Black Cat Weekly #254
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Issue #254 falls solidly into the “great read” category: New tales by Tom Milani (thanks to Acquiring Editor Michael Bracken), Paula Messina, Viviana De Cecco, Kevin R. Tipple, R.L. Farr, and of course Ron Miller (with a new Velda, P.I. story), plus an original solve-it-yourself puzzler from Hal Charles are the core. But we also have classic shorts from Lester del Rey, Joseph J. Millard, and Evelyn Goldstein—plus a rare Golden Age mystery from British master J.S. Fletcher.
Here’s the complete lineup—
Cover Art: Ron Miller
NOVEL
Cobweb Castle, by J.S. Fletcher
A classic Golden Age mystery novel from a master!
NOVELETS
“Margarine of Error”, by Ron Miller [Velda, P.I. series]
Can Velda crack a kidnapping before the butter bill comes up for a vote?
“The Seat of Judgment”, by Lester del Rey
A dying empire meets a miracle it cannot afford to believe in...
SOLVE-IT-YOURSELF MYSTERY
“Foul or Fair?” by Hal Charles
Can you solve the mystery before the detective? All the clues are there!
SHORT STORIES
“Andrea Gutiérrez”, by Tom Milani [Michael Bracken Presents]
A camera, a guilty teenager, and a favor that may cost far too much…
“A Little Help”, by Paula Messina
Batting practice can wait when trouble follows a crying child home.
“For No Apparent Reason”, by Viviana De Cecco
A dead surfer, a silent beach, and a clue written on bare skin…
“A Plan Comes Together”, by Kevin R. Tipple
Two detectives want answers. One old widower has questions.
“The Portland Musicians”, by R.L. Farr
Three obsolete machines set out for Portland, sirens at the ready.
“Mister John Doe, Earthman”, by Joseph J. Millard
An amnesiac from the stars holds Earth’s fate in his lost memory.
“Man’s Castle”, by Evelyn Goldstein
His home was his castle—until mankind offered him a crown…
Tom Milani
Tom Milani’s short fiction has appeared online in Black Cat Weekly, Urban Pigs Press, and Mr. Bull, as well as in several anthologies, including Janie’s Got a Gun: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Aerosmith, In Too Deep: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Music of Genesis, and Sleuths Just Wanna Have Fun: Private Eyes in the Materialistic Eighties. His novella Barracuda Backfire, a Derringer Award finalist, was published as part of Micharl Bracken’s Chop Shop series. “Barstow,” originally published in Mickey Finn: 21st Century Noir,Volume 5, was given an honorable mention in The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2025. “Mill Mountain” was selected for The Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2026. Milani is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, the Short Mystery Fiction Society, the Private Eye Writers of America, and the Authors Guild. He lives in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, with his wife, glass sculptor Alison Sigethy.
More by Tom Milani
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