Boston’s brilliant investigator Julius Katz does not
work unless he absolutely has to make some money. For his artificial
intelligence sidekick, Archie, this is a frustration. As much as he can feel or
recognize frustration, because Archie uses their cases to build on his neural
network. Archie does not expect Julius Katz to meet with this latest potential
client, Henri Chervil, but Julius surprises him and easily agrees to a meeting.
Julius soon figures out why the legendary detective
agreed to meet Chervil as well as why Chervil wants him. Since Chervil was
arrested by Cambridge Police for assaulting a fellow chief by the name of
Jasper Quayle it seems pretty obvious what he wants. What Julius wants seems
obvious as well to Archie. However, as Archie soon learns, not everything is in
the files and databases and real people are often far more complex than their
fictional counterparts.
Another good in one the series featuring Julius
Katz. As always the dialogue between Archie and Julius runs true along with the
occasional flash of humor. Like many with are artistic temperament, Julius is often
a bit prickly at times, but he gets the job done in always enjoyable ways.
The tone of the book radically changes with the
other stories in this book. Dave Zeltsman has a tendency to go to the horror
genre as evidenced by Monster, The Caretaker of Lorne Field
(which still hits me as more science fiction than horror in a view not shared
by many) and other works. That tendency is quickly evidenced here in the short
stories “Pink Wiggly Things” and “King” and is at times present in the other stories
as well.
“Pink Wiggly Things” is told from the perspective of
something under a bed that is looking for food. What that thing is under the
bed is left somewhat open to reader interpretation as are a couple of other
elements.
“King” is the tale of Mary Crowley an elderly woman
known to one and all as “the crazy pigeon lady.” That would have been fine, as bad
as that was, if things had been left alone. Her birds in the park were not left
alone and she has a plan.
Craig and Susan frequently argue in front of others
in “Old Wives’ Tales.” Craig has plans and those are not exactly a secret
either.
“’Til Death Do You Part” features Roy. He is a man
who is intent on being the only one for Charlotte. Or maybe that was really her
plan all along. Hard to tell in this strange tale where nothing is as it seems.
This is a book of serious extremes. One end of the
spectrum represented by the opening story of the book title Archie
Solves The Case where the topic is serious, but there is a light touch
at work throughout the read. A cozy style story that, like other stories
featuring Julius Katz and Archie, plays respectful homage to Nero Wolfe while
creating a thoroughly modern world. The tales may detail some human failings
but the tone overall is light and gentle.
Then you have the rest of the book which has nothing
at all to do with Archie, Julius Katz, or those stories. Nothing on the cover
would indicate to readers that they are getting anything but Julius Katz, but
the rest of the read is filled with stories that are dark and twisted and often
with elements of the horror genre. Even the stories which are not clearly horrific
are very creepy and disturbing at various levels. They serve as quite a clash with
the Julius Katz story and may surprise some readers expecting a read in the
vein of Julius Katz.
Archie
Solves The Case
Dave
Zeltserman
Top
Suspense Books
May 2013
ASIN: B00CRRFPYU
E-Book
78 Pages
$3.50
Amazon advises me I picked this up
last November. The author is very generous in making his titles available as
free reads and I can’t remember now if I got it that way or he sent it to me
directly. Either way it was for my use in an objective review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2014
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