D L Champion

Brilliant, ruthless, and utterly unrepentant, Deputy Inspector Allhoff was the NYPD's ace until a mobster's machine gun robbed him of his legs-and, some say, his soul. Kept on the books to handle the cases the department can't or won't touch, Allhoff rules from a shabby tenement flat and a wheelchair, flanked by two uneasy aides: Battersly, the rookie whose moment of cowardice cost the inspector his limbs, and Simmons, the bitter career man who stays for his pension. Created by D.L. Champion, Allhoff denies the heroic conventions of detective fiction-he is no knight errant but a sadist, a psychopath, and a brilliant, cold instrument of justice. The Complete Cases of Inspector Allhoff, Volume 4 gathers the remaining stories that conclude Allhoff's savage run in Dime Detective (1938-1946), completing the thirty-entry saga that made him one of the pulp era's most shocking and unforgettable antiheroes. Harrowing, uncompromising, and darkly compelling, this final volume delivers the merciless plotting and hard-boiled grit that fans of classic crime pulps crave.

Dive back into the vibrant world of Mariano Mercado, Mexico City's germaphobic detective with a flair for the flamboyant, in The Complete Cases of Mariano Mercado, Volume 2. This collection features four gripping tales, including "No Place Like Homicide" and "A Hound for Murder," as Mercado navigates treacherous mysteries while outsmarting the corrupt Colonel Gomez of the Federal District Police. With each case, Mercado proves why he is celebrated as the smartest detective in Mexico. Written by D.L. Champion, this volume also includes an all-new introduction by John Wooley, offering fresh insights into Mercado's adventures and legacy. Don't miss the chance to experience the thrilling escapades of this iconic P.I.

Author D.L. Champion's knack for penning quirky series characters reached a new height with his stories of skinflint shamus Rex Sackler, one of Black Mask's longest-running and most beloved series. Already a reader favorite for his Inspector Allhoff stories in Black Mask's companion title, Dime Detective, Champion chronicled the offbeat cases of Rex Sackler, the greedy gumshoe who "could squeeze a nickel till the buffalo cried uncle." The Rex Sackler series allowed Champion to display his talent for sardonic wit and humor in more than two dozen frequently hilarious novelettes published in Black Mask during the 1940s. This volume collects the next six stories, along with an all-new introduction by Karl Schadow on the long-forgotten Rex Sackler radio show.

Shock was launched in 1948 by Popular Publications as a companion magazine to its primary detective pulps, Dime Detective and Black Mask, concentrating on weird-mystery stories. The first issue contains stories by Frederick C. Davis, John D. MacDonald, Robert Turner, D.L. Champion, and Bruno Fischer.

Brilliant, decisive, and hard-charging, Deputy Inspector Allhoff was the NYPD's ace detective until bullets from a mobster's machine gun robbed him of his legs, his career, and-in the opinion of an associate-his sanity. Yet Allhoff was too good a man to be put out to pasture, so New York's police commissioner found a way to keep him employed and refer to him such cases as the department couldn't or wouldn't handle. Confined to a wheelchair and operating from a seedy tenement flat, Allhoff is assisted by two cops: Battersly, the rookie patrolman whose brief moment of cowardice cost the inspector his legs, and Simmons, the bitter career cop who detests Allhoff but sticks with the embittered cripple to protect his own pension. Created by D.L. Champion, Inspector Allhoff denied most conventions of detective-pulp fiction. He could never be confused for one of Raymond Chandler's knights errant, trudging down those mean streets. Allhoff was no Rover Boy in trench coat and fedora. He was, in fact, a sadist and a psychopath. With 30 entries published between 1938 and 1946, the Allhoff series was among the most popular and long-lived to appear in Dime Detective, the prestigious crime pulp second only to the legendary Black Mask in its impact on the genre.

Brilliant, decisive, and hard-charging, Deputy Inspector Allhoff was the NYPD's ace detective until bullets from a mobster's machine gun robbed him of his legs, his career, and-in the opinion of an associate-his sanity. Yet Allhoff was too good a man to be put out to pasture, so New York's police commissioner found a way to keep him employed and refer to him such cases as the department couldn't or wouldn't handle. Confined to a wheelchair and operating from a seedy tenement flat, Allhoff is assisted by two cops: Battersly, the rookie patrolman whose brief moment of cowardice cost the inspector his legs, and Simmons, the bitter career cop who detests Allhoff but sticks with the embittered cripple to protect his own pension.Created by D.L. Champion, Inspector Allhoff denied most conventions of detective-pulp fiction. He could never be confused for one of Raymond Chandler's knights errant, trudging down those mean streets. Allhoff was no Rover Boy in trench coat and fedora. He was, in fact, a sadist and a psychopath. With 30 entries published between 1938 and 1946, the Allhoff series was among the most popular and long-lived to appear in Dime Detective, the prestigious crime pulp second only to the legendary Black Mask in its impact on the genre.