Tales from Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine (book)

front cover

Tales from Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine

• published in September 1988 in the USA by Morrow Junior Books (hardback)
• edited by Cathleen Jordan & Cynthia Manson
• ISBN 0688081762

Contents

1. Introduction by Cathleen Jordan
2. Mysterious Ways by Richard McGonegal
3. Going to Meet Terry by Rick Hills
4. Upon Reflection by Elliott Capon
5. Bridey's Caller by Judith O'Neill
6. Love Always, Mama by Maggie Wagner-Hankins
7. The Batman of Blytheville by Robert Loy
8. The Girl in the Orange Beret by Lee Russell
9. The Eye Went by Rob Kantner
10. Western Wind by Janet O'Daniel
11. Our Little Red Shovels by David Holstrom
12. Double Substitution by Colleem M. Kobe
13. The Terrible Three by Thomasina Weber
14. A Specialist in Dragons by Al Kuhfeld and Mary Kuhfeld
15. The Matchbook Detective by E.E. Aydelotte
16. Appointment with Yesterday by Hugh B. Cave
17. No One Ever Listens by Stephanie Kay Bendel
18. The Marley Case by Linda Haldeman
19. The Poison Flowers by Anita McBride
20. Hunting the Tiger's Eye by Ruthven Earle Patrick
21. The Dear Departed by Dan Crawford

Inner Page

The very words "Alfred Hitchcock" are enough in themselves to conjure up an aura of mystery and suspense, and the magazine that carries his name has maintained that tradition for many years with its chilling tales.

Now in this first-of-its-kind anthology, twenty of the magazines finest short stories of dastardly doings and devious detection have been chosen especially to appeal to today's young adult readers.

There are stories about vampires, dragons and wizards, spies, detectives, and teen war-gamers. Some of the tales are intriguing puzzles; some are funny; some go outside the "real" world to bring a touch of terror from the past, the grave, or from outer space. But all are guaranteed to raise goosebumps on your arms and make you jump when the floor creaks or the cat walks into the room.

Introduction

If you are a regular reader of Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, you'll have a pretty good idea of what to expect from the stories in this book. If not, let me give you some hints. For one thing, people often think that mysteries and comedy don't go together. After all, murder—or blackmail or theft or whatever—isn't funny; everyone agrees about that. Nonetheless, somehow or other it is possible for humor and crime to go hand in hand in the same pages, and the stories in AHMM—and in this book—are frequently as funny as they are criminous.

You'll find a lot to laugh at here.

Second, at AHMM we don't take a narrow view at all about the kinds of stories we include. That is, our offices are open to ghosts and demons and other supernatural folk; even the occasional dragon has gotten through the door. We also let in science fiction, sometimes. We do usually insist that these assorted otherworldly beings come equipped with a story having to do with crime; otherwise, we're pretty much open to all comers. You'll find some of them here, too: by our count, nine of these twenty tales, one of them set on the moon, involve such beings as a household of vampires, a batch of wizards {and a dragon, see above) , a ghostly dog, and a haunted chair.

Of course, the stories are also often mysteries in the traditional sense; that is, there are plenty of wrongdoers to track down and puzzles to solve. One story is set in Paris, another in London; most of the rest take place in rural or small-town America, sometimes even in the characters' backyards, literally. There are stories for every mood and season—from lazy, hot summer afternoons to the traditional sleazy big-city atmosphere of a private eye's lodgings, to chill Christmas afternoons. Nearly all the stories present young people in a prominent way, boys and girls both, of all ages. The stories weren't written for young people, though—they were written for everyone—so if you like the book, you might recommend it to your adult friends and relatives.

Unless, of course, you don't want your copy to disappear into their libraries.

Cathleen Jordan
EDITOR
Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine

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Links

• Open Library - available to borrow as an eBook
• WorldCat