Black Cat Weekly #114

This issue features original mysteries by O’Neil De Noux and Shannon Taft (thanks to our Acquiring Editors, Michael Bracken and Barb Goffman), a Gil Brewer crime classic, and another entry in the Biff Brewer mystery series by Andy Adams. And what issue would be complete without a solve-it-yourself puzzler from Hal Charles?

   On the more fantastic side of things, you might say things have gone to the birds…we have a pair of classic avian-themed stories by Cordwainer Smith and Richard McKenna. But we also have a terrific Norman Spinrad short, about the effects of virtual entertainment on actors, and Darrell Schweitzer contributes a poignant tale of a man whose father has delusional battles against the dreaded Zeppelin Gang. Or are they delusions?

   And a few issues ago, I promised more of the humorous Toffee tales from Charles F. Myers. Well, in my research through the pulps, I only looked at titles…imagine my surprise when The Shades of Toffee turned out to be a novel, instead of a short story! Here it is. More Toffee shorts (I assume they’re short) will follow in future issues.

   Here’s the complete lineup:

Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure:

• “The James Mason Effect,” by O’Neil De Noux [Michael Bracken Presents short story]
• “The Clue in the Conservatory,” Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery]
• “A Tail of Justice,” by Shannon Taft [Barb Goffman Presents short story]
• “The Gesture,” by Gil Brewer [classic short story]
• The Mystery of the Caribbean Pearls, by Andy Adams [novel, Biff Brewer series]

Science Fiction & Fantasy:

• “A Man of the Theater,” by Norman Spinrad
• “Fighting the Zeppelin Gang,” by Darrell Schweitzer
• “The Night of Hoggy Darn,” by Richard McKenna [classic short story]
• “From Gustible’s Planet,” by Cordwainer Smith [classic short story]
• The Shades of Toffee, by Charles F. Myers [novel, Toffee series]