10-Story Detective, February 1946

About this issue

February 1946 This issue features nine stories blending mystery and crime fiction. The novelet "Sandman of the Long Sleep" by Glenn Low opens the issue, following Detective Camden Crawley as he patrols a street undergoing nighttime paving work and discovers increasingly dark mysteries—bloody clues, extortion lists, and ultimately murder. The mystery deepens when an abandoned cane appears at a lunchroom, launching Crawley into a case involving a homicide ring. "Mystery of the Punctual Vulture" by Talmage Powell presents investigator Lew Briggs confronting both a mysterious bird and an allegedly bloodthirsty ghost. Other stories include "Blood on the Blossoms" by Berna Morris, involving crimes in a professor's garden; "Doom in Dead Storage" by Fergus Truslow, concerning a morgue rental agreement; and "Too Hot for a Hellion" by D. A. Hoover, featuring Tabasco Charley. Additional tales include Joe Archibald's humorous "Fry-by-Nights," Ralph Berard's "Rip Tide Boomerang," and "A Slay for Santa Claus" by Davisson Lough, where a killer leaves deadly presents.