Black Cat Weekly #243

This week, we have a slightly smaller issue than normal due to our attendance at the Malice Domestic mystery convention, where we are selling books in the dealers’ room, hanging out with fellow editors and authors, and generally having a good time (instead of keeping to our busy publishing schedule). But rest assured, we still have plenty of great stories: originals from Lois Metzger, Robert Lopresti, Ron Miller, Tom Andes, H.K. Slade, and Hal Charles, plus classics from Robert J. Pearsall, Manly Wade Wellman, Philip M. Fisher, Jr., and Ray Cummings.

   Here’s the complete lineup—

Cover Art: Stephen Hickman

NOVELLA

The Giant World, by Ray Cummings

   A rescue mission finds romance, danger—and giants!

SOLVE-IT-YOURSELF MYSTERY

“Who Stole Kelly’s Heart?” by Hal Charles

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

SHORT STORIES

“We Don’t Want any Witnesses,” by Tom Andes

   A bar gig goes bad when the band asks to be paid.

“A Bad Day for Good Samaritans,” by Robert Lopresti

   A good deed sends one unlucky cyclist straight into trouble.

“Il Maestoso,” by H.K. Slade

   A snowbound dinner turns into a deadly private party.

“The Wizardry of Fear,” by Robert J. Pearsall

   Two impostors enter a secret valley ruled by terror and strange science.

“The Gigolo,” by Ron Miller

   The world’s smartest computer refuses to turn on…

“Jane of Neverland,” by Lois Metzger

   The lost girls of Neverland have their own strange story…

“All Were Monsters,” by Manly Wade Wellman

   A lonely farmer meets a visitor from beyond the stars.

“The Yangtze Horde,” by Philip M. Fisher, Jr.

   In a lost Chinese valley, fear may be the deadliest weapon.