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!

SMFS Official Announcement: 2026 Derringer Award Finalists

Image by Bethany Maines

The Short Mystery Fiction Society is a group 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've greatly advanced or supported the form. The inaugural Best Anthology Derringer was presented in 2025.

Our volunteer judges evaluated 495 story submissions to determine the finalists. The winners will be determined by member vote in April and announced May 1.

The 2026 Derringer Award finalists are

Best Flash Story

(Up to 1,000 words)

"Bradycardia" by Elizabeth Dearborn (Punk Noir Magazine, 2/4/2025)

"Check Rear Seat" by Carl Tait (Exquisite Death, 5/1/2025)

"It All Comes Out in the Wash" by James Patrick Focarile (Gumshoe Review, 10/31/2025)

"Just Like Old Times" by Shari Held (Yellow Mama, 2/15/2025)

"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)

"Chains" by Frank Vatel (All Due Respect, 9/1/25)

"Hollywood Prometheus" by Christa Faust (Crime Ink: Iconic: An Anthology of Crime Fiction Inspired by Queer Icons, Bywater Books)

"The Artist" by Linda Ann Bennett (Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspense, Superior Shores Press)

"Wax On, Wax Off" by Nina Mansfield (Donna Andrews Presents Malice Domestic: Mystery Most Humorous, Wildside Press)

Best Long Story

(4,001 to 8,000 words)

"A Sign of the Times" by Tom Milani (Sleuths Just Wanna Have Fun: Private Eyes in the Materialistic Eighties, Down & Out Books)

"Masterpiece" by Mark Thielman (Black Cat Mystery Magazine 16, September 2025)

"Six-Armed Robbery" by Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier (Donna Andrews Presents Malice Domestic: Mystery Most Humorous, Wildside Press)

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

"Zebra Finch" by donalee Moulton (The Most Dangerous Games, Level Best Books - Level Short)

Best Novelette

(8,001 to 20,000 words)

"Aswarby Hall" by David Dean (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, March/April 2025)

"Loose Change from a Mini Cooper" by Frank Zafiro (Chop Shop Episode 10, Down & Out Books)

"Saint Bullethead" by Nick Kolakowski (Fighting Words: Bruisers, Brawlers, & Bad Intentions, Leonardo Audio)

"The High Priest of Low Men" by C.W. Blackwell (Myopic Duplicity: Do the Ends Ever Justify the Means?, Leonardo Audio)

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

Best Anthology

(previously announced)

Crimeucopia - The Not So Frail Detective Agency edited by John Connor (Murderous Ink Press)

Gone Fishin': Crime Takes a Holiday, The Eighth Guppy Anthology edited by James M. Jackson (Wolf's Echo Press)

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

Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspense edited by Judy Penz Sheluk (Superior Shores Press)

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

SoWest: Danger Awaits! A Desert Sleuths Anthology edited by Claire A. Murray, Eva Eldridge, Suzanne E. Flaig, Denise Galley, and Sarah Smith (DS Publishing)

The SMFS Official Announcement: 2026 Derringer Award Winners post is available 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

SMFS Spotlight: Barb Goffman

Elena Smith is back with another interview of one of the great writers in the Short Mystery Fiction Society. In the spotlight this time is Golden Derringer winner Barb Goffman--by any measure, one of the most honored and accomplished writers in our field today. To mention just a couple of the many impressive things about her, Barb has won the Agatha Award four times, and been a finalist for major industry awards an astonishing fifty times! How does she do it? Take it away, Elena!

I think of you as the “Everything Woman,” one who wears many hats. You are an award-winning short story writer, associate editor of a successful mystery magazine Black Cat Weekly, and freelance editor (“developmental editing, line editing, and copy editing for crime novels and short stories, specializing in cozy and traditional mysteries”). You have been “a finalist for major short story crime-writing awards forty-seven times and crime-editing awards three times,” including the “Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Short Mystery Fiction Society". Let’s take a look at how this journey started.

 

According to your website, your first published story was in 2005 (and the story was nominated for an Agatha Award!). Was this your first stab at getting published, or had you been trying for a while?

That story (“Murder at Sleuthfest”) was the first fiction I had written since high school, and it was my first crime story at all. I had been working on a suspense novel in 2004, and short stories weren’t on my radar. (I know—sacrilege.) But when my Sisters in Crime chapter put out a call for short stories for an anthology, I decided to try my luck, thinking a publishing credit might be helpful toward getting my novel published. Who knew I would fall in love with writing short stories? Anyway, that first story was accepted, and I have been focused on short stories ever since. I always like to give thanks to Jan Burke. I had received a collection of Jan’s stories, and before I wrote my own, I read a few of Jan’s to see how crime short stories worked. (I don’t like reading craft books. I prefer to learn by immersing myself in fiction and figuring out what works and what doesn’t and why.)

At what point in life did you decide you wanted this to be your “day job” and how did you transition to it?

I would love it if I could write short stories as my day job, but that won’t pay the bills. So I earn my living by editing. I used to be an attorney (and before that I was a reporter). When I was laid off from my job working as an in-house counsel about fifteen years ago, I didn’t want to return to working at a law firm. By that time I had been editing the Chesapeake Crimes anthology series with Donna Andrews and Marcia Talley, and some friends whose work I had edited told me I was good enough to hang out my shingle. I decided to try it. I was quite fortunate to get a number of clients right away through word of mouth. It didn’t hurt that I knew a lot of people in the crime-fiction community from regular attendance at my Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America chapter meetings, as well as at Malice Domestic and Bouchercon.

Was there any special person, or special moment, in your process when someone told you this was what you should be doing?

I’m going to focus this answer on writing, and I’m going to give a shout-out to Toni Kelner. I’d had maybe ten stories published, all of them in anthologies. Toni reached out to me and asked if I was submitting to Ellery Queen and Alfred Hitchcock, which I wasn’t because I knew they were the big leagues, and despite having a few award nominations, I didn’t think I was ready for that. But she told me I was. She told me I definitely should be submitting to these magazines. It was a real confidence booster. I’ve always been so appreciative, and it’s one of the reasons I sometimes reach out to newer authors to cheer them on. I like following Toni’s example.

In your career as an attorney, what was your area of practice? How much did that career contribute to your writing, and in what way(s)?

I practiced higher-education law (with a little election law early in my career). I was in my second year at my old law firm and found writing legal memos and briefs stifling. I needed a creative outlet. I’d had an idea for a mystery novel while I was in law school but never wrote a word (because I didn’t know how to write a book, just articles). Even when I was at the firm and realized I needed a creative outlet I didn’t start writing because, again, I didn’t know how. I decided to give up on that dream. But fate had other ideas. Less than a week after I made that decision, I saw an ad for a how-to-write-a-mystery workshop that was being held on Saturday mornings a mile from my apartment. I signed up. So my legal career did contribute to my writing career by pushing me to seek it out. I expect I’m not the only attorney with a story like that.

My legal career is still helpful. I have a decent understanding of police procedure and rules of evidence and other types of law that often play a role in mysteries and crime fiction. This knowledge helps me to get details right in my own writing, and it enables me to point out legal issues in manuscripts I edit for others.

Do you prefer to write from prompts? When you’re not writing from prompts, how do you come up with story ideas?

I like writing from prompts, and I like coming up with my own ideas on my own. I don’t really have a preference these days. Prompts are great because they can spark an idea. But I get ideas from lots of places. Newspaper articles can prompt ideas. Advice columns. I also mine my memories for story ideas. If something happened to me decades ago and I still remember it, that means there’s probably something I can pull from that and use in a story. My story “Beauty and the Beyotch” is a perfect example. That story was sparked by something that happened to me in high school. Most of the story is fiction, but there’s one little part of it that’s real. And I built the story up around it.

Have you always lived in Virginia? Does the South influence your stories?

I’ve lived in Virginia for nearly twenty years. I grew up on Long Island. (I also have to give a plug to the great state of Maryland, where I lived for nine years.) I’ve written a number of stories set in the South because there’s something about that voice that is really appealing. Every time I watch Steel Magnolias I get itchy to write.

You have a long list of published work and award recognition. I’m sure it is thrilling each time, but was there any one recognition that was really special? Why?

Winning the Readers Award from Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine for my story “Dear Emily Etiquette” is a big standout for me. As I’ve said, I spent years thinking I wasn’t good enough to even submit to the big magazines, and even after I started submitting, it took a few years before I sold a story to Alfred Hitchcock’s, and a few years more before I sold to EQMM. So receiving  an email from Janet Hutchings in 2021 telling me I had won the Readers Award was an incredible high—and a real honor. Each year EQMM readers get to submit a ballot listing their three favorite stories published in the magazine in the prior year. For my story to rise to the top, well, it still makes me smile. What made it even more special is that “Dear Emily Etiquette” is one of my funny stories, and humorous fiction often doesn’t get the same recognition that serious work does (be it novels or short stories), even though writing funny stories isn’t easy. You have to do all the things you do in a typical story and make it funny too. So I was delighted that the EQMM readers appreciated “Dear Emily Etiquette” enough that it won.

 

I know you asked for one, but I can’t wrap this answer up without mentioning receiving the lifetime achievement award the Short Mystery Fiction Society gave me in 2024. Being recognized this way by my fellow authors and readers in the society was an unexpected and amazing honor. I remain thankful.

Who would you recommend that I interview next? (Feel free to name more than one person)

I’ll make two recommendations. First, John M. Floyd, who is incredibly prolific and funny (and helpful and kind). Second, I recommend Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier, who is only a few years into her career, but already she has developed a wonderfully lyrical voice and real storytelling prowess. They also are easy to work with. True professionals. You can’t go wrong with either of their work.

You can find out more about Barb at her website, https://www.barbgoffman.com/

Hey, Kids! Check Out Some Fantastic Recent Tales from the Short Mystery Fiction Society!

With 2026 in full swing, the members of the Short Mystery Fiction Society are continuing to turn out the very finest short stories for fans of mystery and crime. Check out just a few recent highlights--and remember, SMFS is your hallmark of excellence!

• As always, the March/April 2026 issue of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, the flagship publication of the genre, features fine work by members of SMFS. On hand for this issue are all-stars Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier, Robert Lopresti, Josh Pachter, John M. Floyd, and David Dean. A murderers' row of the best in the game today!
  
  
  
•   Meanwhile, over at the March/April Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, SMFS is again well-represented by stalwarts such as Nick Guthrie, Gabriela Stiteler, Floyd Sullivan, Marcelle Dubẻ, Stephen Ross, Persia Walker, Kevin Egan and R. T. Lawton. Check it out for hours of reading enjoyment!
  
  
  
• As always, Black Cat Weekly provides readers with an incredible value, offering hundreds of pages of new and classic pulp stories each and every week. Highlights in recent issues include standout tales from Steve Liskow, Robert Lopresti, and not one but two appearances by the incredible John M. Floyd!
  
  
  
• Over at The People's Friend, always a tremendous source for thrilling online reads, you'll find a hard-hitting crime story from Veronica Leigh--and two from Liz Filleul!
  
  
  
• How short can a short story be? The talented Terena Bell has one answer--check it out over at The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts!
• Looking for some spies in your crime fiction? Tom Milani has you covered in "Someday You Will" at The Yard: Crime Blog!
  
  
  
• And at Yellow Mama, Shari Held shares the story of an unofficial female PI on "The Last Job"!
• Gregory Meece has an Olympics-related story to share with "Just Desserts" at Kings River Life!
  
  
  
• SMFS's own M. E. Proctor has been a triple threat over the last month or so! Check out "The Museum Girl" at DNDP Quarterly, "The Emporium" at Pistol Jim, and "Crawlies" at Mythic Picnic. Three stories, unlimited thrills!
  
  
  
• Not to be outdone, donalee Moulton offers up another dynamite three-fer with "Cardinal" at the Paranormal Canadiana Collection, "Wyatt McCord's Last Day on Earth" at Literary Garage, and "Moist" at Thriller Magazine.
  
  
  
• S. B. Watson has a stand-alone story of an impossible crime in "Laughing Matter." Solve it if you can!
  
  
  
• And finally, on the true-crime front, SMFS's Justin L. Murphy has the chilling tale of Ruth Snyder: The Real-Life Murderess Inspiring the Modern Femme Fatale.
  
  
  

Yet more evidence that we don't need no stinkin' AI--the human writer reigns supreme. Keep your eyes open for more exciting work from SMFS soon!