Steeger Books is pleased to release the following titles, all of which are premiering at the 2023 PulpFest convention, which is occurring August 3-6 in Pittsburgh, PA. A limited number of copies of all seven books will be on hand. For fans not attending PulpFest, the titles will also be available for purchase on www.steegerbooks.com.
Murder Pays 7 to 1: The Complete Black Mask Cases of Rex Sackler, Volume 2
by D.L. Champion; cover by Rafael de Soto; illustrations by Peter Kuhlhoff, introduction by Karl Schadow
Author D.L. Champion’s knack for penning quirky series characters reached a new height with his stories of skinflint shamus Rex Sackler, one of Black Mask’s longest-running and most beloved series. Already a reader favorite for his Inspector Allhoff stories in Black Mask’s companion title, Dime Detective, Champion chronicled the offbeat cases of Rex Sackler, the greedy gumshoe who “could squeeze a nickel till the buffalo cried uncle.” The Rex Sackler series allowed Champion to display his talent for sardonic wit and humor in more than two dozen frequently hilarious novelettes published in Black Mask during the 1940s. This volume collects the next six stories, along with an all-new introduction by Karl Schadow on the long-forgotten Rex Sackler radio show.
296 pages | $29.95 softcover | $39.94 hardcover
White Talons: The Complete Black Mask Cases of Tex of the Border Service
by Katherine Brocklebank; cover by Jes Schlaikjer; illustrations by Arthur Rodman Bowker
Premiering in the pages of Black Mask magazine prior to editor Joseph T. Shaw’s run as editor, Tex of the Border Service battled crime on the 1920s U.S./Mexico border. Written by Black Mask’s most prolific female author, Katherine Brocklebank, this collection contains all four installments in the Tex series—the only series in Black Mask history to feature a female lead character—along with two other hard-boiled detective stories by Brocklebank which also appeared in Black Mask.
160 pages | $19.95 softcover | $29.94 hardcover
The Hound with the Golden Eye: The Complete Black Mask Cases of Luther McGavock, Volume 2
by Merle Constiner; cover by Rafael de Soto; illustrations by Peter Kuhlhoff
The Luther McGavock stories are not your garden variety hard-boiled detective yarns. These Black Mask stories are so rich in place and detail that they almost seem a travelogue of small-town life in the Deep South. Having bounced around to just about every major agency in the country, Luther McGavock finally settled in the Atherton Browne Agency in Memphis, and his cases take him to small towns in the Tennessee hill-country. As an outsider, McGavock is our tour guide to this odd world of the Deep South. Written by one of the most polished writers to see print in Black Mask, author Merle Constiner’s writing is vivid, his characters complex, and his mysteries deep. This edition collects the next four stories in the series.
348 pages | $29.95 softcover | $39.94 hardcover
The Case-Hardened Samaritan: The Complete Black Mask Cases of Dal Prentice, Volume 1
by Roger Torrey; cover by Jes Schlaikjer; illustrations by Arthur Rodman Bowker
In 1933 author Roger D. Torrey broke into the fabled group of authors known as The Black Mask Boys with his first of several series characters for Black Mask magazine. In this series, Dal Prentice patrolled the streets of Magna City with his equally hard-boiled partner, battling crooks, racketeering, and other underworld crime. These are some of the most vivid, gritty detective stories to ever appear in Black Mask magazine, written by one of the most popular writers to see print in that fabled detective magazine. Volume 1 contains the first half of the Dal Prentice series, including a rare Prentice short written for a contest.
260 pages | $24.95 softcover | $34.94 hardcover
That’s Hollywood: The Complete Black Mask Cases of Bill Lennox, Volume 1
by W.T. Ballard; cover by Jes Schlaikjer; illustrations by Arthur Rodman Bowker; introduction by James L. Traylor
One of the most popular series to appear in the pages of the greatest detective magazine of all time—Black Mask—is finally back in print. Running for nearly 30 installments, author W.T. Ballard chronicled the adventures of Hollywood troubleshooter Bill Lennox—employee of the prominent movie studio, General-Consolidated Pictures. Not quite a detective, Lennox’s escapades often called for him to keep the Hollywood stars out of trouble and General-Consolidated out of the headlines. These tales exhibit a flavor of authenticity for 1930s-era Hollywood, as the author worked as a scriptwriter and producer during that timeframe. This edition collects the first seven stories, many of which have never before been reprinted. Also including an introduction by James L. Traylor.
306 pages | $29.95 softcover | $39.94 hardcover
Zigzags of Treachery: The Complete Black Mask Cases of the Continental Op, Volume 1
by Dashiell Hammett, cover by Henry C. Murphy, introduction by Bob Byrne
Quite possibly the greatest author to appear in the pages of Black Mask magazine—Dashiell Hammett—is finally included in the authorized Black Mask Library. Hammett’s influential Continental Op series set the editorial tone for Black Mask and all of the authors who would follow Hammett in that magazine. This Volume 1 collects the first ten stories of the Op, including the first two installments bylined as “Peter Collinson,” along with an all-new introduction by Bob Byrne.
322 pages | $29.95 softcover | $39.94 hardcover
Talking Toad: The Complete Adventures of the Gadget Man, Volume 1
by Lester Dent, illustrations by Albert Micale and Wilson Scruggs, introduction by Will Murray
During his thirty year career, Lester Dent created several outstanding characters, starting with the immortal Doc Savage, but also including Black Mask’s Oscar Sail, Genius Jones, and others. One of the most successful was the Gadget Man, who appeared exclusively in the pages of Street & Smith’s Crime Busters magazine between 1937 and 1939. After Doc Savage, the Gadget Man was the longest running Lester Dent series. And, like Doc Savage, it was a mixture of gadgets, mystery and screwball shenanigans.
Click Rush is an inventor. But the ingenious crime-fighting gadgets he’s invented are not wanted by police agencies, who consider them too outlandish and impractical. Enter Bufa. Who is Bufa? No one knows. Not even Rush. But when a papier-mâché radio transceiver appears in his hotel room sitting on one half of a $10,000 bill and the voice emanating from the toad promises the other half if Rush uses his gadgets to solve a crime, the nearly broke inventor could hardly say no. The problem was that every time Rush solves a mystery, Bufa wants him to do it again. And again, and again. And he won’t take no for an answer!
Over the course of eighteen screwy stories, the war of wits between the anonymous toad-shaped tormentor and the beleaguered inventor-turned-detective rages. Where will it all end? Not even Bufa knows….
This first volume of Gadget Man stories—most never before reprinted—includes the introductory six stories. Many restored from the original manuscripts. Including a revealing Introduction by Will Murray.
244 pages | $24.95 softcover | $34.94 hardcover