I will quote a character called Eric Sherrinford although I will also rearrange his words into a list rather than leaving them in the continuous prose of Poul Anderson's text. Sherrinford, addressing his client, Barbro Cullen, claims:
"'...I know just a few obvious facts, such as...
"'...your being widowed rather than divorced...
"'...and you're the daughter of outwayers in Olga Ivanoff Land...
"'...who, nevertheless, kept in close telecommunication with Christmas Landing;...
"'...and you're trained in one of the biological professions;...
"'...and you had several years' hiatus in field work...
"'...until recently you started again.'" (p. 6)
Barbro gapes and asks how in cosmos he knows that. (Of course.)
Who does Sherrinford sound like?
Does he say enough to back up his claimed knowledge?
Is this just an introductory flourish or does Sherrinford maintain the same level of deductive skill throughout the story?
I am not going to answer all these questions now!
For who Sherrinford sounds like, see:
Eddies: The Private Enquiry Agent
Good night. For me, back from the Gregson, Stieg Larsson, who also quotes that private enquiry agent, then bed.
1 comment:
Sherlock Holmes, of course! Poul liked the Holmes stories -- note that Holmes and Watson (not named) make an appearance in one of the early Time Patrol stories.
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