Black Cat Weekly #59 by Marie Corelli

Our 59th issue puts us firmly into one of the happiest seasons of the year, Halloween! So fun and frights abound, with extra spooky content—starting with “Ghost Writers in the Sky,” an original tale by Steve Liskow, courtesy of Acquiring Editor Michael Bracken. (It does double-duty as mystery and fantasy, as does Acquiring Editor Barb Goffman’s pick, “Deal Breaker,” by Justin Gustainis.)

Alas, we have no selection from Cynthia Ward this time, but hopefully she will be back in short order. I picked up one of my favorite dark fantasies by another Acquiring Editor to fill the hole: “Peeling It Off,” by Darrell Schweitzer. Plus an uncanny tale by A.R. Morlan that would have been at home in Weird Tales, then a Victorian-era occult novel by Marie Corelli round things out.

For fans of traditional mysteries, we have a pair of great private detective novels: About Face, by Frank Kane, and a vintage Nick Carter novel from 1903. On the science fiction side, we have contributions by Murray Leinster and a novel by George O. Smith.

Overall, this is one of our most eclectic issues, but there is bound to be more than a few tales to suit everyone’s taste.

Here’s the complete lineup:

Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure:
“Ghost Writers in the Sky,” by Steve Liskow [Michael Bracken Presents short story]
“Point, Set, Match,” Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery]
“Deal Breaker,” by Justin Gustainis [Barb Goffman Presents short story]
Toying with Fate, by Nicholas Carter
About Face, by Frank Kane [novel]

Science Fiction & Fantasy:
“Ghost Writers in the Sky,” by Steve Liskow [Michael Bracken Presents short story]
“Deal Breaker,” by Justin Gustainis [Barb Goffman Presents short story]
“Peeling It Off,” by Darrell Schweitzer [novelet]
“The Cat Tracker Lady of Asad Alley,” by A.R. Morlan [short story]
“The Nameless Something,” by Murray Leinster [novelet]
The Hellflower, by George O. Smith [novel]
The Sorrows of Satan, by Marie Corelli [novel]