Big-city residents on both sides of the law regard him with equal measures of fear and reticence. They know that whatever they're doing, right or wrong, will sooner or later come to the attention of Guy "Keyhole" Kerry, a wise-cracking, hard-charging journalist who knows all and tells most of it. Kerry's profession brings him into contact with all kinds of people, and the law of averages guarantees that some of them are better left alone. But Keyhole Kerry will risk anything for a scoop, even if it means becoming embroiled in murder mysteries and making himself a target. This relatively brief series (eight late Thirties entries) was written for Dime Detective by Frederick C. Davis, a tireless pulp scribe who sold more yarns to the magazine-73 in all-than any other contributor save T.T. Flynn. With a half-dozen recurring characters in this one rough-paper periodical, Davis was one of the many talented contributors who made Dime Detective a prestigious crime pulp second only to the legendary Black Mask in its impact on the genre.

New York-based private investigator Cass Blue is a morally flexible tough guy who backs up his hard-boiled rhetoric with frequent applications of the blackjack he carries in a hip pocket. No case is too seedy or sordid for him to take, and he's capable of taking as much as he dishes out when it's necessary. The cops don't trust him much more than they do the criminals, but that doesn't keep him from giving clients full value for their retainers. With the dubious assistance of speakeasy owner Al Lascoine, Cass sasses and slugs his way through a succession of Depression-era adventures. The Cass Blue yarns are related in the first person by stylish pulp writer John Lawrence, who guides his protagonist through a maze of conventional plots and countless gunfights. What the series lacks in polish and innovation, it makes up for with vigorous action and the tough-as-nails attitude that gave Dime Detective the distinctive flavor that made it the most important crime pulp excepting the legendary Black Mask.

To habitues of the nation's top racetracks he's known as "The Bland Buddha of the Bangtail Circuit." Less polite players of the ponies call him a tout or a bookie. There's no doubt that Mr. Joe Maddox is a shrewd judge of horseflesh, but he's also a shrewd judge of men. And that's a critically important quality to possess, because Mr. Maddox repeatedly finds himself pitted against crooks and killers whose depredations are linked in some way to the racing game. Assisted by his sidekick Oscar, the heavyset handicapper has always managed to beat the odds, but sooner or later his luck is bound to change.... The work of prolific pulpster T.T. Flynn, 35 Mr. Maddox novelettes were published in the pages of Dime Detective between 1938 and 1950. Fast-moving and suffused with authentic racing atmosphere, they were among the most popular stories ever to appear in this prestigious crime pulp, second only to the legendary Black Mask in its impact on the genre.