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), 3rd of 11 stories in BM

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

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

different cover

[updated 1/25/26]

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]

December 1937 issue ~ cover art by J. George Janes

December 1937 issue

cover art by J. George Janes

~ W.T. Ballard, “Only Proof Counts”, last of 7 with ‘Red Drake, undercover investigator for the State Racing Commission, 1st-person narrator’, 29th of 43 stories in BM

~ Norbert Davis, “Murder in Two Parts”, ‘Brent’, 7th of 13 stories in BM

~ Frank Gruber, “Death on Eagle’s Craig”, 3rd of 10 with ‘Oliver Quade, The Human Encyclopedia’, reprinted in The Hardboiled Dicks (1965), reprinted in The Hardboiled Dicks (1965), 4th of 14 stories in BM

~ Eric Howard, “Copper, Have a Heart”, 4th of 6 story in BM

~ John Lawrence, “Club Fighter”, 1st of 2 stories with ‘Barron Hargraft & boxing in Detroit & NYC‘, 3rd of 14 stories in BM

~ Cornell Woolrich, “Dusk to Dawn”, ‘Lew Stahl’, 8th of 24 (22 original) stories to appear in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

December 1937 UK edition

[updated 1/26/26]

November 1938 issue ~ cover art by James Lunnon

November 1938 issue

cover art by James Lunnon

better image than previously posted

~ W.T. Ballard, “Mobster Guns”, 20th of 27 stories with ‘Bill Lennox, troubleshooter for Consolidated Films’, 30th of 43 stories in BM

~ Hugh B. Cave, “Curtain Call”, 4th of 9 stories in BM

~ Eric Howard, “Fifty Grand Frail”, ‘Tim Ryan, private snoop, 1st person narrator’, 5th of 6 stories in BM

~ Edgar Pangborn, “Bullet Song”, ‘Tom Paradine, music critic’, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ Theodore A. Tinsley, “Station K-I-L-L”, ‘23rd (of 25) Jerry Tracy capers, columnist on the (NYC) Planet, ‘mixer with poor and rich, the crooked and the straight, trailer of trouble and happiness’, 24th of 26 stories in BM

~ Donald Wandrei, “Tick, Tock”, ‘time bomb’, 5th of 6 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

[cover updated 1/28/26]