Andy Blake is no sooner married to Arab that he realizes his home is not a love nest but an arsenal. True, the fragile, blonde Arabella had won prizes only in shotgun contests, but she didn’t discriminate against rifles and pistols. As Andy wistfully says, ''The worst thing about Arab’s guns is that they come in handy. She can track down trouble the way a detector spots land mines.'' Andy and Arab are plunged into this bang-up mystery when they attend an auction sale where a pistol starts a bidding contest between two oddly assorted customers. Andy, who also knows his guns, is sure that the pistol isn’t worth more than thirty bucks. He is therefore both flabbergasted and interested to hear the bidding skyrocket to two hundred dollars, especially since one of the bidders is a red-head whose legs he finds the most interesting exhibit at the auction. As Andy and Arab leave the auction he idly says to her, ''The person who bought that rod make a down payment on a time bomb. That red-head wasn’t bidding in the hundreds just to stimulate interest in the auction in general. I got a hunch the new owner will meet a lot of unpleasant people. Who bought the thing?'' Taking his arm, Arab answered happily, ''I did.''

Includes the decisions of the Supreme Courts of Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Texas, and Court of Appeals of Kentucky; Aug./Dec. 1886-May/Aug. 1892, Court of Appeals of Texas; Aug. 1892/Feb. 1893-Jan./Feb. 1928, Courts of Civil and Criminal Appeals of Texas; Apr./June 1896-Aug./Nov. 1907, Court of Appeals of Indian Territory; May/June 1927-Jan./Feb. 1928, Courts of Appeals of Missouri and Commission of Appeals of Texas.

The dangerously beautiful Deirdre Cantor is determined to inherit her grandfather's vast fortune. All she needs is to marry a duke...and be the first granddaughter to walk down the aisle. After all, she has always dreamed of becoming a member of the haute ton. So when the proper Calder Marbrook, the Marquis of Brookhaven and future Duke of Brookmoor, is abandoned at the altar, Deirdre makes it her business to become his wife—in spite of the whispers about his past. Soon Deirdre's visions of a lavish existence with the handsome Calder are shattered when she learns his shocking secret. Feeling betrayed, Deirdre seeks revenge by playing a perilous and seductive game of cat and mouse with her husband that threatens to drive them both to the heights of passion. She will not surrender to him, no matter how great her desire. But at what cost? Calder is determined to keep his secret under lock and key—and to make his stunning wife his in every way that matters. Even if it means winning her heart all over again...

This issue, we have original mysteries by Mark Thielman (thanks to Acquiring Editor Michael Bracken) and Joslyn Chase, plus a modern classic by Eve Fisher (thanks to Acquiring Editor Barb Goffman). Our novel is a Golden Age tale by Isabel Ostrander. Of course, there’s also a solve-it-yourself puzzler from Hal Charles. On the more fantastic side of things, we have a dark fantasy from British master Edmund Glasby, plus a classic tale by Allen Kim Lang...who, at age 95, is still with us. (His most recent story appeared in Analog in 2020.) Plus we have a Lancelot Biggs story by Nelson Bond, a classic SF story by Randall Garrett, and a fantasy novel by Manly Wade Wellman. Good stuff! Here’s the complete lineup— Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “Dramatis Personae,” by Mark Thielman [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “The Black Bandana Kid Rides Again,” by Hal Blythe Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “Sophistication,” by Eve Fisher [Barb Goffman Presents short story] “A Killer View,” by Joslyn Chase [short story] Ashes to Ashes, by Isabel Ostrander [novel] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “Something About Spiders,” by Edmund Glasby [short story] “Lancelot Biggs Cooks a Pirate,” by Nelson S. Bond [short story] “The Price of Eggs,” by Randall Garrett [short story] “I, Gardener,” by Allen Kim Lang [short story] Fearful Rock, by Manly Wade Wellman [novel]