Kicking off 2026 with the Short Mystery Fiction Society!

The talented writers of the Short Mystery Fiction Society finished out 2025 with a wealth of great new publications, and are heading into 2026 raring to give readers more!

• The January/February issue of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine is another proud contribution to the storied history of mystery fiction's flagship magazine as it heads for its 85th anniversary! SMFS members Stephen M. Pierce, E.A. Aymar, Smita Harish Jain and Anna Scotti provide highlights.
  
  
  
• And don't overlook the January/February Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, featuring stories by our own Michael Bracken, Mark Thielman, Steve Liskow and Andrew Welsh-Huggins!
  
  
  
• Making an exciting return to the shelves is the first issue of the new Von Stray's Crimestalker Casebook, featuring smashing new classics from Barb Goffman, John M. Floyd, Michael Bracken, Art Taylor and more!
  
  
  
• And as always, Black Cat Weekly has holiday cheer that lasts the whole year with hundreds of pages a week of new and classic yarns! Among recent authors in its virtual pages are John M. Floyd, Steve Liskow and Tom Milani.
  
  
  
• A stellar collection of tales about female private eyes can be found in the latest edition of Crimeucopia, The Not So Frail Detective Agency. On hand are a host of SMFS's best, including Debra H. Goldstein, Steve Liskow, Debra Bliss Saenger, Kathleen Kalb, Karen Odden, Michael J. Ciaraldi, Adam Meyer, and N. M. Cedeno.
  
  
  
• SMFS all-star Michael Bracken kicks off a long-overdue series with the first annual installment of The Best Private Eye Stories of the Year 2025, edited by Matt Coyle. You can't go wrong with these stories, including contributions from Robert J. Binney and M. E. Proctor.
  
  
  
• Also edited by an SMFS member, Lyn Worthen, A Dark and Stormy Holiday brings a touch of noir to the festive season, including contributions from Annie Reed and Merrilee Robson.
  
  
  
• For pulse-pounding excitement look no further than the latest issue of Thrill Ride Magazine, including spy stories from Robert J. Binney and David H. Hendrickson!
  
  
  
• Liz Filleul thinks it's "A Season For Suspects" at The People's Friend.
• Gregory Meece graces Gumshoe Review with "Open and Shut."
• At the House of Long Shadows, James H. Lewis has a story of justice deferred in "After a Brief Illness."
• Paul Ryan O'Connor wants to tell you about "Whitey's Elephant" at Cold Caller.
• D.K. Snyder wins the 53-word story contest at Prime Number Magazine with "Internal Breach."
• Looking for a great listen? Check out recent episods of Mysteryrat;s Maze featuring stories from Merrilee Robson and Jane Limprecht!
  
  
  
• Terena Elizabeth Bell stars in the latest hard-hitting issue of Punk Noir.
• And finally, close out the month with a touch of the speculative in donalee Moulton's "Moist" at Metastellar.

Phew! That's a strong end to the year. On to 2026, and keep looking for more from the Short Mystery Fiction Society!