hollywood fiction – Page 3

I Should Have Stayed Home x 5

first published as a hardcover in 1938 by Knopf, his third novel

1951 Signet reissue – cover art by Ray Pease

1966 Penguin UK reissue

1996 Serpent’s Tail reissue

2018 Bibliotech Press reissue

[post updated 4/10/26]

June 1936 issue ~ cover art by Blaine (Norman Saunders)

June 1936

cover art by Blaine (Norman Saunders)

1969 Signet paperback original ~ cover art by Robert McGinnis

cover painting by Robert McGinnis

Carter Brown was a pseudonym for Alan Geoffrey Yates 1969 Horowitz paperback reprinted that same year by Signet

better image than previously posted

Blonde on the Rocks x 4 + 1

1963 Horwitz first printing

1964 Horwitz International reissue

cover art by Robert McGinnis

Gouache on board, 22 x 15 inches (55.9 x 38.1 cm)
Signed lower center right: R. M.Ginnis

1963 Signet first printing

1971 Signet reissue, third printing

cover art by Robert McGinnis

[updated 11/5/25, 3/29/26]

August 1937 issue ~ cover art by Rudolph Belarski

August 1937

cover art by Rudolph Belarski

1960 Monarch paperback ~ cover art by Lou Marchetti

1960 paperback original credited to Ard but ghostwritten by Lawrence Block after Ard’s death

cover art by Lou Marchetti

May 1936 issue ~ cover art by Blaine (Norman Saunders)

May 1936

cover art by Blaine (Norman Saunders)

[updated 10/28/25]

March 1950 issue ~ cover art by Norman Saunders

March 1950 issue

better image than previously posted

cover art by Norman Saunders

~ Frederick C. Davis, “Swing Low, Sweet Casket”, 15^th of 16 stories in BM

~ Dean Evans, “Hot-Rod Homicide”, 2^nd of 3 stories in BM

~ John P. Foran, “Epitaph for an Eager Beaver”, 2nd of 2 stories in BM

~ Fred Lane, “Slayer at Sea”, author’s only appearance in BM

~ Hank Searls, “Drop Dead Twice”, 1st of 2 stories in BM

~ Walter Snow, “Boozer Take All”, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ Bryce Walton, “Skid-Row Slaughter”, author’s sole appearance in BM

September 1940 issue ~ cover art by Rafael DeSoto

September 1940 issue

cover art by Rafael DeSoto

~ Cleve Adams, “That Certain Feeling”, ‘Engelhardt & Dewey, Car 97, LA setting’, 2^nd of 6 stories in BM

~ W.T. Ballard, “Pictures for Murder”, 22nd of 27 stories with ‘Bill Lennox, troubleshooter for Consolidated Films’, 34th of 43 stories in BM

~ William E. Brandon, “Danny, Once the Rat”, ‘police-stoolie & Nazi spies’, 3^rd of 7 stories in BM

~ Dale Clark, “Killer in the Wind”, 2^nd of 28 with house dick Mike O’Hanna story, at San Alpa Resort hotel, 4^th of 32 stories in BM

~ John Lawrence, “Death in the Pluperfect”, 1^st of 2 stories with ‘Ace McGuire, Broadway squad, 1^st-person narrator’, 7^th of 14 stories in BM

~ Robert Reeves, “Dog Eat Dog”, Cellini Smith and RR’s debut, 1^st of 3 parts that will be published as the novel No Love Lost in 1941, reprinted in Dead and Done For: The Complete Black Mask Cases of Cellini Smith (Steeger, 2020), 1^st of 12 appearances in BM

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”, 1^st of 3 with Honolulu PI Johnny Ford, ‘1^st-person narrator, ‘snow=heroin’, 1^st 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, 1^st 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”, ‘1^st-person narrator’, last of 20 stories in BM

~ George F. Kull, “Red Christmas”, ‘in Reno‘, 1^st of 2 stories in BM

[updated 2/28/26]