SleuthSayers Blog: The End is Near by Michael Bracken

SleuthSayers: The End is Near: As I write this, 2020 is only a few days away. As you read this, it likely is only a matter of hours. Tomorrow will be about looking forward...

SleuthSayers Blog: Trouble and Strife - Cockney Rhyming Slang by Travis Richardson

SleuthSayers: Trouble and Strife - Cockney Rhyming Slang: Several months ago author Simon Woods asked me if I could write a story for an upcoming collection of stories, Trouble and Strife. The conc...

A Short Walk Down A Dark Street: Issue 85

As posted by SMFS list member Peter DiChellis…

This week’s blog hails short mystery and crime fiction with links to an arresting assemblage of reviews, releases, free reads, and more.

Includes: Free-to-read flash fiction from SMFS members at Akashic Books’ Mondays Are Murder, Shotgun Honey, and Mystery Tribune.

Plus: Editor Michael Bracken discusses editing anthologies, Black Cat Mystery Magazine, and what he looks for in the slush pile.

Also, links to CWA anthologies edited by Martin Edwards.

A short walk down a dark street (#85). Celebrating short mystery and crime fiction.

https://shortwalkdarkstreet.wordpress.com/2019/12/29/short-walk-85/

Best wishes,

Peter

Little Big Crimes Review: Hard Return by Art Taylor

Little Big Crimes: Hard Return, by Art Taylor: "Hard Return," by Art Taylor, in Crime Travel, edited by Barb Goffman, Wildside Press, 2019. This is the second appearance b...

SleuthSayers: Season to Taste by R. T. Lawton

SleuthSayers: Season to Taste: Just for fun, let's use the premise that the act of writing stories is similar to the art of cooking fine foods. We'll skip any im...

SMFS Members Published in Sherlock Holmes: Adventures in the Realms of Edgar Allan Poe

Two SMFS list members are published in the new anthology, Sherlock Holmes: Adventures in the Realms of Edgar Allan Poe. Published by Belanger Books, the book is available in print and eBook formats from Amazon and other vendors. The SMFS members in the book are:

Joseph S. Walker with “The Gold-Bug Legacy.”

Victoria Weisfeld with “The Adventure at Sparremere Hall.”

Amazon Synopsis:

Imagine Sherlock Holmes solving cases where the clues include a mysterious cask of Amontillado – the haunting cries of a raven – an unnerving asylum – a man’s uncanny doppelganger! These are just some of the stories in Sherlock Holmes: Adventures in the Realms of Edgar Allan Poe.This one-of-a-kind anthology features traditional Holmes stories, blended with one or more tales from Edgar Allan Poe, including The Raven, The Cask of Amontillado, Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Masque of the Red Death, The Gold-Bug, The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether, William Wilson, The Tell-Tale Heart – and many more!The Barrel of Lagavulin by Craig Stephen CoplandThe Strange Case of Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether by Katie MagnussonThe Keeper’s Tale by David MarcumThe Adventure at Sparremere Hall by Vicki WeisfeldNevermore, or The Mystery of the Albino Raven by Richard PaolinelliThe Naval Man by Brenda SeabrookeThe Gold Bug Legacy by Joseph S. WalkerSherlock Holmes and the Cask of Amontillado by Jen MatteisWhat the Raven Knew by Elizabeth VaradanMemoria Dell’Amore by Robert PerretThe Mysterious Death of the Masked Reveller by Megan ElmendorfThe Revelation of the Roget Murderer by Derrick BelangerplusThe Toast to Irene Adler by Brian Belanger and The Unsettling Matter of the Madness Stone by John H. Watson, M.D.

SMFS Short Story Saturdays: Gabriel Valjan

Each Saturday, we feature a SMFS list member whose work can be read online for free. These short stories are at least a year old.  

For SMFS Short Story Saturdays today, list member Gabriel Valjan shares two stories archived since 2017 on his site, Gabriel’s Wharf.  The two very different short stories are “La Santa Muerte” and “Back in the Day.”

If you would like to be included and are a member of the SMFS list at groups.io, email the link to your story to KevinRTipple at Verizon dot net. If you are not a member, this would be a good time to check us out at https://groups.io/g/shortmystery

SleuthSayers Blog: My Secret About "Alex's Choice" by Barb Goffman

SleuthSayers: My Secret About "Alex's Choice": This column is about my newly published short story "Alex's Choice" in the anthology Crime Travel . If you plan to read the ...

The First Two Pages: “The Tourist” by B.K. Stevens

The First Two Pages: “The Tourist” by B.K. Stevens

Little Big Crimes Review: See Humble and Die by RIchard Helms

Little Big Crimes: See Humble and Die, by RIchard Helms: "See Humble and Die," by Richard Helms, in The Eyes of Texas,  edited by Michael Bracken, Down and Out Books, 2019. Helms is...

A Short Walk Down A Dark Street: Issue 84

As posted by Peter DiChellis to our SMFS list…

This week’s blog extols short mystery and crime fiction with links to deviously delightful reviews, releases, free reads, and more.

Includes: From the Gutenberg Project, Masterpieces of Mystery: Detective Stories (with free stories by Anton Chekhov, Wilkie Collins, Arthur Conan Doyle, Edgar Allan Poe, and more).

Plus: An appreciation of the mystery shorts of PD James (from a guest post on the EQMM blog).

Also, two story collections from GAD legend Christianna Brand.

A short walk down a dark street (#84). Celebrating short mystery and crime fiction

https://shortwalkdarkstreet.wordpress.com/2019/12/22/short-walk-84/

Best wishes,

Peter

Ladies of Mystery Guest Blog: Cruising for Fun and Profit by Lisa Lieberman

Ladies of Mystery Guest Blog: Cruising for Fun and Profit by Lisa Lieberman

SleuthSayers: Get Thee Away, Thesaurus! by John M. Floyd

SleuthSayers: Get Thee Away, Thesaurus!: How many times have you heard it? All of us write too much. Alas, this doesn't mean we write too often. It means we write too man...

SMFS Short Story Saturdays: Ana Brazil

Each Saturday, we feature a SMFS list member whose work can be read online for free. These short stories are at least a year old.  

For SMFS Short Story Saturdays today, list member Ana Brazil shares the October 2018  short story, “Mr. Borden does not quite remem—: A Short Story for Halloween” archived at Kings River Life Magazine.

If you would like to be included and are a member of the SMFS list at groups.io, email the link to your story to KevinRTipple at Verizon dot net. If you are not a member, this would be a good time to check us out at https://groups.io/g/shortmystery

SleuthSayers: Homicide Stays With You by O'Neil De Noux

SleuthSayers: Homicide Stays With You: by O'Neil De Noux It was the worst of times. The nearly three years I spent as a Homicide Detective was the worst of times but it was...

Jacqueline Seewald: Interview with Award-winning Author Cathi Stoler

Jacqueline Seewald: Interview with Award-winning Author Cathi Stoler: Holiday Greetings! I’m interviewing Cathi Stoler, a prolific, award-winning author. She is a three-time finalist & winner of the Derr...

SMFS Member Publishing News: KM Rockwood

SMFS list member KM Rockwood’s Christmas short story, “A Gift of Peace” appears online at the Writers Who Kill Blog. You can read it for free here.

SMFS Members Published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine: January/February 2020

Several SMFS list members are published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine: January/February 2020. The issue is available from Dell Magazines as well as at Amazon and other vendors. The SMFS members published in this issue are:

John Floyd with “Crows Nest.”

Leslie Elman with “The Summer Uncle Cat Came To Stay.” 

Toni L.P Kelner with “Now Hiring Nasty Girlz.”

Andrew Welsh-Huggins with “Home for the Holidays.”

Josh Pachter with “The Adventure of the Red Circles.” Mr. Pachter also translated Fei Wu’s “Beijingle All the Way” in the “Passport to Crime” department.

Christine Poulson with “Because You’re Worth It.”

Merrilee Robson with “Edie.”

The Table of Contents and more information can be found online here.

SMFS Members Published in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine: January/February 2020

Several SMFS list members are published in the Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine: January/February 2020. The issue is available from Dell Magazines as well as at Amazon and newsstands and bookstores. The SMFS members published in this issue are:

Joe D'Agnese with “The Detective Who Stopped by Bedford Street."

Kevin Egan with “The Tombs Angel.”

Art Taylor with “The Boy Detective & the Summer of ’74.”

The full TOC and more information can be found here.

Little Big Crimes Review: Chasing the Straight by Trey R. Barker

Little Big Crimes: Chasing the Straight, by Trey R. Barker: "Chasing the Straight," by Trey R. Barker, in The Eyes of Texas,  edited by Michael Bracken, Down and Out Books, 2019. It is f...

The First Two Pages: “The Fourteenth Floor” by Adam Meyer

The First Two Pages: “The Fourteenth Floor” by Adam Meyer

SMFS Member Publishing News: Chris Chan

SMFS list member Chris Chan’s short story, “The Six-Year-Old Serial Killer” has been published at Akashic Books weekly post, “Mondays Are Murder.” The story is free to read online here.

SMFS Member Publishing News: Gerald So

SMFS list member Gerald So’s flash mystery short story, “Fred” appears online at Mystery Tribune. The story is free to read here.

Writers and Authors: The Meandering Path from Numbers to Words by Alan Orloff

Writers and Authors: The Meandering Path from Numbers to Words: Guest post by  Alan Orloff, author of I Know Where You Sleep. The Meandering Path from Numbers to Words   https://amzn.t...

Clea Simon: Five Questions with Art Taylor

Clea Simon: Five Questions with Art Taylor

A Short Walk Down A Dark Street: Issue 83

As posted by SMFS list member Peter DiChellis…

This week’s blog applauds short mystery and crime fiction with links to a sinister selection of reviews, releases, free reads, and more.

Includes: The new (Holiday) issue of Yellow Mama is live and free to read.

Plus: Classic essays on the short mystery by EQMM editor Janet Hutchings, legendary author Edward D. Hoch, and former Edgar Awards short story chair Steven Saylor.

A short walk down a dark street (#83). Celebrating short mystery and crime fiction.

https://shortwalkdarkstreet.wordpress.com/2019/12/15/short-walk-83/

Best wishes,

Peter

SMFS Short Story Saturdays: Earl Staggs

Each Saturday, we feature a SMFS list member whose work can be read online for free. These short stories are at least a year old.  

For SMFS Short Story Saturdays today, list member Earl Staggs shares the 2014  short story, “Turkey Tuesday” archived at his site. It was originally published in the anthology, The Killer Wore Cranberry: A Fourth Meal of Mayhem published by Untreed Reads.

If you would like to be included and are a member of the SMFS list at groups.io, email the link to your story to KevinRTipple at Verizon dot net. If you are not a member, this would be a good time to check us out at https://groups.io/g/shortmystery

SleuthSayers: The Me Too Effects of Status and Gender

SleuthSayers: The Me Too Effects of Status and Gender: This is the third and last of our virtual panel discussions on themes of the stories in Me Too Short Stories: An Anthology . We get down to ...

Little Big Crimes Review: Click by Dana Haynes

Little Big Crimes: Click, by Dana Haynes: "Click," by Dana Haynes, in Denim, Diamonds, and Death, edited by Rick Ollerman, Down and Out Books, 2019. Here's a pro t...

SMFS Member Publishing News: Lisa Lieberman

SMFS list member Lisa Lieberman’s latest mystery novel, The Glass Forest, came out today with the digital version set for release on December 24, 2019.  This is the third book in her Cara Walden Series of historical noir mysteries. Published by Passport Press, the read is available at the publisher as well as Amazon and other vendors.

Synopsis:

Saigon, 1957: Banished from the set of The Quiet American, actress Cara Walden stumbles onto a communist insurgency-and discovers her brother's young Vietnamese lover right in the thick of it. A bittersweet story of love and betrayal set in the early years of American involvement in the country, Lisa Lieberman's tribute to Graham Greene shows us a Vietnam already simmering with discontent.

The First Two Pages: “No Honor Among Thieves” by Heidi Hunter

The First Two Pages: “No Honor Among Thieves” by Heidi Hunter

SleuthSayers: Pull on Your Galoshes, We’re Headed into the Slush Pile ...

SleuthSayers: Pull on Your Galoshes, We’re Headed into the Slush...: Earlier this year I joined Black Cat Mystery Magazine as co-editor, replacing the irreplaceable Carla Coupe. Unlike Carla, who performed ...

SleuthSayers: The Book Review Jungle by Steve Liskow

SleuthSayers: The Book Review Jungle: by Steve Liskow Years ago, publishers sent out about 6000 advanced reading copies (ARC) two or three months before a book's release. T...

A Short Walk Down A Dark Street: Issue 82

As posted by SMFS list member Peter DiChellis:

This week’s blog cheers short mystery and crime fiction with links to a concoction of crime-infested reviews, releases, free reads, and more.

Includes the entire past library of stories from crime ‘zine All Due Respect—58 of ‘em, free to read. (And ADR has now reopened for ‘zine submissions and suggests reading past stories as examples of what they want.)

Plus: How stuff works—Standard police interrogation technique, step-by-step.

A short walk down a dark street (#82). Celebrating short mystery and crime fiction.

https://shortwalkdarkstreet.wordpress.com/2019/12/08/short-walk-82/

Best wishes,

Peter

SMFS Members Published in Crime Travel

Several SMFS members are published in the anthology, Crime Travel. Edited by SMFS member  Barb Goffman, the read was published today in honor of “Pretend To Be A Time Traveler Day.”  The new anthology is available at the publisher, Wildside Press, and other vendors including Amazon. The SMFS members published in the anthology are:

                                           

Melissa H. Blaine with “Living on Borrowed Time.

James Blakey with “The Case of the Missing Physicist.”

Michael Bracken with “Love, or Something Like It.”

John Floyd with “Ignition.”

Barb Goffman with “Alex’s Choice.”

Heidi Hunter with “No Honor Among Thieves.”

Adam Meyer with “The Fourteenth Floor.”

Barbara Monajem with “The Last Page.”

Korina Moss with “On The Boardwalk.”

Art Taylor with “Hard Return.”

Cathy Wiley with “And Then There Were Paradoxes.” 

Synopsis:

CRIME TRAVEL features time-travel mysteries by a terrific lineup of authors. Included are:

James Blakey
Melissa H. Blaine
Michael Bracken
Anna Castle
Brendan DuBois
David Dean
John M. Floyd
Barb Goffman
Heidi Hunter
Eleanor Cawood Jones
Adam Meyer
Barbara Monajem
Korina Moss
Art Taylor
Cathy Wiley

SleuthSayers: More Experiments by John M. Floyd

SleuthSayers: More Experiments: In last week's column I talked a bit about experimental writing, and gave as an example one of my recent stories, which was told in ...

SMFS Members Published in Heart’s Kiss: No. 18 December 2019 - January 2020

Two SMFS members are published in the recently released, Heart’s Kiss: No. 18 December 2019 - January 2020. Published by Heart’s Nest Press, the read is currently available from the publisher as well as in digital format at Amazon. Our two SMFS members with short stories in this issue are:

David H. Hendrickson with “The Girl in the Glitter.”

Tonya D. Price with “Christmas Love For Three.”

Both stories by these members are also currently available to read for free at the website along with some of the other content of the issue.

Amazon Synopsis:

A Magazine Celebrating Romance:

Love romance? Love discovering the best new writers with bite-sized stories? Or maybe you prefer to treat yourself by escaping into a sure-to-please favorite author’s world now and again, but don’t have the time to read a full-length novel. Heart’s Kiss magazine offers delicious variety and more.

Each issue has at least 60,000 plus words of fiction from names readers will recognize, to newly discovered writers, including interviews and articles talking about what romance readers love most—the books they love, why romance is important in today’s world, their love of the genre and what to enjoy next.

Heart’s Kiss is filled with a sweet-spicy-erotic mix of historical, contemporary, paranormal, suspense and futuristic romance stories that will be sure to make you yearn for more.

IN THIS ISSUE:
OPENING EDITORIAL by Lezli Robyn
HEART’S KISS INTERVIEWS ANNA J. STEWART by Lezli Robyn
ONE NIGHT IN LONDON (serialization) by Kayla Perrin
CHRISTMAS LOVE FOR THREE by Tonya D. Price
THE GIRL IN THE GLITER by D. H. Hendrickson
JOCKED BLOCKED by Alice Faris
DEVOTION (serialization) by Gracie Wilson
RECOMMENDED BOOKS by C.S. DeAvilla
CLOSING EDITORIAL by Lezli Robyn

SMFS Short Story Saturdays: Joan Leotta

Each Saturday, we feature a SMFS list member whose work can be read online for free. These short stories are at least a year old.  

For SMFS Short Story Saturdays today, list member Joan Leotta shares the October 2017  short story, “Fish Out of Water” archived at Lawyerist.

If you would like to be included and are a member of the SMFS list at groups.io, email the link to your story to KevinRTipple at Verizon dot net. If you are not a member, this would be a good time to check us out at https://groups.io/g/shortmystery

Denim and Diamonds aka Bouchercon 2019 by Sandra Murphy

Denim and Diamonds aka Bouchercon 2019: by Sandra Murphy On October 31 I flew to Dallas for the 50th anniversary of Bouchercon, the country’s largest mystery conference for readers, writers, editors, and publishers. Four days of panels, meet-ups in the halls and lobby, and late nights left me feeling exhausted but exhilarated. Each hour brought a wide selection of panels, often …

Something Is Going To Happen Blog: “Writer Unplugged” (by Paul D. Marks)

Something Is Going To Happen Blog: “Writer Unplugged” (by Paul D. Marks)

SleuthSayers: I, Robot (Author) by Robert Lopresti

SleuthSayers: I, Robot (Author): I am delighted to have a story in the December issue of Mystery Weekly Magazine, my first appearance there.  "Robot Carson" is, I...

Little Big Crimes Review: Blue Skies by Keith Snyder

Little Big Crimes: Blue Skies, by Keith Snyder: "Blue Skies," by Keith Snyder, in Black Cat Mystery Magazine #5, 2019. Tom Krol put out an ad for some land-moving equipment ...

SMFS Members Published in Mystery Weekly Magazine: December 2019

Several SMFS list members are published in the Mystery Weekly Magazine: December  2019 issue. The read is available from the publisher  and at Amazon in both print and digital formats and other vendors. The SMFS members in this issue are:

Jack Bates with “A Minute To Murder” in “A-You-Solve-It” mystery section.

John Floyd with “Rachel’s Place.”

R. T. Lawton with “The Job Interview.”

Robert Lopresti with “Robot Carson.” 

Vicki Weisfeld with “The West Texas Rookie.”

Synopsis:

At the cutting edge of crime fiction, Mystery Weekly Magazine presents original short stories by the world’s best-known and emerging mystery writers.
The stories we feature in our monthly issues span every imaginable subgenre, including cozy, police procedural, noir, whodunit, supernatural, hardboiled, humor, and historical mysteries. Evocative writing and a compelling story are the only certainty.
Get ready to be surprised, challenged, and entertained--whether you enjoy the style of the Golden Age of mystery (e.g., Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle), the glorious pulp digests of the early twentieth century (e.g., Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler), or contemporary masters of mystery.
In this issue:
In our cover feature “Peat” by Frederick Highland we are taken not far from a remote section of Hadrian's Wall, where archaeologists have departed for the season leaving the innkeeper of Wycherly's On The Moor, Hans Seefeldt, anticipating some peaceful downtime. Peaceful, that is, until a local peat cutter arrives bearing unwanted gifts.
“The Job Interview” by R.T. Lawton warns us when you need money, job interviews can be tricky situations.
At “Rachel’s Place” by John M. Floyd, a blind woman becomes the target of bank robbers who believe she can identify them.
“A Really Great Team” by Dennis Palumbo is a story filled with so many crimes—one thing leads to another …
“Robot Carson” by Robert Lopresti is a mystery set in the near future where robots have replaced most cops. Mary discovers that this leads to some new problems—as well as some old ones.
In “The West Texas Rookie” by Vicki Weisfeld a young Texas newspaper reporter has trouble fitting into the old boys' club in the office. When she's given the throwaway assignment of a four-victim murder, she sets out to solve the crime.
In “Exposure” by Stephen Couch homeless shelter volunteers discover the frozen corpse of a city official, but find their amateur sleuthing over his demise may lead them into deadlier waters than they ever imagined.
In “Taking Debbie Rabbit” by Ray Morrison a hitman's latest assignment doesn't quite add up, leading to some deadly surprises.

SMFS Member Publishing News: Gary Phillips

SMFS list member Gary Phillip’s short story, “A Matter of Options” prompted by the Depression-era painting “Why Not Take the L” by Reginald Marsh appears in the new anthology, From Sea to Stormy Sea: 17 Stories Inspired by Great American Paintings. Edited by Lawrence Block, the read is available in print and digital formats. Published by Pegasus Books, the read is viable from the publisher and other vendors including Amazon.

Synopsis:

In the third installment of his acclaimed illustrated anthology series, master of crime fiction Lawrence Block has gathered together the best talent from popular fiction to produce an anthology of short stories based on masterpieces of American art.

Seventeen stories by seventeen brilliant writers, inspired by seventeen paintings. That was the formula for Lawrence Block’s two ground-breaking anthologies, In Sunlight or in Shadow and Alive in Shape and Color, and it’s on glorious display here once again in From Sea to Stormy Sea.

This time the paintings are exclusively the work of American artists, and the roster includes Harvey Dunn, John Steuart Curry, Reginald Marsh, Thomas Hart Benton, Helen Frankenthaler, Winslow Homer, Rockwell Kent, Grant Wood, and Andy Warhol. Among the star-studded lineup of writers you’ll find Warren Moore, Jerome Charyn, Jane Hamilton, Christa Faust, John Sandford, Sara Paretsky, Charles Ardai, Barry Malzberg, and Janice Eidus. 

It’s an outstanding collection, with widely divergent stories united by theme and culture, and―no surprise―beautifully illustrated with full-color reproductions of the seventeen paintings.

Including stories by: Sara Paretsky, Jan Burke, Warren Moore, Patricia Abbott, Christa Faust, Jerome Charyn, Barry Malzberg, Scott Frank, Brendan DuBois, Tom Franklin, Gary Phillips, Charles Ardai, Micah Nathan, Janice Eidus, John Sandford, Jane Hamilton, and Lawrence Block. 

Illustrated with 17 color plates, one for each story.

SMFS Member Publishing News: Richie Narvaez

SMFS list member Richie Narvaez’s short story, “Blackout,” appears in the just released Mystery Tribune Issue No. 11: Fall 2019. Currently available from the publisher in print format.

Issue Nº11: Fall 2019 features

·         A curated collection of short fiction including stories by Brendan DuBois, SJ Rozan, Ewa Mazierska, Nick Kolakowski, Richie Narvaez, Todd Robinson, Chris McGinley, and William R. Soldan.

·         Interviews and Reviews by Daniel Kraus, Scott Adlerberg, Tobias Carroll, Kristen Lepionka, and Charles Perry.

·         Art and Photography by Jessica Almeida, Sergey Nehaev, and more.

This issue also features a preview of the new graphic novel Rivers of London Volume 7: Action at a Distance by Ben Aaronovitch (Author), Andrew Cartmel (Author), and Brian Williamson (Illustrator).

NY Times Bestselling author Reed Farrel Coleman has called Mystery Tribune “a cut above” and mystery grand masters Lawrence Block and Max Allan Collins have praised it for its “solid fiction” and “the most elegant design”.

An elegantly crafted quarterly issue, printed on uncoated paper and with a beautiful layout designed for optimal reading experience, our Fall 2019 issue will make a perfect companion or gift for avid mystery readers and fans of literary crime fiction.

Your issue will typically arrive within 2-3 weeks after availability.

SMFS Member Podcast: Donna Andrews

SMFS list member Donna Andrews’ short story, “A Christmas Trifle” is currently the subject of Mysteryrat’s Maze Podcast. Actor Ariel Linn reads the tale.

Podcast Synopsis:

This episode features the mystery short story A Christmas Trifle, a Meg Langslow story by Donna Andrews. It is read by local actor Ariel Linn. A Christmas Trifle was originally published in Homicidal Holidays: Fourteen Tales of Murder and Merriment by Wildside Press in June of 2014. You can learn more about Donna on her website, and her latest Meg Langslow Christmas Mystery novel, Owl Be Home For Christmas, is available for purchase. In each episode we share with you mystery short stories and mystery novel first chapters read by actors from the San Joaquin Valley. If you enjoyed this episode please review or rate the episode as that helps more people be able to find us! Ariel Linn has read several stories for us and all are available here and on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, and others.

The First Two Pages: “Living on Borrowed Time” by Melissa H. Blaine

The First Two Pages: “Living on Borrowed Time” by Melissa H. Blaine

SleuthSayers: No Flux Capacitors Here by Barb Goffman

SleuthSayers: No Flux Capacitors Here: When I sent out my call for stories for Crime Travel , the crime/time-travel anthology I edited--coming out this Sunday from Wildsid...

A Short Walk Down A Dark Street: Issue 81

As posted by Peter DiChellis to our SMFS list earlier this afternoon…

This week’s blog brings it, with links to a trouble-making troupe of reviews, releases, free reads, and more.

Includes: Twenty free stories and novella excerpts, courtesy of The Strand Magazine.

Plus: The inside story on the current status of Occult Detective Quarterly (now Occult Detective Magazine).

A short walk down a dark street (#81). Celebrating short mystery and crime fiction.

https://shortwalkdarkstreet.wordpress.com/2019/12/01/short-walk-81/

Best wishes,

Peter

SMFS Member Publishing News: Jan Christensen

SMFS list member Jan Christensen’s latest mystery, Haunting Dreams: Paula Mitchell, P. I., is now out. The book is the fourth book in her Paula Mitchell, P. I. series. It is available at Amazon in both print and digital formats.

Synopsis:

Private Eye Paula Mitchell’s latest case is so bizarre, she’s not sure it will ever be solved.
Why would anyone shoot a chef in the leg? Was his cooking that bad? Rhode Island PI, Paula Mitchell, is hired to find out, but before she starts, another cook is shot in the opposite leg. The plot is now as thick as New England clam chowder.

Paula’s list of suspects climbs as she interviews witnesses and other folks who are connected to the cooks. Is an old crime becoming hot again? Are the victims and the other case connected? It all takes an ugly turn when Paula herself is threatened. As the stakes get higher and higher, Paula races to find out the secrets that will solve everything.