Black Mask Detective, July 1952

# Black Mask Detective, Vol. IX, No. 8 (July 1952)

This British-published collection contains seven detective stories of varying lengths. The lead story, "Sheathe Your Claws, Hellcat!" by Robert Martin, follows Detective Jim Bennett hired by Alvin T. Bayne, a wealthy trucking magnate. Bayne suspects his dancer-wife Arlene (formerly Beulah Zablonski) is meeting gambler John Damon and wants evidence for divorce proceedings. Bennett arrives at Bayne's lakeside home to find evidence of upheaval—pulled-open drawers and scattered contents. Additional stories include Scott O'Hara's "Blood on the Midway" involving a circus manager and a slasher; Robert Turner's "It's Time to Squirm," where suspect Zelma lacks an alibi; John Bender's "Rock-a-Bye Killer," featuring an infiltrating thug; Tedd Thomey's "All Burned Up," with a private eye caught between a dangerous woman and a fence; and Alvin Yudkoff's "Derelict's Dereliction" about a skid-row drunk. Other works by Turner conclude the issue.