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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Solid entertainment for mystery fans, December 1, 2003
AHMM always seemed like a poor cousin to its sister publication Ellery Queen (EQMM). The stories don't have individual lead-in blurbs; instead, a brief editorial mentions any particularly interesting stories, introduces new writers, or calls attention to new departments in the magazine.The stories, while not as polished or literary as in EQMM, are usually enjoyable. Some authors return to the same characters and I often look forward to their pieces, such as John H Dirckx's Detective Auburn, or D.A. McGuire, who had an excellent series with a preteen detective. Many new writers try the waters of AHMM first and then move "up" to EQMM. In addition to the expected book review column, AHMM features a reader's contest called "Mysterious Photograph" where you can send in a short-short based on a photo they supply; there is a crossword or acrostic puzzle, and a new feature includes interviews with well-known mystery authors. If you love mysteries, especially the short-story form, you should be getting both AHMM and EQMM. Note: Starting with the 2004 issues, AHMM now publishes 10 issues a year; 2 are "double issues" with almost twice as many pages.
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