journalism fiction – Page 3

November 1935 issue ~ cover art by Tom Drew

November 1935 issue

cover art by John Drew

~ William Donald Bray, “A Keg of Muscatel”, ‘murder at a winery’, last of 12 stories in BM

~ John K. Butler, “’G” – Heat”, ‘‘Brick’ Hammond, G-man’, 1^st of 11 stories in BM

~ Raymond Chandler, “Spanish Blood”, LAPD Delaguerra, first book reprint in the anthology Five Murderers (Avon digest, 1944), first hardcover appearance, The Simple Art of Murder (Houghton Mifflin, 1950), 5^th of 11 stories in BM

~ Frederick L. Nebel, “Winter Kill”, 32nd of 37 with Captain Steve MacBride and local reporter Kennedy, 61 of 67 stories in BM, reprinted in The Hardboiled Dicks (1965), reprinted in Winter Kill: Complete Cases of MacBride & Kenney, v.4 (Altus, 2013)

~ Theodore A. Tinsley, “Five Spot”, ‘14th (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’, 15th of 26 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

[cover updated 11/8/25]

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

October 1932 issue

cover art by J. W. Schlaikjer

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “On Two Feet”, last Bob Larkin story, 1^st since 9/1929, 64th of 99 stories in BM

~ Horace McCoy, “Wings over Texas”, 12th of 14 stories with Frost ‘Capt. Jerry Frost, Texas (Air) Ranger’ 15^th of 17 stories in BM

~ James H[enry] S[eymour] Moynahan, “Blow-Off”, ‘O’Brien, private dick’, 2nd of 2 stories in BM

~ Frederick L. Nebel, “The Red Web”, 10th of 15 stories with ‘tough dick Donahue of Interstate’, ‘Donahue, a.k.a “The Hard Boiled One”’, reprinted in Tough as Nails (2012, Altus), 42 of 67 stories in BM

~ Joseph T. Shaw, “Fugitive”, 3rd of 4 parts, ‘Jack Henderson, set in Far East, eg, Rangoon’, 8^th of 9 works of fiction in BM

~ Theodore A. Tinsley, “Party from Detroit”, ‘1^st (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’, 1^st of 26 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

October 1932 Canadian issue – same contents, clearer, sharper, more colorful image

[US image updated 10/27/25]

March 1949 issue ~ cover art by Gloria Stoll

March 1949 issue

cover art by Gloria Stoll

~ Frederick C. Davis, “Flaming Angel”, ‘1^st-person narrator; psychopathic murderer’, 13^th of 16 stories in BM

~ Dean Evans, “Frame for a Dame”, 1^st of 3 stories in BM

~ G.T. Fleming-Roberts, “Something Dead Has Been Added”, ‘John Anthony Gwinn, Indianapolis reporter’, 7^th of 8 stories in BM

~ Marvin J. Jones, “Sing a Song of Murder”, ‘Jimmy Bell, cop’, author’s only appearance in BM

~ John D. MacDonald, “Killing All Men”, 3^rd of 6 stories in BM

~ Robert Martin, “Let’s All Swing Together”, 1^st of 6 with ’debut of Dr. Clint Colby, medical detective’, 3rd of 8 stories in BM

~ Scott O’Hara, “Kiss the Corpse Good-By”, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ Edward van der Rhoer, “The High Cost of Dying”, 1^st of 2 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

March 1936 issue ~ cover art by John Drew

March 1936 issue

cover art by John Drew

better image than previously posted

~ John K. Butler, “Guns for a Lady”, ‘ex-pug, 1^st-person narrator; bodyguard for girl’, 2^nd of 11 stories in BM

~ Paul Cain, “Pineapple”, ‘Nick Green & Blondie Kessler, police-reporter’, later released as one of the Seven Slayers (1950 Avon), reprinted in The Complete Slayers (2011 Centipede Press), 16^th of 17 stories in BM

~ Raymond Chandler, “The Man Who Liked Dogs”, ‘1^st of 4 Carmady stories, reprinted in The Hard-Boiled Omnibus (1946)‘ [Simon & Schuster, first hardcover and first book appearance], and Killer in the Rain (Hammish hc, 1964), 7^th of 11 stories in BM

~ George Harmon Coxe, “You Gotta Be Tough”, 1^st of 4 stories with Paul Baron, 16^th of 31 stories in BM

~ Thomas Walsh, “Diamonds Mean Death”, ‘Joe Keenan, private copper’, reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Black Mask Stories (Vintage, 2010), last of 6 stories in BM

~ Edward S. Williams, “Death Has Green Eyes”, ‘Mike Dunneen, private ‘tec’, 1^st of 8 appearances in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

[cover updated 10/27/25]

February 1936 issue ~ cover art by John Drew

February 1936 issue

cover art by John Drew

better image than previously posted

~ Dwight V. Babcock, “Rat Bait”, 4^th of 7 Chuck Thompson stories, 9^th of 21 stories in BM

~ George Harmon Coxe, “Portrait of Murder”, 15^th of 27 with Flashgun Casey, 15^th of 31 stories in BM

~ Nels Leroy Jorgensen, “Shylock Is Murdered”, 24th of 32 with Stuart “Black” Burton, ‘square-shooting gambler from the Southwest, often entangled with the law’, 31st of 39 stories in BM

~ Frederick L. Nebel, “No Hard Feelings”, 34th of 37 with Captain Steve MacBride and local reporter Kennedy, they reverse roles in this story, reprinted in Winter Kill: Complete Cases of MacBride & Kenney, v.4 (Altus, 2013), 63 of 67 stories in BM

~ Theodore A. Tinsley, “Body Snatcher”, ‘15th (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’, 16th of 26 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

[cover updated 10/27/25]

November 1938 issue ~ cover art by James Lunnon

November 1938 issue

cover art by James Lunnon

better image than previously posted

~ W.T. Ballard, “Mobster Guns”, 20th of 27 stories with ‘Bill Lennox, troubleshooter for Consolidated Films’, 30th of 43 stories in BM

~ Hugh B. Cave, “Curtain Call”, 4th of 9 stories in BM

~ Eric Howard, “Fifty Grand Frail”, ‘Tim Ryan, private snoop, 1st person narrator’, 5th of 6 stories in BM

~ Edgar Pangborn, “Bullet Song”, ‘Tom Paradine, music critic’, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ Theodore A. Tinsley, “Station K-I-L-L”, ‘23rd (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’, 24th of 26 stories in BM

~ Donald Wandrei, “Tick, Tock”, ‘time bomb’, 5th of 6 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

March 1946 issue ~ cover art by Rafael DeSoto

March 1946 issue

cover art by Rafael DeSoto

~ Thorne Lee, “The Mad Dog of Lame Creek”, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ Julius Long, “Forgive Not Our Trespassers”, 11th of 17 stories with ‘Ben Corbett, D.A.’s chief investigator, 1^st -person narrator’, 16th of 23 stories in BM

~ Dick Pearce, “Homicide Hangover”, ‘Major Bill Boyle, just back from WWII’, only appearance in BM

~ H.H. Stinson, “You’re the Crime in My Coffin”, ‘Gerry Fowler of Fox, Fox, Shapiro & Fox, law firm’, 22nd of 27 stories in BM

~ Fergus Truslow, “The Killing Was Mutuel”, ‘Private snoop Galahan around Del Mar (California)’, 3rd of 6 stories in BM

~ K. Webster, “One Fall for Murder, ‘Steve Ransom, reporter; wrestling story’, last of 3 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

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

November 1932 issue

cover art by J. W. Schlaikjer

better image than previously posted

~ Jack Bertin, “Sinful Cibola”, 2^nd of 5 Chip Huard stories, 3^rd of 6 stories in BM

~ Charles E. Cox, Jr., “No Quarter”, “‘Narrowest Escape’ series, supposedly factual”, Italian Front WWI, only story in BM

~ Ramon Decolta (Raoul Whitfield), “The Magician Murder”, 1^st of 2 stories in this issue by RFW, 22nd of 24 Jo Gar stories in BM, reprinted in West of Guam: The Complete Cases of Jo Bar (Altus Press, 2013)

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Honest Money”, ‘1^st appearance [of 6] of Ken Corning, honest, fighting attorney in NYC; prototype for Perry Mason’, 65th of 99 stories in BM

~ Joseph T. Shaw, “Fugitive”, last of 4 parts, ‘Jack Henderson, set in Far East, eg, Rangoon’, last of 9 works of fiction in BM

~ Theodore A. Tinsley, “South Wind”, ‘2nd (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; Tracy in North Carolina; see BM, Mar 1933, p. 124 for note on story’, 2nd of 26 stories in BM, reprinted in The Hard-Boiled Omnibus, 1946

~ Raoul [Fauconnier] Whitfield, “Dead Men Tell Tales”, ‘Jay Cameron, hard-boiled city editor’, 2^nd story in this issue by RW’, 59th of 67 stories in BM [see also 24 stories as Ramon Decolta]

[image updated 10/27.25]

September 1935 issue ~ cover art by Rudolph Belarski

September 1935 issue

cover art by Rudolph Belarski

better image than previously posted

~ Dwight V. Babcock, “Death Goes Free”, ‘G-man Chuck Thompson’, 2^nd of 7 CT stories, 7^th of 21 stories in BM

~ Paul Cain, “Chinaman’s Chance”, Johnny Gay, Hollywood reporter, reprinted in The Complete Slayers (2011 Centipede Press), 14th of 17 stories in BM

~ James Duncan, “Runaround Murder”, last of 3 with Ivor Small – investigations, “He was fat without being fat enough to gain a livelihood as a professional fat man”, 3rd of 10 stories in BM

~ Big announcement that Erle Stanley Gardner & Ed Jenkins return in the next issue

~ Sinclair Gluck, “Double for Danger”, ‘Ted Murray, reporter in Hollywood, 1^st-person narrator’, only appearance in BM

~ Theodore A. Tinsley, “Ticketed for Death”, ‘13th (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 Murder Maze: The Complete Black Mask Cases of Jerry Tracy, vol.2 (Steeger 2022),14th of 26 stories in BM

September 1935 Canadian edition

July 1936 issue ~ cover art by John Drew

July 1936 issue

cover art by John Drew

~ Dwight V. Babcock, “Free Ride to Rio”, ‘Chuck Thompson with Kathleen Carnahan’, 5^th of 7 CT stories, 10^th of 21 stories in BM

~ George Harmon Coxe, “Trouble for Two”, 3^rd of 4 Baron stories, 20^th of 31 stories in BM

~ H.H. Stinson, “Nothing Personal”, 3rd of 14 with ‘Ken O’Hara, fighting reporter on Los Angeles Tribune’, 3rd of 27 stories in BM

~ Eric Taylor, “The Calloused Hand”, ‘Hastings (‘Hasty’) Sparks, a dick with the World Detective Agency’, last of 7 stories in BM

~ Roger Torrey, “Too Much Action”, ‘last of 4 stories starring 1^st-person narrator Mike O’Dell, ex-wrestler, now bodyguard’, 19th of 50 appearances in BM

better image than previously posted

[image updated 10/29/24]