Black Cat Weekly #246

It’s been a hectic week here (we’re buying a house in Pittsburgh), but rest assured, we have another fine issue, jam-packed with goodies: one novel, one novella, one novelet, five short stories, and a solve-it-yourself mystery. Thanks to Acquiring Editor Michael Bracken, we have a meta-Sherlock Holmes tale by Elizabeth Elwood. Plus a long Maverel tale by Phyllis Ann Karr, an Egyptian mystery by A.L. Sirois, another Velda P.I. case from Ron Miller, plus tales by Vy Kava, Adrian Cole, and Wallace West. On top of all that—shades of Ernest Bramah’s Max Carados!—a classic novel featuring blind detective Thornley Colton by Clinton H. Stagg.

   Here’s the complete lineup—

COVER ART: Ron Miller

NOVEL

Thornley Colton: Blind Detective, by Clinton H. Stagg [Thornley Colton series]

   A blind detective finds the truth in clues no one else ever notices.

NOVELLA

“Knife Edge,” by A.L. Sirois

   In Djoser’s Egypt, a missing newborn leaves one sharp clue behind.

NOVELET

“Pact at Howling Hemlocks,” by Phyllis Ann Karr [Maverel series]

   When a gambler signs a strange pact, every winning hand feels deadly.

SOLVE-IT-YOURSELF MYSTERY

“The Case of the Surreptitious Shooter,” by Hal Charles

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

SHORT STORIES

“Gladwyn and the Speckled Band,” by Elizabeth Elwood [Michael Bracken Presents short story]

   A screen version of Holmes draws real danger from the deep shadows.

“The Last Call,” by Vy Kava

   A stolen jazz score leads a private eye into a cold New Orleans case.

“Velda and the Popular Girl,” by Ron Miller [Velda, P.I. series]

   A locked room, a dead neighbor, and one strange note launch a risky case.

“The Burning Blade,” by Adrian Cole

   A fallen city’s last hope burns bright in a masked stranger’s hand.

“Loup-Garou,” by Wallace West

   A young warrior dares the castle walls to face a midnight terror…