The Dobie Paradox

Math whiz and extremely absentminded professor John Dobie and his best girl, Dr. Kate Coyle, find murder in a ``loony bin'' in their latest appearance (following The Mask of Zeus ) in Cory's bold and witty series. Assembled at the Tongwynlais Rehabilation Centre near Cardiff are various substance-addicted souls, including a famous author who has asked Dobie to vouch for his worthiness. Of course, there are legions within and without academia who strongly doubt Dobie's sanity, not to mention the Welsh police who have understandably ambiguous responses to his canny solutions of nasty murders. Next to the Centre is the fancy girl's school where the promiscuous Beverly Sutro, whom Dobie and Kate find near death on the side of the road, was a student. Beverly has unexplained amounts of money, a lover (or possibly a client) and a dysfunctional family with strong ties to organized crime. Dobie has a puzzle, in which the pieces are the Centre's infiltrated computer system, his author friend's hynosis-induced dreams of Beverly and the cryptic note in the girl's pocket. Dobie, who has trouble remembering friends' names and operating an automobile, is a wizard with computers and cryptic notes. In the hands of a lesser talent than Cory's, Dobie would be a joke rather than what he is: a fresh, comic presence with an uncanny ability to lure readers into his weird yet oddly logical world. (Aug.)