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Short Story Wednesday Review: Black Cat Mystery Magazine #15

 

It has been quite some time since I have been able to pick up an issue of Black Cat Mystery Magazine as the recent issues have been print only. But, the most recent issue, Black Cat MysteryMagazine #15, is available in print and digital formats so I was able to get the eBook version. Not only is that better for my shrinking finances as I pick up things via my Amazon Associate account, but I can adjust the typeface so that I can actually read it.

 

As always, Editor Michael Bracken leads things off with his piece, “From The Cat’s Perch.” The theme for this issue is praise for the Short Mystery Fiction Society. Like this reviewer, Mr. Bracken previously served terms as Vice President and President of the SMFS. A number of the authors featured in this issue are current SMFS list members as well.

 

Stacy Woodson’s short story, “Armadillo By Morning,” leads things off where Roy is looking forward to retirement. He has enjoyed being an Animal Control Officer for many decades, but his hip is telling him that enough is enough. So too is Millie Wendell who has constant complaints from her place just inside their rural jurisdiction. This time she is mad about an armadillo that keeps coming back and tearing up her garden.

 

The guy is dead in “After Their Convictions, Six Murders Reflect On How Killing Mr. Boddy Changed Their Lives” by Tara Laskowski and Art Taylor. The husband and wife, who each individually, have quite an authorship record, collaborate here with a complicated and amusing tale based of the legendary boardgame, CLUE. I’m certainly not going to ruin this short story by telling you more.

 

Author, and in this case, translator, Josh Pachter is up next with his translation of “Promises To Keep” by Gert-Jan van den Bemd. In a gut-wrenching story that hit way too close to home for this reader, Mrs. van Tilt is at the door wanting to make a certain purchase. The item in question that she wishes to buy from the elderly couple will change everything for all involved.

 

Prolific author John M. Floyd is up next with “A Cold Day In Helena.” The brothers, Ray and Will Hardy, are up against it. Their only option seems to be to rob the local bank. The First National Bank is a relatively easy target as far as banks go and they have a good plan. They just need the nerve to execute the job.

 

The large barrels arrive on the occasional truck at the isolated and derelict station in Arizona. The cartel has stuff that needs disposing of in those barrels and that is why he has the job. At least job he has the for now in “Human Waste” by Davin Ireland. The always taciturn Jorge is back with his truck on this Sunday and he is not happy. His presence, and his attitude, is not good news in many ways.

 

Life on the island was a bit limited and routine. Then, a week before his Peace Corps gig was supposed to be over, Janine’s body was found in a ravine nearby. In “Hiva-Oa” by J. W. Wood, Michael is naturally a suspect in the death of the married woman. Especially after several and very public events that led to rumors and gossip by nearly everyone on the island.

 

R. T. Lawton is next and takes readers to NYC in his tale titled, “Most Important Meal Of The Day.” Our narrator very much likes his free breakfast that Sarah, the cashier, gives him each day. Times are tough, he is unemployed, and winter is coming. Breakfast is important and often his only meal. He needs the free food and does not want to lose it. Leonard and Jules are probably going to ruin things.

 

She knows he is watching her in the bar. He thinks he is going to get lucky. He most definitely is, but not the way he thought in “Luxury Goods” by R. M. Lowery.

 

Talia Houghton barely survived the murders of her family. Our narrator, the public defender that had to defend the accused, Danny Houghton, remains haunted by her eyes and the horror of her case in “The Child” by Elizabeth Elwood. All these years later though there have been court actions, a prison sentence, and more, the case is not over. 

 

Marcelle Dubé’s short story, “Getting Back Into Heaven” comes next and takes readers to the Yukon. Growing up, Jonas’ mom always told him he was a special boy and that God had a special place for him right by his side waiting for him. He knew that space, and heaven itself, would never happen after he served in Afghanistan. These days, Jonas Bellechasse, is working with a group of geologists. His job is to keep them safe and the main threat has been wild bears. Jonas likes his job and finds the rugged forest peaceful and pleasant. A wildfire threatens everyone involved in this increasingly tense tale.

 

She was having fun playing at being a spy in ‘An Imp In Spy’s Clothing” by Robert Jeschonek. Then things got very serious. Now she is wearing what seems to be a suicide vest and she may not live long enough to enjoy her beloved Lisbon, Portugal, again.

 

Evelyn Wheatley and James Vaughn don’t agree on much of anything in “Let’s Settle This” by Jack Ritchie. At least, that is what they publicly say. Jimmy’s dad, owner of the law firm, thinks they should get married. The fact that her current guy, Eddie Conley, a classmate of Jimmy’s from law school and an adversary in the current legal case, makes things far more complicated in this story that ends the issue.

 

As always, this publication showcases a variety of mysteries in the spectrum with a variety of writing styles, locations, and more. Black Cat Mystery Magazine #15, not to be confused with the also very good Black Cat Weekly, is another solidly good edition and well worth your time.

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4j8rIXl

 

My reading copy came by way of an Amazon Associate purchase using funds in my account.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2025

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Guest Post: Writing “Barstow” by Tom Milani

Please welcome SMFS list member Tom Milani to the blog today as he explains the background of his short story in the new anthology, Mickey Finn Vol. 5: 21st Century Noir. Published by Down & Out Books, the book is edited by SMFS list member Michael Bracken.

  

Writing “Barstow”

For me, the germ of a story often comes from small things. A crying waitress, an encounter with a cop. Events that in the retelling strike the listener as odd but not necessarily interesting. On a cross-country road trip with a friend, we stayed overnight in Barstow. That night, we had dinner at the hotel bar, and the next morning, we ate breakfast in the adjoining restaurant. Our waitress was having a hard time communicating with a table of customers wearing matching shirts and speaking Spanish. It wasn’t clear from where we sat what had upset her, but before long she was in tears.

Over the years, I’ve been served by a lot of waitresses, but I’d never seen one come close to crying. That memory stuck with me, so much so that when Michael Bracken issued a call for stories for volume 5 of Mickey Finn: 21st Century Noir, I decided to infuse mine with details from that road trip.

The waitress is there, of course, but this time, her tears are the result of a fight with her boyfriend. In my story, recently laid-off Spencer heads west from Virginia, his trip cut short when his car breaks down in Barstow. While he waits for it to be repaired, he hooks up with Emily, the crying waitress, and begins to contemplate a future with her, not realizing that her motivation for being with him is more complicated than he thinks.

There’s more. Remember the encounter with the cop I alluded to earlier? That happened to me in Indiana, and it becomes part of Spencer’s story as well. But to read about that, you’ll have to wait till next year, when volume 6 is released. 

Tom Milani ©2024

Tom Milani’s short fiction has appeared in Groovy Gumshoes: Private Eyes in the Psychedelic Sixties, Illicit Motions, and Janie’s Got a Gun: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Aerosmith, among other places. “Barracuda Backfire” was published earlier this year as Book 4 of Michael Bracken’s Chop Shop series of novellas. His novel Places That Are Gone will be published next year by Unnerving. 

Guest Post: Main Line by Tom Milani

  

Please welcome SMFS list member Tom Milani to the blog today as he explains the background of his short story in the new anthology, Janie’s Got a Gun: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Aerosmith. Published by White City Press, the book is edited by SMFS list member Michael Bracken.

 

Main Line

 

Good friend Stacy Woodson alerted me to a call on Facebook by editor Michael Bracken for a crime fiction anthology based on the songs of Aerosmith. The parameters were straightforward: the anthology would contain stories based on one song from each album. Several of the band’s hits I was familiar with had already been picked (“Dream On,” “Dude Looks Like a Lady”), but I was aware of Honkin’ on Bobo, a blues album they did some years back. A quick search on Apple Music let me preview some of the songs. The last, “Jesus Is on the Main Line,” is their version of a traditional gospel song as arranged by Fred McDowell. The Aerosmith song consists of two verses and three versions of the chorus (arrangements by other artists have additional verses). There isn’t much of a story (“Jesus is on the main line, tell Him what you want”), but the second verse has a line I latched onto: “If you’re sick and you can’t get well, just tell Him what you want.” The idea of an illness became a plot point, and I was also struck by the wording, which isn’t in the form of a plea but more a request.

Some forty years ago, I helped a friend deliver patio furniture to a woman who lived on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The trip was mostly a bust for my friend—the truck rental company failed to include padded blankets; the fuel gauge didn’t work, and we ran out of gas; the woman didn’t tip—but I was happy simply to hang out with him. While we were driving down a rural road, a church stood off the side. The building was a husk of itself, a stone ruin overgrown with vines. Its presence made a strong impression on me; even at the time, I wanted to go back someday and check it out.

I never did, but I resurrected my memory of it for this story. Here, two women, Gail and Mary, needing money for Mary’s medical care, are to deliver drugs hidden in a truck filled with patio furniture to a church on the Eastern Shore. What happens next strays into the mystical, where past and present collide in the visions of a priest.

Achieving the balance between past and present, sacred and profane, shaped the structure of the story and caused me to look at religious themes in a new light.

Tom Milani ©2024

Tom Milani’s short fiction has appeared in Groovy Gumshoes: Private Eyes in the Psychedelic Sixties, Illicit Motions, Black Cat Weekly, and Urban Pigs Press. His crime fiction novella, Barracuda Backfire, was released earlier this year. His website is https://www.tommilani.com/ 

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