Tag: private eye

The Moving Target x 13

THE FIRST LEW ARCHER

1949 Knopf hardcover – cover illustration by Bill English

first in the long-running and deservedly respected Lew Archer series by Kenneth Millar, aka Ross Macdonald. After using his father’s name as the pen name for this novel, he was forced by John D. MacDonald to alter it for future novels, and Ross Macdonald was born.

March 1950 Pocket paperback, first printing

cover painting by Harvey Kidder

British 1951 Cassell hardcover

1954 Pan reissue – cover by Sax

better image than previously posted

1959 Pocket reissue, third printing – cover art by Jerry Allison (owner’s copy)

1966 Fontana movie tie-in edition

British 1971 Fontana reissue

1974 Bantam reissue

1977 Bantam reissue – cover art by Mitchell Hooks

British 1978 Fontana reissue

1984 Bantam reissue – cover art by James Marsh

1998 Vintage/Black Lizard reissue

1990 Warner edition – cover art by Gary Kelley (owner’s copy)

[updated 9/6/25, 8/27/26]

September 1940 issue ~ cover art by Rafael DeSoto

September 1940 issue

cover art by Rafael DeSoto

~ Cleve Adams, “That Certain Feeling”, ‘Engelhardt & Dewey, Car 97, LA setting’, 2nd of 6 stories in BM

~ W.T. Ballard, “Pictures for Murder”, 22nd of 27 stories with ‘Bill Lennox, troubleshooter for Consolidated Films’, 34th of 43 stories in BM

~ William E. Brandon, “Danny, Once the Rat”, ‘police-stoolie & Nazi spies’, 3rd of 7 stories in BM

~ Dale Clark, “Killer in the Wind”, 2nd of 28 with house dick Mike O’Hanna story, at San Alpa Resort hotel, 4th of 32 stories in BM

~ John Lawrence, “Death in the Pluperfect”, 1st of 2 stories with ‘Ace McGuire, Broadway squad, 1st-person narrator’, 7th of 14 stories in BM

~ Robert Reeves, “Dog Eat Dog”, Cellini Smith and RR’s debut, 1st of 3 parts that will be published as the novel No Love Lost in 1941, reprinted in Dead and Done For: The Complete Black Mask Cases of Cellini Smith (Steeger, 2020), 1st of 12 appearances in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

Murder and the Married Virgin x3

1946 Dell mapback, cover art by Gerald Gregg

map by Ruth Belew

1949, Dell Book #323, cover art by William George Jacobson

better image than previously posted

1963 Dell reissue, cover art by Robert McGinnis

November 1946 issue ~ cover art by Rafael DeSoto

November 1946 issue

better image than previously posted

cover art by Rafael DeSoto

~ D.L. Champion, “Infernal Revenue”, 21st of 26 with Sackler, 23rd of 30 stories in BM

~ Robert C. Dennis, “I Thee Kill”, 1st of 6 with ‘William (Willie) Carmody, Confidential Investigations & Margaret O’Leary, writer, Hollywood, WC is first-person narrator’, 1st of 10 stories in BM

~ Jack Karney, “Shake Well and Kill”, ‘Garfield Dolan, red-headed private cop in NYC, 1st person narrator’, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ Paul Komisaruk, “Shot from in Close”, ’Harry Nyland, Consolidated Detective Agency narrates’, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ C.M. (Cyril) Kornbluth, “The Brooklyn Eye”, ‘Tim Skeat, private cop, 1st person narrator, in NYC’, 2nd of 2 stories in BM, both with Skeat

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

May 1, 1934 issue ~ cover art by John Howitt

May 1, 1934 issue

cover art by John Howitt

better image than previously posted

“Read ‘Em and Weep” (Cardigan) by Frederick Nebel

“The Smoking Corpse” (Edward Delane, lawyer) by Erle Stanley Gardner

“The Duchess of Death” (Jones & Jones) by Maxwell Hawkins

“Hot Money” (Johnny Cass) by R.D. Torrey

“Zero Hour” (Willy Hansen) by Anson Hatch

also includes letter from Carroll John Daly announcing new radio program featuring his character Vee Brown

1990 Paramount picture

The city's different at night. The air smells better. It's harder to see that the oil rigs outnumber the palm trees and it's almost like the good old days. At least the way I'd
like to remember them. Stay in this business long enough and every street leads to a place you'd like to forget. Every case brings back memories of what might have been, and every skirt reminds you of another woman. 

Or, if you've got it bad enough, the same woman.

1990 Paramount picture

better image than previously posted

sequel to Chinatown, written by Robert Towne, directed by Jack Nicholson

poster illustration by Rodriquez