Black Book Detective magazine was probably best known for its long-running series of adventure stories featuring the crimefighter known as The Black Bat. But The Black Bat didn't appear until six years into the magazine's run with the July 1939 issue. The magazine first hit the newsstands with the June 1933 issue. For the next six years, it tried different approaches. Issue one began with a featured novel and several backup short stories. The following year it started promoting "three new complete novels" in each magazine, but abandoned that approach after four issues. It then tried shorter novelets, combined with short stories. In 1935 and 1936, it tried the "weird menace" approach, featuring scantily-clad women in peril on the covers, then switched back to hard crime. In 1938 they tried featuring recurring characters in their main novel. Gentleman thief Raffles appeared in two consecutive issues. Jonathan Drake, Ace Manhunter appeared in three issues.
The editors struck gold with The Black Bat, who first appeared in the July 1939 issue. Supposedly blind District Attorney Tony Quinn was secretly the master crime fighter known as The Black Bat. The stories were credited to the house name of G. Wayman Jones, but in actuality were written mainly by Norman A. Daniels. The Black Bat stories ran exclusively in the bi-monthly Black Book Detective magazine until it finally printed its last issue in the Winter of 1953. Black Book Detective returns in these vintage pulp tales, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format.
Table of Contents:
Design For Death — Complete Novel
by George A. McDonald
Linda Frayne figured there was more to her father’s death than the official reports heart failure. And now there was another attempt on her life — an attempt to make her the victim of a slow, agonizing end. If that failed, there was another way. She was a pawn on a checkerboard of death.
The World Series Murder — Complete Novel
by George A. Starbird
Bob Mathews, star pitcher of the Detroit Marines, was rushed in as relief hurler. The bases were full of enemies in the last half of the ninth, and Bob Mathews’ one run lead looked woefully weak against the star slugger at the plate. But Mathews threw him two strikes. Suddenly a cloud of smoke hid his figure. When it cleared, Mathews lay on the ground — a dead hero.
Fallen Angel — Complete Novelette
by Richard E. Conan
Detective Mike Brady fell for a fallen angel — fell hard. Then came the new experience of being the hunted and not the hunter.
Bridesmaids Of Death — Complete Novelette
by H.M. Appel
“Stop the wedding of your daughter, or Death shall send his Bridesmaids.” The “Bridesmaids” came.
With Inspector’s Honors — Short Story
by Lurton Blassingame
He had betrayed his father’s memory — the badge he had sworn allegiance to; even his own self-respect. He made one last effort to wipe the slate clean.
