Current Issue Highlights
Under Coercion
by Linda Landrigan
Coercion is a feature of many a crime—and crime story—and one of the most insidious of coercers is the bully. They may be self-deluded narcissists, but bullies can also be crafty and able to stay one step ahead of their victims. Which is to say, they make excellent antagonists for fiction, as several stories in the issue at hand demonstrate.
Bullies can drive both action and reaction, and they can antagonize both heroes and readers by celebrating the chaos and destruction they cause, or they can manipulate the people around them in more subtle ways, sometimes revealing hidden weaknesses—or strengths.
As these tales show, bullies may be found in families, in neighborhoods, or in the workplace, but when an author lets their underdogs turn the tables, coercion comes in for its satisfying comeuppance.
FICTION
by Mark Thielman
A sign with two chess pieces–crossed black and white castles–hung on the wall. In front of the sign, a guy sat. He had his knee resting on a green metal desk, its linoleum top peeling up at the corners. The guy’s exposed skinny leg showed curly hair and pale skin. Ollie remembered his eighth-grade math teacher, Mr. Perkins. The teacher had also served as the faculty sponsor for the Chess Club, the nerd herd. Perkins fit the stereotype of a math/chess teacher. He used to sit that way too. Ollie grinned at the idea of “Perkodan” sporting a pair of red canvas Chucks, Dickies cargo twills, and an inside-out Pink Floyd retro T-shirt.
“Something funny?” Skinny Leg asked.
Ollie nodded. “Yeah, but I couldn’t explain it.”
Skinny Leg looked like he might challenge Ollie. Then he shrugged. “You’re here because Grinder recommended you. How do you know The Grind?”
“From around.” READ MORE
DEPARTMENTS
Booked & Printed
by Laurel Flores Fantauzzo
In times of turmoil, women labor on behalf of others more often than not. They emotionally soothe. They care for the chaotic and the ill. They pause or end their own ambitions to nurture someone else. All the while, sexism maligns women’s own strength while demanding they expend more and more of it.
There are moments when a beleaguered woman leader must summon someone else, a source of authority who will encourage them forward. This issue, Booked & Printed finds two protagonists facing the burdens of chilling crimes. In the process of sleuthing, they call on the strength of those who came before them, going so far as to contact the matriarchal powers of another realm. READ MORE
We give a prize of $25 to the person who invents the best mystery story (in 250 words or less, and be sure to include a crime) based on the photograph provided in each issue. The story will be printed in a future issue. READ THIS ISSUE’S WINNING STORY
Scrambled Clue
by Mark Lagasse
Unscramble the letters of each numbered entry to spell the full name of an actor or actress who appeared in at least one Hitchcock film. MOST RECENT PUZZLE
Look for our September/October 2026 issue on sale at newsstands on August 8, 2026. Or subscribe to AHMM in print or in a wide variety of digital formats.