Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine April 1983

Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine April 1983
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The last of my three issues of this magazine and certainly my favourite. Decent crime stories.

1. Shadow of Death by Brett Halliday - A fast-paced, easy to read Mike Shayne adventure. This was pretty hokey and dated with ninjas, revenge and a message that Viet Nam vets aren't crazy, drug-addled psychos but just like the rest of us. (3/5)

2. The Crucifixion by Mel D. Ames - A man is discovered nailed to a thirty-foot cross at a local church. Even though I couldn't stand the attitude of the lead detective, it was a fun mystery with the classic ending scenario of the suspects gathered in a room while the lieutenant explained which of them was the murderer. (5/5)

3. Blind Justice by Jerry Jacobson - I enjoyed this hardcore crime story. A punk severely maims an old man who lives downstairs in his low-income building. Justice is not served, but in the end, the assailant gets his due. (5/5)

4. A Matter of Organization by Dick Stodghill - A day in the life of an insurance investigator. He starts out finishing a job about a woman who broke her arm on a bus.He spends the rest of the day sorting out a jewellery heist for the insurance company. In the end, it turns out that everybody is a winner except him. (4/5)

5. Trial By Fire by Hal Charles - An excellent read, very different from the others. Set in a time when horse and buggies were still in use, this is a story of redemption. Arson is committed, and a body long-buried is found. Secrets and the truth finally come out. (5/5)

6. The Last of Clyde Dough by Wade Mosby - A small county finds a naked body with seared fingerprints in a snowbank during the March thaw. They can't identify the body nor do they have the facilities for an unclaimed body. What ensues is a comedic farce that is as funny as it is witty. My favourite in this magazine. (5/5)

7. Comeback by R. Tuttle - A short story about a has-been actress who still has a few business arrangements with her first ex-husband. Mary becomes a nuisance, and the ex decides to get rid of her. Enjoyable but predictable.(3/5)

8. The Assassin's Assassin by John Keating - More an encounter than a story at about 1 page in length. As the title indicates, an assassin goes to kill another assassin and finds the tables turned. Has a shock ending but not much. (2/5)