Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. Vol. 30, No. 13, Mid-December 1985

Editor’s Notes by Cathleen Jordan

In this issue... G. S. Hargrave is back with a new Sheriff Bigelow story, “Sheriff Bigelow and the Nickel-Plated Pocket Watch.” Some of you may remember the first tale about the denizens of Constantine County, “Sheriff Bigelow and the Bare Cold Facts,” published in AHMM in July 1984. In that story, the estimable sheriff and Deputy Walts found themselves faced with a body in a bathtub; this time around, they get involved in a most mysterious case of graveyard vandalism.

Back with us as well are Al and Mary Kuhfeld, with their police partners, Nygaard and Hefner, in “Scales of Justice.” (See “An Ill Wind,” April 1984, and “Allergic to Death,” September 1984.) Nygaard takes center stage in this story of an injustice unexpectedly — and entertainingly — redressed.

And then there’s Stanley Abbott’s story, “The Chinless Wonder,” the second in our series from the original Alfred Hitchcock TV shows — in which a man discovers that a new (but fake) beard may be a lot more trouble than it’s worth.

There’s much more, of course, but not much more space. In closing, however, we wanted to note that the film column, “Murder by Direction,” is written this time by Jennifer Shaw, daughter of our regular film reviewer, Peter Shaw, whose doctors thought an operation took precedence over movie-going. (Odd idea, but they did.) Peter is fine and will be back soon; in the meantime, we are very glad to have Ms. Shaw fill in for him.