January 1943 issue ~ cover art by Rafael DeSoto

January 1943 issue

cover art by Rafael DeSoto

better image than previously posted

~ Merle Constiner, “Why Meddle with Murder?”, ‘Luther McGavock, private detective; he works Atherton Browne who heads a Memphis-based agency, 3rd of 11 of the McG stories; usually rural setting’, reprinted in Let the Dead Alone: The Complete Black Mask Cases of Luther McGavock (Steeger, 2020), 3rd of 12 stories in BM

~ George Harmon Coxe, “Blood on the Lens”, part 1 of 3 of Murder for Two (novel published 1943), 25th of 27 with Flashgun Casey, 29th of 31 stories in BM

~ C.P. Donnel, Jr., “Don’t Stand Under the Blackjack Tree”, 12th of 16 with Colonel Walter (Doc) Rennie, USA Medical Corps, 12th of 20 stories in BM

~ Alan Farley [pseudonym of Mrs. W. Lee Herrington], “Buttered on Both Sides”, 2nd of 2 stories in BM

~ Tom Marvin, “Bag o’Bones”, ‘1st person narrator is a 23-year-old small town sheriff’, 1st of 3 stories

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

December 1943 issue ~ cover art by Rafael DeSoto

December 1943 issue

cover art by Rafael DeSoto

better image than previously posted

Merle Constiner, “Parade of Empty Shoes” (The Dean)

Norbert Davis, “Take It From Me” (Bail-Bond Dodd)

Day Keene, “The Female is More Deadly” (P.I. Case)

Tom Marvin, “The Ghost Wore His Hat” (Shag Kyper)

D.L. Champion, “Imperfect Alibi”

November 1948 issue ~ cover art by Peter Stevens

November 1948 issue

cover art by Peter Stevens

better image than previously posted

~ Fredric Brown, “Cry Silence” – his only appearance in BM, reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Black Mask Stories (Vintage, 2010)

~ Curtis Cluff, “Overdose of Lead”, NYC PI Chuck Conrad, last of 4 stories in BM

~ Mel Colton, “Dead Men Can’t Welsh”, ‘Jimmy Rock, p.i.’, 1st of 2 stories in BM

~ William Campbell Gault, “The Bloody Bokhara”, ‘the carpet business!’, 8th of 9 stories in BM

~ Don M. Mankiewicz, “Odd on Death”, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ Tom Marvin, “Harm’s Way”, last of 3 stories in BM

~ Coleman Meyer, “Gun in His Back”, ‘cop story’, 2nd of 2 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop