w.t. ballard – Page 3

October 1938 issue

October 1938

better image than previously posted

[updated 10/27/25]

March 1939 issue ~ cover art by J.W. Scott

March 1939

cover art by J.W. Scott

better image than previously posted

1962 Belmont reissue ~ cover art by Al Brule

1962 Belmont reissue

cover art by Al Brule

pseudonym of W.T. Ballard, first published in 1942 by Putnam as Say Yes to Murder

first of his series with Lt. Max Hunter

July 1939 issue ~ cover art by J. George Janes

July 1939 issue

cover art by J. George Janes

~ W.T. Ballard, “Death in the Zoo”, 32nd of 43 stories in BM

~ Maurice Beam, “Death Swing”, ‘stunt fliers’,(thought to possibly be a pseud. of Robert Leslie Bellem), 2^nd of 7 with this name in BM

~ C.S. Montanye (Carleton Stevens), “Framed for Hanging”, 28th of 29 stories in BM

~ Stewart Sterling (pseud. of Prentice Winchell), “Kill a Man Dead”, 2nd of 3 stories with Vince Mallie, 2nd of 12 stories

~ H.H. Stinson, “Murder Sweepstakes”, 7th of 14 with ‘Ken O’Hara, fighting reporter on Los Angeles Tribune’, ‘see pg. 7 for letter from HHS about O’H’, 12th of 27 stories in BM

~ Cornell Woolrich, “Borrowed Crime”, reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Black Mask Stories (Vintage, 2010), 11th of 24 (22 original) stories to appear in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

January 1946 issue

January 1946

better image than previously posted

December 1935 issue ~ cover art by John Drew

December 1935 issue

cover art by John Drew

better image than previously posted

~ W.T. Ballard, “After Breakfast”, 2nd of 7 with ‘Red Drake, undercover investigator for the State Racing Commission, 1^st-person narrator’, 16^th of 43 stories in BM

~ Eugene Cunningham, “Tough People”, 1^st of 2 with Det. Sgt. Bob Land, border patrol, 13^th of 14 stories in BM

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Above the Law”, 62^th Ed Jenkins, ‘The Phantom Crook’, 87th of 99 stories in BM

~ Nels Leroy Jorgensen, “The Man from Monaco”, 23rd of 32 with Stuart “Black” Burton, ‘square-shooting gambler from the Southwest, often entangled with the law’, 30th of 39 stories in BM

~ Eric Taylor, “Red Death”, ‘Gene Terry, detective, Metropolitan Agency’, 5th of 7 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

September 1935 issue

September 1935

better image than previously posted

October 1934 issue ~ cover art by Fred Craft

October 1934 issue

better image than previously posted

cover art by Fred Craft

~ W.T. Ballard, “Snatching Is Dynamite”, ‘Lennox & ‘The Secret Five’ of Hollywood’, 9th of 27 BM stories with ‘Bill Lennox, troubleshooter for Consolidated Films’, 9th of 43 stories in BM

~ Raymond Chandler, “Finger Man”, “Finger Man”, unnamed LA PI, first person narrator, first book appearance in the collection The Simple Art of Murder (Houghton Mifflin hardcover, 1950), first paperback, Trouble is My Business (Pocket, 10/51), various paperback editions, reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Pulps (Vintage, 2007), 3^rd of 11 stories in BM

~ Nels Leroy Jorgensen, “Immunity Murders”, 21^th of 32 with Stuart “Black” Burton, ‘square-shooting gambler from the Southwest, often entangled with the law’, with his wife Vivian, 28^th of 39 stories in BM

~ Horace McCoy, “Somebody Must Die”, last of 14 Frost stories with ‘Capt. Jerry Frost, Texas (Air) Ranger, last of 17 appearances in BM

~ Thomas Walsh, “Best Man”, ‘Carver, plain-clothesman, Homicide; reprinted in The Hard-Boiled Omnibus (1946)’, 4th of 6 stories in BM

January 1943 issue ~ cover art by Norman Saunders

January 1943

better image than previously posted

cover art by Norman Saunders taken from the May 1936 issue of Clues Detective Stories

May 1943 issue ~ cover art by Rafael DeSoto

May 1943 issue

cover art by Rafael DeSoto

Cornell Woolrich, “Mind over Murder”

W.T. Ballard, “A Heel of the First Water”

Dale Clark, “Death is from Taxes” (Plates O’Rion)

Duane Yarnell, “Murder is My Meat”

Frederick C. Davis, “Home Sweet Homicide” (Bill Brant)

Henry Norton, “Bait”

[updated 5/14/25]