Just for Halloween: Hex Education

The Witching Night, by “C.S. Cody,” aka Leslie Waller (Dell, 1953). Cover illustration by Tommy Shoemaker.

Wishing You a Happy Halloween!

The Gorgeous Ghoul Murder Case, by Dwight V. Babcock (Avon, 1951); cover art by Bill Randall. Published originally in 1941 as simply The Gorgeous Ghoul, this was the second of three novels starring Hannah van Doren, a Los Angeles writer for True Crime Cases magazine and a cop’s daughter, said to have “a connoisseur’s passion for murder and mayhem.” The other two van Doren mysteries were A Homicide for Hannah (1941) and Hannah Says Foul Play! (1946).

And a Happy Halloween to You, Too!

Blood Sugar, by Daniel Kraus (Hard Case Crime, 2019).
Cover art by Paul Mann.

READ MORE: “A Conversation with Daniel Kraus on Blood Sugar,” by Scott Adlerberg (Mystery Tribune).

Stoking Halloween Fears

The Garden of Evil, by Bram Stoker. Originally published in 1911 as The Lair of the White Worm, this novel was reprinted at least twice by American publisher Paperback Library—once in 1969 (above), with art by George Ziel, and previously in 1966 (below), with a cover illustration by an uncredited painter.

Occult Following

What could be a more fitting accompaniment to today’s spooks-and-sweets-filled festivities than Andrew Nette’s splendid selection, in Pulp Curry, of vintage paperback fronts featuring Satanism, witchcraft, and black magic? The cover shown above, from the 1952 Dell paperback edition of Catherine Turney’s The Other One--a story of humiliation, possession, and the supernatural--isn’t among those Nette showcases, but it certainly could have been. The artwork is by Bob Hilbert, more of whose illustrations can be seen here.

By the way, The Other One was adapted in 1957 as a big-screen horror flick titled Back from the Dead. Turney herself inked the screenplay. According to this Los Angeles Times obituary, she had previously been the “chief architect of the script for [1945’s] Mildred Pierce, which earned [star Joan] Crawford an Academy Award.” Turney subsequently wrote for TV series such as Maverick and Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color.

Month of McGinnis: Happy Halloween!

So we have finally come to the end of Killer Covers’ month-long tribute to American artist-illustrator Robert McGinnis.

When I was planning this project, I imagined posting occasional McGinnis paperback fronts in this blog, beginning on October 1 and continuing just past what was supposed to have been the October 28 release of the handsome new work, The Art of Robert E. McGinnis, by Robert E. McGinnis and Art Scott (Titan). However, it quickly became obvious that there were far too many exceptional choices, and that only daily installments in the series would suffice. Had I known a month ago that publisher Titan would, at the last minute, delay the debut of McGinnis and Scott’s book until November, if not December (due to printing and shipping problems), I would have waited to roll out this series. But I didn’t know, and it’s OK. I believe we have all enjoyed the last 31 days worth of McGinnis illustrations--63 paperback façades in total. And this week’s two-part posting of my interview with co-author Scott--Part I here, Part II here--was a challenge, but most satisfying. Even if I never get the opportunity to meet or talk with the now 88-year-old McGinnis, I have at least recognized the value of his life’s artistic endeavors through this effort.

To close out the series, I’ve been holding onto two Halloween-appropriate covers, both taken from Erle Stanley Gardner and starring his best-known protagonist, defense attorney Perry Mason. Enjoy!



Above: The Case of the Glamorous Ghost, by Erle Stanley Gardner (Pocket, 1962). Below: The Case of the Haunted Husband,
by Erle Stanley Gardner (Pocket, 1962).



Incidentally, if you have favorite Robert McGinnis paperback fronts that I haven’t already written about over the last 31 days, please mention them in the Comments section at the end of this post. And if you can provide links to where scans of those covers might found on the Web, that would be great. Thanks so much.

SEE MORE: “Scaring Up a Finale,” by J. Kingston Pierce
(The Rap Sheet).

Happy Halloween, Everyone!

“The Lady Is a Witch,” by Norman A. Daniels, in Startling Stories, March 1950. Illustration by Earle K. Bergey.



Witch of the White House, by Jane Hammond (1977).
Illustration by Tony Masero.



The Witch Finder, by Thomas L. O’Brien (1959).
Illustration by Mitchell Hooks.



Water Witch, by Bowie Morton (1962).


The Witch of Spring, by William Shore (1951). Illustration by Ernest Chiriacka, aka “Darcy.”

READ MORE: “Carter Brown’s Sexy Witches” (Sexy Witch); “Five Famous Witches in Literature” (The Book Haven).