Mystery Weekly
Magazine: June 2019 opens with the cover story of “Squeezer and Bongo” by Terrie
Farley Moran. Mr. Bongorelli, a corporate attorney, is less than thrilled when
Squeezer Markhum shows up at his office. They both are a long ways from High School and
for Bongo a lot of those memories are not necessarily positive. While Bongorelli,
aka “Bongo” does corporate law these days, Squeezer works as a garbage man. Squeezer
wants and insists on Bongo’s help as he is in real trouble with the cops. That very
morning Squeezer and his partner, Mikey, found the body of Squeezer’s ex-wife,
Lisa Gasper, placed in a chair outside a derelict Victorian on their pickup
route. With the chair as well as the body covered by a sheet they had no idea
what they had until they had stopped and pulled the sheet off the chair. Obviously,
Squeezer is the obvious suspect. The last thing Bongo wants to do is help
Squeezer. Yet, he keeps getting pulled in deeper and deeper as things become
increasingly complicated in this very good tale.
Evan showed up at Randy’s place in “The Calm” by Ken Hueler and
nobody was home. He drove away and tried to stay awake as he pondered where to
go next. That was before he saw her on the other side of the road. She is a
hitchhiker, dressed for the heat of summer, and all alone on the rapidly
darkening and otherwise empty highway. He does the gentlemanly thing and offers
her a ride. That may turn out to be yet another serious mistake he has made in
his life.
“Interdiction” by Michael A. Clark follows where Justine is
creating a trail so that no one goes after her husband. Her diversion tactic is
designed so that her husband can make his escape with their money. They will
rendezvous somewhere a half a world away. All the watcher is supposed to do is watch
and report. Things are going smoothly until they are not and it is a good thing
the watcher has a support team.
Pleasant Lane is a street of many houses in the typical suburban neighborhood
where things are so tranquil people can leave their front doors unlocked and
live life in a sort of Norman Rockwall fantasy life deal. Gladys Farrow is the
neighborhood snoop in “The Other Woman” by Michael Thomas Smith. She knows damn
near everything about everyone on her street and her friend Betty does not
approve. Undeterred by the criticism, Gladys wants to know more about what has
been going on at the Peterson house as there has been a strange red car that
keeps showing up there around dusk for an hour or so before leaving. The
gorgeous woman driving the car is certainly not Mrs. Peterson. The game is a
foot and Gladys is determined to learn the identity of the mystery woman and
more.
It began in Russia in 1979 and has tentacles that reach into today
in “Russian Dolls” by Eliot Hudson. Anatoly Moskvin was nine then and all alone
in the playground when the men came and made him go to a cemetery with them.
What happened that day has become his life’s work and obsession. You can’t
judge until you know all the fact of this dark and twisted tale.
“Buick” by Bob Tippee features a car that has been well taken care
off by Seth Townes before being passed on to this son, Ralph. At first, seventeen
year old Ralph is not exactly thrilled with the Buick LaCrosse. As he thinks
about it more, he realizes the potential of the spacious backseat. A backseat
that makes Sienna very comfortable and willing when the mood strikes them. It does
frequently and on one such occasion makes them the target for auto theft.
The plan had been to try to get the mayor’s support for the
Waterview Housing Co-Op. He would come out and take a tour and shake a few
hands. If things went right, he would publicly support the building as part of
a push for affordable housing. Now the mayor, Fred Drover, is dead in “A Locked
Co-Op Mystery” by Merrilee Robson and all heck is going to break loose.
The issue closes with the solution to the “You-Solve It” in the May
2019 issue titled “For the love of wine” by Tatiana Claudy.
Mystery Weekly Magazine: June 2019 is another solidly
good issue. Mystery, as it has been since the start, is defined widely in this
publication. Mystery Weekly Magazine is not a niche magazine catering to only a
small part of the mystery community. This issue, as do the previous issues,
features a mix of storytelling styles, crimes, and well developed characters in
tales that are sure to appeal to just about any reader.
Mystery Weekly Magazine: June 2019
May 31, 2019
ASIN: B07SMWY1M9
eBook (also available in print)
122 Pages
$3.99
For quite some time
now I have been gifted a subscription by the publisher with no expectation at
all of a review. I read and review each issue as I can. To date, I have never
submitted anything to this market and will not do so as long as I review the
publication.
Kevin R. Tipple
©2019
Posts
6 comments:
Thanks Kevin, you really nailed this issue! and I am glad you enjoyed meeting Squeezer and Bongo.
It was my favorite of the issue. For what that is worth.
I hat to say it, but this is the first time I saw anything about Mystery Weekly Magazine (unless I did and just forgot). It looks interesting. I'm going to check it out. Thanks for the tip.
I have been reviewing them for quite awhile now. Just way behind in my reading.
It is a quality magazine with a wide focus mystery wise.
A fine review of an interesting publication! I enjoyed reading it.
Thank you, Jacqueline.
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