Black Cat Weekly #230

We have two great novels this issue: William Le Queux’s The Rat Trap and Achmed Abdullah’s The Man on Horseback. Le Queux—often called the “Master of Mystery”—excels in this 1928 thriller. The story follows Frank Aylmer as he is drawn into a high-stakes web of international swindlers and murder—classic vintage espionage and suspense. And I cannot say enough great things about Achmed Abdullah, who is one of my favorite pulp writers. (I’ve reprinted many of his books and compiled a couple of collections of his short stories.) I thought I’d read all his major works until I stumbled upon a copy of The Man on Horseback. I suspected it would be a routine western, but it’s actually proto-science fiction, from before the term “science fiction” was coined, mashed up with—yes—westerns, mysteries, and even techno-thrillers. Call it steampunk. It’s a great read and sure to make you a fan of his work, if you aren’t already.

Our bread-and-butter is short stories, of course, and here we have originals from Dave Zeltserman (selected by Michael Bracken), E.E. King, Stephen W. Chappell, and Grigory Lukin, plus a rare Barb Goffman tale and an original solve-it-yourself puzzler from Hal Charles. For classic shorts, we have a scientific mystery from Ray Cummings and a lonb-buried science fiction story from British master Philip E. High. No matter your tastes, you’ll find something to love.

Here’s the complete lineup—

Cover Art by: Steve Hickman

NOVELS

The Rat Trap, by William Le Queux
An innocent traveler is lured into a dangerous ring of global swindlers.

The Man on Horseback, by Achmed Abdullah
A cowboy, a haunted mine, and a strange unknown metal…

SOLVE-IT-YOURSELF MYSTERY

“Murder Off the Grid,” by Hal Charles
Can you solve the mystery before the detective? All the clues are there!

SHORT STORIES

“Thinner Than Water,” by Dave Zeltserman [Michael Bracken Presents short story]
Hell's only detective huns for a missing soul in a world of pure misery.

“Punching Bag,” by Barb Goffman
A rich girl pushed to her breaking point finally decides to swing back.

“Death Trail,” by Ray Cummings
A ruthless actor learns that some secrets are impossible to leave behind.

“The Circle,” by E.E. King
Scientists race to solve a plague of kindness that is killing the rich.

“A Quest Born of Fire and Blood,” by Stephen W. Chappell
A scarred wizard and a witty bard face a dragon and the demons within.

“To Rue, To Revel, To Revert,” by Grigory Lukin
In a world of holograms and chips, true justice means rewriting the soul.

“Plague Solution,” by Philip E. High
On a world where plants hunt men, one desperate scientist finds an answer.