Black Cat Weekly #238

This time, we have a special all-mystery issue. But don’t panic! We have mysteries by science fiction and fantasy writers, too…tales by Phyllis Ann Karr (best known for her fantasy novels, such as Idylls of the Queen and the Frostflower & Thorn series) and Theodore R. Cogswell (author of the 1952 classic “The Specter General,” voted one of the greatest science fiction stories of all time by the Science Fiction Writers of America). We also have a new Capitán Guillén Ecuadoran mystery from Tom Larsen (thanks to Acquiring Editor Michael Bracken), plus originals from Hal Charles, Ron Miller (a new Velda story!), and Lee Richardson. Our novels are a pair of rare Golden Age classics by A.E. Forrest and Ernest M. Poate. Of course, no issue is complete without a solve-it-yourself puzzler from Hal Charles, too.

Here’s the complete lineup—

Cover Art by: Ron Miller

NOVELS

Silent Guests, by A.E. Forrest

Deep in the Canadian wilds, Craighead Hall keeps its own laws.

The Trouble at Pinelands, by Ernest M. Poate

Fort House has a ghost—or something far more dangerous…

SOLVE-IT-YOURSELF MYSTERY

“The Art of the Steal,” by Hal Charles

Can you solve the mystery before the detective? All the clues are there!

SHORT STORIES

“El Fantasma (The Ghost),” by Tom Larsen [Michael Bracken Presents short story]

A disgraced colonel and a ruthless captain strike an unlikely bargain.

“Not the Midnight Avenger,” by Hal Charles

Lies, lovers, and a dead car battery—a noir comedy of errors.

“The Strawberry Blonde and the Strangler,” by Ron Miller [Velda P.I. series]

Velda Bellinghausen: ex-showgirl, PI, and a strangler's worst nightmare.

“The Impressionist,” by Lee Richardson

A voice impressionist gets the gig of a lifetime—for an audience of one.

“Anniversary Present,” by Theodore R. Cogswell

It was the perfect plan for murder. What could possibly go wrong?

“The Slantwise Scales of Justice,” by Phyllis Ann Karr

A tale of greed and hate, of bloodshed and revenge, and—money!

“Operation Bonaparte,” by James Michael Ullman [Bennett & James series]

Eight million dollars vanished with Lou Orloff. Or did it?