4/6/22

Fun little mysteries written in Asimov's approachable, friendly style. Not terribly deep, but one shouldn't crack open a book of short, formulaic stories expecting that anyway. ( )

It's difficult to categorize these stories. I had thought I was going to be reading a series of crime and murder mystery stories, but only three (I think) of the stories actually deal with such. Even then, they aren't whodunnits, as the perpetrator is not necessarily disclosed.

What they are is a collection of witty and cleverly concocted conundrums about divers topics and with enough information given for the dedicated reader to work out the answer before Henry the waiter does so. Personally, I'm too lazy to make the mental effort, so just enjoyed getting to the revelation. The puzzle itself and the logical process of solving it is really the point; the answer itself is almost irrelevant.

As with many of Asimov's short story collections, there's a little afterword to each tale, giving a bit of background to either the writing of the story or the genesis of the plot. It's like Asimov is chatting to you and almost made me feel like a guest at the monthly banquet of the Black Widowers, if only somebody had brought me a brandy as I finished each story. ( )

Les veufs noirs se réunissent pour résoudre une énigme proposée par un détective. Deux hommes, dont l'un âpre collectionneur, se disputent. En se quittant, le second lance au premier un regard acquisiteur, le regard d'un homme ayant acquis ou pris un objet. Le collectionneur, persuadé qu'il a été volé, ne parvient cependant pas à trouver ce qui lui a été volé, car possédant trop de collections. Ce regard le poursuivra jusqu'à sa tombe. Qu'est-ce qui a été pris ?

In this collection of short mysteries, Asimov showed the ability to create clever and complex plots capable of keeping you turning the page if only to find the solution. His characters are thin and forgettable, but the stories will keep you compulsively turning the page, and short enough to encourage just one more read. ( )