Carolina Garcia-Aguilera

Bloody Waters (Lupo Solano Mystery)

Murray Leinster

Robert Silverberg

Randall Garrett

Lester del Rey

Lester Dent

Jerome Bixby

Eando Binder

Zenith Brown

Hal Charles

Dale Clark

This issue has been fun to put together. As a Maryland resident, I’ve always been partial to stories set in my home state, and Golden Age mystery author Zenith Brown is here this time with Murder in Maryland, a classic mystery originally published under her “David Frome” pseudonym. (She also wrote as Leslie Ford.) Add to that more mysteries by Hal Charles (another Solve-It-Yourself mystery challenge), Lester Dent (author of the famous Shadow pulp novels), Murray Leinster (whose name most science fiction readers should recognize), plus a great tale by Carolina Garcia-Aguilera (selected by Barb Goffman), and you have a terrific lineup. Alas, I wasn’t able to get to another Frank Lovell Nelson story, but his telepathic detective will be back next week. In the words of TV hucksters, But wait, there’s more! Remember, we also include great science fiction and fantasy in every issue, and here we have a bunch of classics by Lester del Rey (a rare fantasy from John W. Campbell’s Unknown first published in 1940), a devilish fantasy tale by Jerome Bixby, and a science fiction story by Robert Silverberg & Randall Garrett in collaboration. Plus I’m sneaking in one of my own Zelloque fantasies, written when I was reading the Richard Burton translation of The Thousand and One Nights. The influence shows. Our science fiction novel this issue is Get Off My World, by Eando Binder. —John Betancourt, Editor Here’s the complete lineup: Mysteries “This Will Slay You,” by Dale Clark [novelet] “Playing by the Rules,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “The Pipeline Juggernaut,” by Lester Dent [short story] “Pink Ears,” by Murray Leinster [short story] “The Right Profile,” by Carolina Garcia-Aguilera [Barb Goffman Presents Mystery] Murder in Maryland, by Zenith Brown [novel] Science Fiction & Fantasy “The Pipes of Pan,” by Lester del Rey [fantasy short story] “The Incomplete Theft,” by Robert Silverberg & Randall Garrett [science fiction short story] “The Last Guardian of Ru Ishtl,” by John Gregory Betancourt [fantasy short story] “The Battle of the Bells,” by Jerome Bixby [fantasy short story] Get Off My World, by Eando Binder [novel]

Black Cat Weekly #11

Magnolia

In this “entertaining romp” (Booklist) from the author of the Lupe Solano Mysteries, a woman travels to Las Vegas to find a missing sibling and instead finds herself rolling the dice with some very dangerous people—and with a very intriguing partner... Over the years, Esmerelda Navarro has become quite used to her eccentric family. But when her mother has a dream that the entire clan must unite in Miami to restore their long-lost casino—which, unfortunately, is still in Cuba—Esmerelda isn’t exactly ready just drop everything for the occasion. Then things get even more bizarre when her mother declares that Esmerelda must go to Las Vegas and collect her wayward little sister—a task made even more difficult by her sister’s apparent disappearance. Now, the situation has just become much more personal. And perilous. Aided by an unlikely ally in tough-as-nails ex-NYPD detective Dennis O’Shea, Esmerelda must dive deep into the underworld of Sin City. And in this city of mobsters, gamblers, and party people, she’ll have to be smart, savvy, and incredibly lucky if she’s going to save her sister before someone deals her a seriously bad hand...

Luck of the Draw

In a novel of love, family, and the insanity they have in common, Carolina Garcia-Aguilera—author of the author of the Lupe Solano Mysteries—“perfectly captures the conflicts of these cosseted Cuban-American women” with a generous splash of “tongue-in-cheek humor.” After taking a year away from her law career after the birth of her son, Margarita Maria Santos Silva finds herself at a crossroads during a singularly sizzling summer in Miami Beach. At first, all she has to worry about is whether to return to work or stay at home—and both her alfa male husband Ariel and old-school family strongly prefer the second option. But then another possibility enters the picture... with a wink and a smile she’s never forgotten. Years ago in law school, she loved the ridiculously charming and handsome Luther Simmonds. But the realities of life soon saw them drifting apart. Now, Luther is in Miami with Margarita on his mind, and she finds herself considering for the first time in a long time what she really wants for herself, her life, and her heart. But even if she figures out those questions, can she muster her fiery Cuban courage to do what it takes? “Garcia Aguilera creates human characters we can empathize with.” —Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel “This frisky Cuban-flavored story about a married woman who has an affair with her former law school boyfriend goes beyond the classic story of adultery[...] [Carolina Garcia-Aguilera’s] experience as the writer of the successful Miami-based Lupe Solano detective novels has give her an edge when it comes to writing a gripping story.” —USA Today

One Hot Summer

Carolina Garcia-Aguilera

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