Sunday, November 11, 2012

Sunday Morning Bonus Pulp: Detective Novels Magazine, April 1940


DETECTIVE NOVELS MAGAZINE was published by Better Publications, one of the various imprints owned by Ned Pines and ramrodded by Leo Margulies, so you know that means it featured a number of different series characters in "complete novels" written by a regular stable of pulpsters. In this issue, the lead story stars Jerry Wade, the Candid Camera Kid. As you might guess from that nickname, Jerry is a newspaper shutterbug who solves mysteries with the help of a feisty blond gal reporter. That ought to be enough to tell you whether you'd enjoy this series or sneer at it with disdain. I've read quite a few of the Candid Camera Kid stories, which were written by prolific author Norman Daniels under the name John L. Benton, and liked them. It's a minor series in the history of pulp detective yarns but consistently entertaining if you're in the right mood. This issue also includes stories by dependable veterans G.T. Fleming-Roberts and C.S. Montanye.

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