimson Broadcast” (Keyhole Kerry)

William Edward Hayes, “Death by Enlargement”

Maxwell Hawkins, “Rx Murder”

April 1925 issue ~ cover art by A.T. Stewart

April 1925 issue

cover art by A.T. Stewart

~ Frank L. Benscoter, “Shola Al”, ‘a detective story’, 3rd of 5 stories in BM

~ C. Chapin, “Room Rent”, author’s only appearance in BM

~ Valma Clark, “A Little Matter of Chivalry”, “A Mystery of Real Life”, only appearance in BM

~ Ray(mond King) Cummings, “The System of T. McGuirk”, ‘11th of 14 McGuirk stories, billed as “the quaintest character in the Underworld” & honest, more of less’, 11th of 15 stories in BM

~ Carroll John Daly, “Conceited, Maybe”, 7th of 53 with Race Williams, reprinted in Them That Lives By Their Guns: The Collected Hard-Boiled Stories of Race Williams, Vol. 1 (Altus Press, 2015) 15th of 71 appearances in BM

~ Arthur Kearns, “A Born Thief”, 1st of 2 stories in BM

~ Genevieve Neegard, “The Sandalwood Casket”, advertised as ‘a meek man drunk with blood’, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ William Rollins, Jr., “Treasures That Dead Men Guard”, part 3 of 3, last of 3 stories with Jack Darrow, 12th of 23 stories in BM

~ Charles Somerville, “The Grey-Green House”, 39th of 47 articles in the ‘Manhunter’ series, 40th of 49 total articles in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

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]

 ©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

May 1, 1934 issue ~ cover art by John Howitt

May 1, 1934 issue

cover art by John Howitt

better image than previously posted

“Read ‘Em and Weep” (Cardigan) by Frederick Nebel

“The Smoking Corpse” (Edward Delane, lawyer) by Erle Stanley Gardner

“The Duchess of Death” (Jones & Jones) by Maxwell Hawkins

“Hot Money” (Johnny Cass) by R.D. Torrey

“Zero Hour” (Willy Hansen) by Anson Hatch

also includes letter from Carroll John Daly announcing new radio program featuring his character Vee Brown