Crime Fiction Stories, December 1950

About this issue

Crime Fiction Stories, vol. 1, no. 1 (December 1950) contains eight pulp crime stories. "Parting Gift" by Frank Ward depicts a jealous husband, Joe Pomfret, who constructs an explosive lighter disguised as a globe-shaped table lighter, intending to kill his wife Eva's lover Harvey. Pomfret plants the device and leaves town. Harvey, meanwhile, reveals to Eva his plan to sabotage Pomfret's car brakes on a turnpike. When Harvey picks up the lighter to light Eva's cigarette, it detonates, killing him instead. "Hate Calls the Tune" by Clive Criswell (OCR: Criswel) introduces Pat Whitney, a detective sergeant investigating the murder of Aaron Harcourt, a violin teacher. Harcourt was beaten to death. The narrative reveals a complex web involving Pat's unrequited love for Barbara Harcourt, Aaron's daughter, who married someone named Rudy Ferranti. The text breaks off mid-excerpt, the OCR becoming too garbled to continue accurately.