Black Cat Weekly #212

This issue, we’ve managed to pull together another amazing issue jam-packed with goodies. Here are:

•   7 short stories—fantasy, sci-fi, and mystery
•   2 Golden Age mystery novels
•   1 modern science fiction novelette
•   1 solve-it-yourself puzzler   

So, 11 works in all...and many, many hours of exceptional reading!

   And if you’re familiar with Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles, here’s one you likely haven’t read before—"I, Mars." Bradbury left it out of the collection (though it certainly belongs there—it was written in the same period and uses the same fantasy Mars).

   As always, my thanks to everyone working behind the scenes to make each issue as good as it can be, from our readers (Tom Easton, Ryan Hines, Paula Messina, Richard Prosch) to our Acquiring Editors (especially Michael Bracken and Barb Goffman), and our production assistants (Sam Hogan and Karl Wurf).

   As a reminder, we are still looking at entries for our $500 short story contest at our submissions portal. Rules available online at blackcatweekly.com.

   Here’s this issue’s complete lineup—

Cover Art: Stephen Hickman

NOVELS

In the Night, by R. Gorell Barnes [Inspector Humblethorne series]

   Murder in a quaint English village!

The Secret of the Silver Car, by Wyndham Martyn [William Trent series]

   A master criminal finds himself embroiled in a series of puzzling events...

NOVELETTE

“When the Starship Screamed,” by Ron Miller

   A recurring interstellar rock offers passage—and a chilling, costly secret.

SOLVE-IT-YOURSELF MYSTERY

“The Game’s A Foot-ball,” by Hal Charles

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

SHORT STORIES

“The Motherly Spirit,” by Elizabeth Elwood [Michael Bracken Presents short story]

   What happens when ghosts try to prevent a murder?

“Shades of Blue,” by Nicky Penttila

   In a NYC clinic, a patient's death leads a doctor to a dangerous secret.

“Shanks and the High Bidder,” by Robert Lopresti [Shanks series]

   When a smug lawyer cheats a charity, a mystery writer turns the tables.

“The Hollow Lens,” by Henry Leverage [Chester Fay series]

   A beautiful woman offers a master crook the perfect score. Is it a trap?

“Fragments,” by Alexis Ames

   A brain-linked chip remakes labor, law, and life, at a mounting human cost.

“The Magnificent Possession,” by Isaac Asimov

   A chemist's substitute for gold promises fame, but attracts dangerous men.

“I, Mars,” by Ray Bradbury [The Martian Chronicles]

   Who keeps phoning the last man left on Mars?