From Library Journal In the early Sixties， following a political scandal involving his first novel (The Cowards， LJ 7/70)， Skvoreckya leading Czech writer now living in Canadaturned to safer topics and created the protagonist of this work: the amiable， melancholic Czech detective， Boruvka. In these 12 engaging and witty tales Boruvka shows his formidable deductive powers by brilliantly solving bizarre murders motivated by jealousy， unrequited love， marital hatred， andtypical of a Communist countryan acute housing crisis. Although intended solely as entertainment， unlike Skvorecky's other highly acclaimed works ( e.g.， The Engineer of Human Souls， LJ 7/84)， these tales nevertheless demonstrate his formidable story-telling gifts， sharp wit， and understanding of the human heart. Marie Bednar， Pennsylvania State Univ. Libs.， University ParkCopyright 1987 Reed Business Information， Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. Language Notes Text: English， Czech (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.