Murder at the ABA
Encyclopedia
Murder at the ABA is a mystery novel by Isaac Asimov
, following the adventures of a writer and amateur detective named Darius Just (whom Asimov modeled on his friend Harlan Ellison
). While attending a convention of the American Booksellers Association
, Just discovers the dead body of a friend and protégé. Convinced that the death was due to murder
, but unable to convince law enforcement, Just decides to investigate on his own.
The book is an example of metafiction
, as Asimov himself appears as a character doing research for a murder mystery set at a booksellers' convention.
Book Fair. His Doubleday editor, Larry Ashmead
, proposed that Asimov write a similar book about the American Booksellers Convention. Murder at the ABA was published as Authorised Murder in the UK.
Asimov attended the ABA convention in New York City
and absorbed enough "local color" to invent the setting, characters and "gimmick" of his mystery story. Ashmead then informed him that they needed the book in time for the next year's convention—which meant that Asimov had only three months in which to write it. (The only other novel he had written in such a short time was Fantastic Voyage
, which was actually the novelization of a pre-existing screenplay.) Consequently, the novel is full of odd constructions, such as footnotes where Just and Asimov debate the latter's storytelling style, which Asimov included knowing full well that critics would likely pan them. He needed the fun, he observed later, to keep himself working.
When Devore is found dead in his hotel room, having apparently slipped in the shower and hit his head on the faucets, most regard it as a tragedy and nothing more. Just suspects murder. He interviews Devore's ex-wife, who tells him that at the start of their relationship she found that Devore's impotence could only be cured by "babying" him—cuddling and undressing him. Devore also suffered from obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. Neither characteristic was consistent with the death scene.
Just eventually ties the death to drug dealing at the hotel. Ironically the object that led the murderer to kill Devore was a pen he mistakenly picked up during an autograph session.
, has any spoken dialogue. Sullivan only speaks when he is introduced to Darius Just; he says "Oh, yes" in such a convincing manner that Just is almost fooled into believing Sullivan has heard of him. The character of Darius Just would later reappear in Asimov's Black Widowers
story "The Woman in the Bar", first published in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine
and later included in the collection Banquets of the Black Widowers
. It recounts one of his other adventures.
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
, following the adventures of a writer and amateur detective named Darius Just (whom Asimov modeled on his friend Harlan Ellison
Harlan Ellison
Harlan Jay Ellison is an American writer. His principal genre is speculative fiction.His published works include over 1,700 short stories, novellas, screenplays, teleplays, essays, a wide range of criticism covering literature, film, television, and print media...
). While attending a convention of the American Booksellers Association
American Booksellers Association
The American Booksellers Association is a non-profit industryassociation founded in 1900 that promotes independent bookstores in the United States and Canada. The ABA and its members support freedom of speech, literacy, and programs that encourage reading...
, Just discovers the dead body of a friend and protégé. Convinced that the death was due to murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
, but unable to convince law enforcement, Just decides to investigate on his own.
The book is an example of metafiction
Metafiction
Metafiction, also known as Romantic irony in the context of Romantic works of literature, is a type of fiction that self-consciously addresses the devices of fiction, exposing the fictional illusion...
, as Asimov himself appears as a character doing research for a murder mystery set at a booksellers' convention.
Origins
Asimov recounts the unusual history behind Murder at the ABA in his second autobiographical volume, In Joy Still Felt (1980). According to Asimov, a book named Murder at Frankfurt had been written, placing a fictional mystery story at the FrankfurtFrankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
Book Fair. His Doubleday editor, Larry Ashmead
Larry Ashmead
Lawrence Peel "Larry" Ashmead was an American book editor who helped create 100 books a year featuring such authors as Isaac Asimov, Quentin Crisp, Tony Hillerman, Susan Isaacs and Michael Korda at a string of publishers including Doubleday, Simon & Schuster, Lippincott, Harper & Row and its...
, proposed that Asimov write a similar book about the American Booksellers Convention. Murder at the ABA was published as Authorised Murder in the UK.
Asimov attended the ABA convention in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and absorbed enough "local color" to invent the setting, characters and "gimmick" of his mystery story. Ashmead then informed him that they needed the book in time for the next year's convention—which meant that Asimov had only three months in which to write it. (The only other novel he had written in such a short time was Fantastic Voyage
Fantastic Voyage
Fantastic Voyage is a 1966 science fiction film written by Harry Kleiner, based on a story by Otto Klement and Jerome Bixby.Bantam Books obtained the rights for a paperback novelization based on the screenplay and approached Isaac Asimov to write it....
, which was actually the novelization of a pre-existing screenplay.) Consequently, the novel is full of odd constructions, such as footnotes where Just and Asimov debate the latter's storytelling style, which Asimov included knowing full well that critics would likely pan them. He needed the fun, he observed later, to keep himself working.
Plot outline
Darius Just had previously helped Giles Devore produce a breakthrough novel called Crossover. He credits himself with ruthlessly editing Devore's original drafts and forcing the young author to turn an incoherent mess into a masterwork. Having gained fame and fortune, Devore has gone his own way and produced Evergone, which Just dismisses as a reversion to Devore's old habits. Devore's agent confides to Just that "it's not as good as Crossover".When Devore is found dead in his hotel room, having apparently slipped in the shower and hit his head on the faucets, most regard it as a tragedy and nothing more. Just suspects murder. He interviews Devore's ex-wife, who tells him that at the start of their relationship she found that Devore's impotence could only be cured by "babying" him—cuddling and undressing him. Devore also suffered from obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. Neither characteristic was consistent with the death scene.
Just eventually ties the death to drug dealing at the hotel. Ironically the object that led the murderer to kill Devore was a pen he mistakenly picked up during an autograph session.
Characters
Almost all of the speaking parts in Murder at the ABA belong to fictitious persons. As part of the novel's ambiance, Asimov included several of the individuals who in fact attended the New York convention. Only one of them, Walter Sullivan of The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, has any spoken dialogue. Sullivan only speaks when he is introduced to Darius Just; he says "Oh, yes" in such a convincing manner that Just is almost fooled into believing Sullivan has heard of him. The character of Darius Just would later reappear in Asimov's Black Widowers
Black Widowers
The Black Widowers is a fictional men-only dining club created by Isaac Asimov for a series of sixty-six mystery stories which he started writing in 1971...
story "The Woman in the Bar", first published in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine
Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine
Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine is an American monthly digest size fiction magazine specializing in crime fiction, particularly detective fiction...
and later included in the collection Banquets of the Black Widowers
Banquets of the Black Widowers
Banquets of the Black Widowers is a collection of mystery short stories by science fiction author Isaac Asimov featuring his fictional club of mystery solvers, the Black Widowers...
. It recounts one of his other adventures.
Fictional
- Darius Just – narrator, a writer modeled on Harlan EllisonHarlan EllisonHarlan Jay Ellison is an American writer. His principal genre is speculative fiction.His published works include over 1,700 short stories, novellas, screenplays, teleplays, essays, a wide range of criticism covering literature, film, television, and print media...
- Giles Devore – Just's protégé, author of Crossover and Evergone
- Sarah Voskovek – public relations manager at the hotel where the convention occurs
- Thomas and Theresa Valier – executives of Prism Press, Just and Devore's publisher
- Roseann Bronstein – bookseller
- Eunice Devore – lawyer, Giles Devore's wife
- Henrietta Corvass – interview secretary for the ABA. Modeled after Harriette Waterman Getz.
- Anthony Marsogliani – Chief of Hotel Security
- Michael P. Strong – Hotel Security employee
- Shirley Jennifer – writer of romance novelRomance novelThe romance novel is a literary genre developed in Western culture, mainly in English-speaking countries. Novels in this genre place their primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and must have an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Through the late...
s and close friend of Darius Just - Nellie Griswold – employee of Hercules Press
Cameos of real individuals
- Isaac Asimov – eccentric and prolific writer who attends the convention gathering "local color" for a mystery
- Charles BerlitzCharles BerlitzCharles Frambach Berlitz was an American linguist and language teacher known for his books on anomalous phenomena, as well as his language-learning courses. He is listed in The People's Almanac as one of the fifteen most eminent linguists in the world.-Life:Berlitz was born in New York City...
– mystic, participant on a panel - Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.Douglas Elton Fairbanks, Jr. KBE was an American actor and a highly decorated naval officer of World War II.-Early life:...
– actor - Uri GellerUri GellerUri Geller is a self-proclaimed psychic known for his trademark television performances of spoon bending and other supposed psychic effects. Throughout the years, Geller has been accused of using simple conjuring tricks to achieve the effects of psychokinesis and telepathy...
– purported telekinetic, participant on a panel - Anita LoosAnita LoosAnita Loos was an American screenwriter, playwright and author.-Early life:Born Corinne Anita Loos in Sisson, California , where her father, R. Beers Loos, had opened a tabloid newspaper for which her mother, Minerva "Minnie" Smith did most of the work of a newspaper publisher...
– novelist, Hollywood screenwriter, and ex-actress - Rose Namath Szolnoki – Joe NamathJoe NamathJoseph William "Joe" Namath , nicknamed "Broadway Joe" or "Joe Willie", is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for the University of Alabama under coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and his assistant, Howard Schnellenberger, from 1962–1964, and professional football in the...
's mother - Cathleen NesbittCathleen NesbittCathleen Mary Nesbitt, CBE was an English stage and film actress.-Biography:Born in Cheshire, England in 1888, of Welsh and Irish descent, Nesbitt was educated in Lisieux, France, and at the Queen's University of Belfast and the Sorbonne...
– actress - Carl SaganCarl SaganCarl Edward Sagan was an American astronomer, astrophysicist, cosmologist, author, science popularizer and science communicator in astronomy and natural sciences. He published more than 600 scientific papers and articles and was author, co-author or editor of more than 20 books...
– astronomer, participant on a panel - Walter SullivanWalter S. SullivanWalter Seager Sullivan, Jr was considered the "dean" of science writers.Sullivan spent most of his career as a science reporter for the New York Times...
– moderator of a panel discussion - Muhammed Ali – speaker
- Leo DurocherLeo DurocherLeo Ernest Durocher , nicknamed Leo the Lip, was an American infielder and manager in Major League Baseball. Upon his retirement, he ranked fifth all-time among managers with 2,009 career victories, second only to John McGraw in National League history. Durocher still ranks tenth in career wins by...
– glimpsed briefly by Darius Just, who reminisces about the days when he was a Giants fan and Durocher was one of his villains, then feels grateful that the memory allowed him to forget the Giles Devore case for that brief moment.