cover art by William Reusswig
better image than previously posted
T.T. Flynn, “The Jade Joss” (Val Easton v. Black Doctor)
Russ Meservey, “The Swamp Lake Horrors” (Link Nace)
Frederick Nebel, “Murder a la Carte” (Cardigan)
Erle Stanley Gardner, “The Cross-Stitch Killer” (Paul Pry)
Photo and profile of Russ Meservey appeared on pg. 123
1943 William Morrow and Co., first edition
1949 Dell mapback – cover art by Gerald Gregg
1961 Corgi reissue from Australia
1961 Dell reissue – cover art by Robert McGinnis
November 1947 issue
~ D.L. Champion, “Down Payment on Death”, 24th of 26 stories with Rex Sackler, reprinted in Murder Costs Money: The Complete Black Mask Stories of Rex Sackler (Steeger, 2020), 26th of 30 stories in BM
~ Bruno Fischer, “Middleman for Murder”, ‘Willie, narrator, is blackmailer, etc.’, reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Black Mask Stories (Vintage, 2010), 3rd of 5 stories in BM
~ William Campbell Gault, “The Case of the Sleeping Beauty”, 4th of 5 with PI Mortimer Jones, reprinted in Hot-House Homicide: The Complete Black Mask Cases of Mortimer Jones (Steeger, 2925), 5th of 9 stories in BM
~ R.M.F. Joses, “Red Pearls”, 2nd of 3 with ‘Hollywood private snoop Duane, 1st person narrator’, 2nd of 4 stories in BM
~ Julius Long, “Call in the Coroner”, last of 17 stories with ‘Ben Corbett, D.A.’s chief investigator, 1st -person narrator’, 22nd of 23 stories in BM
~ H.H. Stinson, “Please Kill Me Carefully”, “Ned Healey, L.A. private eye’, 25th of 27 stories in BM
©Seattle Mystery Bookshop
January 1931 issue
cover art by J.W. Schlaikjer
~ Carroll John Daly, “’The Flame’ and Race Williams”, 41st of 53 with RW, last of 3 parts, ‘pub.as The Third Murderer (1931)’, reprinted in Shooting out of Turn: The Collected Hard-boiled Stories of Race Williams, v.3 (Altus, 2017), 53rd of 71 appearances in BM
~ Ramon Decolta (Raoul Whitfield), “Diamonds of Death”, last of 6 parts in the ‘Rainbow Diamonds’ sequence that take Jo Gar from Manila to San Francisco, 15th of 24 Gar stories in BM, reprinted in West of Guam: The Complete Cases of Jo Bar (Altus Press, 2013)
~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Hairy Hands”, 36th of 73 with EJ, ‘The “Hairy Hands” reach for Ed Jenkins; see p. 45 for statement on ESG’s knowledge of Chinese language & people’, 53rd of 99 stories in BM
~ Paul Evan Lehman, “Lead Medicine”, Western, author’s sole appearance in BM
~ Frederick L. Nebel, “Spare the Rod”, 5th of 15 stories with ‘tough dick Donahue of Interstate’, reprinted in Tough as Nails (2012, Altus), 33 of 67 stories in BM
~ Raoul [Fauconnier] Whitfield, “The Sky Club Affair”, ‘Alan Van Cleve, wealthy sportsman, man-about-town, 1st (of 6) segment in The Skyline Murders series; printed as separate stories rather than conventional serial’; pub. as Killer’s Carnival (1932) under pseudonym of Temple Field’, 50th of 68 stories in BM [see also 24 stories as Ramon Decolta]
©Seattle Mystery Bookshop
[post corrected 7/2/26]
better image than previously posted
cover art by J.W. Schlaikjer
~ Ramon Decolta (Raoul Whitfield), “West of Guam”, 1st of 24 Jo Gar stories in BM, reprinted in West of Guam: The Complete Cases of Jo Bar (Altus Press, 2013)
~ Dashiell Hammett, “The Farewell Murder”, the Op [21st of 22], 40th of 45 stories in BM
~ Nels Leroy Jorgensen, “Black Burton Hits Back”, 11th of 32 with Stuart “Black” Burton, ‘square-shooting gambler from the Southwest, often entangled with the law’, 15th of 39 stories in BM
~ W.H.B. Kent, “Framing the Killer”, 5th of 6 Westerns with Killer Blake, deputy sheriff & agent of the Stock Association
~ Hapsburg Liebe, “The Regeneration of John Carter”, Western, 2nd of 4 stories in BM
~ Frederick L. Nebel, “Alley Rat”, 9th of 37 with Captain Steve MacBride and local reporter Kennedy, reprinted in Winter Kill: Complete Cases of MacBride & Kenney, v.1 (Altus, 2013), 21 of 67 stories in BM
~ Henry Wallace Phillips, “Just a Canter”, 5th of 8 with Red Saunders, 9th of 12 stories in BM
~ Earl and Marion Scott, “Seven Glass Beads”, 5th of 6 stories with ‘Cameo Kirby, reformed jewel thief’, ‘Kirby & Wah Foo Wah, Chinese murderer’, 11th of 17 stories in BM as a couple
~ Raoul [Fauconnier] Whitfield, “Green Ice”, ‘Mal Ourney; part 3 (of 5), ‘The Crime Breeders’, presented as separate stories rather than conventional serial’, published in hardcover in 1930 by Knopf as Green Ice, 37th of 67 stories in BM [see also 24 stories as Ramon Decolta]
©Seattle Mystery Bookshop
cover art by Fred Craft
~ Raymond Chandler, “Killer in the Rain”, unnamed LA PI, 1st person, first book appearance in the anthology Killer in the Rain (Hammish Hamilton, UK hardcover, 3/26/64, US edition by Houghton Mifflin, 1964), various paperback editions, reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Pulps (Vintage, 2007), 4th of 11 stories in BM [Chandler would “cannibalize” this story for The Big Sleep – note the totem with the camera lens.]
~ George Harmon Coxe, “Murder Picture”, 7th of 27 with Flashgun Casey, reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Pulps (Vintage, 2007), 7th of 31 stories in BM
~ George Alden Edson, “Hot Lead”, author’s only appearance in BM
~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Winged Lead”, ‘Bald Pete’, character’s only appearance in BM, 84th of 99 stories in BM
©Seattle Mystery Bookshop
1967 Horwitz paperback original
1967 Signet – cover art by Robert McGinnis
1968 German edition – cover art by Robert McGinnis
1968 New English Library UK reissue
1959 Morrow US first edition
1960 Heinemann UK first edition
1961 Corgi reissue from the UK
1962 Pocket reissue, cover art by Harry Bennett
1963 Corgi reissue from the UK
1964 Pocket reissue, 3rd print
cover art by Fred Craft
better image than previously posted
~ W.T. Ballard, “In Dead Man’s Alley”, 10th of 27 stories with ‘Bill Lennox, troubleshooter for Consolidated Films’, 10th of 43 stories in BM
~ Eugene Cunningham, “Room Service”, last of 5 with Cleve Corby, 11th of 14 stories in BM
~ Carroll John Daly, “The Eyes Have It”, ‘last William’s caper [of 53 though Hagemann lists 54] in BM (wherein he had appeared ‘exclusively’), CJD not to pub. in BM until Mar 1938’, reprinted in If Death is Respectable: The Collected Hard-boiled Stories of Race Williams, v.4 (Altus, 2018), 66th of 71 appearances in BM
~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Hot Cash”, 59th of 73 Ed Jenkins, as Bob Sabin, 83rd of 99 stories in BM
~ Herbert Koehl, “See See Drops In”, ‘C.C. Cane, private eye, 1st person narrator‘, author’s only appearance in BM
~ Roger Torrey, “Law and Disorder”, 10th of 11 with Dal Prentice, Magna City police dick, ‘one tough guy’, title used again in April 1941 issue, not the same story, 13th of 50 appearances in BM
©Seattle Mystery Bookshop
