Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine: A Year in Review 2013

Welcome to my summary of fantastic short stories that appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine during 2013. There were so many great stories and so little time, but I made the time to read each and every one. Here is my list of favorites:

January/February Double Issue: Dana Cameron's short story "Finals" was an excellent way to start of the new year. It was a fun mystery with a touch of the paranormal. Other stories I enjoyed in this issue included: "Small-Town Life" by Brendan DuBois, "White Lotus" by Michael Mallory, and "Reconciliation" by K.J. Egan.

March: My favorite for this month was a tie between "Festered Wounds" by Nancy Pauline Simpson and "The Marriage Swindler" by O'Neil De Noux. Both were great stories. I do hope to see Simpson's characters Miss Haseltine Polk and Deputy Jervis Stickley return in the future. Other stories I enjoyed included: "The Antiquary's Wife" by William Burton McCormick and "Downsized" by Doug Allyn.

April: "The Jolly Fat Man" by Cathy Dilts was a lot of fun to read. This was her first published short story! I really liked the main character, Dr. Charles Jerome Harrison, and hope he appears in another short story some day. Another short story that I couldn't put down in this issue was Phillip DePoy's "The Dead Man's Daughter." The spooky setting was great. Also, I enjoyed "Shanks' Ride" by Robert Lopresti; Shanks is one of my favorite characters.

May: I absolutely adored Terry Black's short story, "Satan's Shoe-Tops." It is told from a child's perspective and is very entertaining to read. Additionally, I enjoyed "The Bald and the Beautiful" by John Morgan Wilson and "The First Tale of Roxanne" by Angela Zeman.

June: My favorite story this month was "The Memory Train" by Wayne J. Gardiner. Other stories I enjoyed included: "Jumbie Tea" by Tom Savage and "Hitting the Brakes" by Gina Paoli.

July/August Double Issue: I had two favorite stories for this issue: "Murder Will Speak" by B. K. Stevens and "In the Land of Make-Believe" by Robert S. Levinson. Both stories were a lot of fun to read. Also, be sure to check out the Black Orchid Novella Award winner, "The Red Envelope" by Robert Lopresti.

September: One of my favorite characters, Detective Lieutenant Cyrus Auburn, was back this month in John H. Dirckx's short story, "Departmental Issue." I also enjoyed Janice Law's, "A Political Issue," with medium Madame Selina and her assistant, Nip. Additionally, readers should check out "Hangover at Sunrise" by C. B. Forrest.

October: This month "The Gypsy Ring" by James L. Ross caught my attention. I also enjoyed reading "Dress Blues" by Chris Muessig and "Two Men, One Gun" by Robert Lopresti.

November: This was a fantastic issue, and it's difficult to pick a favorite. However, Elaine Menge's story, "Soul Thief," had me hooked. I also enjoyed the quick pace of "In Plain Sight" by Diana Deverall; the story takes place in the Amish community of Pinecraft, FL. Meanwhile, Martin Limón takes the reader to Korea in his story, "The Queen of Yongju-Gol."

December: This issue contained my favorite story for the entire year: "The Aldrich House" by Alan Gordon. This horror story was full of suspense; I couldn't put it down. I also enjoyed the return of Madame Selina and Nip in Janice Law's story, "The Psychic Investigator" and Kathy Lynn Emerson's historical short story, "A Wondrous Violent Motion."