The Noir Mystery MEGAPACK ™: 25 Modern and Classic Mysteries Read online

  Table of Contents

  COPYRIGHT INFO

  A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER

  The MEGAPACK™ Ebook Series

  KIDNAPPED EVIDENCE, by Joseph J. Millard

  A RAT MUST CHEW, by Gary Lovisi

  A RIDE FOR MR. TWO-BY-FOUR, by Bruno Fischer

  BEDHEAD FRED’S, REDHEAD’S DEAD, by Jack Halliday

  GENERALISSIMO FLATFOOT, by Walt Sheldon

  DOOM BOOM, by Glenn Low

  DEAD WRONG, by Lucille Cali

  GRIM REAPER’S HANDICAP, by Fergus Truslow

  SUICIDE SOUVENIR, by Dennis Layton

  HAIR OF THE CAT, by Robert Turner

  HERO, by John L. French

  BLACKMAIL IN THE RED, by Chester Whitehorn

  MEET MY MUMMY, by Elroy Arno

  SATAN TURNS THE TIMETABLES, by David M. Norman

  I DIE DAILY, by H. Wolff Salz

  MAHATMA OF MAYHEM, by Robert Leslie Bellem

  ROOM 801, by Jack Halliday

  NO LIVING WITNESS, by Emile C. Tepperman

  TARAWA PAYOFF, by H. Wolff Salz

  WRONG NUMBER, by John L. Benton

  MYSTERY OF THE MEXICALI MURDERS, by J. Lane Linklater

  TIME TO KILL, by Leo Hoban

  RAINY TUESDAY, by Jack Halliday

  MURDER THROWS A RINGER, by Carl G. Hodges

  LOVE KILLS, by Gary Lovisi

  COPYRIGHT INFO

  The Noir Mystery MEGAPACK™ is copyright © 2015 by Wildside Press, LLC. All rights reserved. Cover art © 2015 by Danomyte / Fotolia. All rights reserved.

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  The MEGAPACK™ ebook series name is a trademark of Wildside Press, LLC. All rights reserved.

  * * * *

  “Kidnapped Evidence,” by Joseph J. Millard, was originally published in Thrilling Mystery, March 1942. Copyright © Popular Library, Inc. Copyright renewed 1969. (Renewal # R473352.) Reprinted by permission of the author’s estate.

  “A Rat Must Chew,” by Gary Lovisi, originally appeared in Hardboiled #23. Copyright © 1997 by Gary Lovisi. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “A Ride for Mr. Two-By-Four,” by Bruno Fischer, was originally published in 10-Story Detective, Sept. 1943.

  “Bedhead Fred’s, Redhead’s Dead,” by Jack Halliday, is copyright © 2015 by Jack Halliday. It appears here for the first time.

  “Generalissimo Flatfoot,” by Walt Sheldon, was originally published in 10-Story Detective, Jan. 1943.

  “Doom Boom,” by Glenn Low, was originally published in 10-Story Detective, Nov. 1946.

  “Dead Wrong,” by Lucille Cali, was originally published in Hardboiled, January, 2009. Copyright © 2009 by Lucille Cali. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Grim Reaper’s Handicap,” by Fergus Truslow, was originally published in 10-Story Detective, April 1945.

  “Suicide Souvenir,” by Dennis Layton, was originally published in 10-Story Detective, Jan. 1943.

  “Hair of the Cat,” by Robert Turner, was originally published in Crack Detective, June 1947.

  “Hero,” by John L. French, was originally published in Hardboiled, January 2004. Copyright © 2004 by John L. French. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Blackmail in the Red,” by Chester Whitehorn, was originally published in 10-Story Detective, Feb. 1945.

  “Meet My Mummy,” by Elroy Arno, was originally published in Fantastic Adventures, May 1947.

  “Satan Turns the Timetables,” by David M. Norman, was originally published in 10-Story Detective, Sept. 1943.

  “I Die Daily,” by H. Wolff Salz, was originally published in 10-Story Detective, April 1945.

  “Mahatma of Mayhem,” by Robert Leslie Bellem, was originally published in Thrilling Detective Magazine, April 1948.

  “Room 801,” by Jack Halliday, is copyright © 2015 by Jack Halliday. It appears here for the first time.

  “No Living Witness,” by Emile C. Tepperman, was originally published in Secret Agent X, June 1934.

  “Tarawa Payoff,” by H. Wolff Salz, was originally published in 10-Story Detective, June 1945.

  “Wrong Number,” by John L. Benton, was originally published in Thrilling Detective, Feb. 1948.

  “Mystery of the Mexicali Murders,” by J. Lane Linklater, was originally published in 10-Story Detective, Jan. 1941.

  “Time to Kill,” by Leo Hoban, was originally published in Crack Detective, Jan. 1945.

  “Rainy Tuesday,” by Jack Halliday, is copyright © 2015 by Jack Halliday. It appears here for the first time.

  “Murder Throws a Ringer,” by Carl G. Hodges, was originally published in Thrilling Detective, Dec. 1947.

  “Love Kills,” by Gary Lovisi, was originally published in Suspense Magazine, Feb. 2011. Copyright © 2011 by Gary Lovisi. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER

  I’ve been a huge fan of noir and hardboiled mysteries since my first encounter with Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon at about age 11. Little did I know—growing up in the 1960s and 1970s—that the whole mystery tradition embodied by that film actually grew out of the pulp magazines of the 1930s and 1940s. Not only the stars of mystery, like Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, but many other pulp writers contributed their own takes on the noir side of crime.

  I’m pleased to present this collection of 25 modern and classic noir and noir-inspired tales by writers I’m sure you’ll enjoy.

  Happy reading!

  —John Betancourt

  Publisher, Wildside Press LLC

  www.wildsidepress.com

  ABOUT THE SERIES

  Over the last few years, our MEGAPACK™ ebook series has grown to be our most popular endeavor. (Maybe it helps that we sometimes offer them as premiums to our mailing list!) One question we keep getting asked is, “Who’s the editor?”

  The MEGAPACK™ ebook series (except where specifically credited) are a group effort. Everyone at Wildside works on them. This includes John Betancourt (me), Carla Coupe, Steve Coupe, Shawn Garrett, Helen McGee, Bonner Menking, Colin Azariah-Kribbs, A.E. Warren, and many of Wildside’s authors…who often suggest stories to include (and not just their own!)

  RECOMMEND A FAVORITE STORY?

  Do you know a great classic science fiction story, or have a favorite author whom you believe is perfect for the MEGAPACK™ ebook series? We’d love your suggestions! You can post them on our message board at http://movies.ning.com/forum (there is an area for Wildside Press comments).

  Note: we only consider stories that have already been professionally published. This is not a market for new works.

  TYPOS

  Unfortunately, as hard as we try, a few typos do slip through. We update our ebooks periodically, so make sure you have the current version (or download a fresh copy if it’s been sitting in your ebook reader for months.) It may have already been updated.

  If you spot a new typo, please let us know. We’ll fix it for everyone. You can email the publisher at [email protected] or use the message boards above.

  The MEGAPACK™ Ebook Series

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