5 Detective Novels Magazine Cover

FIVE DETECTIVE NOVELS November 1949, Vol. 1, No. 1 This inaugural issue features five complete detective novels by established mystery writers. "The Murder Bridge" by George Harmon Coxe involves detective John McCann investigating a murder, an escaped killer, and a sum of one million dollars, complicated by shadowy elements of the past. "Death on an Ocean Liner" by Richard Sale follows foreign correspondent Craig Mitchell swept into a smuggling conspiracy aboard ship during his homeward voyage. "Murder in Mexico" by Steve Fisher concerns Paul Orr robbing a Foreign Club to finance his marriage to a Hollywood actress, with consequent complications. "Too Tough to Die" by George Bruce features detective Red Lacey refusing to let mobster "Mushky" Jenks be executed for a murder he didn't commit. "The Hooded Killer" by Paul Ernst depicts retired sleuth Anthony Lance drawn back into action by the mysterious murder of Nicholas James. The issue also includes a portrait of Alexander Hamilton by Ray Cummings and a true-crime article, "The Path of Death" by Simpson M. Ritter.