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A review by verumsolum
Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine May/June 2021 Vol. 157 Nos. 5 & 6 Whole Nos. 956 & 957 by Janet Hutchings
4.0
I was quite pleasantly surprised by my first issue of Ellery Queen. It called to me from the bookstore shelf when we were setting out on a short vacation in a neighboring city this summer. I've enjoyed mystery books, but I had a less satisfying time with an anthology of mystery stories (which I think comes down to a definitional disagreement between me and the editors of that anthology as to what makes a mystery story). After that, I wondered whether what I liked about mystery just didn't translate to short fiction. This magazine told me that short fiction isn't a problem for me to enjoy in this genre.
As with any sort of collection of shorter pieces, some clicked with me and the very occasional one didn't. For the most part, the stories went where I wanted them to, and there were just enough occasions where a story or character unsettled me or surprised me to keep it from being boring.
It took me far too many months to read this, after buying it. And… I will definitely have to buy another issue. I enjoyed the stories, and they were short enough that I can see it as a good choice for a waiting room situation where one expects to wait, but may be interrupted at any moment… especially because each story felt short enough that I wouldn't mind if I had to reread a few pages to get my bearings when I picked it up again next time I read.
As with any sort of collection of shorter pieces, some clicked with me and the very occasional one didn't. For the most part, the stories went where I wanted them to, and there were just enough occasions where a story or character unsettled me or surprised me to keep it from being boring.
It took me far too many months to read this, after buying it. And… I will definitely have to buy another issue. I enjoyed the stories, and they were short enough that I can see it as a good choice for a waiting room situation where one expects to wait, but may be interrupted at any moment… especially because each story felt short enough that I wouldn't mind if I had to reread a few pages to get my bearings when I picked it up again next time I read.