
January 1932 – debut issue of only 7 published – one of the rarest of collectable pulps
cover art by Delos Palmer
better image than previously posted

January 1932 – debut issue of only 7 published – one of the rarest of collectable pulps
cover art by Delos Palmer
better image than previously posted

7th with private eyes Bertha Cool and Donald Lam

1948 Dell reissue – cover art by Gerald Gregg
better image than previously posed

1953 Dell reissue – cover art by Robert Stanley



1963 Dell reissue – cover art by Ron Lesser

1966 Dell reissue – cover art by Robert Abbett

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).
©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

cover art by John Newton 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

March 1932 – first of only two issues published
cover art by William Reusswig
“this rare pulp re-packages contents from ‘Gang World'”
better image than previously posted

cover art by Fred Craft
~ Tom Curry, “The System”, DeVrite, NYPD undercover ‘secret agent’, 4th of 7, subtitled ‘The Receiver’, 23rd of 39 stories in BM
~ Carroll John Daly, “The Law of Silence”, ‘pt. 2 Crime story (subtitled “The Show-Down”) with Charlie, 1st -person narrator’
~ Carroll John Daly, “Wrong Street”, 2nd story in the issue, last Satan Hall story in BM, 33rd and 34th appearances in BM
~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Out of the Shadows”, 22nd of 73 with Ed Jenkins, in Chinatown with Soo Hoo Duck, Ngat T’oy and Helen Chadwick, 32nd of 99 stories in BM
~ W.H.B. Kent, “The Killer Finds a Horseshoe”, 3rd of 6 Westerns with Killer Blake, deputy sheriff & agent of the Stock Association
~ Henry Leverage, “The Gopher”, “Tony Fishera, alias ‘The Crawler, aka ‘The Gopher’ – gangster”, 2nd of 2 stories in BM
~ Marion Scott, “Fools Rush In”, ‘Steve Burke, tenderfoot lumberjack, 1st-person narrator’, 2nd of 3 by herself, 17 stories with Earl Scott in BM as a couple
~ Everett H. Tipton, “Hunted”, ‘Western’, 5th of 7 stories in BM
~ Raoul [Fauconnier] Whitfield, “Black Murder”, ‘Verner, Federal man, & greyhound racing; Black Murder = dog’, 20th of 68 stories in BM [see also 24 stories as Ramon Decolta]
~ Clee Woods, “Hoofprints of Law”, ‘Western; subtitled, “A Neck in a Noose”’, author’s sole appearance in BM
©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

April 1933 issue
cover art by William Reusswig
better image than previously posted
T.T. Flynn, “Five Doomed Men” (Larry Davenport)
Erle Stanley Gardner, “Death’s Doorway” (Phil ‘Go Get ‘Em’ Garver)
Frederick Nebel, “Heir to Murder” (Cardigan)
Fred MacIsaac, “Alias Mr. Smith” (Rambler Murphy)

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