Authors in This Issue
“Tree of Heaven” by Kevin Egan
Kevin Egan is the author of eight novels, including Midnight, a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2013. His short stories have appeared in AHMM, Mystery Tribune, Mystery Magazine, and anthologies such as Fedora III and Small Crimes. This is his fourth appearance in EQMM.
“A Well-Worn Path” by Gabriela Stiteler
Gabriela Stiteler is a writer and educator based in Portland, Maine. Her work has appeared in AHMM, The Best of New England Crime Writing, Dark Waters Anthology, and elsewhere. Her debut story (EQMM) was a finalist for the Robert L. Fish Memorial Award from the Mystery Writers of America.
“Murder on Pins and Needles” by Lawrence Ong
Lawrence Ong’s debut story (“Murder Under Sedation,” EQMM, March/April 2024) was nominated for the Robert L. Fish Memorial Award from the Mystery Writers of America. Like that tale, this one features physician and police consultant Hank Lau.
“Le Rouge, 2B” by O’Neil de Noux
Shamus Award winner O’Neil De Noux’s prolific fiction output covers genres including Western, science fiction, literary, religious, romance, erotica, and humor. Find out more at www.oneildenoux.com.
“The Locked Room Murder on Pluto” by Luo Xia
Luo Xia is a young Chinese science-fiction writer. He has published over twenty short and medium-length stories and one full-length novel (Demons in the Mind).
“Wedded Twist” by Erika Jahneke
Erika Jahneke is a writer with a disability based in Phoenix. She tells us she is proud to make a return to EQMM following her First Stories appearance in 2010. About this story, she says the situation depicted “is extreme for all sorts of reasons (crime fiction should be exciting!), but unfortunately the benefit penalty for married benefits recipients is all too real.”
“Law of the Jungle” by Paul Ryan O’Connor
Former video-game writer Paul Ryan O’Connor’s debut short story—“Teddy’s Favorite Thing”—was voted a 2023 EQMM Readers Award winner and earned a Derringer nomination from the Short Mystery Fiction Society. He has also been published by Cold Caller, Mystery Magazine, Pulp Asylum, and Shotgun Honey.
“A Lost Dream” by Dave Zeltserman
2026 Edgar-winning author Dave Zeltserman’s work has won a Shamus, Derringer, and two EQMM Readers Awards. His crime and horror novels have been named best of the year by NPR, Washington Post, ALA, Booklist, and WBUR. His noir novel Small Crimes was made into a film (Netflix), and his novel The Caretaker of Lorne Field is currently in film development.
“Living the Gimmick” by Hector Acosta Rojas
Based in Texas, Hector Acosta Rojas is an Edgar nominated writer and the author of the wrestling inspired novella Hardway (Shotgun Honey Books). His work has appeared in Best American Mystery & Suspense, Thuglit, and other venues.
“A Thorntree Girl” by Linda Niehoff
Linda Niehoff’s short fiction has appeared or is forthcoming in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Black Cat Mystery Magazine, and elsewhere. She writes fantasy, crime, science fiction, and horror for both adults and young adults.
“Bad Combinations” by Ken Linn
Ken Linn’s last story for EQMM, “A Flash of Headlights,” finished as a runner up for the magazine’s 2023 Reader’s Award. This new story is the first in the Pete Barrow series to appear in the pages of EQMM. The first novel in the series, Dwellings, was published by Level BestBooks earlier this year.
“Dry Heat” by Peregrine Finn
Peregrine Finn spends her days designing flying systems and teaching AI “not to misbehave around humans.” She’s discovered that “engineering and storytelling have more in common than expected: Both involve extended periods of staring into space, though only one requires explaining what you were doing for the last three hours.” Join her at www.peregrine-finn.net.
“El Yerno” by Tom Larsen
Tom Larsen is the author of six crime novels, and his short fiction has appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Mystery Tribune, Black Cat Mystery Magazine, Black Cat Weekly, and Best American Mystery Stories.
“Decluttering” by Meredith Anthony
Tom Larsen is the author of six crime novels, and his short fiction has appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Mystery Tribune, Black Cat Mystery Magazine, Black Cat Weekly, and Best American Mystery Stories.
“Chapter 17: Perroquet Explains” by Jamie Probin
Jamie Probin hails from England and was raised in Lancashire. With a doctorate in applied mathematics and theoretical physics, he lives in Charleston, SC, teaching math at Charleston Southern University.
“Hunters” by Joseph S. Walker
Edgar, Shamus, Thriller, and Derringer award finalist Joseph S. Walker has been publishing short fiction since 2011. His stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Mystery Weekly, Tough, and a number of other magazines and anthologies. He is a winner of the Bill Crider Prize for Short Fiction.
“Overload” by LaToya Jovena
LaToya Jovena lives in the D.C. suburbs with her family. Her work has appeared in AHMM and The Best American Mystery and Suspense (2022). When she’s not writing, LaToya tells us, she’s taking very long walks.
“Gulmohar House” by Meeti Shroff-Shah
Meeti Shroff-Shah writes the Temple Hill mystery series. Her books are published in India, the U.K., and Japan, and her work has been shortlisted for the CWA Whodunnit Dagger and nominated for the People’s Book Prize, among other honors. She is the author of the critically acclaimed memoir, Do You Know Any Good Boys? (Pan Macmillan).
“Honey” by Pat Black
Pat Black is the author of the DI Lomond series. Since the Glasgow detective made his debut in EQMM in 2019, he has appeared in the novel To Pay The Ferryman, with a sequel, Jack In-The-Box, out in February 2026. Pat lives in Yorkshire with his wife and children, “but will always belong to Glasgow.”
“Good Fences” Terena Elizabeth Bell
Terena Elizabeth Bell’s short story collection Tell Me What You See was named one of the “best books of the century” by New York Society Library. The title story was a New York Foundation for the Arts grant winner, and another from the collection has been optioned to become a feature film. A Sinking Fork, Kentucky native, she lives in Manhattan.