cover art by Norman Saunders
better image than previously posted
Hank Napheys, “Homicide Home-Coming”
Frederick C. Davis, “Name Your Poison” (reprinted from 1940)
William Campbell Gault, “None But the Lethal Heart” (Det. Calvano)
Charles Larson, “The Deadly Coincidence”
Paul Chadwick, “Mermaid in Distress”
Day Keene, “Polly Wants a Killer”
better image than previously posted
~ Curtis Cluff, “Leave Killings to the Cops”, last of 3 with Honolulu PI Johnny Ford, 1st person-narrator, 3rd of 4 stories in BM
~ Norman A. Daniels, “License to Kill “, Stacy Tucker, PI, last of 4 stories in BM
~ Richard Deming, “A Shot in the Arm”, Manville “Manny” Moon, 1st-person narrator, 2nd of 6 stories in BM
~ Paul W. Fairman, “Big-Time Operator”, ‘young guy (1st-person narrator) getting into the rackets, reprinted, The Hard-Boiled Detective (1977)’, author’s only appearance in BM
~ William Campbell Gault, “Don’t Bet on Death”, ‘Cary Vaughn & Ned Orlow, private eyes’, 7th of 9 stories in BM
~ W. Lee Herrington, [also published in BM as Alan Farley], “Bury Me Last”, ‘Barney Moffatt, D.A.’s office’, 3rd of 4 stories under this name in BM
~ Victor K. Ray, “Eeeney-Meeny-Money –Murder!”, ‘Bill Baldwin, nightclub bookkeeper, 1st person-narrator’, author’s only appearance in BM
©Seattle Mystery Bookshop
[images updated 6/11/25]
cover art by Rafael DeSoto
better image than previously posted
[cover updated, title post added 4/29/25]
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
cover art by Rafael DeSoto
better image than previously posted
~ Dale Clark, “The Sound of the Shot”, 26th of 28 stories with O’Hanna, ‘with movie people & Hollywood beauty contest’, 30th of 32 stories in BM
~ William Campbell Gault, “Hot-House Homicide”, ‘debut of Mortimer Jones (Jonesy), private cop, narrator, drives a Duesenberg’, 1st of 9 stories in BM
~ C.M. (Cyril) Kornbluth, “Beer-Bottle Polka”, ‘Tim Skeat, private cop, 1st person narrator, in NYC’, reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Black Mask Stories (Vintage, 2010), 1st of 2 stories in BM, both with Skeat
~ Julius Long, “This Is Murder”, 14th of 17 stories with ‘Ben Corbett, D.A.’s chief investigator, 1st -person narrator’, 19th of 23 stories in BM
~ William Rough, “Don’t Burn Your Corpses Behind You”, ‘Ben Slabbe, p.i., who has his own agency; 4th of 5 capers’ in BM
©Seattle Mystery Bookshop
cover art by Rafael DeSoto
better image than previously posted
~ Dale Clark, “Heavenly Homicide”, 27th of 28 with house dick Mike O’Hanna, at San Alpa Resort hotel, 31st of 32 stories in BM
~ William Campbell Gault, “The Cold, Cold Ground”, 2nd of 5 with Mortimer Jones, 2nd of 9 stories in BM
~ Julius Long, “I Remember Murder”, 15th of 17 stories with ’Ben Corbett, D.A.’s chief investigator, 1st -person narrator’, 20th of 23 stories in BM
~ Donn Mullally, “The Corpse I Left Behind Me”, ’Martin Fowler in Hollywood’, 1st of 2 stories in BM
~ William Rough, “Hot Ice”, ‘Ben Slabbe, p.i., who has his own agency; last of 5 capers’ in BM
~ Donegan Wiggins, “The Double-Cross”, ‘brief-brief’, author’s only appearance in BM
©Seattle Mystery Bookshop
[UK cover added 5/16/25]
SMB Noir 