“A general rule to
follow is the more clutter that can be eliminated, the clearer the picture will
become.”
There are two really enjoyable stories here to be enjoyed,
each of them substantial pieces and both narrated by a tie-pin.
The tie pin is Archie, a super-intelligent computer who
talks to his boss Julius Katz through an earpiece. In this book, we first meet
Archie down at the dog track. He’s worked out the most likely finishing
positions of the dogs and is trying to persuade Katz to place a bet. Katz is
having none of it. Instead, he takes a punt that is led by human intuition and
wins.
This causes Archie a problem. You see, Archie is determined
to solve a case before his sleuth owner and with the Trifecta safely pocketed
he won’t need to take on any work for a good while. Archie’s solution is a
simple one; to reveal to his owner the location of a hugely expensive case of
wine. Katz is a lover of fine things and can’t resist this addition to his
cellar.
He takes on the case for a couple of sisters who are worried
that their brother is bleeding their dementia-suffering mother dry.
The case is investigated in a rather old-fashioned way,
which is ironic given the hugely advanced technology that’s in use. There are
amusing complications with the police to complicate matters and there’s the
complication of a new romantic interest.
Katz studies the evidence and Archie competes with him until
it all comes together in a familiar form, all the suspects in the room at once
and the police being on hand to arrest the culprit at the big reveal.
It’s a similar structure in the second story, only this time
Archie’s been internet dating and has landed himself in the seat of being the
main suspect in a murder case. Of course, we know Archie can’t have done it as
he’s only a tie-pin computer, but the situation does leave Katz in a rather
difficult position. Archie even suggests he changes his voice into that of a
Southern belle only Katz will have none of it.
In the end there’s the familiar gathering of suspects and
police and, once again, Katz gets things solved.
I think that Zeltserman’s done something really clever here.
He’s taken a well-trodden path and then gone on a major and rather original
detour.
This pair of stories acts as an appetiser for some Julius
Katz novels. I found them to be very entertaining and I’ll definitely get to
meet them in longer form at some point. Well worth a read.
I bought this book as Julius Katz Mysteries must have moved
on since that time, because I can’t find it any longer. In its place is a book
called The
Julius Katz Collection. It has both the stories I mention and another five
besides (including the wonderfully titled Julius
Katz and the Case Of A Sliced Ham). It was worth the entry money just for
the pair I read, so I guess this is a real bargain.
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