Mournful Demeanour of Lieutenant Boruvka: Dective Tales

by Josef Škvorecký

Book Overview

A pensive, conscience-stricken man driven to melancholy by the fiendish truths of murder, the Czechoslovak policeman Lieutenant Boruvka is a notable new member of the brilliant-eccentric-detective literary tradition. Twelve bizarre tales to be read as a continuous account involve theatrical people, musicians, and mountaineers, who lead the lieutenant, and the reader, on an ingenious chase through the paths of crime."

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393307867
• ISBN13: 9780393307863
• Release Date: August 1991
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 292 Pages
• Weight: 0.69 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Mysterious, Witty, Entertaining Stories ... About Murder.

Lieutenant Boruvka often has a serious temperament ... however, he is sometimes caught in circumstances which contain subtle and humourous episodes that are not lost on him. His rigorous training in the academy, attention to the most obscure detail and uncanny deductive abilities ... have convinced at least one of his colleagues ... that he possesses powers beyond the normal. These stories are filled with intrigue, murder, and mystery. They are entertaining, complex and have subtle twists and turns in the plot making them a captivating reading experience. They often involve beautiful young ladies that are actresses or dancers ... with cute or exotic sounding Czechoslovakian names, Mici Laurinova or Vera Selucka, Alena Peskova, Ms Zdarska, Miss Sikorska. In fact, Lt Boruvka was himself tempted by a buxom blond-haired beauty who worked for the police force ... that he set up a rendevous with her at the Tom Cat wine tavern. The only problem is he could not keep his appointment with her ... an investigation of an ongoing case kept him preoccupied, to his chagrin and embarassment. In fact, he was relieved not to have become unfaithful to his wife but this temptaion and near lapse on his part ... caused him much discomfort and consternation whenever he encountered this lovely much younger coworker. The awkward behavior of Lt Boruvka in the vicinity of the policewoman has convinced his partner Lt Malek that Boruvka has *indeed* had an affair with the beautiful lady. One of the most creative episodes in a story included giving his daughter Zuzana a mathematical formula to solve, for some personal indescretion and misbehavior on her part. It involved how much atmospheric pressure would it take to expel a missile weighing half a kilogram from a muzzle with a diameter of 21.6 mm, for it to attain a velocity of 6 meters per second at a distance of 12 meters. Zuzana was so unschooled in mathematics she did not realize the difficulty of the problem nor that her father was counting on her to take the problem to her Ph.D. educated mathematics professor for a solution ... Another memorable story involved his daughter again ... this time, Lt Boruvka made a promise that if Zuzana passed her courses he would take her on holiday to Italy. Of course, he meant her to have high scores, but, as it turned out she managed to pass all classes even if she received a "C" (3) in one a "D" (2) in another. He ended up keeping his promise *but* as luck would have it, they discovered a dead female body as they were trudging along the road to their hotel. Needless to say ... Lt Boruvka's skills were utilized to the max by the Italian police and were invaluable in deciphering the clues and solving the crime. The last story reveals certain personal family matters about Lt Boruvka ... which may help explain his ... "mournful" demeanour. It is a mystery that the policewoman who has a crush on him discovers ... but chooses to keep a secret. This book is most highly recommended. Erika

Czech it out!

This is great stuff -- I suppose I'm biased since I'm (a) a sucker for good mysteries and (b) an aficianado of Eastern European literature. With this little gem you get the best of both worlds: philosophical musings, superb characterizations, and clever crime stories.

The Mournful Demeanour of Lieutenant Boruvka

The first of four books in Skvorecky's Lieutentant Boruvka's short stories collection, "The Mournful Demeanour of Lieutenant Boruvka" thrusts upon the world the next great detective of our times. At the same time Holmes and Watson, Magnum and Higgins. These stories rank among the most witty and thoughtful mystery/detective/satire tales ever written. A must read for any true lover of fiction. Mystery or otherwise.