Spring Into Great Reads from the Short Mystery Fiction Society!

This month marks the thirtieth anniversary of the Short Mystery Fiction Society, and our great authors are charging into our fourth decade firing on all cylinders! From the wittiest cozies to the grittiest noir, readers can't go wrong with SMFS. Check out just a few of the recent offerings from our writers!

•  Punk Noir magazine has an assortment of dark takes on the theme "Find What You Love and Let it Kill You," including electric tales from two SMFS faithful: Sandra J. Cady's "For the Love of Writing" and Elizabeth Dearborn's "Shop Till You Drop."
  
  
  
• Black Cat Weekly continues to offer fans of thrilling genres a tremendous value, with hundreds of pages of new and classic mystery, science fiction, and pulp adventure every week. Among recent SMFS offerings are Christina Hoag's "Debt of Silence" and Josh Pachter's "Turkish Muscle." Don't miss out on the web's best reading bargain!
  
  
  
• Woman's World proves that great things come in small packages with DK Snyder's twisty whodunit "Harmonica Blues."
  
  
  
• Over at Killer Nashville, Gregory Meece brings us a nail-biter of a suspense tale in "Game Over."
  
  
  
• Robert J. Binney is having a great month, spinning a gripping tale with "This Gun's For Hire" at Thrill Ride and having his story "Flat" read on the Mysteries to Die For podcast!
  
  
  
• On the anthology front, the Tucson chapter of Sisters in Crime brings us More Trouble in Tucson, featuring "That Which Does Not . . . " from SMFS's Michael J. Ciaraldi.
  
  
  
• In The Dichotomy of Love, SMFS member Beverle Myers brings us a fiery revenge tale in "The Red Windmill, 1915."
  
  
  
• In The Savage Waves of Spring, the fourth entry in Kelp Journal's series of beach noir anthologies, Curtis Ippolito puts a pair of exes to work investigating the allegations about their family in "Not Their Son."
  
  
  
• A host of SMFS's finest grace the pages of the latest Crimeucopia collection, A Coterie of Dicks, with PI stories from Josh Pachter, M. E. Proctor, Jim Guigli, and many more!
  
  
  
• Look for SMFS authors in the most surprising places--case in point, David H. Hendrickson's "Playing for all the Marbles at the Frozen Four" in Romance for All Seasons.
  
  
  
• Last but not least, Level Best Books has published Crime Scenes, the first collection from SMFS President Joseph S. Walker. The book's twenty stories include two winners of the Al Blanchard Award, plus finalists for the Edgar, Derringer, Shamus, and Thriller Awards. Make room on your shelves!
  
  
  

Keep reading, and look for more great reads from SMFS soon!

June News from the Short Mystery Fiction Society

 In June, the members of the Short Mystery Fiction Society closed out the first half of 2025 with another round of gripping stories for readers of all tastes.  A lot of the highlights are listed here--but if you love reading, writing, or talking about short stories and mystery, why not join the Society?  It's free, and you'll get to rub elbows with many of the best writers working today.  Onward to some of the best stuff that came out in June!

It was a fantastic month for anthologies!

MIDNIGHT SCHEMERS AND DAYDREAM BELIEVERS is the fifth entry in the outstanding series of Superior Shores Press anthologies, edited by SMFS's own Judy Penz Sheluk.  Desire or desperation, revenge or retribution--these twenty-two stories explore how far people are willing to go to make a dream come true.  Among the host of SMFS authors included are Joseph S. Walker ("Quincy and Crow"), donalee Moulton ("Maladaptives Anonymous"), Debra Bliss Saenger ("Checking Out at the Live Free or Die Motel" ), and of course Judy Penz Sheluk herownself ("A Foolproof Plan").  The previous anthology in this series was just nominated for a Silver Falchion award, and you won't want to have missed out when the honors start flooding in for this one.  Be sure to check out Judy's appearances on the Write Focus and House of Mystery podcasts, too!

Another long-running anthology series saw a terrific new entry in June with the release of CRIMEUCOPIA: A LOAD OF BALLS from Murderous Ink Press.  Once again, a host of SMFS's finest grace the pages of this collection of sports-themed stories that take twists as unexpected as a major league knuckleball.  Check out stellar contributions from Arthur Vidro ("The Purple Figurine Murders"), Robert Petyo ("The Perfect Game"), Wendy Harrison ("Be Careful What You Wish For"), John M. Floyd ("Rules of the Game"), and S. B. Watson ("Dust in the Field").  As the name suggests, there's always more great stuff to be found in Crimeucopia!

And now for something completely different!  DESERT OF DREAMS is the first anthology of short stories from the Historical Novel Society North America, exploring all the comic and tragic elements of the fascinating history of America's city of dreams, Las Vegas.  SMFS member Sally Millikin joins the fun with "Cowboy Justice."

Of course, it was also a fantastic month . . . for magazines!

The July/August issue of ELLERY QUEEN'S MYSTERY MAGAZINE, on shelves now, includes contributions by Joseph S. Walker ("When You Leave This Place") and Terena Elizabeth Bell ("What Blue Found"), alongside a wealth of legendary writers like Sara Paretsky, Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini.  Decades after its founding, EQ remains, as the cover proclaims, the world's leading mystery magazine.  No serious reader should be without it!

BLACK CAT WEEKLY shouldn't be overlooked--every week it brings readers hundreds of pages of mystery, science fiction, and pulp goodness, both classic and new.  donalee Moulton ("Second Line"), Paula Messina ("The Little Girl") and Veronica Leigh ("Two Against Time") are just a few of the tremendous writers who graced its digital pages in June.  If you don't have a subscription to BCW yet, what's stopping you?  They're still going strong after 200 issues, delivering the best value any reader could ask for!

The prolific donalee Moulton also appears in the new issue of JOURN-E: THE JOURNAL OF IMAGINATIVE LITERATURE with "Shadowbird," in which a Halifax PI is hired to find a stalker--and win a candlepin bowling tournament.

Over in THE LOUISVILLE REVIEW, SMFS member Robert Weibezahl delivers a bouquet of "Red Rhododendrons," in which a forgotten memory of a childhood encounter has an unexpected impact on the present.

The past comes back again when Gregory Meece offers up "Something Lost," a haunting mystery about memory, love, and the secrets time refuses to keep in the pages of the quarterly PARABNORMAL MAGAZINE.

And of course, it wouldn't be an SMFS news report without a mention of the amazing John M. Floyd's latest contribution to WOMAN'S WORLD, "A Case of Names and Numbers," in which a cashbox goes missing from a local festival.  Another masterclass in the short form from SMFS's most prolific member!

And it need hardly be said that it was a fantastic month . . . for online magazines!

SMFS members could be found all over the web in June, serving up free reads that pack a punch readers would be happy to pay for.  You can enjoy them on the virtual pages of THE SATURDAY EVENING POST (Billie Livingston's "Bringing in the Dead"), THE FREEDOM FICTION JOURNAL (Robert J. Binney's "Ghosted") YELLOW MAMA (Abe Margel's "Country Living" and Gregory Meece's "Lightning Strikes"), GUILTY (James Patrick Focarile's "The Drop"), SPILLWORDS (Bern Sy Moss's "The Man Under the Bridge"), and CLOSE TO THE BONE (Gregory Meece's "Straight Shooter").  In just a few minutes each, these stories prove that great writers deliver, no matter the length!

Of course, SMFS members don't only publish short stories in magazines and anthologies.  June was a fantastic month . . . for single-author books!

Anna Scotti's IT'S NOT EVEN PAST collects her massively popular "Librarian on the Run" stories, many of which appeared in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and three of which were selected for BEST MYSTERY STORIES OF THE YEAR.  Two previously unpublished stories flesh out what is unquestionably one of the great series of stories in the recent history of our genre.  This belongs on every mystery lover's shelf!

SMFS member Veronica Leigh's novel THE KEEPER OF LOST DAUGHTERS is a deeply moving story of a woman's desperate bid for survival in WWII Krakow, and the adopted daughter she'll do anything to save.  A treat for any lover of historical fiction!

In his collection CRIME FANTASTIQUE: STORIES OF MYSTERY AND SUSPENSE, short story master David H. Hendrickson shares eight riveting tales combining mystery and suspense with elements of the fantastic.  Includes introductions to each story, for those who want a glimpse behind the curtain!

Finally, a highlight of any month is new work from SMFS master craftsman Steve Liskow.  His collection SWEET LADIES OF DEATH brings together no fewer than 30 of his finest, all delving into crime and mystery but dabbling in romance, science fiction, and the supernatural.  You won't soon forget Liskow's ladies!

Looking for still more great reading?  Be sure to check out KEVIN'S CORNER, the blog where former SMFS president and his guests, including SMFS members like Paula Messina, review recent releases and keep you up to date on news.  Always worth a visit!

And with that, the SMFS will see you again in a month.  Happy reading!

May News From the Short Mystery Fiction Society

As 2025 turned the corner from spring to summer in May, the talented writers of the Short Mystery Fiction Society kept the thrills coming with a bevy of new publications.  Readers take note--there's a lot of great stuff to seek out here!

Issue 22 of the quarterly MYSTERY, CRIME, AND MAYHEM focuses on white-collar crime, and SMFS members are there to document the evil deeds of the well-to-do!  David H. Hendrickson's "The Telltale Scrape" pits some particularly ruthless players against each other at a new casino's poker tables.  In Annie Reed's "Not Dead Yet," a pair of crooks long retired from the protection racket are called back into action when young punks make a play for their old boss's territory.  Diana Deverell's "Reckless Endangerment" concerns another one-time felon, a bookkeeper who has to find an embezzler before the cops decide her record makes her the guilty party.  And in Joslyn Chase's "Judge, Jury, and Executioner," two rural policemen risk everything to root out corruption in their local justice system.

Not content with their publications in MCM, Annie Reed and David H. Hendrickson also have powerful contributions to the 39th issue of PULPHOUSE FICTION MAGAZINE.  Annie's "Be Someone" dives into the harrowing world of a pair of fifteen-year-old car thieves, while David's "Blue Note Heaven" has what is surely a most unusual setting for a crime story--heaven, where a newly arrived jazz musician isn't quite ready to play by the rules. 

Taking a quick trip across the pond, British publication THE PEOPLE'S FRIEND features SMFS member Liz Filleul's "School for Murder" in their 2025 Feel-Good Fiction Special.  When a teacher dies at an evacuated boarding school during WWII, policewoman Evelyn Masefield quickly realizes there's more to this "accident" than meets the eye!

In Christina Hoag's "My Mother's Knives," a May feature at ALL DUE RESPECT, we meet Mary Grace, whose interest in her new downstairs neighbor just might be edging into obsession, with murderous results.  A free-to-read thriller!

SMFS's Rob Lopresti graces BLACK CAT WEEKLY with "Shanks Gets Lost," the latest tale featuring his popular series character, mystery writer Leopold Longshanks, who has a puzzle to solve after a confrontation with an angry man.  Another issue of BCW brings us John M. Floyd's "Thursday's Child," about a loser who steps up when his workplace is robbed.

Of course, the prolific Mr. Floyd is never happy with just one publication a month!  Over at THE STRAND, he offers readers another treat with "Boom," in which two Army criminals face an unusual form of military justice.

Two SMFS members saw stories published in May in the venerable Saturday Evening Post.  In Marcelle Dube's "Liminal State," Estelle's last Christmas with her sister proves more fraught than anyone expected.  And in "Redemption Blues," Jennifer Slee takes us back to the Old West with the gripping story of an outlaw gang and one member who may see a way to a different kind of life.

Issue 14 of GUILTY CRIME STORY MAGAZINE hits hard with a double dose of SMFS member Brandon Barrows, who delivers both "Seen This Girl?," featuring his series character Sam Harrigan, and "Yowl," a you-solve-it mystery.

M. E. Proctor is yet another SMFS writer with two May publications to celebrate!  "Shadow Play" is her contribution to the horror flash Twitter/X magazine Mythic Picnic; "Shag Haul," in the Workers Write! anthology TALES FROM THE CLEANERS, features a pair of crime scene cleaners making a discovery that will change their lives forever.

As always, SMFS members don't confine themselves to fiction, and aspiring writers can learn a lot from their blog posts and other writings.  At THE FIRST TWO PAGES, Kevin Egan discusses the opening pages of "Buds," his recent story in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine.  Over at MYSTERY FANFARE, Christopher Deliso reflects on how to create a sense of place in a story.  Meanwhile, at THE GOTHIC WANDERER, P. A. DeVoe is recognized for "Cold Blooded Murder," her winning story in their Gothic contest.  Congrats, P. A.!

SMFS President Joseph S. Walker's story "Bonus Round," first published in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine in 2019, was the subject of a May episode of THE MYSTERY HOUR podcast, hosted by Rabia Chaudry.  The episode includes a reading of the story, about a murder timeline that just doesn't add up, as well as a discussion of the real-life case that inspired it.  Find it wherever you get your podcasts!

Finally, let's recognize those members of SMFS who published full-length books in May!  First up, Brandon Barrows is back again with LONG BEFORE THEY DIE, in which part-time PI Tom Ahearn is plunged into the sex and drugs of the hippie scene in 1968 Los Angeles.

In the gripping YA novel IMHOTEP AND THE QUEST TO KUSH, the second in a series, A. L. Sirois takes us to ancient Egypt's Third Dynasty as young Imhotep embarks on a perilous search, seeking remedies for his ailing king.

In Tom Milani's thriller PLACES THAT ARE GONE, a man who leads a life of dull routine is drawn into dangers beyond anything he's experienced when he picks up a hitchhiker whose past refuses to be left behind.

And we finish this month's news where we started, with David H. Hendrickson.  The multi-talented writer caps off a strong SMFS May with his collection CRIME FROM ANOTHER TIME, six stories of mystery and suspense set in times ranging from the ancient world to just a few decades ago.  Don't miss this riveting set from an acclaimed writer!

Stay tuned for more engaging reads from SMFS as we approach the second half of the year.  And remember, if you love writing or reading short mysteries, there's a place in the Society for you!