Mystery Tribune / Issue Nº7: Fall 2018
()
About this ebook
Our 240 page Fall 2018 issue of Mystery Tribune is a must-have! This volume features must-read short fiction by the acclaimed author Reed Farrel Coleman and Scandinavian author Ragnar Jónasson.
A curated collection of photography from European and North American artists, interview with award winning Max Allan Collins on noir comics novel “The Night I Died”, and some of the best voices in mystery and suspense are among the other highlights.
Issue Nº7, Fall 2018 features:
Stories by Reed Farrel Coleman, Ragnar Jónasson, Charles Salzberg, Justin Bendell, Michael Anthony, Alison Preston, Lance Mason, Joe De Quattro, Bern Sy Moss, Michael Smith, and Richard Risemberg.
A close and personal essay by Hector Acosta on the presence of Latin authors in crime fiction
Interviews and Reviews by Max Allan Collins, Cara Hunter, Charles Perry and Nick Kolakowski.
Art and Photography by Patty Maher, Nathan Colantonio, Linda Kristiansen, Philip Kanwischer, and Milica Staletovic.
An elegantly crafted quarterly issue, printed on uncoated paper and with a beautiful layout designed for optimal reading experience, our Fall 2018 issue will make a perfect companion or gift for avid mystery readers and fans of literary crime fiction.
Related to Mystery Tribune / Issue Nº7
Titles in the series (21)
Mystery Tribune / Issue Nº2: Summer 2017 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMystery Tribune / Issue Nº6: Summer 2018 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMystery Tribune / Issue Nº3: Fall 2017 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMystery Tribune / Issue Nº1: Spring 2017 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMystery Tribune / Issue Nº5: Spring 2018 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMystery Tribune / Issue Nº4: Winter 2018 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMystery Tribune / Issue Nº7: Fall 2018 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMystery Tribune / Issue Nº8: Winter 2019 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMystery Tribune / Issue Nº10: Summer 2019 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMystery Tribune / Issue Nº9: Spring 2019 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMystery Tribune / Issue Nº11: Fall 2019 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMystery Tribune / Issue Nº15 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMystery Tribune / Issue Nº12: Winter 2020 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMystery Tribune / Issue Nº18 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMystery Tribune / Issue Nº14 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMystery Tribune / Issue Nº16 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMystery Tribune / Issue Nº13 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMystery Tribune / Issue Nº17 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMystery Tribune / Issue Nº20 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMystery Tribune / Issue Nº21 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMystery Tribune / Issue Nº19 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related ebooks
Dishonorably Discharged 3: The Ex's Tour Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMystery Tribune / Issue Nº21 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRedskin and Cow-Boy: A Tale of the Western Plains Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Emerson Gospel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRotten in Denmark Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsInnocent Monster Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Platinum Pirate: The Island Connection, #8 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTales I Never Told! Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThrillers: One After Three - a Crime Thriller the White Lion - a Supernatural Thriller Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsValley Thieves Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Christmas, Crime, Letter: A Holiday Crime Mystery Short Story Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe James Deans Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Lonely Skier Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Sacred Art of Joking Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSplit Ends Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHighwayman Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Routine Patrol: Memoirs of a Small-town Cop Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Sharp Rise in Crime Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5You Never Know With Women Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Unquiet Heart Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Toff at Camp Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Callback for a Corpse Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Hidden: Mysterious Tales of Suspense Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Am I Cold Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDeath's Shadow: True Tales of Homicide Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Monster Apocalypse Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Single & Single: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Thirty-Nine Steps Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Toff And The Fallen Angels Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Dark Side of Ecstasy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Literary Fiction For You
Prophet Song: A Novel (Booker Prize Winner) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Flowers for Algernon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Piranesi Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Catch-22: 50th Anniversary Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Covenant of Water (Oprah's Book Club) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Man Called Ove: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pride and Prejudice: Bestsellers and famous Books Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Handmaid's Tale Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Confederacy of Dunces Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Life of Pi: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cloud Cuckoo Land: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Demon Copperhead: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Queen's Gambit Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Alchemist Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Invisible Hour: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Silmarillion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I Who Have Never Known Men Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Only Woman in the Room: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tender Is the Flesh Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lagos Wife: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Little Birds: Erotica Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Sympathizer: A Novel (Pulitzer Prize for Fiction) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Poisonwood Bible: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lady Tan's Circle of Women: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rebecca Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All the Ugly and Wonderful Things: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Leave the World Behind: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Old Man and the Sea: The Hemingway Library Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Mystery Tribune / Issue Nº7
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Mystery Tribune / Issue Nº7 - Reed Farrel Coleman
ISSUE NO. 7
MysteryTribune
FALL 2018
MysteryTribune
P.O. Box 7638, New York, NY 10116 / email [email protected]
To subscribe go to mysterytribune.com or call 347 770 1361
Publisher and Managing Editor
Ehsan Ehsani
Associate Editor
Jerry Holt
Cover Illustration
Nahuel Bardi
Design and Art Direction
Leo Lipsnis
Subscriptions and Advertising
Rachel Kester
IT Manager
Jack Rodriguez
Contributors
Max Allan Collins, Reed Farrel Coleman, Ragnar Jónasson, Michael Anthony, Lance Mason,
Justin Bendell, Alison Preston, Charles Salzberg, Joe De Quattro, Bern Sy Moss, Richard
Risemberg, Michael Smith, Hector Acosta, Charles Perry, Patty Maher, Milica Staletovic,
Nathan Colantonio, Linda Kristiansen, Philip Kanwischer, Cara Hunter
Contents
ISSUE NO. 7
FALL 2018
Editor’s Note
Ehsan Ehsani
Publisher and Managing Editor
One of the distinguishing factors of Mystery Tribune, and something which I am really proud of, is the fact that we are truly a global magazine. As an example, so far all our cover designs have been created by renowned non-American artists and our photography and art section receives and features thought-provoking collections from all over the world. Even the process of developing the physical issues happen in three continents.
Diversity and welcoming niche point of views have always been a cornerstone of our work and we are happy to see that our readers and subscribers enjoy it too.
Fall 2018 edition of Mystery Tribune is no different from previous issues in this sense: Ragnar Jónasson, the bestselling Icelandic author of Detective Ari Thor series, has sent us a short story which we highly recommend. We think you will also be delighted to read the new Moe Prager story from Reed Farrel Coleman who needs no introduction.
When it comes to photography, we have a lot of Canadians in this issue: The dark and mystical work of Patty Maher is truly fascinating to view. Nathan Colantonio and Philip Kanwischer have also provided us with a great showcase of their surreal art. The issue also features the work of Linda Kristiansen from Norway and Milica Staletovic from Serbia which you should not miss.
You can also enjoy a preview of the new Mike Hammer graphic novel along with an interview with Max Allan Collins who brought this new title to life.
Mystery Tribune is a one of a kind magazine and that, in part, is because of the support of loyal readers such as you. We hope you enjoy our Fall 2018 edition and come back for more in 2019 when we will release our special anniversary edition.
Fiction
The Devil
Always Knows
A Moe Prager Story
by Reed Farrel Coleman
I lied. That everyone lied or shaded the truth to fit their lives’ narratives was of no comfort to me. Maybe that was just an aspect of my Jewishness. The guilt associated with nearly everything. Thanks, Mom . The truth was much harsher and had nothing to do with my religion or my parents. There was simply nothing to comfort me after my divorce. What’s the line from the Elvis Costello song? It’s the words that we don’t say that scare me so.
It was one of those lies of omission that blew up my marriage, a time bomb of words unspoken. The seeds of the lie were sewn in the late ‘70s. I was lost in those days. A lot of people were lost back then, but again, I took little solace in being a fellow traveler of the lost.
Son of Sam had one last victim nobody knew about — me. On August 11 of ’77, I had just returned from special assignment, working crowd control at David Berkowitz’s arraignment. In my absence, two things happened at the ugly concrete box known as the Six-O precinct on W 8th Street in Coney Island: the floor had been waxed for the first time in a year and someone had carelessly tossed a piece of carbon paper onto it. The cops who witnessed my final step in uniform say my knee twisted in such a way that even Gumby would’ve winced. That they were nauseated by the noise my knee made as every piece of connective tissue holding it together snapped, crackled, and popped. The reason I had to rely on other people’s accounts is that my head smacked against the floor as I went down that I didn’t come to until I opened my eyes in the ER at Coney Island Hospital.
But the lie that disappeared the twenty years of my marriage, isn’t the lie at the heart of this. I mean, I’ll tell you about that lie, too, about the words I didn’t say until it was too late and Schrodinger’s cat was already out of the box ... or not. The lie I’m talking about here, now, is the one I have repeated many times in my career as a PI. It goes like this — I don’t do divorce work. Never have and never will. Never, huh? What I’m admitting to you is that I did divorce work. One time. Then again, I only ever slipped on a piece of carbon paper one time. One time counts. If I believed in God and he talked, I’m pretty sure he would tell you that only once
isn’t much of an excuse. Think of how much heartbreak and pain would be drained from the human experience if we could take back all of our only-onces.
I didn’t like Herm. He was a bully who enjoyed shoving his wealth in your face.
Herm Carter was a corporate client of ours. A client of the wine business I owned with my big brother Aaron. When I was lost back there in the age of Plato’s Retreat, Studio 54, the Ramones, and EST — Erhard Seminars Training, not Eastern Standard Time — my brother threw me an anchor. It had always been his dream to go into the wine business. Foundering as I was, I grabbed the anchor and hitched my wagon to his dream. For many years, that decision was one of those only-onces I would have taken back. Now I’m less certain of that. Age will do that to a man, make him less certain of all the things he was once as sure of as the rising of the sun.
I didn’t like Herm. He was a bully who enjoyed shoving his wealth in your face. He was one of those people who equated cost with quality and money with class. But business isn’t about liking your customers. It’s frequently about taking their money and biting your lip so hard you bleed iron into your mouth. Herm owned two high end restaurants, a catering hall, and had his fingers in all sorts of dirty pies. So it was with great suspicion that I eyed him when he showed up at Red, White, and You, the wine store Aaron and I owned in Greenvale on Long Island. That’s just south of the Gold Coast. Neither Gatsby nor Daisy ever walked in, but there was so much wealth in the area the air was tinted green ... at least it felt that way to a poor schmuck from Brooklyn like me.
Herm had Marlboro man good looks. He was the kind of bastard who got handsomer as he aged. When his full head of neatly coifed hair turned gray, it went soft white/silver gray, not that dull shade of industrial steel wool. The lines on his face deepened, emphasizing the square lines of his jaw and lending him an undeserved aura of gravitas. He was perpetually tanned, highlighting his dark blue eyes and perfectly white teeth. He always made sure to wear exquisitely tailored clothing in just the right shades to enhance what nature and his personal trainer had given him. Still, he couldn’t help but ruin the affect by wearing so much gaudy, ridiculous gold and diamond jewelry that he might just as well have hung a flashing neon sign around his neck. And truth be told, I was glad to see gravity and Herm’s excesses were finally winning the battle and that he was beginning to fray at the edges. There was a detectable roll of fat hanging over his beltline. His blue eyes were weary and shot red with blood. It was all I could do not to click up my heels.
One of Herm’s few saving graces was that he did most of his business with us over the phone or by fax. The other was that he preferred dealing with Aaron. So it was odd when he parked his new, Hey-look-at-me-I’m-over-here-OVER-HERE-red Ferrari F355 in the fire lane outside the store.
Sorry, Herm,
I said, but Aaron’s not in today.
He gave me an impatient sneer. I’m here to see you, Moe.
About?
You’re a licensed PI, right?
You already know that, Herm, or I take it we wouldn’t be talking.
He didn’t like that and hesitated. His demeanor said he wanted to find a way to bully me. Maybe condescend to me. He was a man whose breath smelled of condescension.
I did his bullying for him. Here’s where you threaten to take your business somewhere else if I don’t do as you ask.
That pushed him from impatience to something else. His face screwed itself up into an ugly thing that revealed his true nature. But he caught himself and put his human being mask back on. He even laughed at himself.
I like your brother, but I respect you. You don’t like me very much.
Wrong,
I said. I don’t like you at all.
He was undeterred. I need your help.
He took several photos out of the inside pocket of his blazer, sliding them across the counter to me. My wife. I think she’s cheating on me.
Of course, my opinion of Herm was so low that I wondered how any woman would have stayed married or faithful to such a pretentious asshole. But when I took a careful look at the woman in the photos, I was struck dumb. She was beautiful, ungodly so. I had only ever met one woman with looks like that and, by revealing her husband’s crimes to her, I had abetted in ruining her life. One lesson my part time work as a PI had taught me was the belief that the truth always made things better was utter crap. Sophistry, pure and simple. The truth often made things worse, much worse. Unless Herm’s wife was a saint, a fool, or willfully blind, she would need no help in discovering her husband’s true nature.
She’s gorgeous.
She is.
I don’t do divorce work.
There it was, the lie. I figured I’d trot it out for show to see if Herm would fold and just go away.
He didn’t. I don’t want a divorce. I want to save my marriage. Christ, help me, but I think I’d kill myself without her in my life.
I know looks are superficial things and we’re supposed to believe it’s what’s on the inside that matters and that we shouldn’t objectify people and... Life is so full of shoulds and shouldn’ts, enough to choke on. Sometimes we need to be honest with ourselves and admit there are certain levels of beauty which, if only for a little while or from a distance, nullify all those what-we’re-supposed-to-believe-ins
.
It wasn’t unearthly beauty or cheating that ended my marriage to Katy. Like I said, it was a thing I didn’t say. Four words, five syllables, to be precise: I found your brother.
I should have told Katy immediately, in 1978. But once I didn’t say them and a