paul cain – SMB Noir

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

June 1932 issue

cover art by J.W. Schlaikjer

~ Thomson Burtis, “They Don’t Shake Hands in Arkansas”, ‘Slats Kirke in Detroit’, 4^th of 6 appearances in BM

~ Paul Cain, “Velvet”, ‘Kells & Granquist; part 3 of Fast One’, 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), 4^th of 17 stories in BM

~ Carroll John Daly, “The Amateur Murderer”, 45^th of 53 with Race Williams, part 3 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), 57th of 71 appearances in BM

~ Norbert Davis, “Reform Racket”, ‘Dan Stiles; one-time gunman’, 1^st of 13 stories in BM

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Cooking Crooks”, 44th of 73 with Ed Jenkins, ‘with Norma Gay’, 61st of 99 stories in BM

~ Horace McCoy, “The Golden Rule”, 11th of 14 Frost stories ‘Capt. Jerry Frost, Texas (Air) Ranger’, reprinted in Headfirst into Hell: The Complete Black Mask Cases of Jerry Front, Vol. 2 (Steeger, 2025), 13^h of 17 stories in BM

~ Henry Wallace Phillips, “A Touch of Nature”, Western mystery, last of 8 with Red Saunders who ‘fights a “wild man in kilts”’, last of 12 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

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, 1^st person’, 3^rd of 6 appearances in BM

~ Paul Cain, “Black”, 1^st of 2 with Black, 1^st 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), 3^rd 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, 2^nd 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]

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

December 1932 issue

cover art by J. W. Schlaikjer

better image than previously posted

~ Paul Cain, “Red 71”, ‘Dick Shane on the fringes of the Underworld; “71” is NYPD code for gambling-joint’, reprinted in, The Hard-Boiled Omnibus (1946), and later released as one of the Seven Slayers (1950 Avon), reprinted in The Complete Slayers (2011 Centipede Press), 8^th of 17 stories in BM

~ L.W. Claflin, “Thunder in the Darkness”, ‘Joe Stannard & road construction gang’, only appearance in BM

~ Eugene Cunningham, “Passing Through”, 1st of 2 Westerns with Pony Kerr, 6^th of 14 stories in BM

~ Carroll John Daly, “Merger with Death”, 47^th of 53 with Race Williams, 59th of 71 appearances in BM

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “The Top Comes Off”, 2nd of 6 stories with attorney Ken Corning, ‘fighting young lawyer’, 66th of 99 stories in BM

~ Frederick L. Nebel, “Red Pavement”, 11th of 15 stories with ‘tough dick Donahue of Interstate’, reprinted in The Arbor House Treasury of Detective & Mystery Stories from the Great Pulps (1983), reprinted in Tough as Nails (2012, Altus), 43 of 67 stories in BM

~ Joseph T. Shaw, “Fugitive”, last of 4 parts, “Jack Henderson, set in Far East, e.g., Rangoon”, Shaw’s last appearance of fiction in BM

~ Theodore A. Tinsley, “Park Avenue Item”, ‘3rd (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’, 3rd of 26 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

[image updated 12/27/25]

July 1932 issue ~ cover by J.W. Schlaikjer

July 1932 issue

better image than previously posted

cover art by J.W. Schlaikjer

~ Guthrie Brown,“Touchstone”, Western, 2^nd of 2 BM stories

~ Paul Cain, “Parlor Trick”, ‘criminal narrator’, later released as one of the Seven Slayers (1950 Avon), reprinted in The Arbor House Treasury of Detective & Mystery Stories from the Great Pulps (1983), reprinted in The Complete Slayers (2011 Centipede Press), 5^th of 17 stories in BM

~ Carroll John Daly, “The Amateur Murderer”, 46^th of 53 with Race Williams, part 4 of 4, published as a novel in 1933, 58th of 71 appearances in BM

~ Ramon Decolta (Raoul Whitfield), “Climbing Death”, aviation plays a roll, 21st of 24 Jo Gar stories in BM, reprinted in West of Guam: The Complete Cases of Jo Bar (Altus Press, 2013)

~ Nels Leroy Jorgensen, “New Boss”, 18^th of 32 with Stuart “Black” Burton, ‘square-shooting gambler from the Southwest, often entangled with the law’, 25th of 39 stories in BM, reprinted Sept ’50 with different title, “Patsy in Slaughterland”]

~ J.J. Des Ormeaux, “The Devil Suit”, 2^nd and last ‘Jack McGuire, Federal dick, 1^st-person narrator, reprinted in The Hard-Boiled Omnibus (1946)’, 4th of 5 stories in BM (pseudonym of Forrest Rosaire)

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Rough Stuff”, 45th of 73 Ed Jenkins stories, 62nd of 99 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

[image updated 10/27/25]

Seven Slayers x 5

1946 Chartered digest paperback original

better image than previously posted

1950 Avon paperback original, 1st printing, seven stories originally published in Black Mask Magazine

“Black” (May 1932)

“Red 71” (December 1932)

“Parlor Trick” (July 1932)

“One, Two, Three” (May 1933)

“Murder in Blue” (June 1933) – “Murder Done in Blue” in the original magazine

“Pigeon Blood” (November 1933)

“Pineapple” (March 1936)

1987 Black Lizard reissue

cover art by Kirwin

1987 Blood & Guts hardcover reissue

cover art by Joe Servello

February 2012 Centipede hardcover

cover art by Ron Lesser

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

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

September 1932 issue

cover art by J.W. Schlaikjer

oil on board, 29.5 x 19.5 in.

better image than previously posted

~ Paul Cain, “The Dark”, ‘Kells & Granquist; part 5 of Fast One’, reprinted in The Complete Slayers (2011 Centipede Press), 7^th of 17 stories in BM

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Black and White”, 46th of 73 Ed Jenkins stories, 63th of 99 stories in BM

~ Frederick L. Nebel, “He Could Take It”, 9th of 15 stories with ‘tough dick Donahue of Interstate’, reprinted in Tough as Nails (2012, Altus), 41 of 67 stories in BM

~ William Rollins, Jr., “Triple-Cross”, 3rd of 4 stories with Percy (Buck) Warren, private eye, 16th of 23 stories in BM

~ Joseph T. Shaw, “Fugitive”, 2nd of 4 parts, ‘Jack Henderson, set in Far East, eg, Rangoon’, 7^th of 9 works of fiction in BM

~ Raoul [Fauconnier] Whitfield, “Blue Murder”, ‘Don Free, private dick; 3^rd and last DF story’, title used for earlier story in July ’28 issue, 58th of 67 stories in BM [see also 24 stories as Ramon Decolta]

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

Hardest of the Hardboiled #2 x 7

1933 Doubleday Doran advance reading copy

1948 Avon reprint, 1st paperback edition

cover art by Ann Cantor

Fast One was Cain’s sole novel

Chandler termed it the “high point in the ultra hard-boiled manner”

1952 Avon reprint

cover art by Victor Olsen

1978 Southern Illinois University Press

an entry in their “Lost American Fiction” series

1980 Popular Library 1st print reissue

cover art by Jin Campbell

1987 Black Lizard reissue

cover art by Kirwin

February 2012 Centipede hardcover

cover art by Ron Lesser

[updated 6/26/25]

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]

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