The Union Club Mysteries is a collection ofmystery short stories by American authorIsaac Asimov featuring his fictional mystery solver Griswold. It was first published in hardcover byDoubleday in 1983 and in paperback by the Fawcett Crest imprint ofBallantine Books in 1985.
The book collects thirty stories by Asimov, originally printed inGallery magazine, together with a foreword and afterword by the author. Each story is set at aclub known as the Union Club, in which a conversation between three members prompts a fourth member, Griswold, to tell about a mystery he has solved. These are often tall stories, and often based on his time in US intelligence. The format is based on that utilized byP. G. Wodehouse in recounting his golf stories.
Asimov wrote a total of 56 Union Club stories. As well as the 30 in this book, three more[1] were collected inThe Best Mysteries of Isaac Asimov (Doubleday, 1986). 22 additional stories have been published in various magazines and an anthology, but have never been collected in any of Asimov's books. One of these 22, "Getting Even," is also part of Asimov'sAzazel series of fantasy stories. One Union Club story, "Dumb Luck," remains unpublished.[2]
Dave Langford reviewedThe Union Club Mysteries forWhite Dwarf #70, and stated that "I like detective stories, but Asimov tries the patience with trivial, moronic 'puzzles'."[3]
According to reviewer John H. Jenkins, these stories are not rated particularly well by Asimov fans, and are less well regarded than his better knownBlack Widowers mysteries. He does regard a few of them more highly, particularly "No Refuge Could Save" and "Hide and Seek," but feels the brevity and format of the stories allows the author little scope.[4] It is also open to question whether they are supposed to be serious mysteries or tall stories.
