From the massive archive….
Black Cat Mystery Magazine: Issue One
opens with a note from editors John Gregory Betancourt and Carla Coupe stating that
their magazine will focus on mystery short stories. In addition to publishing
the occasional classic piece from decades ago, they will publish quality
mystery stories regardless of the niche the story fits in the genre. In short,
this is a magazine designed to appeal to all mystery readers. That goal is
easily met in the first issue.
“Getting
away” by Alan Orloff starts the issue off. Eddie “Light Touch” Elkins needs a
new identity and he now has one thanks to his new passport. The forgery looks
perfect. Good thing the guy at Lloyd Birnbaum Travel knew who to hook him up
with so that he could make a clean getaway. For the guy at the travel agency,
having a side business is important, as the internet has pretty much killed the
travel industry. Why use a travel agent when you can make all the arrangements
yourself?
Back
in the day kids were respectful when they walked through the neighborhood.
Those days are long gone in “Fairy Tales” by Art Taylor. In the here and now,
William Washington is fed up and getting closer and closer to taking back his
neighborhood.
At
92 Uncle Eb tends to tell the same several stories over and over including the
one about he meet Aunt Flo. It is part of his routine at the Choctaw Nursing Home.
So too is the Wednesday visit with his nephew, the sheriff of Lamar County.
This Wednesday he is running a bit behind due to a murder. He has a tale for
his uncle and his Aunt in “Eb and Flo” by Josh Pachter.
Her
cat, Sammy, is missing as the “Crazy Cat lady” by Barb Goffman begins. The
horror and suspense author, Zephyr, is sure somebody has been in the house.
Zephyr is a bit spooked, but as she looks around she begins to think her worry
was for nothing as Sammy is fine though he does not seem pleased. He might have
a good reason.
She
is looking forward to seeing Benedict again. The rendezvous is set for thirty
minutes from now. Her only obstacle is how to get away from her husband so she
can do what she yearns to do in “A Pie To Die For” by Meg Opperman.
Albert
Poe loves introducing new attractions to visitors at the world famous wax
museum. The latest unveiling in 1888 goes spectacularly wrong in “Murder At Madame
Tussauds” by Dan Andriacco. The new figure was supposed to be a wax impression
of Ormond Struthers known to one and all as the “Grosvenor Square Ghoul” with
wax impressions of some of the heads he had severed. The latest addition looks
all too real because it is. Time to contact Scotland Yard. They will need help
and that is where the ‘Count of Conjuring” and his assistant will step in
whether they are wanted or not.
Katie
Harrison is in big trouble as “Rooster Creek” by John M. Floyd begins. As long
as she can balance on the chair with that rope around her neck and up into the
tree she will be okay. How she got to this position in the month since she
stepped of the stagecoach in Perdition is the focus of this highly entertaining
western tale.
Her
name is Marilyn Baker. She is a bank teller at First American Union. She is unforgettable
in “Don’t Bank On It” by Jack Halliday. Good thing he is a private
investigator.
Every
town has that notorious motel where business is done in hourly increments. In “Dixie Quickies” by Michael Bracken,
the Dixie Motel located on the outskirts of Chicken Junction is one such place.
The twelve rooms are the site of quite few romantic encounters. The most recent
encounter did not result in a happy ending for one guy as he is very much dead
in his room. His death and the repercussions of that are going to become a
bigger and bigger problem in this steadily expanding tale.
Kaye
George is up next with her tale, “Flight To The Flirty Flamingo.” In this case,
the main setting is not a motel, but a strip club known as “The Flirty Flamingo.”
Fin runs the place and treats the talent right and makes sure the customers do
too. Jodie Vive is in trouble and on the run for good reason. Whether Fin can
help with a problem that big is the real question.
“The
Italian Tile Mystery” by James Holliday was originally published in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine in
September 1961 and is republished as the next story in this first issue of Black Cat Mystery Magazine. It is a drab
wintery day with the rain coming down in Positano. The dampness penetrates
everything in the village on the cliffs above the Mediterranean Sea. That
penetrating dampness invades the guests of Savoia Hotel. Several of the guests
are huddled in their sweaters before the fire while being intrigued by a
certain table and the tiles across its top. The table was created by Lemuel v.
Bishop. He was an American who lived in Italy most of his life. During those
last months as he battled illness he lived at the hotel and created the table. The
table holds a secret that several guests, including two mystery authors, are
determined to figure out.
“Beside
A Flowering Wall” by Fletcher Flora comes next. This short story was originally
published in April 1968 in Alfred
Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. Ruth has a sterile stale life of regimen. She
lives this certain way in order to hold things together. That is until Pat
Brady calls and intrudes into her life once again.
“The
ABC’s Of Murder” by Josh Pachter winds up the first issue. Every letter of the
alphabet has its own special mystery related designation in this poem dedicated
to all things murder and crime related.
Black Cat Mystery Magazine: Issue One is a broad spectrum
mystery magazine filled with good stories. Built off of classic tales as well
as modern ones, the reads here all meet the editors stated intention of
ignoring niches and being open to all types of tales. This is a magazine
designed to appeal to a broad swath of mystery readers and does so with ease. Black
Cat Mystery Magazine: Issue One is also a good one.
Wildside Press http://wildsidepress.com/magazines/BCMM/
Amazon Associates Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4hYuQoI
Material was purchased to read and review back in December
2017 by way of funds in my Amazon Associate account.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2018, 2025
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