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THE UNION CLUB MYSTERIES by Isaac Asimov

THE UNION CLUB MYSTERIES

by Isaac Asimov

Pub Date: Aug. 12th, 1983
ISBN: 0449215830
Publisher: Doubleday

More for fans of Asimov word/number fiddles than mystery-lovers: 30 mini-stories, all written for Gallery ("what is commonly known as a 'girlie' magazine") and all featuring an old storyteller named Griswold—an ex-spy/sleuth who tells his fellow Union Club cronies anecdotes with puzzle-solutions. The gimmicks, many of them tired beyond the call of duty, involve letter/number codes, puns, etymology, science trivia, literary/musical allusions, and such—familiar Asimov territory. None of the exploits is remotely believable or suspenseful. The attempts at humor are frail at best. So, except for a solid flicker of deduction now and again, there's minimal appeal here for detective-story fans—and aficionados of Asimovian games will find better, less padded collections elsewhere.