The Julius Katz Collection

Julius Katz Detective

by Dave Zeltserman, Ed Gorman (Foreword)

The Julius Katz detective stories have been a favorite among mystery fans since first appearing on the pages of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine in 2009, winning a Shamus, Derringer, and two Ellery Queen Readers Choice awards. JULIUS KATZ introduced readers to Boston's most brilliant, eccentric, and possibly laziest detective, as well as his sidekick, Archie, a tiny marvel of computer technology with the heart and soul of a hard-boiled PI.

If you haven't had a chance to meet Julius and Archie yet, now's your chance to get caught up in these clever, funny, and very unusual mystery stories as this collection contains the first six Julius Katz mystery stories originally published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, as well as a never-before published novella, JULIUS KATZ AND THE CASE OF A SLICED HAM

Genres: Mystery, Crime

352 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 24, 2014

About the author

Author of the crime noir novel SMALL CRIMES named by NPR as the best crime and mystery novel of 2008, and by the Washington Post as one of the best novels of 2008, and made into a major film (to be released in 2017) starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Molly Parker, Gary Cole, Robert Forster, and Jacki Weaver.

Shamus Award winner for JULIUS KATZ. Ellery Queen's Readers Choice Award winner for ARCHIE'S BEEN FRAMED and ARCHIE SOLVES THE CASE.

PARIAH named by the Washington Post as one of the best books of 2009. THE CARETAKER OF LORNE FIELD (2010) shortlisted by American Library Association for best horror novel of the year and named a horror gem by Library Journal. MONSTER selected by Booklist Magazine for their 2013 list of top 10 horror novels and WBUR for one of the best novels of the year.

OUTSOURCED (2011) and THE CARETAKER OF LORNE FIELD are also currently being developed for film.

Reviews

[Kevintipple · Rating 5 out of 5]

After a forward by author Ed Gorman comparing and contrasting the differences between Julius Katz and Nero Wolf as well as considering how these short stories relate to Dave Zeltserman’s body of crime novels, it is on to the stories in The Julius Katz Collection. If you have never read some of these tales courtesy of his many appearances in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine you are in for a real treat. Even if you have read them before it is always very enjoyable to read them again as well as the new tale just for this collection.

In the award winning novelette “Julius Katz” the latest client for Boston’s most famous and eccentric detective Julius Katz is the 53 year old Norma Brewer. Accompanied by her slightly younger sister, Helen Arden, she wishes to discuss a family matter. A family matter she refused to tell Archie, Julius’ artificial intelligence sidekick, about over the phone thus preventing any real planning by Julius prior to their meeting.

The issue involves their 83 year old mother, Emma, who is suffering from the beginnings of Alzheimer’s. While provisions were made for various things by their father six years ago before he died from cancer, their brother Lawrence has taken over all of the legal aspects of their mother’s situation. Julius does not like family disputes and wants no part of this situation. However, like many a detective before him, he does need the money and Norma Brewer is willing to pay. He takes the case with some stipulations including meeting their mother so that he and Archie can assess her condition. While very reluctant at first, soon Julius is hard at work in a case that quickly takes a dark and sinister turn.

Next up is another award winning story with “Archie’s Been Framed.” As this one opens Julius has plenty of cash in the bank. That means he is not going to be inclined to take a new case for several months. What Archie sees as being lazy, Julius sees as enjoying the finer things of life. Work is not the priority for Julius, but for Archie work helps him refine his neural network. Improving his ability to analyze is a constant theme for Archie, a two inch long piece of advanced technology that appears to be an ordinary tie clip.

With his current love interest Lily Rosten out of town visiting her parents in upstate New York. Julius is in a bit of a funk. A funk that a case would help lift. There is no sign of that until Archie discovers that Denise Penny, a 27 year old woman Archie has been in contact with, has been murdered. Unfortunately, Archie quickly becomes a suspect in her murder. Though he can easily be cleared if the true nature of his existence were revealed, it can’t be disclosed. Julius does not have a choice – he has to investigate and clear Archie.

Even Boston’s most brilliant and eccentric detective Julius Katz has to serve jury duty. In “One Angry Julius and Eleven Befuddled Jurors” he has had enough with the trial and the state’s case. Any one paying attention should have come to the same conclusion and realized the state is going after the wrong person. Fortunately, Katz and his artificial intelligence side kick, Archie, can fix things if---allowed.

“Archie Solves The Case” is the title of the next story. It also happens to be an award winner. Boston’s brilliant investigator Julius Katz does not work unless he absolutely has to make some money. For his artificial intelligence sidekick, Archie, this is a frustration. As much as he can feel or recognize frustration, because Archie uses their cases to build on his neural network. Archie does not expect Julius Katz to meet with this latest potential client, Henri Chervil, but Julius surprises him and easily agrees to a meeting.

Julius soon figures out why the legendary detective agreed to meet Chervil as well as why Chervil wants him. Since Chervil was arrested by Cambridge Police for assaulting a fellow chief by the name of Jasper Quayle it seems pretty obvious what he wants. What Julius wants seems obvious as well to Archie. However, as Archie soon learns, not everything is in the files and databases and real people are often far more complex than their fictional counterparts.

Charles Rosten swears he did not do it in “Julius Katz And A Tangled Webb.” Sitting in the Monro County Jail in Rochester, New York he faces murder charges in the death of his business partner, George Webb. The evidence is so stacked against him that Archie has calculated the odds of a not guilty verdict as being zero. The fact that he is the father of Lily Rosten who Julius has been dating for six months now means there is a more personal stake in the case than is often the case.

“Julius Accused” opens with Archie informing Julius that 39 year old Linds Harnsworth is publicly trashing Julius again. This time he is doing it via reporter for Channel Four News. In one of several interviews he gives to local media he claims that Julius threatened him the night before. Archie can’t prove Julius didn’t since Julius went out for the evening and left Archie at home.

While Julius seems unconcerned about the public media bashing and refuses to discuss the matter, Archie thinks something has to be done and begins investigating on his own. Archie knows that Linus Harnsworth is, at best, a liar. Proving it as well as a few other things is going to take some time.

Wine and food are frequent items in these stories as Julius does love the finer things of life. In the novella “Julius Katz And The Case Of A Sliced Ham” both are very much present as is a murder. The murder of Arthur Trewitt when someone stuck a twelve inch chef’s knife into his chest has rocked the local theater world. It has been three weeks since the murder and things have reached a crisis point for those involved in a play that the actor was to appear in any day now. The man in charge of putting on the play, Theodore Dreckle, is desperate for Julius Katz to take the case and identify the murderer.

Archie knows that Julius is not eccentric though he might very well be brilliant. He also knows that Julius hates working and with his bank account doing just fine right now he has zero motivation to take the case. Soon, Julius has his reason and before long he and Archie are hard at work trying to figure out who did it among a cast of folks that have considerable acting skills. They might be better off trying to herd stray cats.

As Ed Gorman noted in the forward, the tales in The Julius Katz Collection often hint at the darkness that is far more prevalent in the author’s crime novels such as Pariah, Small Crimes and Bad Thoughts among others. These tales also often feature humor which is in short supply in those books. Both are often depicted through the interplay between Julius Katz and Archie. Like many with are artistic temperament, Julius is often a bit prickly at times, but he gets the job done in always enjoyable ways.

That coupled with intriguing cases featuring complex mysteries, plenty of multi-dimensional characters and an artificial intelligence becoming more and more human like make these stories a lot of fun. The Julius Katz Collection features a lot of good reading and is well worth your time.


The Julius Katz Collection
Dave Zeltserman
http://www.hardluckstories.com
Top Suspense Books
http://topsuspense.blogspot.com/
November 2014
ASIN: B00P8EDITI
E-Book (also available in paperback)
352 Pages
$4.99


The author provided me a e-book review copy quite some time ago in exchange for my objective review.


Kevin R. Tipple ©2015

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 4 out of 5]

These tales featured a modern day reincarnation of Nero Wolfe, i.e. Julius Katz, and his trusted, extremely futuristic sidekick Archie. First few tales, which had justifiably been lauded by the readers of EQMM and other mystery-writers, are brilliant. But the later ones were more bluff-centric and dark— devoid of the charm of the first tales. Nevertheless, these are solid mysteries and are likely to be appreciated by readers.
Recommended.

[Nolan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m someone who can take or leave a short-story collection, and usually, I can leave it. Not this time. This small collection of mostly previously published stories focuses on Boston Private Investigator and gourmet Julius Katz. He carries with him and artificial intelligence device he calls Archie. Archie communicates with Katz in a variety of ways including through his wireless phone. He most frequently takes the form of a tie pin from which his tiny cameras peer out on the world and provide him with information for his neural networks. Archie and Julius don’t always see things the same way. Julius turns him off as decisively as you and I might unplug an Amazon Smart Speaker. It’s fun to read about the dynamic between these two. Katz won’t take cases if he has enough money from previous ones to get by on. That frustrates Archie, who constantly wants to expand his abilities until he can finally solve a case before Julius does.

In the first story, a novella simply entitled “Julius Katz,” Norma Brewer hires Katz to stop her brother from spending money that belongs to their Alzheimer’s-suffering mother. Before it ends, someone murders Norma, and Julius solves the case by unorthodox means Archie doesn’t initially understand.

In “Archie’s Been Framed,” poor Archie signs up on a dating site and meets the seemingly lovely Denise Penny. He does all he can to convince her of his reality including provide her with a driver’s license photo he got by hacking into a state motor vehicle site. Alas, someone murders Denise, and the cops are sure Archie did it. Well, he can’t. He’s a tie clip. Julius doesn’t want the world to know about his advanced technology, so he reluctantly takes the case to clear his AI.

Sophisticated though he may be, Julius lacks the sophistication necessary to avoid jury duty. In “One Angry Julius and 11 Befuddled Jurors,” it’s clear to Katz that the state is prosecuting the wrong guy. Katz and Archie can fix that if they’re given a chance.

“Archie Solves a Case” is a bit self-explanatory. At long last, the AI gets a shot at really solving a crime before the boss does. It’s a great story about chef rivalries and murder over purloined recipes.

“Julius Katz and a Tangled Web” involves the father of Katz’s current girlfriend, Lily Rosten. He swears he didn’t commit the murder. Katz must prove he didn’t.

In “Julius Accused,” Archie worries about Katz’s reputation. Someone is publicly shaming and trashing Katz, and when that person dies brutally, Archie can’t prove Katz didn’t do it because Katz turned Archie off for part of the night.

The never-before-published submission is “Julius Katz and the Sliced Ham.” It’s the final story. Someone slid a knife into Arthur Trewitt’s chest, which ended his life. That’s a problem for the theater company where he works. He was supposed to take a major role in an upcoming play. It’s up to Katz and
Archie to plumb the depths of the theater company to find a suspect.

[Othniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ever since I read Dave Zeltserman's first Julius Katz story a few years ago, I've been convinced that it would make a great concept for a TV series and I remain surprised that this hasn't yet materialised. Perhaps there are too any similarities to other shows - "Person Of Interest", for example.

This is because of the two heroes of this detective series, one - Katz, is a well-known Boston bon viveur (I'm casting Robert Downey Jr) and the other, Archie is, unknown to almost everyone else, is a tie-pin. Or rather, a piece of AI, possibly illegally obtained from the military, which has been programmed to think like a hard-boiled private eye from classic American fiction (possibly played by Toby Jones), and disguised as a tie-pin.

Thus, he helps Julius to solve crimes by scouring the Internet, accessing close-circuit cameras, hacking into suspects' bank accounts, etc., and communicating the results of his research to Julius via an ear-piece. There is much dry humour, which stems from Archie and Julius' testy relationship.

This is a collection of stand-alone stories, designed to be read as singles, thus there is inevitable repetition as the set-up is explained each time. Furthermore, the accused parties always seem very willing to gather in the same room to watch the culprit being exposed, and the plots are relatively simple.

Nevertheless, these tales, putting a high-tech spin on a traditional genre for which the author obviously has great affection, are amusing and stylishly told.

[Monica Willyard Moen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t quite find words to tell you how much I enjoyed this book of short stories, pastiches using the great detectives of the past century. You know how when you scratch a dog‘s belly in a certain spot and his paw starts to twitch? He’s in paradise as long as you keep scratching, and that’s how it felt to read these stories. The author sent an arrow of pleasure into the hearts of those of us who have loved stories from Rex Stout about Nero Wolfe. I suspect you won’t quite understand some of this book if you have never read some of the old hard boiled detectives from the 1920s through the 1960s. There are some novels sharing adventures of these people at full length, and I already have one on Kindle. :-)

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable collection of short stories

Zeltserman is a new author to me and I am so delighted I found him. This collection of previously published short stories and a new novella do a great job introducing Julius and Archie and set a rhythm of the story arcs. The stories are reminiscent of many of the great whodunit detective stories based entirely on instinct and understanding human nature. I was most reminded of Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot or Sherlock Holmes and Watson. Any fan of Arthur Conan Doyle or Christie will enjoy these characters.

[Ellen White · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection to reread those from Ellery Queen magazine, a collection of 7 to enjoy. Julius rigorously did exercise, woman found him attractive. Habit to gambling, when losing, then he would take a case. The rivalry between myself, a piece of advance technological device and Julius was and added enjoyment into the stories. Rich with adventure, reference to other known detectives, made this collection one shouldn’t miss reading.

[Martin Meinert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unique series

Loved the interplay between Archie and Julius. Never did figure out the villain until it was revealed to me. I also liked the stories being short. This allowed me to read one or two as a treat to myself. I can’t do that with a novel.

[Karen Wolski · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Julius Katz Collection is one of my very most favorite mystery series. Brilliant! I adored Julius and Archie. I advise sipping a favorite glass of wine and you'll feel part of the team. Astute and entertaining.

[Jeff Bleyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am willing to admit that Zeltserman's Julius Katz stories probably have greater appeal to avid readers of Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe from which they are inspired, but these stories are so much better than mere pastiches.

[Antonietta tesfaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a gem! So glad I found this book! I’ve been reading the short stories in the Ellery queen mystery magazines and was so delighted to see them all together in this book! I am a big Nero Wolfe fan and this definitely satisfied my hankering for more of the same! I’m going to go looking for more!

[Lynda Kirby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable but I recommend leaving a day between each story because they become repetitive.

[Jonathan McKay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Splendid, in the best tradition

Although reading such a co!!ection can be a bit overwhelming, individually each is brilliant. Thoroughly enjoyable, well written, strongly recommend.

[paulette sarelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good box set

The stories were entertaining although somewhat repetitive. He solved every crime the same way . Liked the two main characters they were quite a pair.

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed these stories. A homage to Nero Wolfe! (But a little more light-hearted)

[James E. Ferris · Rating 4 out of 5]

it's a fun romp on a theme of 'what if Nero Wolfe were a future-time character'.
all-in-all, an easy read, and good character development.

[Karin Montin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of six previously published short stories and a new novella features Boston private detective Julius Katz and his right-hand man, Archie. While the brilliant but work-shy Julius reads wine magazines or practises Kung Fu, the tireless Archie searches online, hacking with ease into protected databases to track credit card use, hotel check-ins and motor vehicle registration as easily as he Googles mass-media reports.

Nero Wolfe fans will recognize the pattern. The twist in this Internet-era update is that, unknown to all but a select few, Archie is not a real man, but a technological marvel of top-secret origin worn as a tie-clip. He was programmed with all the classic detective novels to begin with and is present at the interviews on which Julius relies to come to his unerring conclusions. He is always several steps behind Julius in solving the crimes, but his constantly adapting neuron network, or deductive reasoning module, enables him to gradually close the gap and entertain the hope of one day beating Julius to the punch.

The style is very dry and straight-forward, perhaps unsurprising from an electronic assistant, yet slightly disappointing from one preloaded with all the Chandlerisms and Hammettisms in existence.

The stories are amusing and, as usual, kept me guessing the culprits’ identities.

[Alison C · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Julius Katz Collection , by Dave Zeltserman, consists of 7 stories, 6 of which previously appeared in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine; the final story, a novella called "Julius Katz and the Case of a Sliced Ham," is original to this anthology. Since I subscribe to EQMM and had read the earlier stories already, the last one is the reason I bought this collection (as an e-book, at a very reasonable $5 or so). Julius Katz, for those who don't know, is kind of an homage to Nero Wolfe, complete with a sidekick called Archie - but Katz isn't an extremely obese orchid lover (though he is just as lazy and brilliant as Wolfe), and Archie isn't a wisecracking gumshoe type, but instead is an AI machine that exists physically in the form of a tie pin and that has developed a personality of its own. Most particularly, Archie wants - just once! - to solve a mystery before Julius does, but of course that never happens. If you love Nero Wolfe as much as I do, you'll love this series, and this collection is an excellent introduction to the man and his amanuensis Archie. Recommended!

[Stephen Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant, eccentric detective who loves food with an assistant named Archie. Sound familiar? It should, and it's obviously intentional. There are other similarities to Rex Stout's Nero Wolf series in these stories, including a masterful writing style that keeps the reader engaged, entertained and chuckling while reading. But there are differences as well. The most obvious of which is Archie. Stout's Archie Goodwin is a suave ladies man while Dave Zeltzerman's Archie is an advanced miniaturized computer worn as a tie clip.

I've been a fan of these stories since the first one was published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine a few years back. It's great to have them all, including a wonderful new novella titled JULIUS KATZ AND THE CASE OF A SLICED HAM, in one place. Here's hoping there will be a volume two, with several more stories in a few years. Highly recommended.

[Jo. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm Hooked....Loved this book! Dave Z's Julius Katz Collection of short detective stories are well written, rich in character, humor and charm. I hope to read many more about Julius and Archie.

I won this book on a Goodreads giveaway by the author. I'm so glad I did and would like to say...Thank You Dave Z.

Reading detective mysteries when I was young started my LOVE of Reading. I believe I have found my new Favorite series and author.
I plan to soon be reading the other novels written by Dave Z.

In the future I want my own Archie....I can Wish..........
But for now I will share Dave's...

[Derek · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am an avid reader, at least a book a week, and this collection of Julius Katz stories was definitely one of my favorites, lots of fun. I think Julius Katz and Archie would make a great TV series. Great plots, characters and humor. Julius is a brilliant detective and his sidekick Archie is a riot. Archie better watch himself or Julius will shut him off! I hope Dave Zeltserman continues writing these stories - as long as he keeps writing them, I will be reading them.

[Gary Burke · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not my cup of tea.