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]

September 1942 issue ~ cover art by Rafael DeSoto

September 1942

cover art by Rafael DeSoto

better image than previously posted

[cover updated, title post added 4/29/25]

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

September 1946 issue ~ cover art by Rafael DeSoto

September 1946 issue

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

January 1947 issue ~ cover art by Rafael DeSoto

January 1947 issue

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

June 1947 UK edition

[UK cover added 5/16/25]