Short Story Wednesday Review: Mystery Magazine: July 2024

 

Mystery Magazine: July 2024 opens with the cover story, “Cocaine Cowboy” by Michael Bracken. The musician had to insist on getting paid before performing. Now Carter Reese, the owner of the Dew Drop Inn on the outskirts of Chicken Junction, Texas, is dead, the musician and a female companion are on the road to the musician’s next gig, and guys that one does not want hunting them are doing exactly that.

 

“I’m Not Roger Whitley Simmons” by Arthur Davis comes next where things are also going not so great for our narrator up in Iowa. Our narrator is a widower who is awaiting the arrival of Hudly Bernard. He is waiting for the federally sanction contract assassin to show up as running is not an option. Which is not to say that he is out of options--even if they have the right guy.

 

Though magic and more are involved in “The Dead Girl And The Rock” by Arwyn Sherman, murder is still murder. Khallesiah is dead in the bar and clearly the death was violent. Enforcer Edan Stairnwen is going to figure out who did it and why regardless of what anyone, including his coworkers and his boss, think.

 

If you have ever walked anywhere, you probably had at least one meal stolen over the years. Maybe you thought of revenge. Both ideas are heavily in play in “Lactose Intolerance” by Gerard J. Waggett.

 

“The adventure of Cecil Scumbleby” by Aggie Novak features Cecil who fancies himself a detective. He is sure that somebody in the family killed Great Aunt Edna. They did it for the tea strainer that he was supposed to inherit. He plans on figuring out who did it and getting the tea strainer back.

 

Armed, she has a plan and walks into a Las Cruces, New Mexico, strip mall. A client wishes to have her use her skills to end another. Murder for hire pays pretty well and she knows how to protect herself in “A Performance For Shadows” by Ed Teja. This one really stood out and I would like to see a lot more with this character.

 

“The Black Scarf” by Cay Rademacher features a narrator who is not a fan of driving through toll plazas on French highways. The incident he has happen reinforces his fear. Soon the local police arrive and bring him in for questioning. No matter where in the world, having to answer questions of law enforcement is never a good thing.

 

The police are also quickly involved in “Bridge To Nowhere” by William Kitcher. Standing in the middle of the bridge over a river as the heavens open and dump a deluge pretty much makes you look suicidal. Greenizan is not suicidal. He absolutely is not planning that. He also can’t tell the cop why he is standing there.

 

The solution to the June “You-Solve-it” follows where you find out what happen in “A Shock To The System by John M. Floyd. This brings the issue to a close.

 

As one expects from this publication, all the stories are good ones. Variety is always the key here. That fact always makes every issue an entertaining read. Mystery Magazine: July 2024 works well across the board and is a very pleasant way to take a break from the real world. 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3Xar1o8

 

 

For quite some time now I have been gifted a subscription by the publisher with no expectation at all of a review.  

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2024