A Word From the Editor
Spring is finally making an appearance here on the East Coast. The temperatures are moderating and there are more smiles on people's faces as they manage the streets. Of course, the potholes in this city -- which are left over from two winters ago and never tended to -- are …
Stories
The International Press screening of Travesty of Justice 5: Personal Justice was nearly over and our producer and star, Joe Stewart, and his assistant, Michael McCalley, were nowhere to be found. There was no way of knowing their whereabouts, which meant searching for them was an annoying and probably futile …
Stories
The Treasure of the Perky Bean
“. . .I really am, I really do, I really have a love for you. . .” Jenny hummed quietly with the tune coming from the cassette player over the coffeehouse speakers. She’d never actually seen a cassette player before—it was something left over from the Wildflower Café which she …
Stories
“She killed herself?” I hesitated at the entrance of the duplex where the cold air-conditioning met the moist heat of the Texas summer night. “Right through the heart.” Officer Vic Alvarez stood from his examination of the woman’s chest wound. “Come on in, Keira, we’re pretty much done in here. …
Stories
"Splatter. I like the sound of the word. You might prefer the German phrase of spritzing, or the Dutch variation: spatter. I refer to the process of splashing, or casting out droplets of a liquid. For the purposes of our discussion this morning the liquid I make reference to is …
Stories
Jason found it wedged into the folded-up child seat of the shopping cart. A woman's, the wallet was cheap and plastic, with a zipper handle shaped like a heart. Opening it, the first things to notice were the $100 bills. They were crisp and looked unused. Jason had to lick …
Stories
The pub-style clock on the office wall read three-forty-five: my usual time to stand in front of the tiny back-office mirror. I’d comb my salt-and-pepper hair and make my five-o’clock shadow regress by a few hours before meeting with a late afternoon client. But I had no client appointments that …
Stories
Fest Day One, Morning A cool Canadian breeze wafted through the dark, forested hills. Tethered by Lake Prabodhan's shore, giant balloons bobbed and swayed in the wind, sinuous purple, green polka dotted dragons, bearded mermen and long tressed mermaids, tails intertwined, and the finest specimen, larger and grander than the …
Stories
Capitol Crimes and Capital Punishments
With its web of scaffolding, the Capitol Building appeared incomplete, unfinished, as if the workers abandoned their task in the middle. Its gold gilding glittered in the hot, white sunlight. The bronze Statue of Freedom looked forlornly down from its perch on the dome, a dark shape against the electric …
Columns
DOG DAY AFTERNOON, released September 21, 1975 Starring Al Pacino as Sonny. With John Cazale as Sal Directed by Sidney Lumet Screenplay by Frank Pierson Based on “The Boys in the Bank”; by P.F. Kluge and Thomas Moore One sweltering morning in Brooklyn N.Y., Sonny and Sal set out to rob …
Columns
CUTTING THE CORD For the past few years, I'd cut back my cable TV package to save a few dollars per month, only to see nickel-amd-dime fees increase and eliminate that savings within months. When a ten-year-old Samsung 55-inch TV became unwatchable with power problems over Labor Day weekend, my …
Columns
NEW FEATURE: WHAT’S YOUR PROCESS?
What’s Your Process? How does a writer get the work onto paper (or screen, as it were)? That's probably the next most asked question after the "where do ideas come from?" thing. So Mysterical-E set out to find the answer to this question. (Finding the answer to the other question is …
Columns
Mysteries for Your Listening Pleasure Blogs still retain some popularity and websites are always useful, but another option has become increasingly popular for authors and others in the mystery genre – podcasts. Search around and you’ll find a variety of podcasts not just in the mystery genre, but catering to …
Interviews
An Interview with Dennis Palumbo
Dennis Palumbo, M.A., MFT is a writer and licensed psychotherapist in private practice, specializing in creative issues. His acclaimed series of mystery thrillers--- Mirror Image, Fever Dream, Night Terrors, Phantom Limb and the latest, Head Wounds (Poisoned Pen Press)---features psychologist and trauma expert Daniel Rinaldi. He’s also the author of …
Interviews
An Interview with Barbara Petty
Barbara, like Thea Browne, her protagonist in her mystery series, was born and raised in the Midwest. In college, she studied French, spent some time in Paris, then returned to her hometown, Rockford, IL and became a newspaper reporter. Eventually, she moved to New York, and worked in magazines as …
