journalism fiction – Page 3

February 1937 issue ~ cover art by John Drew

February 1937 issue

cover art by John Drew

~ Baynard H(ardwick) Kendrick, “Fish to Fry”, 1^st of 14 stories with Mikes Standish (Stan) Rice, ‘The Hungry’[?], all set in Florida, author’s debut in BM

~ John Onslow, “The Damned Rookie”, ‘Larry Brogan, rookie cop’, 2^nd of 2 stories in BM

~ H.H. Stinson, “Lay Off, O’Hara”, 4th of 14 with ‘Ken O’Hara, fighting reporter on Los Angeles Tribune’, 5th of 27 stories in BM

~ MacAllister Street, “$1000 a Day”, ‘Hade, private ‘tec’, only appearance in BM

~ Roger Torrey, “Murder’s Never Funny”, ‘3rd (of 14) in Pat McCarthy series, with Marge Chalmers often his “sidekick”; he is ex-NYC cop, ex-agency man (Chicago & St. Louis) who dislikes cops’, 25th of 50 appearances in BM

~ Donald Wandrei, “The Rod and the Staff”, ‘short-short’, 1^st of 6 stories in BM

~ Cornell Woolrich, “Murder on the Night Boat”, ‘police dick on honeymoon; Sergeant James Q. Bradford’, 2nd of 24 (22 original) stories to appear in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

April 1938 issue ~ cover art by James Lunnon

April 1938 issue

cover art by James Lunnon

~ Dwight V. Babcock, “Murder in the Family”, 2^nd of 7, ‘Beeker in the San Joaquin Valley’, 16^th of 21 stories in BM

~ Hal Murray Bonnett, “Dynamite Deal”, author’s only appearance in BM [who signed the cover]

~ Gregor Endell, “Murder Suspected”, author’s only appearance in BM

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Muscle Out”, 65th of 73 Ed Jenkins with Soo Hoo Duck, Ngat T’oy, 92nd of 100 appearances stories in BM

~ Frank Gruber, “No Motive”, 6th of 14 stories in BM

~ Theodore A. Tinsley, “No More Limericks”, ‘21st (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 Station K-I-L-L: The Complete Black Mask Cases of Jerry Tracy, vol.3 (Steeger, 2024), 22nd of 26 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

different of same issue

[updated 1/26/26]

July 1939 issue ~ cover art by J. George Janes

July 1939 issue

cover art by J. George Janes

~ W.T. Ballard, “Death in the Zoo”, 32nd of 43 stories in BM

~ Maurice Beam, “Death Swing”, ‘stunt fliers’,(thought to possibly be a pseud. of Robert Leslie Bellem), 2^nd of 7 with this name in BM

~ C.S. Montanye (Carleton Stevens), “Framed for Hanging”, 28th of 29 stories in BM

~ Stewart Sterling (pseud. of Prentice Winchell), “Kill a Man Dead”, 2nd of 3 stories with Vince Mallie, 2nd of 12 stories

~ H.H. Stinson, “Murder Sweepstakes”, 7th of 14 with ‘Ken O’Hara, fighting reporter on Los Angeles Tribune’, ‘see pg. 7 for letter from HHS about O’H’, 12th of 27 stories in BM

~ Cornell Woolrich, “Borrowed Crime”, reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Black Mask Stories (Vintage, 2010), 11th of 24 (22 original) stories to appear in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

June 1936 issue ~ cover art by John Drew

June 1936 issue

better image than previously posted

cover art by John Drew

~ Raymond Chandler, “Goldfish”, Carmady #2 of 4, ‘see May 1936 issue, p. 127, for comment on RC’, first book appearance Five Murderers (Avon digest, 2/3/44), reprinted in the collection Trouble is My Business (Penguin UK, 1950), The Hard-Boiled Detective, (1977), 9th of 11 stories in BM

~ George Harmon Coxe, “Fall Guy”, 17^th of 27 with Flashgun Casey, reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Black Mask Stories (Vintage, 2010), 19^th of 31 stories in BM

~ M.A. Gutschow, “The Wild Rose Hermit”, ‘another in the ‘Narrowest Escape’ series, see Charles E. Cox Jr.’, author’s only appearance in BM

~ Nels Leroy Jorgensen, “Two Tickets to Trinidad”, 26th of 32 with Stuart “Black” Burton, ‘square-shooting gambler from the Southwest, often entangled with the law’, 33rd of 39 stories in BM

~ Frederick L. Nebel, “Hard to Take”, 36th of 37 with Captain Steve MacBride and local reporter Kennedy, reprinted in Winter Kill: Complete Cases of MacBride & Kennedy, v.4 (Altus, 2013), 65 of 67 stories in BM

~ Theodore A. Tinsley, “Storm Signal”, ‘16th (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), 17th of 26 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

[cover updated 1/26/26]

March 1933 issue ~ cover art by J.W. Schlaikjer

March 1933 issue

cover art by J. W. Schlaikjer

~ Norbert Davis, “Kansas City Flash”, ‘Mark Hull, ex-stunt man, in Hollywood & L.A; reprinted in The Hard-Boiled Detective (1977)’, 2^nd of 13 stories in BM

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Red Jade”, 48th of 73 Ed Jenkins in Chinatown with Soo Hoo Duck, Ngat T’oy; ‘see p.5 for a letter from ESG to JTS’ [Joseph T. Shaw, ed.], 69th of 99 stories in BM

~ Frederick L. Nebel, “Rough Reform”, 20th 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), 45 of 67 stories in BM

~ Norvell Page, “The Confessional”, ‘2nd 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. Carries On”, 2nd of 4 stories with ‘Kenneth Osborne from ‘No’th Cah’lina’; 1^st person narrator’, 19th of 23 stories in BM

~ Theodore A. Tinsley “Help Wanted”, ‘6th (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’, 6th of 26 stories in BM. Reprinted in South Wind: The Complete Black Mask Cases of Jerry Tracy (Steeger Books, 2021).

~ Roger Torrey, “A Night in Menlo”, ‘Western; Deputy Marshall Henry Corbin in town of Menlo’, 2nd of 50 appearances in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

November 1935 issue ~ cover art by Tom Drew

November 1935 issue

cover art by John Drew

better image than previously posted

~ 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

[cover updated 1/29/26, original art added 3/1/26]

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

[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

[cover updated 10/27/25]