Cover by Hugh J. Ward. From Spicy Detective Stories, Vol.3 No.6, October/November 1935 ©Culture Publications, Inc. Used under fair use for educational purposes.

SUPPLEMENTARY HISTORY FOR “SECRETS OF THE VELVET TRAP”

A Nude Female Corpse is Allowable, Of Course

Men and Girls: “Spicy Detective Stories” of the 1930s

This story serves as an addendum to Chapter 6 of the historical fiction serial novel Secrets of the Velvet Trap, published by Tantalizing Tales.

SERIES LINK | READER’S GUIDE | PSYCHOANALYSIS

Eddie is a fan of detective fiction; in fact, she’s writing her own. Like many readers of the 1930s, Eddie had a taste for escapist fiction, and Spicy Detective Stories fed the appetite, even as it pushed the boundaries of decency during the Great Depression.

The era was a golden age of detective fiction that created the “hard-boiled” detective with his flaws and moral ambiguities. He operated by his own rules, was willing to bend the law to achieve justice, and became romantically involved in his cases.

Along with the gritty action, the comic “Sally the Sleuth” gave readers a female detective just as bold and successful as a male detective — but she always ends up naked.