by Chelsea Corarito “What kind of pie did you say this is again?” Brenda whiffs the barely-there slice she’s put on a piece of fine china. My set is gathering dust since it was used last Thanksgiving. “Cherry pie. It’s a secret family recipe.” I carry my plate with precision Read more
by Cory Cart I’m three hours into my Halloween shift at The Plunge, New Orleans’ longest-surviving queer dive bar, when there is a commotion at the front door. The wig comes in first. Tall, purple, teased to the heavens, and dipped in glitter. It walks in like it owns the Read more
By Shay Manning It all started when Missus Penny’s new lingerie—some scandalous little red things she’d purchased for a romantic interlude with Mister Penny—went missing off the clothesline in her backyard. Unfortunately for the neighbors of Serenity Park, a very respectable retirement community, the existence of a panties-thief would go Read more
By Bretton Cadigan Derek knocked on the detective’s door three times in succession. The first knock was determined, confident, and urgent. The second knock simply mirrored the first, producing a nice rhythm. The third knock was completely perfunctory and Derek would come to regret it. “Three knocks?! Two was more Read more
I read all genres, but mysteries were there for me when the going was rough. During the hardest times in my life I engaged my overactive mind in high-stakes puzzles, in fictional webs of deceit, and in dropped clues and red herrings. Each mystery pointed out the truth: sometimes, life Read more