Whodunit? — Robert Reginald

Ten great reads for a lonely night of thrills and chills!

In John Gregory Betancourt's “Dog Pit,” the fourth entry in “The Pit and the Pendulum” series, Peter “Pit Bull” Geller must unravel the theft of an expensive ring, while simultaneously dealing with a nasty canine guard. Sydney J. Bounds's “The Book Miser” has detective Josephine “Jo” Royal trying to thwart an unscrupulous book collector who's taken advantage of an innocent seller. In “The Purple Glove Murders,” by Mary Wickizer Burgess, attorney Gail Brevard is asked to solve a killing that appears to be linked to another murder from decades earlier.

In Victor Cilincă's “Eggs,” a multi-millionaire pasta company executive becomes the target of a scam. In “The Case of the Telbury Halt Ghost,” by Ernest Dudley, well-known detective Doctor Morelle must unravel the mystery behind the apparent haunting of a rural railway station. “The Adventure of the Forgotten Umbrella,” by Mel Gilden, is one of those tales of Sherlock Holmes mentioned -- but never actually related -- by Doctor Watson.

Michael Hemmingson tells the story of an unfortunate young man on the make who's quite simply overwhelmed by his three “Vivacious Vixens!” Francis Jarman demonstrates, “In the Light of What Happened,” that poking around in old Indian temples can have unforeseen consequences! James B. Johnson's “Flankspeed” is one of the most unusual mysteries ever encountered by this editor -- and also one of the best. Arlette Lees, a rising star of the noir mystery magazine scene, contributes “Blood Bayou,” one of those backwater places that you probably want to avoid on your next little escape from the law.