Isaac Asimov is best known as the doyen of science fiction writers, and some of his works like I, Robot and The Bicentennial Man have been made into films. But during his later years he also dabbled in the mystery genre, and this is a collection of his very best, chosen by the author himself. He also gives a short introduction to each story, which describes the circumstances in which the story was written, and this increases your interest in the story.
Not for Asimov the blood and gore of your normal paperback thriller. Like a true scientist, he picks mysteries that can be rationally explained by an armchair detective. You too may be able to solve the riddle before you reach the end of the story, provided you are well versed in American history, literature and the physical sciences.
The book can be broadly classified into the best of the Black Widower mysteries and a collection from his Union Club stories. All the stories are superficial, having been written for detective magazines, in-flight magazines of airlines and even adult magazines! The Black Widower stories revolve around a club that meets every month, when they grill a guest, who usually has something unusual or mysterious troubling him, which he tells them. They club members then discuss the problem threadbare, and finally their waiter, Henry, who has been listening to the talk comes up with a tangible solution. The Union Club stories revolve around Griswold, who, rather like the Eldest Member of PG Wodehouse’s golf stories regale the other members of the club with stories from his past.
So, what are the stories like? They go from the absorbing, like The Key to the ridiculous. All of them are short, so that even if the story does not absorb you, you will finish it in a jiffy. In between you will come across puzzles which display Asimov’s stature as a one-time Vice President of Mensa. For example, what number comes next in this series 1, 2, 6, 12, 60, 840, ...or the pronunciation of which English word changes if the first letter is capitalized?
Try this book for a feel of a different variety of detective stories. But dont buy it, get it from a library like I did!