PRONZINI PRESENTS by James Lincoln Warren I had intended to run Part II of my diatribe on the use of grammatical mood today, but after having read John’s review of Bill Pronzini’s Small Felonies with its attendant mention of my personal story about Bill, I thought it would be timely to share the tale with […]

The DINNER GAME, part 1 by Leigh Lundin Last month, I wrestled with a character who writes dark poetry, which left me in a spot since I wanted her to read her poetry and it not be too awful. I’m not a poet but I have a lot of respect for the power of poetry […]

BILL’S BRIEFS by John M. Floyd I’ll start out with what I’m sure will be a stunning revelation: I sometimes have a tendency to stray from the main subject of this blog. Today, though, I’m not. Today my topic is short crime fiction. In fact it’s very short crime fiction. About a year ago, in […]

THE SPACE BETWEEN by Steve Steinbock All these years I’ve been putting two spaces at the end of my sentences after the period (A/K/A full stop) and before the next sentence. There I was, smugly thumbing the SPACE bar twice, doing precisely as my high school typing teacher taught me. And now I learn that […]

TO BE OR NOT TO BE A MENTOR by Deborah Elliott-Upton I’d chosen a table to the left of the door in the corner. It’s a good vantage point, allowing me to see before I am likely seen. Also, the door opens toward me, shielding from the cold wind a second or so later than […]

DEPARTMENT OF ODD SOCKS – VI by Rob Lopresti When you get your mitts on the current, March issue of Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, be certain to spare an hour for the Mystery Classic department which features a tale selected and introduced by yours truly. It is “The Shape of the Sword,” by Jorge Luis […]

Here is something of a companion piece to the Surprise Witness column of December 22, which described safe-cracking in the 19th century. It was recommended by the same source, the indefatigable Rob Lopresti. —JLW THE McWILLIAMSES AND THE BURGLAR ALARM by Mark Twain The conversation drifted smoothly and pleasantly along from weather to crops, from […]