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Reviews

Jon L. Breen’s Gilbert and Sullivan Clue

EQMM Sep/Oct 1999 coverThe third story in The Misadventures of Ellery Queen, edited by Josh Pachter and Dale C. Andrews, pastiche section:

Jon L. Breen’s “The Gilbert and Sullivan Clue” first appeared in a double-issue of EQMM (Sep/Oct) in 1999. After a wildly successful comedy duo splits, Ozzie Foyle’s career as a solo takes off, while his old partner Joey Dugan’s tanks. A murder takes place on the cruise ship where Foyle is headlining and Ellery Queen is onboard courtesy of Foyle’s agent. The mystery requires nearly a dozen characters, which in turn requires four pages to introduce and clarify their relationships. Even with Breen’s efficient prose, the story ramps slowly. Fortunately, once the setup’s complete, the pace quickens and the plot thickens quite nicely.

EQMM base image from Galactic Central.

More to come . . .

Opening Lines

Opening Lines

Selected from a digest featured in The Digest Enthusiast book five: “The telephone was ringing when I walked into my office. I thought I knew who it was, but I tossed my hat on the desk…

Vault

Magazine of Horror #31 Feb. 1970

Contents “The Noseless Horror” by Robert E. Howard “The Tailed Man of Cornwall” by David H. Keller, M.D. (Weird Tales Nov. 1929) “The Duel of the Sorcerers” (part 1 of 2) by Paul Ernst (Strange Tales…

Interviews

Bill Crider’s Blog Bytes

The Jan/Feb 2018 issue of EQMM may have been the last issue to feature Bill Crider’s long running column: Blog Bytes. Here’s what he said about it in our interview for The Digest Enthusiast five: “I’m…

Reviews

Leyne Requel’s Dying Message

The second story in The Misadventures of Ellery Queen, edited by Josh Pachter and Dale C. Andrews, pastiche section: First published in the July 1966 edition of EQMM, Leyne Requel’s “Dying Message” is a playful romp.…

Vault

Magazine of Horror #30 Dec. 1969

Contents “Satan’s Servant’s” by Robert Bloch (Something About Cats) “Cross of Fire” by Lester del Rey (Weird Tales May 1939) “The Battle of the Toads” by David H. Keller, M.D. (Weird Tales Oct. 1929) “Harry Protagonist,…

Reviews

Milton Lesser’s The Circle

The final story in Marvel Science Stories, May 1951: In “The Circle,” Milton Lesser explores immortality through a husband and wife who, after traveling from one end of the universe to the other, settle on Earth.…

Vault

Bestseller Mystery B91

Although not labeled officially with the “Ellery Queen Selects” banner, Bestseller Mystery B91 follows the series’ formula: a short story collection edited by Queen, with his introduction. Bestseller Mystery B91, Oct. 14, 1947
 “The Department of…