Mystery Magazine: December 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 ★

✓ In our cover story, "Santas And Sinners" by DJ Tyrer, it's the festive season and charity Santas are being mugged for their takings. Not of course that things are ever that simple as there appears to be more than mere theft behind the crimes.

✓ "Gator Country" by John M. Floyd: Danny Douglas's job keeps him on the road-a blessing right now, because he's also on the run. When he rescues a hitchhiker from a swamp full of alligators, he never dreams that he might've found the one person who might help him solve his problem.

✓ "The Unfortunate Incident At Cottonwood Falls" by J. R. Holland: Virgil claims his life is in danger. Virgil concocts tall tales, so his best friend is dubious. But then Virgil's wild story about a heist and murder causes events to spiral out of control in Cottonwood Falls in 1905.

✓ "And Tyler Too" by O. W. Hammond: The scheme to demand ransom for a dead man leads a retired attorney to discover unsavory truths about his son and others.

✓ "Monster Case" by David Shawn Klein: A young man on the verge of leaving for college decides to find out whether a suicide was, in fact, a murder.

✓ In "The Mad Monk Of Mepkin" by Paul A. Barra, a monk is laid out for burial at secluded monastery-with a knife in his chest

✓ "Just Another Outlaw" by Nick Kolakowski: On the run from the law after a heist gone bad, Kevin Turner tries to take refuge at his cousin Bobby's rural property, which he thinks will be empty for the week ... only to find that Bobby's home. Even worse, Bobby has just killed someone.

✓ In "The Open Door" by Matt J. McGee, a man is found in an isolated parking lot beside his car with a broken neck and no sign of struggle.

✓ Help solve the puzzle in "Saved By The Belle," A You-Solve-It By John H. Dromey: A scorching hot day is a perfect time for an "inside job," or is it?

Custom Cover Art By Robin Grenville Evans