Casebook of the Black Widowers Book

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 diverse 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.