Laird Long

William E. Wallace

Todd Morr

Eve Fisher

Simon Maltman

Robert Dawson

Stephen D. Rogers

Craig Faustus Buck

Peter DiChellis

Math Bird

Edd Vick

Manny Frishberg

Suzanne Baginskie

Lawrence Buentello

Every place has its unique sensibility; a flavour that makes it special. Whether one is going somewhere new or discovering the secrets that make the familiar seem foreign, where you are matters as much as when you’re there. The stories in this fifth collection from Plan B Magazine occur at the intersection of the familiar and the strange, the rise of the unexpected and the twist in the road. Let’s take a journey to the unknown. Table of Contents: "Honeymoon Sweet" by Craig Faustus Buck "Broad Daylight" by Eve Fisher "This Land of the Strange" by Math Bird "Please Wait" by Robert Dawson "Fill In The Blanks" by Stephen D. Rogers "The Double Iron Cross" by William E. Wallace "Red Bait" by Edd Vick & Manny Frishberg "Broken Hearts" by Laird Long "Intimate Knowledge" by Suzanne Baginskie "The Asshat Fund" by Todd Morr "Mysterious Private Investigations" by Peter DiChellis "Coffee and Killings" by Simon Maltman "The Good Neighbor" by Lawrence Buentello

a mystery and crime anthology

Plan B: Volume V

Cynthia Ward

Lester del Rey

Frank Kane

Hulbert Footner

Richard Wilson

Michael Allan Mallory

Allan Danzig

James H. Beard

Welcome to Black Cat Weekly #23. Lots of good stuff this time—highlighted by a novel from Golden Age mystery author Rufus King, Duenna for a Murder. Plus a few novellas, and lots of great short stories, a solve-it-yourself mystery from Hal Charles, and great selections from Michael Bracken (Laird Long’s “Taken for a Ride”—which qualifies as both a mysery and a fantasy story) and Barb Goffman (Michael Allan Mallory’s “Random Harvest”). On the science fiction side, the Cynthia Ward Presents story is missing this week, but that’s only because we have a fantastic alternate-history story from Cynthia herself! Check out her “On Stony Ground.” Plus an epic disaster story from Allan Danzig, a fantasy from Unknown by Lester del Rey and James H. Beard, a space-based tale by Richard Wilson, and a miniature military SF story from Larry Tritten. Here’s the complete lineup: Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “Soul Searching,” by Laird Long [short story] “A Fine Kettle of Fish,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “Dead Wrong,” by Frank Kane [short story] “Taken for a Ride,” by Hulbert Footner [short novel] “Random Harvest,” by Michael Allan Mallory [Barb Goffman Presents short story] Duenna to a Murder, by Rufus King [novel] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “On Stony Ground,” by Cynthia Ward [short story] “Corrigan’s Homunculi,” by Larry Tritten [short story] “Carillon of Skulls,” by Lester del Rey and James H. Beard [short story] “Abel Baker Camel,” by Richard Wilson [short story] “The Great Nebraska Sea,” by Allan Danzig [short story]

Black Cat Weekly #23

Michael Haynes

Gary Cahill

Robert Guffey

Sally Carpenter

Jim Downer

E. J. Togneri

M. A. B. Lee

Mike O’Reilly

Ahmed A. Khan

Aislinn Batstone

Crime knows no boundaries, and no one culture or time period has a monopoly on plans gone wrong. In this second collection of stories from Plan B Magazine, we find tales from around the world and across the span of time. These stories also travel the breadth of human experience, from the innocence of a child to the mind of a bigoted murderer. Some stories will make you smile while others will make you cringe, but all will take you on a journey into the darkness of the human spirit. And what a ride it will be. Table of Contents: "Shadows" by E. J. Togneri "Pongo's Lucky Day" by Craig Faustus Buck "Flames" by Robert Guffey "Faster Than a Speeding Bullet" by Sally Carpenter "Government Assistance" by M. A. B. Lee "Ninety Miles, A Million Miles" by Gary Cahill "Inured" by Stephen D. Rogers "Embers" by Michael Haynes "Grave Designs" by Mike O’Reilly "Man On The Run" by Laird Long "A Piece Of String" by Ahmed A. Khan "Mockingbird Rail Yard Blues" by Jim Downer "The Ring" by Aislinn Batstone

Plan B: Volume II

Hope Mirrlees

Nisi Shawl

Otis Adelbert Kline

John M. Floyd

Hal Charles

W.C. Tuttle

John W. Campbell, Jr.

Michael Ehart

Saul Golubcow

Welcome to Black Cat Weekly #38. This issue, we have some real gems—starting with our featured story, Hope Mirrlees’s Lud-in-the-Mist. It’s a true classic of fantasy, acclaimed by critics for generations. Plus we have a Hashknife Hartley historical adventure novel (okay, you can call it a Western!) from W.C. Tuttle. Our acquiring editors have been busy, too. Michael Bracken snagged an original private eye tale from Laird Long, Barb Goffman found a terrific John M. Floyd story, and Cynthia Ward picked up a great science fiction story by Nisi Shawl and Michael Ehart. And I’ve been busy picking out stories, too—just so you don’t think I’m resting on the magazine’s laurels. This issue has a classic-style detective yarn from new author Saul Golubcow (the first of of three stories we’ll be running in this series), plus classic science fiction from Lester del Rey, John W. Campbell Jr., and Otis Adelbert Kline. Here’s the lineup: Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “Toy Ploy” by Laird Long [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “A Robber’s Craft” by Hal Charles [solve-it-yourself mystery] “The Cost of Living”by Saul Golubcow [novelet] “The Barlow Boys” by John M. Floyd [Barb Goffman Presents short story] The Buckaroo of Blue Wells, by W. C. Tuttle [novel] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “In Blood and Song” by Nisi Shawl and Michael Ehart [Cynthia Ward Presents short story] “Shadows of Empire” by Lester del Rey [short story] “The Immortality Seekers” by John W. Campbell, Jr. [novelet] “Meteor Men of Mars” by Harry Cord and Otis Adelbert Kline [short story] Lud-in-the-Mist, by Hope Mirrlees [novel]

Black Cat Weekly #38

Lavie Tidhar

Dan Stout

C. D. Reimer

Adam Howe

Michael McGlade

Frank Byrnes

Daniel Marshall Wood

J. M. Vogel

MJ Gardner

Richard Zwicker

Jeff Poole

Doug J. Black

Taking something away from others — their possessions, their dignity, their liberty, their lives — is the root of taboo. All the stories in this, the fourth collection of tales from Plan B Magazine, touch on what happens when people put their will above that of others. Sometimes it’s amusing, other times heartbreaking, but it no matter what, someone’s day won’t be going according to plan. Table of Contents “Old Friends” by Frank Byrns “Write Your Epitaph” by Laird Long “An Unexpected Invitation” by Daniel Marshall Wood “Bad John” by Adam Howe “Death by Fiction” by J. M. Vogel “The Chunk” by Michael McGlade “The Basement” by MJ Gardner “The Bulldog Ant is Not a Team Player” by Dan Stout “The Mystery of the Missing Puskat” by Lavie Tidhar “Other Wishes” by Richard Zwicker “Afterwards” by Jeff Poole “The World’s Best Coffee” by C. D. Reimer “Zero Sum Game” by Doug J. Black

Plan B: Volume IV

Mary Mackey

Barbara Metzger

Barb Goffman

Herschel Cozine

Mary Patterson Thornburg

Lesley A. Diehl

Toni Goodyear

Big Jim Williams

Elizabeth Hosang

Randall DeWitt

Sharon Daynard

Sarafina Gravagno

Rhett Shepard

Warren Bull

Lee Hammerschmidt

You can’t keep a good turkey down! In 2010, The Killer Wore Cranberry showed how funny murder and food could be. In 2012, Untreed Reads presented a new installment of the worldwide, bestselling anthology (The Killer Wore Cranberry: A Second Helping) proving that this was a hilarious mystery anthology with legs. Drumsticks, to be exact. It’s 2013 and Killer is back with all new crimes, all new capers and all new laughs that are guaranteed to make you forget the in-laws at this year’s holiday gathering. Join all of these fantastic authors as they make your Thanksgiving holiday murderous and fill you with laughter: Barbara Metzger, Mary Mackey, Toni Goodyear, Barb Goffman, Herschel Cozine, Lesley A. Diehl, Big Jim Williams, Elizabeth Hosang, Randall DeWitt, Sharon Daynard, Sarafina Gravagno, Laird Long, Rhett Shepard, Warren Bull, Lee Hammerschmidt and Mary Patterson Thornburg. This year Killer is also introducing great recipes from vegan cookbook author Lisa Wagner to accompany the stories. After all, you can’t have murder and humor on an empty stomach! So loosen your belt, push out from the table a bit and get ready to devour some of the funniest crimes you’ll ever experience at a Thanksgiving table. There’s always Room for Thirds!

The Killer Wore Cranberry: Room for Thirds

Gary Lovisi

Dan Andriacco

Janet Law

Michael Penncavage

Rochelle Campbell

Marc Bilgrey

Victoria Weisfeld

Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine returns after a brief hiatus with a selection of fiction and nonfiction for the discerning mystery reader. This issue's stories include: LH’s LEGACY, by Rochelle Campbell ROOKER, by Laird Long PENNWOOD AVENUE, by Sanford Zane Meschkow ABOVE SUSPICION, by Victoria Weisfeld IDYLLWILD, by Michael Hemmingson MOTIVE, by Marc Bilgrey THE CURIOUS CASE OF ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE, by Gary Lovisi THE DAYTIME SERIAL KILLER, by Dan Andriacco THE MYSTERY OF THE PAUL HENRY, by Michael Penncavage THE PROBLEM OF THE VANISHING BULLET, by Lee Enderlin THE ADVENTURE OF THE BERYL CORONET, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Nonfiction includes: THREE BUCKET MYSTERIES, by Eugene D. Goodwin THREE CHEERS FOR DR WATSON, by Janice Law

Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine #28

Tom Ward

Sarah M. Chen

Nick Andreychuk

Mike Miner

Tom Swoffer

Kou K. Nelson

Tekla Dennison Miller

Josh MacLeod

Martin Roy HIll

The first Plan B collection showcases a wide variety of plans gone sideways — private eyes getting stuck on cases they really don’t want to take, petty criminals getting in over their heads, law enforcement professionals on the wrong side of the bars, and upstanding citizens finding themselves to be not so law-abiding after all. These stories are as varied as they are excellent — there are light-hearted tales to make you smile, literary pieces that challenge the definition of crime writing, and realistic portraits of difficult and disturbing decisions. Whatever your tastes, I’m sure you’ll find something to enjoy here and maybe something to surprise you.

Plan B Volume I

Laird Long

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