Black Cat Weekly #227

It’s a new year, which means (at least in the United States) that a lot of new novels and stories have entered the public domain—everything published in 1930, in fact. Since we draw on the public domain for some of our classic reprints, we’ll be going through 1930s publications in coming weeks and presenting some of the greats from that year. This issue, for example, we have Robert E. Howard’s “The Moon of Skulls,” featuring his other great hero, Solomon Kane.

In the meantime, we have a fine selection of stories, including originals by Anna Scotti, Tom Larsen, and Edmund Glasby, plus classics by Philip E. High, Fletcher Flora, Frank Herbert, and James Holding. Our featured novel is a thriller, Only Seven Were Hanged, by Scottish writer Stuart Martin. And, of course, there’s a new solve-it-yourself puzzler from Hal Charles.

Here’s the complete lineup—

Cover Art: Ron Miller

NOVEL

Only Seven Were Hanged, by Stuart Martin

When justice is ruled by fear, who decides who deserves to live?

NOVELLA

“The Moon of Skulls,” by Robert E. Howard [Solomon Kane series]

Kane seeks justice in a forgotten African city ruled by a death cult.

SOLVE-IT-YOURSELF MYSTERY

“Call a Plumber,” by Hal Charles

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

SHORT STORIES

“El Artista Fugitivo,” by Tom Larsen [Wilson Salinas series]

The artist is eighty. The girl is twenty. The hitman is waiting.

“A Strange Relief,” by Anna Scotti

Patricia’s fall looked like an accident, but the math didn’t add up.

“Homicide and Gentlemen,” by Fletcher Flora [Lt. Joseph Marcus series]

Detective Marcus finds a corpse on a golf course at dawn.

“The Sapphire That Disappeared,” by James Holding

A sapphire vanishes on a bare showroom rug; clues hide in plain sight.

“Terrors of the Dark,” by Edmund Glasby

A missing corpse and a strange symbol lead to a terrifying ritual.

“Wrath of the Gods,” by Philip E. High

Castaway on an inhospitable planet, his only concern was staying alive.

“The Nothing,” by Frank Herbert

Barroom role-play turns real when a “Nothing” draws police attention.