The Robots of Dawn - Isaac Asimov

The third book in the Robots series finds Elijah Baley sent to Aurora, to solve the murder (or roboticide) of a robot. No one else calls it a murder (or roboticide), because almost no one is terribly concerned about the fate of R. Jander. Because despite the Auroran insistence they've dropped many distinctions when it comes to robots, they aren't yet ready to consider them living beings. What everyone is very concerned about is what Jander represented, and what the solution to the mystery could spell for the future of humanity.

Jander was one of two humaniform robots in existence (Daneel being the other), both created by the same man, Han Fastolfe, who is now accused of causing the mental freeze-out that has, in essence, killed Jander. Fastolfe refuses to create any more humaniform robots, and is the leader of one of side in a political struggle over future human expansion. The opposition felt humaniform robots were the key to their plans for colonization of more worlds, and that Fastolfe destroyed Jander to stymie them, since they haven't managed to create any on their own. Fastolfe isn't helping his case by stating he is the only person who could have led Jander down a path of contradictions and paradoxes that would cause freeze-out, although he also insists he didn't.

Baley is dumped into the middle of this, Earth's future also at stake, not to mention his career. Again on a world where he doesn't know the rules or customs, and people don't explain them because to them, it's obvious. The customs around bathrooms being one such problem, Aurora's strict laws on slander being another.

It's interesting that, for as much as I think Asimov enjoys writing mysteries, the whodunit and why are largely irrelevant. The identity of Jander's destroyer, like Baley's career, or Fastolfe's, are not that important. Because Baley does solve the crime, sort of, but the person he exposes is not the one who destroyed Jander. He confronts that person later, but they suffer no consequences. It was more important that Fastolfe's chief opposition was dealt a setback, because that's a better outcome for humanity, as the perpetrator viewed it.

It's a noir outcome. The real killer walks free, because nobody really cares. The victim didn't matter, only the opportunity the victim presented as leverage. The bigwigs got an answer that satisfied them, it produced a political outcome that suits them, and they don't need to look any further. Baley doesn't have any power or authority to do anything, even if he wants to.

"Have you tried to explain this to Gladia? She might understand."

"Never. I'd distress her. I'd embarrass her. You don't talk about such things. I should see a mentologist."

"Have you?"

"No."

"Why not?"

Gremionis frowned. "You have a way of asking the rudest questions, Earthman."

"Perhaps because I'm an Earthman. I know no better."