Make Mine Mystery: Great Recent Reads For Fans of Fierce Fiction!

Hard to believe we're halfway through 2026 already! As we round the bend into the second half of the year, the crime and mystery thrills keep on coming from the stellar talents of the Short Mystery Fiction Society. Looking for a riveting tale to distract you from the punishing heat? Look no further, readers!

• Disney may have tried to clean them up, but savvy readers know that the classic fairy tales of old feature enough dark elements to rival the toughest noir. Those elements are highlighted in the new Level Best Books collection WISH UPON A CRIME: CRIME FICTION INSPIRED BY FAIRY TALES, edited by Michael Bracken and Stacy Woodson. Familiar stories are brought into the present day and given a gritty makeover by a host of today's top crafters of criminal capers, including SMFS members Joseph S. Walker ("Hansel and Gretel"), John M. Floyd ("Goldilocks and the Three Bears"), Josh Pachter ("The Frog Prince"), Andrew Welsh-Huggins ("Jack and the Beanstalk"), Barb Goffman ("Little Red Riding Hood"), Tom Milani ("The Briar Patch") and newly-minted Golden Derringer winner David Dean ("King O' The Cats"). This is certain to be one of the year's best anthologies--don't miss it!
  
  
  
• A new issue of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine always means excitement from SMFS authors! Present in the July/August issue are Dave Zeltserman ("A Lost Dream"), Terena Elizabeth Bell ("Good Fences"), and Joseph S. Walker ("Hunters"). Still the world's leading mystery magazine after all these years!
  
  
  
• Not to be outdone, the July/August Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine is highlighted by contributions from SMFS's own S.B. Watson ("Tricks on the Table") and, pulling the double play, Dave Zeltserman ("Alfred & Hitchcock").
  
  
  
• And of course, Black Cat Weekly continues to offer fans of mystery, science fiction and pulp the best deal on the market, with hundreds of pages of thrills every week. Among the SMFS contributors to recent issues are Joseph S. Walker ("It's Flag Day on Fairview"), Steve Liskow ("Pictures at an Execution"), Robert Lopresti ("The Grudge") and the endlessly prolific John M. Floyd ("Ship Island").
  
  
  
• SMFS all-star Abe Margel pulls a hat trick this month, with stories in The Yard Crime Blog ("Travis' Benefit"), Academy of the Heart and Mind ("Redside Ride"), and Yellow Mama ("Exit Through the Back Door"). You can't stop him, you can only hope to contain him!
  
  
  
• Thrill Ride Magazine dedicates its latest issue to Assassins and Vigilantes, and taking you along for the ride are SMFS members Robert J. Binney ("Moms Pack Snacks") and David H. Hendrickson ("Apt Pupil")!
  
  
  
• Proving that he has a soft side after all, the multitalented Hendrickson is also featured in the anthology ROMANCE FOR ALL SEASONS: SUNKISSED SUMMER with the wonderfully titled "The Mona Pizza and the Johnny Pesky Wannabe." How could you not want to know what that title means?
  
  
  
• The new issue of Blood and Bourbon hits hard, with "Goose" from SMFS's donalee Moulton.
  
  
  
• Flash Flood delivers big emotion in a small package on National Flash Fiction Day with Michael J. Ciaraldi's "Night Shift."
  
  
  
• Going even shorter (and sweeter!) at the X flash fiction page Mythic Picnic is Zachariah Johnson with "Make it Sweet."
• Close to the Bone routinely features some of the hardest-hitting fiction on the web, and they deliver again with Stephen M. Pierce's enthralling "Six Shots for a Sharpshooter."
  
  
  
• Gregory Meece is no slouch in the thrills department either, as he demonstrates in "Ellie" at Shotgun Honey.
• And last but not least, Rock and Hard Place always brings the goods, and their latest issue does it again with Christina Hoag's "Last Night on the Track."
  
  
  

That should be enough edge-of-your-seat mystery and suspense to keep you going for a while--at least until we're back with another update from the Short Mystery Fiction Society, proving month by month that this is a golden age for short crime fiction!

Beat the Heat with these Cool Reads

Summer is heating up, so it's a great time to find a patch of shade, put a chilled beverage at your elbow, and settle into some of these cool new reads from the acclaimed authors of the Short Mystery Fiction Society!

• The award-winning O'Neil De Noux returns to the steamy streets of the Big Easy in Ain't That New Orleans, the eleventh outing in his series featuring former homicide detective turned private eye Dino LaStanza. A slew of challenging cases, a masterfully presented setting--this is as New Orleans as it gets, readers!
  
  
  
• SMFS's Debra Bliss Saenger is among the talented scribes unraveling the fragile lines between truth and delusion in Spilt Ends: A Psychological Thriller Anthology. Fractured identities, hidden motives, steadily building tension--you'll pay for a whole seat, but you'll only need the edge!
  
  
  
• The heartland is never as innocent as it seems, and you'll find evidence aplenty in Scenic and Sinister: An Indiana Landmarks Anthology brought to you by the Speed City chapter of Sisters in Crime. MB Dabney and Shari Held are among the Hoosier highlights in this fast-paced collection of stories bringing crime and mayhem to the best-known sites in the state!
  
  
  
• And here's Shari Held again, alongside Veronica Leigh, Kathleen Marple Kalb, S. B. Watson and others in Detectives, Sleuths, & Nosy Neighbors III. Short mysteries with a bite!
  
  
  
• At the online journal Vol. 1 Brooklyn, Terena Elizabeth Bell puts a delightfully nasty twist on a classic tale in "Hans and Gretchen."
  
  
  
• Over at The People's Friend, Veronica Leigh has another criminal treat for readers when she goes "Behind the Veil"!
• The latest edition of Mystery, Crime and Mayhem is about Copycats--but donalee Moulton and the other authors showing their stuff have decidedly original stories to share!
• And finally, SMFS once again reminds you that with hundreds of pages of mystery, sci fi, and other pulp goodness every single week, there's no better bargain for your reading dollar than Black Cat Weekly, including recent contributions from John Floyd and Shari Held!
  
  
  

Stay tuned for more hot reads from SMFS to keep your summer riveting!

SMFS Spotlight: John M. Floyd

Elena Smith is back again to shine the spotlight on a member of SMFS. This time out, it's the incredibly prolific John M. Floyd, a Golden Derringer winner who turns out more high-quality stories than any other writer I know of. Getting to rub elbows with and learn from writers of John's caliber is one of the great benefits of membership in SMFS. Take it away, Elena!

John M. Floyd is a prolific writer, the author of more than 1,000 short stories plus 9 books. A list of his work can be found on his website,  http://www.johnmfloyd.com/  It is not a “complete list,” because - as John says - “A complete list would be so long it would either bore readers to death or send them screaming into the streets.” This interview will focus on some questions not covered on his website.

You live in Mississippi. Have you always lived there?

Yes. Except for my four years in the Air Force. 

 

Do you feel there are elements of Southern living that influence your stories in some way?

 

Probably so. For one thing, I grew up with some really wild and interesting characters, and many of them—or at least composites of them—have found their way into my writing. Also, I think life here is a bit more relaxed and slower-paced than in many other places, and to me that’s conducive to dreaming up these stories. It’s also conducive to long naps, though, so I might need to rethink that.

 

If you could live someplace else - anywhere in the world, without any financial constraints - where would it be?

Nowhere. I’ve seen a lot of the rest of the country, and of the rest of the world, and I’m perfectly pleased to live right here.

 

At what point in your life did you know that you wanted to become a full time writer? 

I probably first realized it in early 1994, when I first started writing for publication. I was working at that time—I spent 30 years with IBM—but I knew then that I wanted to eventually write full-time. And now that I’m retired and happily worthless, I do. Well, most of the time, anyway. I did stop and mow the yard yesterday. 

 

How long did you have to try before you sold your first story?

Not long. Four of the first five stories I submitted were—somehow, amazingly—sold and published. That was, of course, a fluke, and the next dozen or so submissions were rejected—but I was incredibly lucky to have those early successes, because it showed me that at least it COULD be done.

What published authors, and/or short story writers, were your first influences, and why were you so attracted to their work?

The big ones, for me, were Robert B. Parker, Larry McMurtry, Elmore Leonard, and Nelson DeMille. Parker because of his dialogue and fast-moving plots, McMurtry because of his characters, Leonard because of his dialogue, and DeMille because of his use of humor in otherwise serious fiction. As for short-story writers, it was Jack Ritchie, mainly because of his fantastic plots and tight writing. Ritchie was a masterful and under-appreciated storyteller. 

 

There are many types of mystery stories - locked room, noir, scams, murders, other felonies, misdemeanors. Have you written about every kind of mystery/ crime scenario you can think of?

Yes, I probably have. Except for pastiches. I don’t much care for pastiches.

 
Do your story notions usually emerge from a character or a plot idea?

A plot idea. I have occasionally started a story because I pictured a character, or a setting, or a title, or a theme—but very rarely. I almost always think first of a plot, and proceed from there.

 

What was the most satisfying experience you’ve had with publication of a story, and why?

That’s a hard question. It would probably be “Molly’s Plan,” a bank-heist story I sold to Strand Magazine that was later selected by Otto Penzler and James Patterson for inclusion in Best American Mystery Stories and was considered for film adaptation. It was a satisfying story for me because of its many plot reversals—I still remember how much fun it was to write. 

 

Did you begin your writing journey by joining a writers’ group? Are you in one now? What are some of the benefits you’ve experienced from this?

No, I didn’t, and no, I’m not currently in a group. I have been, though, in the past, and I did enjoy the fellowship with others who love fiction writing.

 

Is there a writer you would like to recommend that I interview in the future?  

I would suggest Doug Allyn, a good friend and one of the most talented short-story writers I know.

Ain't That Good News? Hot New Reads from the Short Mystery Fiction Society!

As spring turns the corner into summer, 2026 continues to heat up with a wealth of exciting offerings from the writers of the Short Mystery Fiction Society. SMFS means quality! And remember, if you read something you enjoy--from this list or anywhere else--support the writers with ratings and reviews at your favorite websites. Help other readers find the stories you love--stories like these!

• The Derringer Awards, given annually by the members of SMFS, have been recognizing excellence in short mystery stories for almost three decades. Now, Level Best Books has released a volume destined to be a milestone! HOT SHOTS: CELEBRATING THIRTY YEARS OF THE SHORT MYSTERY FICTION SOCIETY, edited by Golden Derringer recipient Josh Pachter, gathers one Derringer-winning story for every year from 1998, when the Derringers were first given, through 2025. You'll find many of the top writers in the field today represented in these pages, including a number of masters who are no longer with us, but who are richly deserving of continued admiration. HOT SHOTS isn't just a collection; it's proof that short crime fiction is as vibrant, entertaining and accomplished as it's ever been, and a compelling snapshot of what the field looks like today. Don't miss this one!
  
  
  
• Speaking of the Derringers, don't miss the thrilling announcement of this year's winners. Congratulations to the winners, and to the readers who will find great new reads by seeking them out!
  
  
  
  
• SMFS all-star M.E. Proctor teams with Russell Thayer in KANSAS CITY BREAKDOWN. Thayer's series assassin Gunselle, the mob, and the FBI are on a collision course in 1952, and the stylish cover is just your first hint to the fun ride you'll find in these pages!
  
  
  
• Another SMFS member proves they don't just excel at the short form in Sandra J. Cady's novel A GAME OF LUCK, in which Detroit homicide detective Sam Roma has to deal with the puzzling murder of a popular teacher and a new partner bringing their own baggage to the job.
  
  
  
• Rounding out a trifecta of hard-hitting novels, David H. Hendrickson's PAIN TRAIN is the riveting story of a former football great turned PI whose old teammate's painkiller addiction leads both men down a deadly road. A must for fans of contemporary noir!
  
  
  
• From sprawling novels to the razorblade narratives of flash fiction--SMFS authors cover all the bases! VIRGINIA FANTASTIC is an anthology of speculative flash stories set in the Commonwealth, including a tale of hidden treasure in Jane Limprecht's "The General's Gold."
  
  
  
• As always, SMFS members are well represented in the May/June issue of ELLERY QUEEN'S MYSTERY MAGAZINE. You'll always find the best in contemporary mystery in these pages, with this issue including stellar contributions from DK Snyder, S. B. Watson, Gabriela Giteler, James D.F. Hannah and many more.
  
  
  
• Meanwhile, the new ALFRED HITCHCOCK'S MYSTERY MAGAZINE is highlighted by a new entry in the Julius Katz series by SMFS stalwart Dave Zeltserman--who just won an Edgar Award for a 2025 Katz story. Congratulations, Dave!
  
  
  
• BLACK CAT WEEKLY continues to bring you hundreds of pages of mystery, science fiction and rediscovered pulp treasures every week--the most bang for your buck! Recent issues have featured SMFS authors like Rob Lopresti, Tom Milani and N.M. Cedeňo, alongside many others. BCW is truly a weekly gift for passionate readers!
  
  
  
• The MYSTERIES TO DIE FOR podcast delivers fair-play mysteries for your ears, with this episode featuring Larry M. Keeton's "A Cast of Crabs."
• Short fiction can pack a hell of a punch. For proof, look no further than James Patrick Focarile's "The Cold, Hard Weight of It" at LITERARY GARAGE.
• SMFS members make regular appearances across the pond at the UK periodical THE PEOPLE'S FRIEND, most recently Veronica Leigh with "Learn to Forgive" and Liz Filleul with "A Turn Up For The Books."
  
  
  
• YELLOW MAMA has become one of the web's best sites for gritty crime fiction. Don't miss Bern Sy Moss's "Bragging Rights" and Elizabeth Dearborn's "Lived My Life Too Fast" in the latest issue.
• DARK YONDER is another periodical that's rapidly become a must-read for fans of crime fiction on the noir side of the spectrum The newly released issue #12 includes dynamite work by SMFS members Veronica Leigh, Steve Liskow, Mark Coggins and Christina Hoag. All this and a cocktail recipe, too!
  
  
  
• CURATED BY COSTUIC brings readers a monthly dose of only the best in short crime fiction. This month, the endlessly entertaining John M. Floyd brings us a fateful encounter on a plane in "Creativity."
  
  
  
• THE RANGER'S ALMANAC is an annual collection of stories and art inspired by America's national parks--and by golly, here's John M. Floyd again, bringing Boy Scouts and bank robbers together in "Lewis and Clark."
  
  
  
• Another new player quickly making a mark on the crime fiction scene, COLD CALLER, proudly presents Jessica Slee's "Home Sweet." And for another sample of Slee's powerful work, don't miss "Life's a Peach" at FLASH FICTION MAGAZINE.
  
  
  
• HOUSE OF LONG SHADOWS brings you an unusual tale of Sherlock Holmes and vampires in Mark Coggins's "Adventure of the Baker Street Vampires."
  
  
  
• And finally this month, Terena Elizabeth Bell ventures into the unknown in "Gold-Face" at COSMIC HORROR MONTHLY.

And there you have it--another round-up of fantastic new offerings for readers and fans of some of the best fiction being published today. And remember, if you want to support the writers doing this work, leaving ratings and reviews at places like Amazon and Goodreads is the best way to help promote their work and lead more readers their way. Look for more news coming soon!

SMFS Official Announcement: 2026 Derringer Award Winners

Photo by Art Taylor

The Short Mystery Fiction Society is a community of writers, readers, editors, publishers, and others dedicated to the promotion and celebration of mystery and crime short stories. Since 1998, the SMFS has awarded the annual Derringers to outstanding published stories and people who have greatly advanced or supported the form. The Best Anthology Derringer was presented for the first time in 2025.

The 2026 Derringer Award winners are

Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer

David Dean

David Dean is an Army veteran, a retired Chief of Police, and an accomplished novelist, in addition to being one of the most popular and prolific short story writers working in the crime genre today. His stories have appeared regularly in ELLERY QUEEN MYSTERY MAGAZINE, as well as a number of anthologies, including BEST AMERICAN MYSTERY STORIES, since 1990. He has won a Derringer Award and an impressive four EQMM Readers Awards. His stories have also been nominated for the Shamus and Barry Awards and been finalists for an Edgar and multiple Derringer Awards.

Best Flash Story

(Up to 1,000 words)

"The Man Under the Bridge" by Bern Sy Moss (Spillwords, 6/1/2025)

Best Short Story

(1,001 to 4,000 words)

"Blind Pig" by Michael Bracken (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, September/October 2025)

Best Long Story

(4,001 to 8,000 words)

"Whatever Kills the Pain" by C.W. Blackwell (Whatever Kills the Pain, Rock and a Hard Place Press)

Best Novelette

(8,001 to 20,000 words)

"The Temporary Murder of Thomas Monroe" by Tia Tashiro (Clarkesworld, January 2025) (audio version)

Best Anthology (tie)

Hollywood Kills: An Anthology edited by Adam Meyer & Alan Orloff (Level Best Books - Level Short)

On Fire and Under Water: A Climate Change Crime Fiction Anthology edited by Curtis Ippolito (Rock and a Hard Place Press)

The complete list of 2026 finalists may be found here.

Related links:

Join the Short Mystery Fiction Society (membership is always free)

Derringer Award Policy

All Derringer Award Winners and Finalists (1998-Present)

Our Latest Anthology - Hot Shots: Celebrating Thirty Years of the Short Mystery Fiction Society

Announcing HOT SHOTS: CELEBRATING THIRTY YEARS OF THE SHORT MYSTERY FICTION SOCIETY

This month marks the thirtieth anniversary of the founding of the Short Mystery Fiction Society, the free-to-join community of writers, readers, editors, publishers and others dedicated to the celebration and promotion of short stories in the mystery genre. In addition to providing discussion and resources related to all aspects of the genre, the Society also presents the annual Derringer Awards, recognizing the best stories published in the field.

In recognition of the first three decades of SMFS, Level Best Books has published HOT SHOTS: CELEBRATING THIRTY YEARS OF THE SHORT MYSTERY FICTION SOCIETY, edited by Josh Pachter, himself a recipient of the Golden Derringer for Lifetime Achievement in Short Mystery Fiction. The anthology includes one Derringer-winning story for every year from 1998, when the Awards were first presented, through 2025. It also includes a complete list of all Derringer winners, along with an introduction by Pachter and a foreword by current SMFS President Joseph S. Walker providing more information about the Society and the history of the Derringers.

This outstanding collection is a celebration not just of the Society, but of short mystery fiction itself. Mystery has its roots in the short story (think of Edgar Allan Poe and Arthur Conan Doyle), and this book provides ample evidence that the form continues not just to thrive, but to grow and innovate. Readers will find here stories from widely acknowledged masters of the field such as Art Taylor, Earl Staggs, Doug Allyn, Melissa Yi, and John Floyd, as well as many stories from writers like Sandy Balzo, Ruth McCarty, and Michael J. Solender whose names may be less recognizable but whose stories are highly deserving of the awards they garnered.

The stories (some of which have been unavailable for decades) range from cozy to hardboiled, offering any fan of mystery fiction a wealth of treasures and new favorite authors to be discovered. And if you'd like to have a vote in deciding future Derringer winners and finding even more fiction to love, all while rubbing shoulders with some of the best writers in the genre today, join the Society yourself. It's free, and there's always room for more!

Spring Into Great Reads from the Short Mystery Fiction Society!

This month marks the thirtieth anniversary of the Short Mystery Fiction Society, and our great authors are charging into our fourth decade firing on all cylinders! From the wittiest cozies to the grittiest noir, readers can't go wrong with SMFS. Check out just a few of the recent offerings from our writers!

•  Punk Noir magazine has an assortment of dark takes on the theme "Find What You Love and Let it Kill You," including electric tales from two SMFS faithful: Sandra J. Cady's "For the Love of Writing" and Elizabeth Dearborn's "Shop Till You Drop."
  
  
  
• Black Cat Weekly continues to offer fans of thrilling genres a tremendous value, with hundreds of pages of new and classic mystery, science fiction, and pulp adventure every week. Among recent SMFS offerings are Christina Hoag's "Debt of Silence" and Josh Pachter's "Turkish Muscle." Don't miss out on the web's best reading bargain!
  
  
  
• Woman's World proves that great things come in small packages with DK Snyder's twisty whodunit "Harmonica Blues."
  
  
  
• Over at Killer Nashville, Gregory Meece brings us a nail-biter of a suspense tale in "Game Over."
  
  
  
• Robert J. Binney is having a great month, spinning a gripping tale with "This Gun's For Hire" at Thrill Ride and having his story "Flat" read on the Mysteries to Die For podcast!
  
  
  
• On the anthology front, the Tucson chapter of Sisters in Crime brings us More Trouble in Tucson, featuring "That Which Does Not . . . " from SMFS's Michael J. Ciaraldi.
  
  
  
• In The Dichotomy of Love, SMFS member Beverle Myers brings us a fiery revenge tale in "The Red Windmill, 1915."
  
  
  
• In The Savage Waves of Spring, the fourth entry in Kelp Journal's series of beach noir anthologies, Curtis Ippolito puts a pair of exes to work investigating the allegations about their family in "Not Their Son."
  
  
  
• A host of SMFS's finest grace the pages of the latest Crimeucopia collection, A Coterie of Dicks, with PI stories from Josh Pachter, M. E. Proctor, Jim Guigli, and many more!
  
  
  
• Look for SMFS authors in the most surprising places--case in point, David H. Hendrickson's "Playing for all the Marbles at the Frozen Four" in Romance for All Seasons.
  
  
  
• Last but not least, Level Best Books has published Crime Scenes, the first collection from SMFS President Joseph S. Walker. The book's twenty stories include two winners of the Al Blanchard Award, plus finalists for the Edgar, Derringer, Shamus, and Thriller Awards. Make room on your shelves!
  
  
  

Keep reading, and look for more great reads from SMFS soon!