"Never Bet Against Death," by J.F. Benedetto, in Crimeucopia: A Load of Balls, edited by John Connor, Murderous Ink Press, 2025.
We are in Tien-Tsin, China in 1901. The Boxer Rebellion has failed and Europeans and Americans have the run of the place. One of those Americans is Hezekiah Sauer, ex-cowboy, retired Marine, now a traveling man.
An Englishman, a baronet no less, invites Sauer to watch a game of Ts'uchu or cuju, a ball game played by - gasp - women. The game is interrupted by the murder of a Russian consul and the Russian army officers who arrive to investigate enlist Sauer's aid.
This story is an excellent example of the historical mystery, providing plenty of interesting historical detail without drowning you in it. As a bonus, there is a perfectly logical way of disposing of a murder weapon that I have never come across before.
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