Fall into Great Reading with the Short Mystery Fiction Society!

Absurdly unseasonal heat waves notwithstanding, summer is winding down and autumn is hurtling in. Whether you're sheltering in the AC or taking in the breezes in a backyard hammock, there's no better companion than great reading--so check out these recent releases from the talented scribes of the Short Mystery Fiction Society!

• From Crippen and Landru, editors Gigi Pandian and Tom Mead bring us All the Crime in the World: Locked Room Mysteries and Impossible Puzzles from Across the Globe. Authors from North and South America, Australia, Asia and Europe come together with new tales celebrating one of the classic forms of the mystery tale, the locked room puzzle. SMFS Golden Derringer winner Josh Pachter joins the fun with "The Allegory of the Five Senses," set in 1859 Belgium. Sure to be one of the year's best anthologies!
  
  
  
• Sticking with the international theme, the latest edition of the award-winning Crimeucopia anthology series is Canadian Chronicles, chock full of dynamite tales from writers north of the border. SMFS is well represented, with contributions from Judy Penz Sheluk, Karen Keeley, donalee Moulton, Merrilee Robson and Abe Margel. With Bouchercon Calgary coming up, what better time to get to know some of the top Canadian writers?
  
  
  
• Abe Margel is also among the contributors to Legends: Monsters that Go Bump in the Night, a collection of spine-tingling tales of creatures from myth and legend. In Margel's "It Was No Stroll in the Park," we encounter the obscure Jewish notion of gigul, the reincarnation of souls, in a most surprising way.
  
  
  
• SMFS's Rob Lopresti brings us "Catch as Cat Can" in Midnight Mousers: 12 Original Cat Tales. Is there any better pairing than cats and mystery fiction?
  
  
  
• Now available for your digital pleasure and coming soon to physical shelves, the Sept/Oct issue of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine is the 85th anniversary issue of the flagship periodical for short crime fiction. Absolutely not to be missed! Josh Pachter is here, collaborating with the late great William Bankier on a new story and and sharing his EQ memories in an essay as well. Also present are SMFS members David Dean, Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier, Anna Scotti and Dave Zeltserman. Sure to be a collector's item!
  
  
  
• Not to be outdone, the Sept/Oct Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine has offerings from a bevy of today's finest writers, including SMFS's Kevin Egan and Rob Lopresti. They'd look great on the shelf together!
  
  
  
• Black Cat Weekly continues to bring its readers the best value in fiction today, with hundreds of pages week of mystery, sci-fi, and pulp goodness. Highlights of recent issues include stories by Shannon Taft, Paula Messina, Josh Pachter and Jennifer Slee. Don't let a single issue get by you--it's a highlight of every week!
  
  
  
• More great value comes in the 27th issue of Mystery, Crime and Mayhem! Among the contributors to this spring break themed issue are donalee Moulton and David H. Hendrickson. As the temps fall, you'll be brought back to the beach!
  
  
  
• Turning to online reads, the prolific Terena Elizabeth Bell has two recent stories sure to please: "Mall of America" at Turn & Work and "As We Go Along" at Americana UK. You'll come away wondering how somebody can write this much and make everything this good!
  
  
  
• Sometimes petty theft has serious consequences. For proof, just check out Gregory Meece's "Take a Penny" at Literary Garage!
  
  
  
• More thrills in another small package come with Tom Milani's "The Nice Garage" at Pistol Jim. The read is fast, but the memory will last!
  
  
  

And that's another terrific month of reads from the Short Mystery Fiction Society! Remember, membership is free and open to all writers, readers, editors and others interested in short crime and mystery fiction. We're saving a place for you!