The Talmage Powell Crime Megapack Read online

  Contents

  COPYRIGHT INFO

  A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER

  The MEGAPACK™ Ebook Series

  CRIME GETS A HEAD

  YOUR CRIME IS MY CRIME

  KILLER BE GOOD

  DEAR MR. LONELYHEART

  RIVALS

  SALESMANSHIP

  JURY OF ONE

  LIFE SENTENCE

  MONEY, MURDER, OR LOVE

  OLD MAN EMMONS

  PRECIOUS PIGEON

  FALSE START

  A HEAD OFF HER SHOULDERS

  HEIST IN PIANISSIMO

  REWARD FOR GENIUS

  MIND THE POSIES

  THE FIVE YEAR CAPER

  LONE WITNESS

  PROXY

  THE CONFIDENT KILLER

  COPYRIGHT INFO

  The Talmage Powell Crime MEGAPACK™ is copyright © 2015 by Wildside Press, LLC. All rights reserved.

  * * * *

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

  * * * *

  “Crime Gets a Head” was originally published in Ten Detective Aces, September 1943, under the pseudonym “Milton T. Lamb”. Copyright © 1949 by Talmage Powell.

  “Your Crime Is My Crime” was originally published in New Detective Magazine, May 1946. Copyright © 1946 by Popular Publications. No record of copyright renewal.

  “Killer Be Good” was originally published in New Detective Magazine, December 1952. Copyright © 1952 by Popular Publications. No record of copyright renewal.

  “Dear Mr. Lonelyheart” was originally published in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Nov. 1958. Copyright © 1958, renewed 1985 by Davis Publications.

  “Rivals” was originally published in Manhunt, October 1958. Copyright © 1958 by Talmage Powell.

  “Salesmanship” was originally published in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, November 1958. Copyright © 1958, renewed 1985 by Davis Publications.

  “Jury Of One” was originally published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, October 1959. Copyright © 1959, renewed 1986 by Davis Publications.

  “Life Sentence” was originally published in Manhunt, April 1960.

  “Money, Murder, or Love” was originally published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, June 1961. Copyright © 1961, renewed 1989 by Davis Publications.

  “Old Man Emmons” was originally published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, February 1962. Copyright © 1962, renewed 1990 by Davis Publications.

  “Precious Pigeon” was originally published in Manhunt, April 1963. Copyright © 1963, renewed 1991 by Talmage Powell.

  “False Start” was originally published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, October 1964. Copyright © 1964 by Talmage Powell.

  “A Head Off Her Shoulders” was originally published in Dime Mystery Magazine, August 1949. Copyright © 1949 by Popular Publications, Inc. No record of copyright renewal found.

  “Heist in Pianissimo” was originally published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, May 1964. Copyright © 1964 by Talmage Powell.

  “Reward for Genius” was originally published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Nov. 1965. Copyright © 1965 by Talmage Powell.

  “Mind the Posies” was originally published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, June 1965. Copyright © 1965 by Talmage Powell.

  “The Five Year Caper” was originally published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, August 1965. Copyright © 1965 by Talmage Powell.

  “Lone Witness” was originally published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, January 1966. Copyright © 1966 by Talmage Powell.

  “Proxy” was originally published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, June 1966. Copyright © 1966 by Talmage Powell.

  “The Confident Killer” was originally published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, October 1967. Copyright © 1967 by Talmage Powell.

  A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER

  Talmage Powell (1920-2000) was one of the all-time great mystery writers of the pulps (and later the digest mystery magazines). He claimed to have written more than 500 short stories (and I have no reason to doubt him—I am working on a bibliography of his work, and so far I can document 373 magazine stories...and who knows how many are out there under pseudonyms or buried in obscure magazines!) His pen names included Robert Hart Davis, Robert Henry, Milton T. Lamb, Milton T. Land, Jack McCready, Anne Talmage, and Dave Sands. Some (like Robert Hart Davis) were “house names” shared by many different authors. (Bill Pronzini also wrote as “Robert Hart Davis,” for example.) His work appeared in Dime Mystery, Black Mask, Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock’s Magazine, Manhunt, and many, many more

  He wrote his first novel, The Smasher, in 1959. He went on to pen 11 more novels under his own name, 4 as “Ellery Queen,” and 2 novelizations of the TV series Mission: Impossible. Clearly, though short stories were his first love.

  Enjoy!

  —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.

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