In this Issue...
After featuring a previously unpublished short story by
Mark Twain in the last issue of The Strand, I was asked if I had anything up my
sleeve for the summer issue. (“You’ve got to have something almost as special!”)
After being asked that high-pressure question scores of times, I finally
perfected a demure smile and a simple, “There might be something in the works,
but who knows …”
As luck would have it, in the next five issues of The
Strand we will be serializing an unfinished mystery novel by Graham Greene
entitled The Empty Chair—the first chapter of which appears in this issue. The
story will be completed by a soon-to-be-announced author. Special thanks to
François Gallix, who unearthed the manuscript, and to Graham Greene’s son,
Francis Greene. Both men have been very supportive of the project. Despite the
fact that Greene was only 22 when he wrote The Empty Chair, it is clear that
this was the work of a man destined to become one of the 20th century’s greatest
authors.
Also in this issue, the incomparable Andrew Vachss pens a
tale of jealousy, madness and vengeance in “Choice of Weapons,” while Tamar
Myers offers up “Twin Speaks,” a dark comedy about sibling rivalry. Best-selling
young adult author and Foyle’s War creator Anthony Horowitz gives us reason to
pause before accepting presents from new neighbors with “The Old Man of N3,” and
finally, Gillian Linscott has Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson tackling “The Case
of the Unopened Letter.
For our interviews, I had a chance to speak with the
legendary Ray Bradbury, whose timeless works continue to inspire new generations
of readers. Despite his stature as a great writer, he is one of the most humble
people I have ever interviewed and his youthful exuberance about life was
positively infectious. William Morrow recently released a collection of Ray’s
stories entitled We’ll Always Have Paris. I also had a chance to catch up with
Michael Connelly, a candid man with a wealth of interesting stories and a great
knowledge of the writing craft. Ever since I started reading Michael’s novels
years ago, I’ve marveled at how he manages to get better and better at spinning
complex plots while still keeping track of his cast of realistically
multifaceted characters.
In our Great Detectives series, Natasha Cooper profiles a
detective of sorts with John le Carré’s reliable spy, George Smiley, who
appeared in several espionage novels that I count among my personal favorites.
And to round things out, Ginny Wiehardt offers a look at the nominees for The
Strand Magazine Critics Award. This year, The Strand will also be giving a
lifetime achievement award posthumously to Sir John Mortimer. While John is no
longer with us, his works are destined to be read by generations of mystery
fans.
I hope you enjoy the magazine.
—Andrew F. Gulli
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