This excerpt from The Way to Dr. Bourru: A Watson Mystery starring Inspector Martin appears courtesy of Tall Tail Books.
On the Perspicacity of Inspector Martin
It seemed that if ever a stalemate occurred
with respect to some grave situation,
the Inspector depended for wisdom and counsel
on the effects of a strange visitation.
And the form that this took was far sillier still,
for whenever he was in a pickle,
inevitably, from its base to its tip,
his small finger would start to tickle!
This happened each and every time,
And then his words would start to rhyme.
And next, the pounding in his chest
would give him cause to hold his breath.
And while he pondered his decision,
all at once would cross his vision…
The answer — Yes! — so plain to see!
And once he knew the route to go
his finger would inform his toe,
and then his toe would tell his chest,
which allowed him to expel his breath.
When all of this was said and done,
the Inspector and his choice were one!
