Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine September/October 2021 edited by Janet Hutchings
“The years keep coming and they just keep coming.” It seems like just a few months ago I reviewed a 75th anniversary issue of Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, but in fact it was five years ago, and here’s the 80th anniversary issue. It’s a relatively subdued celebration, just the designation on the cover and a brief editor’s note.
“White Chocolate” by Jerome Charyn has a small-town lawyer go up against the village matriarch, his own mother, when she steals one of her grandchildren. He must tread carefully, as the law is not the only weapon in play. An okay opening story.
“DNF” by Kristine Kathryn Rosch takes place after dark in Las Vegas, as a night-time “fun run” is held. The organizer slowly realizes that one of the racers did not finish. But the track is nearly flat and easy to follow, and none of the other runners noticed her falling back. Is there something more sinister than a twisted ankle or heatstroke involved?
“The Jury Box” by Steve Steinbeck is the book review column, mostly historical mysteries this time.
“Non Absolvo” by David Dean has his series character police chief Julian Hall in it, but the protagonist is Catholic priest Father Gregory Savartha. It seems Chief Hall has been poisoned, and the priest must decipher the strange actions of a dying man. Part of the story hinges on the rite of confession, and the rules involved. Someone, it seems, was not properly cathecized.
“Stranger than Fiction” by Dean Jobb looks at the life and crimes of Marthe Hanau, a Jazz Age French swindler. While draining people’s money with a Ponzi scheme was low, I personally found her selling the military a product supposedly combining rum and coffee to keep the soldiers active and happy but containing neither coffee nor rum to be particularly despicable.
“Dig Down Deep” by Frances Beck is a reprint from the July 1945 Black Mask. An ex-convict has managed to worm his way into a trusted position with a millionaire businessman and even started courting the man’s daughter. Which would be great, if his ex-girlfriend wasn’t refusing to be “ex.” She threatens to expose his past if he doesn’t cut her in, and this being a crime story, he does the obvious. But how to dispose of the corpse?
“The Stain of Memory” by Thomas K. Carpenter takes us to Alexandria in Egypt, under Roman rule. Magistrate Ovid is called to adjudicate a dispute between the two most powerful men in the city. But perhaps justice instead should be done for the woman at the center of the dispute. Content note: rape/sexual assault is discussed, as is suicide; echoes of #MeToo are very present.
“Trick or Treat” by Jake Jakeman is a Halloween tale set in an English village. A woman who may be a witch moves in and bad things happen. But this village remembers the old ways, and witches do not last there. Content note: Use of an old fashioned ethnic slur.
“Nugget” by John F. Dobbyn is a story poem set in the Yukon during its Gold Rush, about a prospector who adopts a puppy. But there is an evil man who cares not for dogs. It rhymes!
“The Very Last Time” by Juliet Grames is perhaps a science fiction story, as our narrator claims her missing husband is trapped in the distant past due to their time travel device breaking. But no one else believes this.
“Rage and Ruin” by M. Zizzari is a “Department of First Stories” entry. An auto theft gang with a particularly violent member sets its sights on burglary. This is a bad idea.
“Sixteen Lies” by Matt Goldman features Minnesota private eye Nils Shapiro. This time, he’s investigating whether a disabled woman was murdered, and if so, what the motive was. It’s a very Minnesotan tale, and lies are told.
“The Celestial Thief” by Paul Halter is translated from the French. Art critic and amateur detective Owen Burns investigates a cold case in a remote village. If the story is to be believed, someone stole the moon and the stars from the sky, and during this darkness, a man was attacked, dying of his wounds. How was it pulled off?
“Why Did You Do It?” by Bill Pronzini is a quickie about a robber who freely admits his guilt, but absolutely refuses to disclose his motive. The answer is pretty obvious if you think about it.
“Meals on Wheels” by Sandy Smith has a charity volunteer run into danger. Beware the elderly!
“Blog Bytes” by Kristopher Zgorski covers a few mystery and crime-related websites and podcasts.
“To Slay a Stranger” by R.T. Raichev takes us to a more genteel part of England. A mystery author is invited by a romance author to meet that woman’s next door neighbor. That man is suddenly confronted with a photograph with a hole in it, and spins a tale of murder and madness. There is a hole in the story as well, and when the neighbor turns up dead, the writer makes some uncomfortable connections.
“The Problem with Fish Markets” by Trey Dowell has a spy in Venice whose cover is blown. What will he do to protect his secret?
“Weed Man” by Hilary Davidson points up one of the injustices of legalized marijuana–white dudes with startup money can make a good living from official stores, while black men who were in prison for dealing many years ago are shut out from the market. But in this case, the stakes are more personal, as the freed man used to be the businessman’s dealer. Informing to get rid of your enemies is a double edged knife.
“Snail Mail” by Denis Johnston is another first story. A Southern woman is stuck next to a talkative drunk for a long plane ride. By the end, she’s more appreciative of her own imperfect but loving husband, and her sympathies are aroused.
“Demon in the Depths” by William Burton McCormick takes place in and about an archipelago off Norway. Latvian journalist Santa Ezerina is investigating the possible existence of a crashed airplane that broke the sound barrier in the 1950s before apparently exploding. The pilot was Santa’s great-grandmother, and she wants to clear her ancestor’s name.
Unfortunately, the wreck is also of interest to certain governments. Santa and her divers must navigate a web of espionage determined to keep her from the truth. Oh, and also, there’s something else in the water that leave horrible spiral-shaped wounds….
This novella makes a strong finish to the issue.
Somewhat subdued for an anniversary issue, but as usual a good collection of stories for crime and mystery fans. I liked the McCormick and Goldman stories, but the Johnston tale was a bit weak.
