May 1932 issue ~ cover art by J.W. Schlaikjer

May 1932 issue

cover art by J. W. Schlaikjer

better image than previously posted

~ Thomson Burtis, “The Death of a Deal”, ‘Slats Kirke, minor boxing manager, 1st person’, 3rd of 6 appearances in BM

~ Paul Cain, “Black”, 1st of 2 with Black, 1st person, Hollywood, later released as one of the Seven Slayers (1950 Avon), reprinted in The Complete Slayers (2011 Centipede Press), Black Mask: The Complete Stories (2013 Mysterious Press), Lead Party: The Complete Fiction Works of Paul Cain (Steeger, 2024), 3rd of 17 stories in BM

~ Carroll John Daly, “The Amateur Murderer”, 44th of 53 with Race Williams, part 2 of 4, published as a novel in 1933, reprinted in If Death is Respectable: The Collected Hard-boiled Stories of Race Williams, v.4 (Altus, 2018), 56th of 71 appearances in BM

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Under the Guns”, 43 of 73 stories with Ed Jenkins, 60th of 99 stories in BM

~ Hapsburg Liebe, “The Wolf of Rowdy House”, ‘Western’, last of 4 stories in BM

~ Frederick L. Nebel, “Backwash”, 18th of 37 with Captain Steve MacBride and local reporter Kennedy, reprinted in Shakedown: Complete Cases of MacBride & Kennedy, v.2 (Altus, 2013), 39 of 67 stories in BM

~ Bertrand W(illiam) Sinclair, “The Spider in His Web”, ‘Western detective story’, last of 3 stories in BM

~ Raoul [Fauconnier] Whitfield, “Walking Dynamite”, 2nd of 3 stories with PI Don Free, 2nd story in this issue by RFW, 58th of 68 stories in BM [see also 24 stories as Ramon Decolta]

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

[cover updated 11/8/25]

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]

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]

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”, 15th of 16 stories in BM

~ Dean Evans, “Hot-Rod Homicide”, 2nd 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’, 2nd 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’, 3rd of 7 stories in BM

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

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

~ Robert Reeves, “Dog Eat Dog”, Cellini Smith and RR’s debut, 1st 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), 1st of 12 appearances in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop