Black Cat Weekly #223

This issue, we feature the return of our favorite 1950s burlesque-queen-turned-P.I., Velda Bellinghausen, in a new tale by Ron Miller, plus stories by returning favorites Dave Zeltserman, Nina Kiriki Hoffman (our first Christmas tale of the season), Edmund Glasby, and of course Hal Charles, with another solve-it-yourself puzzler. (And we have some Hal Charles original mysteries coming up soon, too!)

   Jacob Graysol and Steve Horton make their Black Cat debuts, and rounding things out, we have classic shorts from Sam Merwin, Jr. and Basil Wells. Our novel this issue (more of a collection of linked stories, really) features the fantastic (and often quite humorous) adventures of an immortal through the ages. Many, many treats to enjoy.

   Here’s the complete lineup—

Cover Art: Ron Miller

NOVEL

Flaxius, by Charles Godfrey Leland

   Immortal Flaxius encounters gods, heroes, and magic through the ages.

SOLVE-IT-YOURSELF MYSTERY

“What’s In a Name?” by Hal Charles

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

SHORT STORIES

“Sometimes the Bear Gets You,” by Dave Zeltserman [Michael Bracken Presents]

   A careful driver, a flat tire, and a long night of slow, rising dread…

“Costumed to Kill,” by Jacob Graysol

   Comic Con turns deadly when a costumed killer strikes a high-rise.

“Velda Goes West,” by Ron Miller [Velda, P.I. series]

   Velda’s free dude-ranch vacation turns strange as “accidents” mount.

“Communion,” by Nina Kiriki Hoffman

   A cursed mother finds a baby on Christmas Eve. Can she protect it?

“The Dragonbearer of Bad News,” by Steve Horton

   A queen’s final dragonflight forces her kin to confront their future.

“The Curse of Saint Umbrah,” by Edmund Glasby

   Ancient, shapeshifting evil lurks in a fog-shrouded Cornish village.

“Memorium,” by Basil Wells

   In the future, death is not the end—it’s when truth finally speaks.

“Testing,” by Sam Merwin, Jr.

   A routine survey finds humans on a world scheduled for destruction.