AN OATH AND A TERRORIST
Mystery Scene|Summer #164, 2020
It was the late 2000s and the United States government was engaged in a global hunt for Osama bin Laden.
Al Pessin
AN OATH AND A TERRORIST

It was potentially the most interesting story in the world. But the effort was top secret, so for a reporter covering the Pentagon, there wasn’t much I could write about it.

Then something happened that gave me an idea—not an idea for a news story, an idea for a novel.

Walking through the Pentagon’s central courtyard one day, I came upon a ceremony. White wooden folding chairs were lined up neatly in front of a stage. On the chairs were mostly civilians, ethnic clusters in traditional clothes from Asia, Africa, Pacific Islands, and elsewhere. In the middle of each cluster was a military member in a dress uniform— Air Force blue, Army green, Marine Corps khaki, Navy and Coast Guard summer white.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Summer #164, 2020 من Mystery Scene.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Summer #164, 2020 من Mystery Scene.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من MYSTERY SCENE مشاهدة الكل
6 New Writers to Watch
Mystery Scene

6 New Writers to Watch

Wiley Cash’s debut, A Land More Kind Than Home, about the bond between two brothers landed on the New York Times Best Sellers List and received the Crime Writers’ Association Debut of the Year.

time-read
10 mins  |
Fall #169, 2021
ANN CLEEVES
Mystery Scene

ANN CLEEVES

British author Ann Cleeves has an affinity for remote areas and how these isolated regions affect her characters.

time-read
10+ mins  |
Fall #169, 2021
CARLENE O'CONNOR
Mystery Scene

CARLENE O'CONNOR

“Anyone can play Snow White. It takes real talent to play the Wicked Witch.”

time-read
8 mins  |
Fall #169, 2021
Mystery Scene MISCELLANY
Mystery Scene

Mystery Scene MISCELLANY

FIRST USE OF FINGERPRINTS

time-read
3 mins  |
Fall #169, 2021
PANIC ATTACK
Mystery Scene

PANIC ATTACK

The newest entry in my Pittsburgh set series of thrillers is called Panic Attack. It’s the sixth book featuring Daniel Rinaldi, a psychologist and trauma expert who consults with the Pittsburgh Police.

time-read
2 mins  |
Fall #169, 2021
LAIDLAW'S LEGACY
Mystery Scene

LAIDLAW'S LEGACY

During the pandemic, Ian Rankin stepped away from Rebus and into the shoes of friend and literary hero, the “Godfather of Tartan Noir” William McIlvanney.

time-read
10+ mins  |
Fall #169, 2021
HILARY DAVIDSON
Mystery Scene

HILARY DAVIDSON

Call it The Case of Life Imitating Art.

time-read
7 mins  |
Fall #169, 2021
Thomas Walsh - The Unusual Suspect
Mystery Scene

Thomas Walsh - The Unusual Suspect

Any paternity test on the sub-genre of police procedural will identify the DNA of Ed McBain and Lawrence Treat, as well as the 1948 movie The Naked City and the radio and TV series Dragnet…and of course Thomas Walsh.

time-read
6 mins  |
Fall #169, 2021
S.A. COSBY
Mystery Scene

S.A. COSBY

In Razorblade Tears, two aging men—one Black, one white, both with criminal pasts—join forces to seek revenge for the murders of their gay sons. The themes of fathers and sons and toxic masculinity will be familar to fans of Cosby’s 2020 breakout Blacktop Wasteland.

time-read
10 mins  |
Fall #169, 2021
VIPER'S NEST OF LIES
Mystery Scene

VIPER'S NEST OF LIES

A slip of the tongue is a dangerous thing. Not only does it expose indiscretions, it also can lead to murder. The latter especially applies to me.

time-read
2 mins  |
Fall #169, 2021