Verdict, Vol. 1, No. 4

Catalog Note This issue features crime and mystery fiction from major pulp contributors. The lead story, apparently untitled in the OCR, is credited to an unnamed author and focuses on Mr. Stapp, a watch-repairer consumed by murderous impulses. Suspecting his wife of an affair with an unknown afternoon visitor, Stapp methodically assembles an explosive device in his basement over six weeks, smuggling in small quantities of combustible material and copper wire from his shop. He prepares an alarm clock as a detonator, intending to trigger the device while his wife is out marketing. The narrative details his obsessive planning, his isolation from neighbors, and his psychological justification for murder. The story employs an omniscient perspective revealing his disturbed interior thoughts. Other contributors listed on the cover include Craig Rice, James M. Cain, Rex Stout, Fredric Brown, George Harmon Coxe, and Frank Kane, though their specific story titles and content are not legible in this OCR sample.