JULY/AUGUST 2026
Welcome to Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine! Discover original, spine-tingling stories by top-notch authors and new writers from all corners of the mystery genre, plus news, reviews, and more… to make your blood run cold!
EXCERPTS:
Icehouse
David Hagerty
BOOK REVIEWS:
Booked & Printed
Laurel Flores Fantauzzo
EDITOR’S NOTES:
Life and Death Bets
Linda Landrigan
MYSTERIOUS PHOTOGRAPH:
The Story That Won
In 250 words or less…
Murder, Mayhem, Whodunit.
AHMM’s award-winning stories delivered directly to your door!
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FEATURED STORY
The Elephant in the Gingerbread Shop, Or, The Pig on the Ring
It was the second day after the spring equinox, and, though there was a breeze ruffling the little buds of leaves on the bare branches in Regents Park, I was walking for the first time in months without a scarf or a coat. Baskers, my rather large golden retriever, with
Keep readingMore stories from the latest issue:
- The Elephant in the Gingerbread Shop, Or, The Pig on the RingIt was the second day after the spring equinox, and, though there was a breeze ruffling the little buds of leaves on the bare branches in Regents Park, I was walking for the first time in months without a scarf or a coat. Baskers, my rather large golden retriever, with
- The BearsTraffic was light on a Saturday night as Frank headed west on Roosevelt Road. The Eisenhower would have been quicker, but expressways had cameras, so he stayed off them. The job was in Briarton, a northwest suburb up by O’Hare. A lot of the outfit’s old guard lived there, but
- Advance ObituaryIn the fall of 1931, when the Great Depression still gripped the country by the throat, I was on the verge of being fired from my job in the typing pool at the New Orleans Item. The hatchet-faced supervisor found out I couldn’t type sixty words per minute and relegated
- Mister Muktod Stays for DinnerIt was the depths of the summer and the heat hung heavy over the city like a thick woolen blanket, and in no place was the blanket thicker than within our apartment. Sweat covered my brow and stung my eyes. The lone air conditioner chugged in the window of the
- My Needs Run to the SimpleThe pontoons bounced on the placid water of the cove and I taxied the seaplane into a practiced spin against Dr. Feldon’s deck, then tied off quick so I could get inside, and while I’ll admit I wasn’t as observant as I might’ve been in my bladder-induced haste, I can
SNEAK PEEK
Coming Next Issue . . .
“The Silent Partner,” by Nick Guthrie
“The Man Who Loved Halloween” by Janice Law
“The Dog Dazer” by Jeff Soloway
“We, the Aging” by Gabriela Stiteler
AWARDS
OVER 60 YEARS OF AWARDS
157 Nominations from the full breadth of mystery genres
37 Award-winning stories
Edgar, Agatha, Barry, Arthur Ellis, Robert L. Fish, Macavity, Shamus, Thriller, Anthony
INVESTIGATE AHMM
Great stories of any genre are rooted in characters — well-drawn, individual, and credibly motivated…
Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine is one of the oldest and most influential magazines of short mystery and crime fiction in the world. Launched over 60 years ago, today AHMM maintains a tradition of featuring both promising aspiring writers and talented authors, spanning the full spectrum of sub-genres from dark noir to graphic works.
Meet the Who’s Who of Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine authors! View The Lineup of contributors in the current issue, see what motivates our writers, and much more.
To commit a crime is to roll the dice: Will it go as planned or will chance intervene? Can you trust your partners or will you be betrayed? The most carefully plotted murder can unravel faster than a spontaneous crime of passion. This issue is full of stories about characters who are hoping for the favor of Lady Luck, whether ferreting out corporate espionage or raiding a bathroom vanity for unused meds, weighing the odds that they will be a serial killer’s next victim or transporting a dangerous armed robber to a hospital. The turn of a card, the flip of a coin—any situation or choice subject to sudden reversal or surprise can propel a good mystery plot. We’ve doubled down on our bet that you’ll find these stories worthwhile.
“Skeletons in the Closet”… Get the latest news, check out Editor Linda Landrigan’s blog, enjoy lively podcasts, test your mystery puzzling mettle, see if you have what it takes to be a mystery writer. It’s all here.
More From Must Read Magazines!
AN INSIDE LOOK
by David Hagerty
“Ice, ice, ice,” people shouted at the mayor of New York each time he appeared in public. The price had doubled over a year’s time, and voters were angry. They relied on ice to keep their food fresh in summer and to cool their fevers in winter. And beer. The ice kept the beer chilled and flavorful even when temperatures outside rose. In a generation, New Yorkers had come to expect a steady flow of ice from the rivers and lakes upstate. READ MORE
by Will Ferguson
In murmuring voices, they discuss my murder. And every time they do, Maria comes closer and closer to capitulating. “I can’t,” she whispers. I can hear the swallowed sob in her voice. I can’t. “You must,” they whisper back. You must. READ MORE
