by Isaac Asimov
First published 1979
This anthology brings together thirteen science fiction stories that reimagine classic crime fiction categories. A detective tracks down a murderer only to discover a terrifying truth. Another investigator faces multiple suspects from different worlds after an influential figure dies. A computer aids a young person in cracking a case while taking on the identity of a deceased criminal. Isaac Asimov joined forces with Martin Harry Greenberg and Charles G. Waugh to assemble these tales from renowned authors including Philip K. Dick, Larry Niven, Clifford Simak, and Jack Vance. Each story transforms familiar mystery types like the whodunit, police procedural, and hard-boiled detective tale into cosmic adventures. The collection introduces a new category altogether: the psychic detective story. These authors craft space-age versions of traditional crime puzzles while maintaining the core tension between hunter and hunted that drives all great mysteries.
Genres: science-fiction, mystery, crime
Vibes: cosmic, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: detective-story, psychic-detective
455 pages · Hardcover · Doubleday Books (Garden City, NY)