The first Plan B collection showcases a wide variety of plans gone sideways — private eyes getting stuck on cases they really don’t want to take, petty criminals getting in over their heads, law enforcement professionals on the wrong side of the bars, and upstanding citizens finding themselves to be not so law-abiding after all. These stories are as varied as they are excellent — there are light-hearted tales to make you smile, literary pieces that challenge the definition of crime writing, and realistic portraits of difficult and disturbing decisions. Whatever your tastes, I’m sure you’ll find something to enjoy here and maybe something to surprise you.

Crime knows no boundaries, and no one culture or time period has a monopoly on plans gone wrong. In this second collection of stories from Plan B Magazine, we find tales from around the world and across the span of time. These stories also travel the breadth of human experience, from the innocence of a child to the mind of a bigoted murderer. Some stories will make you smile while others will make you cringe, but all will take you on a journey into the darkness of the human spirit. And what a ride it will be. Table of Contents: "Shadows" by E. J. Togneri "Pongo's Lucky Day" by Craig Faustus Buck "Flames" by Robert Guffey "Faster Than a Speeding Bullet" by Sally Carpenter "Government Assistance" by M. A. B. Lee "Ninety Miles, A Million Miles" by Gary Cahill "Inured" by Stephen D. Rogers "Embers" by Michael Haynes "Grave Designs" by Mike O’Reilly "Man On The Run" by Laird Long "A Piece Of String" by Ahmed A. Khan "Mockingbird Rail Yard Blues" by Jim Downer "The Ring" by Aislinn Batstone

Taking something away from others — their possessions, their dignity, their liberty, their lives — is the root of taboo. All the stories in this, the fourth collection of tales from Plan B Magazine, touch on what happens when people put their will above that of others. Sometimes it’s amusing, other times heartbreaking, but it no matter what, someone’s day won’t be going according to plan. Table of Contents “Old Friends” by Frank Byrns “Write Your Epitaph” by Laird Long “An Unexpected Invitation” by Daniel Marshall Wood “Bad John” by Adam Howe “Death by Fiction” by J. M. Vogel “The Chunk” by Michael McGlade “The Basement” by MJ Gardner “The Bulldog Ant is Not a Team Player” by Dan Stout “The Mystery of the Missing Puskat” by Lavie Tidhar “Other Wishes” by Richard Zwicker “Afterwards” by Jeff Poole “The World’s Best Coffee” by C. D. Reimer “Zero Sum Game” by Doug J. Black

Every place has its unique sensibility; a flavour that makes it special. Whether one is going somewhere new or discovering the secrets that make the familiar seem foreign, where you are matters as much as when you’re there. The stories in this fifth collection from Plan B Magazine occur at the intersection of the familiar and the strange, the rise of the unexpected and the twist in the road. Let’s take a journey to the unknown. Table of Contents: "Honeymoon Sweet" by Craig Faustus Buck "Broad Daylight" by Eve Fisher "This Land of the Strange" by Math Bird "Please Wait" by Robert Dawson "Fill In The Blanks" by Stephen D. Rogers "The Double Iron Cross" by William E. Wallace "Red Bait" by Edd Vick & Manny Frishberg "Broken Hearts" by Laird Long "Intimate Knowledge" by Suzanne Baginskie "The Asshat Fund" by Todd Morr "Mysterious Private Investigations" by Peter DiChellis "Coffee and Killings" by Simon Maltman "The Good Neighbor" by Lawrence Buentello

"Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine" returns with issue #16, presenting the best in modern and classic mystery fiction! Included this time are the usual column by Dr John H. Watson, plus the following works: The Ironic Story of The Stevenson-Doyle Letters by Gary Lovisi The Contributions of William S. Baring-Gould, by Daniel DiQuinzio A Medieval Mystery, by Peter James Quirk Happy Birthday, Birthday Girl! by Richard A. Lupoff Hangin' with Iron Mike, by Stan Trybulski Inspector Romford's Greatest Cases by John Grant The Last Song, by Dianne Neral Ell Santa and The Shortstop, by Steve Liskow The Case of the Addinton Tragedy, by Jack Grochot Gold-Digger, by Laird Long The Yellow Face, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle "Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine" is produced under license from Conan Doyle Estate Ltd.

Welcome to Black Cat Weekly #23. Lots of good stuff this time—highlighted by a novel from Golden Age mystery author Rufus King, Duenna for a Murder. Plus a few novellas, and lots of great short stories, a solve-it-yourself mystery from Hal Charles, and great selections from Michael Bracken (Laird Long’s “Taken for a Ride”—which qualifies as both a mysery and a fantasy story) and Barb Goffman (Michael Allan Mallory’s “Random Harvest”). On the science fiction side, the Cynthia Ward Presents story is missing this week, but that’s only because we have a fantastic alternate-history story from Cynthia herself! Check out her “On Stony Ground.” Plus an epic disaster story from Allan Danzig, a fantasy from Unknown by Lester del Rey and James H. Beard, a space-based tale by Richard Wilson, and a miniature military SF story from Larry Tritten. Here’s the complete lineup: Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “Soul Searching,” by Laird Long [short story] “A Fine Kettle of Fish,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “Dead Wrong,” by Frank Kane [short story] “Taken for a Ride,” by Hulbert Footner [short novel] “Random Harvest,” by Michael Allan Mallory [Barb Goffman Presents short story] Duenna to a Murder, by Rufus King [novel] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “On Stony Ground,” by Cynthia Ward [short story] “Corrigan’s Homunculi,” by Larry Tritten [short story] “Carillon of Skulls,” by Lester del Rey and James H. Beard [short story] “Abel Baker Camel,” by Richard Wilson [short story] “The Great Nebraska Sea,” by Allan Danzig [short story]

Every Tuttle man has had the prickly power of mental insight—the ability to telepathically hear the thoughts of others, for a time. For Gaylord Tuttle, it was the ability to hear thoughts of…murder! “Don’t abuse the power,” his father warned, like Obi-Wan Kenobi with a Cockney accent. Advice to be ignored, when heroics were involved.

The annual Lumberland inventory count was normally as dull as watching water-treated wood dry. But not this particular fiscal year-end. The manual counts were way off, spruce, pine and birch items cut out from the building materials warehouse. Forcing a certain CPA-in-training stud to start swinging his auditorial two-by-four, splintering the case of the pilfered forest products wide open.

Our 73rd issue is another great one. It features an original mystery story by Laird Long (courtesy of Acquiring Editor Michael Bracken). Great modern tales from Diana Deverell (courtesy of Acquiring Editor Barb Goffman), Nicole Givens Kurtz (courtesy of Acquiring Editor Cynthia Ward), and Richard Wilson (a rare short story that only appeared in a limited edition chapbook). Plus classics from Ray Bradbury, Murray Leinster, Carolyn Wells, George O. Smith, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Quite a list of contributors! Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “Murder On My Mind,” by Laird Long [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “The Play’s the Thing,” Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “In Plain Sight,” by Diana Deverell [Barb Goffman Presents short story] The Case of Oscar Slater, by Arthur Conan Doyle [novel] Where’s Emily, by Carolyn Wells [Fleming Stone series, novel] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “The Pluviophile,” by Nicole Givens Kurtz [Cynthia Ward Presents novelet] “A Rat for a Friend,” by Richard Wilson [short story] “Referent,” by Ray Bradbury [short story] “The Seven Temporary Moons,” by Murray Leinster [novelet] Hellflower, by George O. Smith [novel]

Welcome to Black Cat Weekly #47. Another fine issue is at hand—with mysteries from Peter Lovesey (thanks to acquiring editor Barb Goffman), Laird Long (thanks to acquiring editor Michael Bracken), and classics from Christopher B. Booth, Edgar Wallace, and Nicholas Carter. (Not to mention a solve-it-yourself puzzler from Hal Charles!) On the science fiction front, we have Nisi Shawl’s excellent “Lazzrus” (thanks to acquiring editor Cynthia Ward) plus classics from George O. Smith, E.E. “Doc” Smith, and Algis Budrys. Here’s the complete lineup: Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “Suicide Sleep,” by Laird Long [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “Boxed In,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] Popping Round to the Post,” by Peter Lovesey [Barb Goffman Presents short story] “Penny Protection,” by Christopher B. Booth [short story] Chick, by Edgar Wallace [novel] The Sultan’s Pearls, by Nicholas Carter [novel] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “Lazzrus,” by Nisi Shawl [Cynthia Ward Presents short story] “Firegod,” by Algis Budrys [short story] “Robot Nemesis,” by E.E. “Doc” Smith, Ph.D. [novelet] Pattern for Conquest, by George O. Smith [novel]