A review by jbleyle63
Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine March/April 2022 by Janet Hutchings
4.0
Joyce Carol Oates’ novella length “33 Clues Into The Disappearance of My Sister” takes up a quarter of this issue and is stylistically similar to her recent contributions to EQMM, long on ambiguity and mood. I find them worth the read but can certainly understand reader frustration with so much space devoted to a longer story with no clear resolution, but believe readers can make their own informed decision based on whether the first few pages engage interest enough to complete full story.
Rest assured that the rest of this issue features the usual variety of shorter fiction sprinkled among the other regular features and reviews. Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier’s “Rise” features a rich setting in the author’s own home of St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands and a winning story of family conflict leading to a satisfying ending. Mat Coward’s “Morbid Phenomena of the Most Varied Kind” is full of black comedy and seems ready-made for a screen adaptation by Simon Pegg & Nick Frost.
Rest assured that the rest of this issue features the usual variety of shorter fiction sprinkled among the other regular features and reviews. Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier’s “Rise” features a rich setting in the author’s own home of St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands and a winning story of family conflict leading to a satisfying ending. Mat Coward’s “Morbid Phenomena of the Most Varied Kind” is full of black comedy and seems ready-made for a screen adaptation by Simon Pegg & Nick Frost.