cover art by Rafael DeSoto
better image than previously posted
H.H. Stinson, “Slay Binge” (Pete Rousseau)
Robert Martin, “G.I. Doublecross” (Jim Bennett)
Dale Clark, “Corpse on Parade” (High Price)
Thorne Lee, “The Whisperer”
Ralph Eldred, “Death Watch”
Ken Lewis, “This May Hurt a Little”
March 1945 issue
cover art by Gloria Stoll
~ D.L. Champion, “Dead As in Blonde”, 17th of 26 with Rex Sackler, reprinted in Murder Costs Money: The Complete Black Mask Stories of Rex Sackler (Steeger, 2020), 19th of 30 stories in BM
~ Dale Clark, “Murder Had a Little Lamb”, 20th of 28 with house dick Mike O’Hanna story, at San Alpa Resort hotel, 23rd of 32 stories in BM
~ Merle Constiner, “Until the Undertaker Comes”, ‘Luther McGavock, private detective; he works Atherton Browne who heads a Memphis-based agency, 8th 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), 8th of 12 stories in BM
~ Julius Long, “Goon My Way?”, 4th of 17 stories with ‘Ben Corbett, D.A.’s chief investigator, 1st -person narrator’, 9th of 23 stories in BM
~ H.H. Stinson, “Get Your Own Corpse”, 12th of 14 with ‘Ken O’Hara, fighting reporter on Los Angeles Tribune’, 19th of 27 stories in BM
©Seattle Mystery Bookshop
cover art by Peter Stevens
~ D.L. Champion, “Down Payment on Death”, 24th of 26 stories with Rex Sackler, reprinted in Murder Costs Money: The Complete Black Mask Stories of Rex Sackler (Steeger, 2020), 26th of 30 stories in BM
~ Bruno Fischer, “Middleman for Murder”, ‘Willie, narrator, is blackmailer, etc.’, reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Black Mask Stories (Vintage, 2010), 3rd of 5 stories in BM
~ William Campbell Gault, “The Case of the Sleeping Beauty”, 4th of 5 with PI Mortimer Jones, reprinted in Hot-House Homicide: The Complete Black Mask Cases of Mortimer Jones (Steeger, 2925), 5th of 9 stories in BM
~ R.M.F. Joses, “Red Pearls”, 2nd of 3 with ‘Hollywood private snoop Duane, 1st person narrator’, 2nd of 4 stories in BM
~ Julius Long, “Call in the Coroner”, last of 17 stories with ‘Ben Corbett, D.A.’s chief investigator, 1st -person narrator’, 22nd of 23 stories in BM
~ H.H. Stinson, “Please Kill Me Carefully”, “Ned Healey, L.A. private eye’, 25th of 27 stories in BM
©Seattle Mystery Bookshop
same cover art but different content
cover art by Rafael DeSoto
better image than previously posted
Peter Paige, “The Riddle of Pap Rio” (Cash Wale)
H.H. Stinson, “The Good-Murder Policy” (Pete Rousseau)
D.L. Champion, “One Killer Too Many” (Insp. Allhoff)
Frederick C. Davis, “All This and Homicide Too” (Sam Squire of the Drumm Agency)
cover art by J. W. Schlaikjer
better image than previously posted
~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Chinatown Murder”, 49th of 73 Ed Jenkins stories, ‘Chinese frequently spoken’, 70th of 99 stories in BM
~ Frederick L. Nebel, “Farewell to Crime”, 21st of 37 with Captain Steve MacBride and local reporter Kennedy, reprinted in Too Young to Die: Complete Cases of MacBride & Kennedy, v.3 (Altus, 2013), 46 of 67 stories in BM
~ Norvell Page, “Black Harvest”, ‘last of 3 Jules Tremaine stories; Manhattan and Little Italy; (ed. note) a projected & potentially important series that never developed’ [Hagemann doesn’t explain his editor’s note], only these 3 stories in BM. Reprinted in Black Harvest: The Complete Black Mask Cases of Jules Tremaine (Steeger Books, 2021).
~ William Rollins, Jr., “K.O. and the Killers”, 3rd of 4 stories with ‘Kenneth Osborne from ‘No’th Cah’lina’; 1st person narrator’, 20th of 23 stories in BM
~ H.H. Stinson, “Give the Man Rope”, 1st of 14 with ‘Ken O’Hara, fighting reporter on Los Angeles Tribune’, debut and 1st of 27 stories in BM
~ Roger Torrey, “The Case-Hardened Samaritan”, 2nd of 11 with Dal Prentice, Magna City police dick, ‘one tough guy’, ‘Prentice – “hard when it comes to handling killers”, reprinted in The Case-Hardened Samaritan: The Complete Black Mask Cases of Dal Prentice, Vol. 1, 3rd of 50 appearances in BM
©Seattle Mystery Bookshop
cover art by Malvin Singer
~ D.L. Champion, “Padlocked Pockets”, 23rd if 26 with Sackler, reprinted in Murder Costs Money: The Complete Black Mask Stories of Rex Sackler (Steeger, 2020), 25th of 30 stories in BM
~ Ed Edstrom, “Never Call the Cops”, author’s only appearance in BM
~ Bruno Fischer, “A Killer in the Crowd”, ‘1st-person; homicide lieutenant, NYPD’, 2nd of 5 stories in BM
~ William Campbell Gault, “The Constant Shadow”, 4th of 9 stories in BM
~ Henry Norton, “High Voltage Homicide”, ‘Lee Bassler, ‘phone company trouble-shooter’, last of 6 stories in BM
~ H.H. Stinson, “Murder’s No Libel”, last of 14 with Ken O’Hara, ‘now press agent for Hotel Diplomat’, 24th of 27 stories in BM
~ Michael Sutton, “Concerto for Guns”, ‘Johnny Dillon, LA private ‘tec, 1st person narrator‘, 2nd of 2 stories in BM
©Seattle Mystery Bookshop
cover art by Rafael DeSoto, oil on board, 26 x 18.5 in.
better image than previously posted
H.H. Stinson, “A Window in My Coffin” (PI Kerry Monahan)
Peter Paige, “Death – On the House”
John D. MacDonald, “Suicidal Journey”
Ken Kessler, “Operation Murder”
Seymour Irving Richin, “Violence for Vicky”
Stanley C. Vickers, “Noose of Retribution”
Edward William Murphy, “Killings on the Conscience”
cover art by Rafael DeSoto
better image than previously posted
T.T. Flynn, “Weather Fair – – Track Bloody (Mr. Maddox)
D.L. Champion, “Aaron Had a Rod” (Inspector Allhoff)
H.H. Stinson, “Keep ‘Em Dying”
Day Keene, “A Great Whirring of Wings”
Julius Long, “The Dead Don’t Tell”
cover art by Paul Stevens
~ Terry O.K. Burleson, “Killer Bait”, ‘Modern Western’, only story in BM
~ D.L. Champion, “A Corpse Can’t Run”, ‘Dan Morgan, private eye’, 27th of 30 stories in BM
~ Barry Cord, “Shoot If You Must”, Steve Weston, shamus, only story in BM
~ R.M.F. Joses, “Side Bet on Death”, last of 3 with ‘Hollywood private snoop Duane, 1st person narrator’, this story set in Vegas, 3rd of 4 stories in BM
~ John H. Knox, “Goodbye, Enemy”, author’s only appearance in BM
~ John D. MacDonald, “The Case of the Carved Model”, ‘Sam Dermott, police dick’, 2nd of 6 stories in BM
~ H.H. Stinson, “Murder Is a Pleasure”, ‘Sam Terry, p.i., & partner, Sol Hirshberg; LA setting’, last of 27 stories in BM
©Seattle Mystery Bookshop
[cover updated 1/29/26]
SMB Noir 
