July 1947 issue ~ cover art by Malvin Singer

July 1947 issue

cover art by Malvin Singer

~ D.L. Champion, “Padlocked Pockets”, 23rd if 26 with Sackler, reprinted in Murder Costs Money: The Complete Black Mask Stories of Rex Sackler (Steeger, 2020), 25th of 30 stories in BM

~ Ed Edstrom, “Never Call the Cops”, author’s only appearance in BM

~ Bruno Fischer, “A Killer in the Crowd”, ‘1st-person; homicide lieutenant, NYPD’, 2nd of 5 stories in BM

~ William Campbell Gault, “The Constant Shadow”, 4th of 9 stories in BM

~ Henry Norton, “High Voltage Homicide”, ‘Lee Bassler, ‘phone company trouble-shooter’, last of 6 stories in BM

~ H.H. Stinson, “Murder’s No Libel”, last of 14 with Ken O’Hara, ‘now press agent for Hotel Diplomat’, 24th of 27 stories in BM

~ Michael Sutton, “Concerto for Guns”, ‘Johnny Dillon, LA private ‘tec, 1st person narrator‘, 2nd of 2 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

April 1952 issue ~ cover art by Norman Saunders

April 1952 issue

cover art by Norman Saunders

better image than previously posted

John D. MacDonald, “The Man From Limbo”

William Campbell Gault, “There’s Got to be an Angle”

Frederick C. Davis, “The Deadly Double”

Westmoreland Gray, “One Head Shorter”

Rufus Bakalor, “Tailspin Cutie”

John Bender, “She Wouldn’t Stay Dead”

John Lawrence, “Music from Hell”

Coretta Slavsky, “Relax and Regret”

November 1950 issue ~ cover art by Norman Saunders

November 1950 issue

cover art by Norman Saunders

better image than previously posted

~ John Bender, “Mayhem Patrol”, ‘prowl-car cop is 1st-person narrator’, 2nd and last story in BM

~ Richard Deming, “Five O’Clock Shroud”, Manville “Manny” Moon, 1st-person narrator, 5th of 6 stories in BM

~ William Campbell Gault, “Dead –End for Delia”, last of 9 stories in BM

~ Richard E. Glendinning, “Die, Gypsy, Die!”, ‘Lt. Oscar Daniels, homicide’, author’s only appearance in BM

~ Albert Simmons, “Disc-Jockey Dirge”, 2nd of 2 stories in BM

~ Robert Turner, “Hell Is What You Make It”, 3rd of 4 stories in BM

~ Cornell Woolrich, “Of Time and Murder”, ‘reprint; not from BM; orig. pub., Detective Fiction Weekly, 15 Mar 1941’, 23rd of 24 (22 original) stories to appear in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

[updated 3/1/26]

January 1951 issue ~ cover art by Norman Saunders

January 1951 issue

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”

July 1948 issue ~ cover art by Peter Stevens

July 1948 issue

cover art by Peter Stevens

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, post updated 1/29/26, 2/28/26]