Welcome to Black Cat Weekly. We can’t believe it’s been 100 issues! Time flies when you’re having fun. To celebrate, we are offering this issue at a special price.To help make this issue special, we asked Acquiring Editors Barb Goffman and Michael Bracken to contribute some special stories of their own. We think you’ll agree, they are among the highlights of this issue. On the mystery side , we also have stories by Nancy Pickard, Bradley Harper, and a novel from the legend...

A revolutionary new paradigm for understanding addictionWhy do people with addiction use drugs self-destructively? Why don’t they quit out of self-concern? Why does the rat in the experiment, alone in a cage, press the lever again and again for cocaine—to the point of death? In this pathbreaking book, Hanna Pickard proposes a new paradigm for understanding the puzzle of addiction. For too long, our thinking has been hostage to a false dichotomy: either addiction is...

When a bad man with a nice cat was murdered during World War II, the police asked Dr. Franklin Couch for his assistance. Now, many years later, the old veterinarian tells his granddaughter about the investigation, which involved many cats and many clues, but just one killer.The Barb Goffman Presents series showcases modern masterpieces of mystery, crime, and suspense selected by acclaimed mystery author and editor Barb Goffman.

There has never been a more important time for a study of the social, economic and political origins of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, three important world religions which share a common root. This book takes as its starting point the idea that gods, angels, miracles and other supernatural phenomena do not exist in the real world and therefore cannot explain the origins of these faiths. It looks instead at the material conditions at appropriate periods in antiquity and the social and ec...

Handwritten over four years from maximum-security federal prison cells, The Rose of Paracelsus: On Secrets and Sacraments, is a unique work of psychedelic literature that explores the potential of human cognition. This book follows the narrator, a Harvard graduate student and researcher, as he uncovers an intricate, global psychedelic network through encounters with “the Six,” clandestine LSD chemists who synthesize planetary-scale batches of the substance, traversing states of consciousne...

The World of Nirunen contains 5 sample chapters from the first 5 books of The Kaerling series.Each chapter reveals different aspects of the main characters, as well as giving the reader an idea of how the plot progresses.The Day of Weird and Fire Daughter were both written BEFORE the author discovered she had cancer. Subsequent books were written AFTER cancer and reflect the darker nature of the world as she now experiences it.The Kaerling starts off as an Epic Fant...

"Supplement to Harvesting Ants and Trap-Door Spiders" is a significant work that expands upon the foundational studies of myrmecology and arachnology. Authored by John Traherne Moggridge and Octavius Pickard-Cambridge, this book delves into the intricate behaviors and ecological roles of harvesting ants and trap-door spiders. The authors meticulously document their observations, providing valuable insights into the life cycles, habitats, and interactions of these fascinating creatures. The...

"Whittier-land" by Samuel T. Pickard is a captivating exploration of the life and legacy of the renowned American poet John Greenleaf Whittier. The book delves into Whittier's deep connection to the landscapes of New England, particularly Massachusetts, where he drew inspiration for his poetry. Pickard paints a vivid picture of Whittier's rural upbringing, his abolitionist beliefs, and his profound love for nature, which shaped his literary voice. Through rich descriptions and insightful c...

"You're Perfect, Now Die" is an 80,000-word thriller of betrayal and unexpected love. Anne Tucker discovers that the husband she was told had died, now plans to kill her. Never once thinking she'd be the "other woman," everything changes when Anne receives a picture of her husband draping his arm around the soft-spoken, wannabe artist Belle, who constantly begs Anne for advice. As a potter specializing in unique porcelain, Anne creates beauty--not the horror unfolding before her. Everythin...

The Kidnapped and the Ransomed recounts the extraordinary life of Peter Still, stolen from his New Jersey family as a child and sold into slavery in the South, and of his wife Vina, whose freedom he struggled to secure after decades of bondage. Written in the idiom of the nineteenth-century slave narrative, the book combines documentary testimony, sentimental appeal, providential reflection, and antislavery argument. Its power lies in its careful movement between private suffering and publ...

Rev Samuel Pickard (1820 – 1899) was a Quaker who converted to Baptism and began an astounding career in preaching the Good Word in the Mid-West and beyond. Starting his ministry in Iowa, when it was still a territory, and moving around the states converting many, raising many churches, participating in the Revival movement and aiding his brethren. In this autobiography he recounts his many trials and tribulations in bringing the word of God to many around the States.

A provocative analysis of net neutrality and a call to democratize online communicationThis short book is both a primer that explains the history and politics of net neutrality and an argument for a more equitable framework for regulating access to the internet. Pickard and Berman argue that we should not see internet service as a commodity but as a public good necessary for sustaining democratic society in the twenty-first century. They aim to reframe the threat to net neutrality a...