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:
A Black Bat Mystery Novel
Murder On The Loose
Featuring Tony Quinn, Nemesis of Crime
by G. Wayman Jones
While the sinister plans for a monumental haul are being engineered by a vicious crew of jewel thieves, Tony Quinn dashes into rapid-fire action to check their evil crimes! Follow the Black Bat and his aides as they battle a grim conspiracy of plunder and death!
An Exciting Novelet
The Hills Lure Death
by H. Wolff Salz
County Prosecutor Johnny Stuart finds himself playing a dual role when he tackles a gruesome and puzzling mountain mystery!
Murder Strikes Out — Gripping Short Story
by John Gunderson
House Detective Duffy solves a murder too easily
Death Pays Extra — Gripping Short Story
by J. Lane Linklater
Raney proves a Headquarters man is never too old to fight crime
Money To Burn — Gripping Short Story
by David X. Manners
“Ace” Bolton figured all the angles, but —
Off The Record
by The Editor
A department where readers and the editor meet.
