January 1928 issue ~ cover art by Fred Craft

January 1928 issue

cover art by Fred Craft

~ Louis Victor Eytinge, “When Fingerprints Lied”, ‘Paul Prentiss, former pete-man (safe blower)’, 2nd of 2 stories in BM

~ Westmoreland Gray, “Guns of Silence”, ‘Vic Cammack, reporter, & Jerry the Yegg, crook, vs. bandits’, last of 3 stories in BM

~ Dashiell Hammett, “Dynamite”, 3rd of 4 Continental Op stories that will go together to make up Red Harvest (Knopf hc, 1929), reprinted in The Big Book of the Continental Op (Vintage, 2017), 34th of 51 stories in BM

~ Nels Leroy Jorgensen, “The Faith o’ MacGown”, 1st of 3 with Rio Kennedy of the Customs Service in Santo Domingo, 11th of 39 stories in BM

~ Carl L. Martin, “Pore Pickin’s”, Deputy Lon Havens, Drew County, Bayou country, ‘bank robbery & Mississippi River flood, dialect used’, 2nd of 6 in BM

~ Frederick L. Nebel, “The Penalty of the Code”, ‘the code of silence’, reprinted in Street Wolf (Altus Press, 2014), 10 of 67 stories in BM

~ William S. Newell, “A Man Reforms”, ‘Louse’ Eller, a punk criminal, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ Stephen Payne, “The Fifth Loop”, ‘Western‘, 1st of 2 stories in BM

~ L.R. Sherman, “The Man Who Would Not Quit”, ‘Far North’, 2nd of 3 stories in BM

~ Raoul [Fauconnier] Whitfield, “The Sky’s the Limit”, last of 7 Chuck Reddington story; ‘airplanes & machineguns’, 17th of 68 stories in BM [see also 24 stories as Ramon Decolta]

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May 1925 issue ~ cover art by O.K. Uzzell

May 1925 issue

better image than previously posted

cover art by O.K. Uzzell

~ John Nicholas Beffel, “Finger-Prints”, ‘article – can fingerprints be forged?; this prompts answer from Dashiell Hammett’, June 1925 issue, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Painless Extraction”, 3rd of 10, ‘Bob Larkin in Mexico’, 6th of 99 stories in BM

~ Dashiell Hammett, “The Scorched Face”, ‘the Op, called here ‘The Continental Sleuth’ by ed.’, [11th of 22], 16th of 45 stories in BM

~ Lillian W. Keenan, “The Lost Glove Needle”, ‘described as ‘shrewd detective work’”, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ C.S. Montanye (Carleton Stevens), “An Adventure in Diamonds”, 9th of 10 with ‘Captain Valentine, that ‘attractive European scalawag’, adventurer and rascal’, 25th of 29 stories in BM

~ Charles Somerville, “The Tracking of a Fiend”, 40th of 47 articles in the ‘Manhunter’ series, 41st of 49 total articles in BM

~ J. Paul Suter, “The Uncomfortable Buddha”, 5th of 15 stories with The Reverend McGregor Daunt, ‘clergyman by profession and detective by choice’, 8th of 19 appearances in BM

~ L. King Tichenor, “A Thousand Dollar Bill”, 1st of 5 stories in BM

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April 15, 1924 issue

April 15, 1924 issue

better image than previously posted

~ Carroll John Daly, “One Night of Frenzy”, 10th of 71 appearances in BM

~ Harold De Polo, “Mr. Dugan’s Vocation”, 5th of 6 stories in BM

~ Marjory Stoneman Douglas, “White Midnight”, last of 4 parts, ‘South Seas setting’, author’s only story in BM

~ Edward Ettinger, “The Mystery of Perkins Farm”, 2nd and last story in BM

~ Arthur S. Garbett, “The Times Speeder”, ‘amateur sleuth, 1st-person narrator, novelette’, last of 4 stories in BM

~ Dashiell Hammett, “The House in Turk Street”, the Op [9th of 25], see sequel “The Girl with the Silver Eyes”, (6/1924), reprinted in The Big Book of the Continental Op (Vintage, 2017), reprinted in Zigzags of Treachery: The Complete Black Mask Cases of the Continental Op, Vol. 1 (Steeger, 2023), 15th of 51 stories in BM

~ L.M. Lish, “Poker”, ‘short-short’, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ C.S. Montanye (Carleton Stevens), “The Seven Gold Figures”, 7th of 10 with ‘Captain Valentine, that ‘attractive European scalawag’, adventurer and rascal’, ‘see p.127 for letter from CSM‘, 23rd of 29 stories in BM

~ Charles Somerville, “A Reporter’s Clue”, 28th of 47 articles in the ‘Manhunter’ series, 29th of 49 total articles in BM

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April 1, 1924 issue ~ cover art by H.C. Murphy

April 1, 1924 issue

cover art by H.C. Murphy

better image than previously posted

~ Charles G. Booth, “The Malevolent Bequest”, 3rd of 7 stories in BM

~ Marjory Stoneman Douglas, “White Midnight”, 3rd of 4 parts, ‘South Seas setting’, author’s only story in BM

~ Dashiell Hammett, “One Hour”, the Op [8th of 25], reprinted in The Return of the Continental Op (Dell mapback, 1947), reprinted in Nightmare Town (Knopf, 1999), reprinted in The Big Book of the Continental Op (Vintage, 2017), reprinted in Zigzags of Treachery: The Complete Black Mask Cases of the Continental Op, Vol. 1 (Steeger, 2023), 14th of 45 stories in BM

~ Harold Freeman Miners, “Twisted Trails”, ‘Western’, 3rd of 5 stories in BM

~ Frederick Moore, “Jerauld of Beranda Island”, “called ‘A detective story of the sea’”, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ William Rollins, Jr., “The Ring of the Hand of the Dead”, see “Footsteps of the Dead” (May 1934), for sequel, 6th of 23 stories in BM

~ Charles Somerville, “Numbers and Threads”, ‘Detective James McCoy, NYPD’, 27th of 47 articles in the ‘Manhunter’ series, 28th of 49 total articles in BM

~ Merlin Moore Taylor, “Ivywild”, part 2 of 2, ‘family secret in ancient English castle’, 7th of 8 appearances in BM

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August 1929 issue ~ cover art by Fred Craft

August 1929 issue

cover art by Fred Craft

~ Peter Ames Cressey, “Do Your Stuff, Ranger”, ‘Western with Carnes’, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Spawn of the Night”, 8th of 10 Bob Larkin stories, listed incorrectly in the Table of Contents as ‘Hanging Friday’, 43rd of 99 stories in BM

~ Dashiell Hammett, “Fly Paper”, ‘the Op [23rd of 25] & arsenical fly paper, reprinted The Hard-Boiled Omnibus (1946)’, reprinted in The Big Book of the Continental Op (Vintage, 2017), 40th of 51 stories of BM

~ Earl and Marion Scott, “The Other Cameo”, 3rd of 6 stories with ‘Cameo Kirby, reformed jewel thief’, 8th of 17 stories in BM as a couple

~ Victor Shaw, “Birds of Prey”, ‘getaway from a road gang’, last of 5 stories in BM

~ Raoul [Fauconnier] Whitfield, “River Street Death”, Gary Greer, 7th (of 9) in the Laughing Dead series, ‘presented as separate stories rather than conventional serial; pub. As Five (1931) under the pseudonym of Temple Field’, 33rd of 68 stories in BM [see also 24 stories as Ramon Decolta]. Reprinted in Laughing Death (Steeger Books, 2021).

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May 1937 issue ~ cover art by Fred Craft

May 1927 issue

cover art by Fred Craft

better image than previously posted

~ J. Edgar Ambler, “The Buzzard”, ‘The Buzzard & the Cracker, criminals’, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ Tom Curry, “The Stick-Up Club”, 8th of 23 with Macnamara (Mac), NYPD 1st grade dick, 13th of 39 stories in BM

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “In Full Account”, 16th of 73 Ed Jenkins stories, last of 3 with ‘The Girl with the Mole’, reprinted in Dead Men’s Letters (1990, Carroll & Graf anthology of Jenkins stories), 25th of 99 stories in BM

~ Dashiell Hammett, “$106,000 Blood Money” Continental Op [21st of 25], sequel to “The Big Knock-Over”, in the 2/1927 issue, reprinted with its prequel as Blood Money (Tower, 1943), reprinted in The Big Book of the Continental Op (Vintage, 2017), 30th of 51 stories in BM

~ (Charles John) Cutcliffe Hyne, “The Liner and the Iceberg”, 7th of 8 yarns with Captain Kettle

~ Don Livingston, “No Grandstand Play”, Western, 2nd of 2 stories in BM

~ Riblew Reelhew, “Eyes of the Night”, ‘Dandy Dan, nimble & nimble-witted crook’, 2nd of 2 stories under this pseudonym, an anagram of Wilber Wheeler

~ Victor Shaw, “For a Girl Like That”, ‘Western detective’, 1st of 5 stories in BM

~ Raoul [Fauconnier] Whitfield, “South of Savannah”, 4th of 7 Chuck Reddington story; airplanes & machineguns’, 12th of 68 stories in BM [see also 24 stories as Ramon Decolta]

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

December 1929 issue x 2

December 1929 issue #1

December 1929 issue #2

both better images than previously posted

cover art by J.W. Schlaikjer

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Triple Treachery”, 30th of 73 stories with Ed Jenkins, with his wife Helen Chadwick, in LA, 2nd half of story with Ramsey, from previous issue, 47th of 99 stories in BM

~ Dashiell Hammett, “The Maltese Falcon”, part 4 of 5 serialized parts before hardcover publication (1931), reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Black Mask Stories (Vintage, 2010), 38th of 45 stories in BM

~ Horace McCoy, “Renegades of the Rio”, 3rd of 14 stories with ‘Capt. Jerry Frost, Texas (Air) Ranger’, 4th of 17 stories in BM

~ Lester Reynard, “Saving the Double-Cross”, 4th of 5 stories in BM

~ Earl and Marion Scott, “Craleigh Comes to Life”, 2nd of 6 stories with ‘Phil Craleigh, once brilliant lawyer, now a drunk, given to bouts of reform’, 10th of 17 stories in BM as a couple

~ L.R. Sherman, “Reading Sign on the Sagebrush Kid”, Western, last of 3 stories in BM

~ Raoul [Fauconnier] Whitfield, “Outside”, ‘Mal Ourney; part 1 (of 5), ‘The Crime Breeders’, presented as separate stories rather than conventional serial’, pub. in hardcover in 1930 by Knopf as Green Ice, 35th of 67 stories in BM [see also 24 stories as Ramon Decolta]

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

May 1930 issue

cover art by J. W. Schlaikjer

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “The Crime Crusher”, 32th Ed Jenkins & his wife Helen Chadwick, 1st of a 3-part story, 49th of 99 stories in BM

~ Dashiell Hammett, “Dagger Point”, Ned Beaumont, 3rd of 4 stories that will go together to make up The Glass Key (published 1931), 43rd of 45 stories in BM

~ Nels Leroy Jorgensen, “Slowdown Hands”, 14th of 32 with Stuart “Black” Burton, ‘square-shooting gambler from the Southwest, often entangled with the law’, 18th of 39 stories in BM

~ Frederick L. Nebel, “Street Wolf”, ’Napoleon Damiani, gangster’, 23 of 67 stories in BM

~ Reuben Jennings Shay, “Backfire”, 1st of 2 in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop