michael sutton – SMB Noir

July 1945 issue ~ cover art by Rafael DeSoto

cover art by Rafael DeSoto

July 1945 issue

~ Frances Beck, “Dig Down Deep”, only story in BM

~ Anthony Boucher [pseud. of William Anthony Parker White], “The Catalyst”, only story by Boucher in BM

~ D.L. Champion, “Spend, Killer, Spend”, 18^th of 26 with Rex Sackler, reprinted in Murder Costs Money: The Complete Black Mask Stories of Rex Sackler (Steeger, 2020), 20^th of 30 stories in BM

~ Dale Clark, “Open and Shut”, 21st of 28 with house dick Mike O’Hanna story, at San Alpa Resort hotel, 24th of 32 stories in BM

~ Julius Long, “The Witch of Endor County”, 6th of 17 stories with ‘Ben Corbett, D.A.’s chief investigator, 1^st -person narrator’, 11th of 23 stories in BM

~ Henry Norton, “Here’s Homicide”, ‘Barney & Brownie, writers of a smash-hit radio whodunnit show with same name’, 5th of 6 stories in BM

~ Michael Sutton, “Jail Will Be Lonely”, Steve Duncan, hotel bouncer, 1^st of 2 stories in BM

~ Fergus Truslow, “Death on Ice”, ‘Hendricks, rookie cop in L.A’, 1^st of 6 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

September 1945 Canadian issue

[updated and corrected 1/29/26]

November 1939 issue ~ cover art by John Fleming Gould

November 1939 issue

cover art by John Fleming Gould

better image than previously posted

Carroll John Daly, “The White-Headed Corpse” (Race Williams)

Michael Sutton, “The Devil’s Portrait”

Jan Dana, “Too Week to Kill” (Acme Indemnity Op)

Dale Clark, “The Short and Merry One”

Roger Torrey, “Fire Test”

Maurice Beam, “Mind Over Matter”

Robert K. Adams, “Curtain Call”

D.L. Champion, “Dumb Dick”

July 1947 issue ~ cover art by Malvin Singer

July 1947 issue

cover art by Malvin Singer

~ D.L. Champion, “Padlocked Pockets”, 23^rd 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”, ‘1^st-person; homicide lieutenant, NYPD’, 2^nd 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, 1^st person narrator‘, 2nd of 2 stories in BM

November 1946 issue ~ cover art by Rafael de Soto

November 1946 issue

better image than previously posted

cover art by Rafael de Soto