Skullduggery: Three "Lost" stories by James Reasoner

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While excavating a few old boxes from storage the other day, I unearthed these artifacts of Reasoner history.  As soon as I’ve finished reading them, they’ll be winging their way to Texas to join the Reasoner post-fire library.

SKULLDUGGERY 5 (Winter 1981) was the first of two issues edited by Will Murray, who took over from Mike Cook. With this issue, the mag shifted from crime fiction to “fiction noir”, which explains why I bought it. The Reasoner tale, “Dreams Before Breakfast” stars a guy who suffers a recurring nightmare until he begins cheating on his wife. Believing she was the cause of his dreams, he resolves to end the marriage by any means necessary - with surprising results. Also in this issue: “Mellow Drama” by Richard Sale, a cockeyed tale from 1935, set in the office of a hero pulp publisher (it has since been reprinted in Blood ’N' Thunder 3).

SKULLDUGGERY 6 leads off with his story “Play by the Rules”. This one’s about a guy paid a visit by an old not-friend and his deadly associates. This tale is far less “lost” than it used to be, because James reprinted it last Fall on his blog. You can read the whole thing right HERE. You’ll be pleased to know the cover illo with the folks in the klannish hoods is for a different story.

SKULLDUGGERY 7 finds Karen Shapiro and Bill Desmond (publishers of issues 5 and 6) now editing as well. According to them, “The Double Edge” is Reasoner’s fifth story featuring Markham, a Chandleresque private eye. Markham doesn’t mind serving his clients, but hates being used, as his current client learns to his peril. “At he moment,” the editors tell us, James “is working on both a mystery novel and a fantasy novel. And a historical romance, The Emerald Land, which he wrote with his wife, L.J. Washburn, will be published soon by Fawcett.” (Hey James! What fantasy novel was that?) Skullduggery lasted one more issue (without a Reasoner tale, I believe), then was reborn for a four-issue run as Spiderweb, where at least one more of his stories appeared. If I have any Spiderwebs, they’re still buried in storage.