September 1938 issue ~ cover art by James Lunnon

September 1938 issue

cover art by James Lunnon

~ Walter E. Burton, “The Stamp of Guilt”, ‘murder & philately’, 2nd of 2 stories in BM

~ Nels Leroy Jorgensen, “Murder Masquerade”, last of 32 with Stuart “Black” Burton, ‘square-shooting gambler from the Southwest, often entangled with the law’, last of 39 stories in BM

~ H. Randolph Peacock, “Dead Man’s Prints”, last of 3 with Otto, department store dick, making $40 a week at Klineman’s, 3rd of 4 stories in BM

~ H.H. Stinson, “Ol’ Devil O’Hara”, 6th of 14 with ‘Ken O’Hara, fighting reporter on Los Angeles Tribune’, 9th of 27 stories in BM

~ Theodore A. Tinsley, “Make It Murder”, ‘22nd (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’, reprinted in Station K-I-L-L: The Complete Black Mask Cases of Jerry Tracy, vol.3 (Steeger, 2024), 23rd of 26 stories in BM

~ Donald Wandrei, “Corpse on the Campus”, ‘murder at Midville State University’, 4th of 6 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

May 1938 issue ~ cover art by Raymond S. Pease

May 1938 issue

cover art by Raymond S. Pease

~ William R. Cox, “Half a Crook”, murder & politics, 1st of 2 stories in BM

~ Carroll John Daly, “I Am the Law”, ‘Meet that implacable, coldly reckless manhunter, Satan Hall’, 1st of 2 stories (he mostly appeared in Dime Detective Magazine), 67th of 71 appearances in BM

~ James Duncan, “A Deal in Coconuts”, 4 of 5 stories with The Parson, who lives on a ‘mythical’ (fictional?) isle, Cariba, reprinted in Murder for Pennies: The Complete Black Mask Cases of the Parson (Steeger, 2024), 9th of 10 stories in BM

~ Steve Fisher, “Wait for Me”, ‘murder & intrigue in Shanghai’, reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Black Mask Stories (Vintage, 2010), 5th of 9 stories in BM

~ Frank Gruber, “Death Sits Down”, 5th of 10 with ‘Oliver Quade, The Human Encyclopedia’, 7th of 14 stories in BM

~ Roger Torrey, “Murder Link”, ‘7th (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’, 34th of 50 appearances in BM

~ Donald Wandrei, “Game of Legs”, ‘wrestler’, 2nd of 6 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

December 1939 issue ~ cover art by James Lunnon

December 1938 issue

cover art by James Lunnon

better image than previously posted

~ Dwight V. Babcock, “Careless Killer”, 3rd of 7 Beeker stories, 17th of 21 stories in BM

~ Allen Beck, “Long Live the Dead”, ‘magician’, only story in BM

~ Hugh B. Cave, “Smoke in Your Eyes”, ‘unusually well-plotted’, 5th of 9 stories in BM

~ Frederick C. Davis, “Stop the Presses”, 2nd with reporter Murray Gifford, ‘see p. 51 for data on how FCD writes’, 6th of 16 stories in BM

~ M.P. Hall, “Ad Lib”, ‘short-short, radio broadcasting’, author’s only appearance in BM

~ Roger Torrey, “Concealed Weapon”, ‘10 (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’, reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Pulps (Vintage, 2007), 37th of 50 appearances in BM

~ Donald Wandrei, “Come Clean”, last of 6 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

August 1938 issue ~ cover art by Don Creigh

August 1938 issue

cover art by Don Creigh

better image than previously posted

~ William E. Brandon, “Handout”, ‘panhandler in trouble’, 1st of 7 stories in BM

~ Frederick C. Davis, “Seven Knocks at My Door”, ‘Dr. Joel Perry’, 4th of 16 stories in BM

~ Frank Gruber, “The Ring and the Finger”, ‘1st-person narrator’, 8th of 14 stories in BM

~ John Lawrence, “Deed of Gift”, 2nd of 2 stories with ‘Barron Hargraft & boxing in Detroit & NYC’, 4th of 14 stories in BM

~ William Tanquery, “At Stillson’s”, ‘newspaper reporter; Stillson’s – a bar’, 1st of 2 stories in BM

~ Roger Torrey, “Death Plays Tag”, ‘8th (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’, 35th of 50 appearances in BM

~ Donald Wandrei, “Make Me a Death Mask”, ‘young artist’, 3rd of 6 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

[cover updated 10/27/25]