Mystery Magazine: July 2023

At the cutting edge of crime fiction, Mystery Magazine presents original short stories by the world's best-known and emerging mystery writers. The stories we feature in our monthly issues span every imaginable subgenre, including cozy, police procedural, noir, whodunit, supernatural, hardboiled, humor, and historical mysteries. Evocative writing and a compelling story are the only certainty.

Get ready to be surprised, challenged, and entertained--whether you enjoy the style of the Golden Age of mystery (e.g., Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle), the glorious pulp digests of the early twentieth century (e.g., Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler), or contemporary masters of mystery.

¿ In this issue ¿

Our cover feature is "A Bad Bet At Château Bleue" by Liv Strom: On her honeymoon, her husband keeps delaying their departure for business while asking her to trust him. But as the days pass, the second Madame Toussaint wonders how well she knows her husband.

"Standing In The Strike Zone" by Steve Liskow: Charlie's team loses the softball championship game thanks to constant bad calls by the umpire. When that umpire is beaten to death with Charlie's baseball bat, Charlie realizes he'll have to clear his name without the help of the cops.

"The General's Daughter" by Martin Rosenstock: A young woman in a Gulf country stops an assassination of a foreign leader. By doing so she saves her family's honor and safeguards her own prospects.

"The Pizza Job: To Go" by Brian Silverman: In a city where it's tough even for the rats, one pulls off such a notable heist, the architect of the robbery becomes a dubious celebrity.

"Three Dark Riders" by Stan Dryer: Outlaw Blackheart Bart's three sons arrive in Dustville intent on killing the sheriff they accuse of killing their father. They kidnap the local schoolmarm to force the sheriff into a shootout with each of them. Love and justice triumph.

"I Don't Like Mondays" by Josh Pachter: In the haunting echoes of the Boomtown Rats' song, "I Don't Like Mondays," a troubled soul weaves a philosophy that sets the stage for a tragic act of violence within the walls of Grover Cleveland Elementary.

"Fake As Its Namesake" by Dan Crosby: Mystery novelist Lily Fontaine's most avid fan suspects that the author did not write her latest novel. Her conclusion-Ms. Fontaine must have been murdered by her husband who is now impersonating his late wife in print.

"No Good Deed" by Cathi Stoler: When her best friend from childhood, Chloe Ambrose Odeon, is murdered, P.I. Helen McCorkendale promises Chloe's daughter she'll find the killer.

"Quick Stop," A You-Solve-It by John M. Floyd: One roadside minimart, two ardent sleuths, three dodgy characters. Help solve Mr. Hopper's robbery.

Custom Cover Art By Robin Grenville Evans