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Sunday, July 29, 2012

A Whiff of Death, aka The Death Dealers

I'm currently re-reading A Whiff of Death, Asimov's first published mystery novel.  Somewhat autobiographical as the "amateur detective" protagonist is clearly Asimov fighting for the security of tenure at Boston University, and his wife - as was Asimov's first wife Gertrude - more interested in the security that tenure would bring than in the main character's happiness - he owed a duty to his family, not to himself.

(As a segue, that always reminds me of a commercial from a few years ago, where a husband and wife are talking about  ...something...I forget what... the husband wants to buy a motorcycle or something and the wife says, "What happens to us if you hurt yourself? Buy some life insurance" which always caused me to think that she didn't love her husband, she just loved the fact that he was a provider who had damn well better provide for her in the style to which she wanted to become accustomed.)

More on this on Tuesday, when I share more from the book and what Asimov wrote about it in his autobiography.)

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