April 1944 issue ~ cover art by Enoch Bolles

April 1944 – cover repurposed from April 1935, the only difference is the “Painter Publication” box over the month

cover art by Enoch Bolles

stories included “Spanish—and What Eyes!” by Cornell Woolrich

May 1935 issue ~ cover art by Walter Baumhofer

May 1935 issue

cover art by Walter Baumhofer

better image than previously posted

January 1948 issue ~ cover art by Paul Stevens

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]