It’s our annual Halloween kickoff—for the next four Black Cats, extra spooky stories will be creeping and crawling into every issue. This time, we have vampires and scarecrows and werewolves (oh my!) as well as sinister strangers for your reading pleasure. Plus other tricks and treats.
Here’s the complete lineup—
Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure:
“Skip Trace,” by Angela Zeman [Michael Bracken Presents short story]
Skip Rose swore he’d never return to his childhood home, but a desperate family hires him to find out why their daughter was murdered.
“The Treasure Map Intrigue,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery]
Can you solve the mystery before the detective? All the clues are there!
“Special Delivery,” by Linda Cahill [Barb Goffman Presents short story]
When a young girl takes over her friend’s paper route, she encounters strange men, dark stories, and a house feared by all the neighborhood kids...
“Ol’ Crowbait,” by Bobbi A. Chukran [short story]
When pranksters target Minnie Tate’s farm, they uncover more than Halloween mischief—triggering events that unravel a long-buried secret...
Scotland Yard Can Wait, by Zenith Brown [novel]
Inspector Lord investigates a decades-old bank heist. As bodies pile up, can he unravel the mystery before the cunning mastermind escapes with the loot?
Science Fiction & Fantasy:
“Howl At the Moon,” by John S. Glasby [short story]
A cursed castle, a full moon, and an ancient, terrifying secret!
“He Who Stakes,” by Phyllis Ann Karr [short story]
In Prince Vlad’s cruel court, Father Clement’s faith is tested when martyrs rise from their stakes. Can mercy and justice prevail over a ruler blinded by righteous fury.
“Waystation,” by Hannah Birss [short story]
In a rundown bar on Space Station SOL, a lonely miner share a fleeting, intimate encounter with a mysterious woman on a pilgrimage for a new sun.
“The Jackson Killer,” by Philip E. High [short story]
Sent to a frontier planet to track down a highly intelligent and dangerous mutant, Lassen must outwit his prey while grappling with the morality of his own role as an Eliminator.
“The Scientific Pioneer,” Nelson S. Bond [short story, Horsesense Hank series]
A farmer with uncanny “horse-sense” shocks university scholars by solving complex scientific problems. But when offered fame and fortune, unyielding logic leads him on a different path.
