{"id":2546,"date":"2014-09-16T07:37:18","date_gmt":"2014-09-16T11:37:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vweisfeld.com\/?p=2546"},"modified":"2014-09-25T07:47:44","modified_gmt":"2014-09-25T11:47:44","slug":"three-ellery-queens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vweisfeld.com\/?p=2546","title":{"rendered":"*** Three Ellery Queens"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"jaguar\"<\/a>

“Spotted Ghost” by Lou Hedge<\/p><\/div>\n

Finished three issues of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine<\/em> recently\u2014August 2014, September\/October 2014, and, embarrassingly, August 2012. Some items in my reading pile are truly \u201caging in place\u201d! For variety of locale and time, the monthly collections in this deliciously pulpy magazine can\u2019t be beat. These three issues contain stories from Colonial America, to 1890s San Francisco, to modern Taiwan, to Belize City, where tourists hunt the elusive jaguar.<\/p>\n

One of the scariest involved the escalating war of nerves between an adolescent boy and his new neighbor, written by popular short story writer David Dean, author of the novel The Thirteenth Child<\/a><\/em>. A funny tale about a couple who owns a dry cleaners\u2019 shop also appeared in the 8\/14 issue, by British author Belinda Bauer<\/a>, known for the \u201cblackly funny\u201d style of some of her books.<\/p>\n

The most recent issue departs from longstanding EQMM<\/em> tradition by including some stories with paranormal elements. Despite its title, \u201cGhost Town,\u201d by Terence Faherty, does not. It refers to the near-abandoned Ocean City, New Jersey, in February, plagued by a series of mysterious break-ins. One of the shorter stories\u2014\u201cThe Hard Type\u201d by Carl Robinette\u2014packed the most emotional punch. In it a young boy questions his actions when he sees a couple terrorized by a motorcycle gang.<\/p>\n

I also enjoyed \u201cJaguar,\u201d about a young girl brought to New York as part of a human trafficking ring. Short stories by its author, Joseph Wallace<\/a>, have appeared in several anthologies, including the Best American Mystery Stories<\/em>. His most recent novel, Invasive Species<\/em>, is a science fiction thriller.<\/p>\n

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