August 1940 issue ~ cover art by Rafael DeSoto

August, 1940 issue

better image than previously posted

cover art by Rafael DeSoto

~ Wyatt Blassingame, “10,001 Motives for Murder”, 2nd of 6 stories with The Bishop, political writer on a Southern newspaper, 60ish and peg-legged, 4th of 8 stories in BM

~ George Harmon Coxe, “Case and the Blonde Wren”, 19th of 25 with Flashgun Casey; ‘Wren = Women’s Royal Naval Service officer’, 23rd of 29 stories in BM

~ G.T. Fleming-Roberts, “Rats Breed Rats”, ‘Detective Sergeant Bill Teed, tough cop, & Pop Walter, sentimental reporter’, 1st of 8 stories in BM

~ Eaton K. Goldthwaite, “The Frame Didn’t Fit”, ‘Duke Brian & Franny Steinmetz, ‘ex-felons from Philly’, now private dicks, more or less, Brian narrates’, 1st of 5 stories in BM

~ John Graham, “Too Tough”, ‘Vic Smail, kidnapper’, 2nd of 2 stories in BM

~ Charles E. Jestings, “Jim Gregg: A Prison Poem”, 2nd of 2 stories in BM

~ Stewart Sterling (pseud. of Prentice Winchell), “Ten Carats of Lead”, 1st of 9 stories with ‘Special Squad (pawnshop detail), NYPD, & Det. Mike Hansard’, reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Black Mask Stories (Vintage, 2010), 4th of 12 stories

~ Roger Torrey, “Murder – For No Reason”, ‘debut of Bryant (4 stories), a regular U.S. Army man, who works in a CCC camp; 1st-person narrator’, 46th of 50 appearances in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

May 1942 issue

May 1942

Russell Gray, “The Dead Hang High!“

Richard Sale, “Corpse House”

Francis K. Allan, “They Want to Kill Me!“

Donald G. Cormack, “Paroled—to Death!”

William R. Cox, “Murder Deals the Cards” (Tom Kincaid)

Stewart Sterling, “Buttons for the Corpse Fund” (Rod Keeney) 

better image than previously posted

[cover updated 2/3/26]

December 1939 issue

December 1939

Russell Gray, “Murder Has One Eye” (Ben Bryn)

Francis James, “Flesh for Neptune’s Harem”

W. Wayne Robbins, “Evil Lives in My Hands”

Stewart Sterling, “Men with Melting Flesh”, given as “Men with Rotting Flesh” on the cover

Ralston Shields, “Death Deals in Souls”

Harrison Storm, “Corpse-Fever”  

better image than previously posted