Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0393326632, Paperback)

Safecracking, bullying, marital infidelity, and gambling have never before been explored with the mathematical acuity and whimsy of Puzzling Adventures. Collected and enhanced from Dennis Shasha's popular Scientific American column, they are the most innovative and emotive mathematical puzzles ever to appear in its pages. Edgy, challenging, and representing the ultimate in recreational math games, Puzzling Adventures will dare you to figure out the logic underlying venture fund investments, escape a Minotaur, negotiate an arbitration, catch a polar bear, play power politics, figure out if a witness is lying, spy on contraband traders, and verify DNA. An encrypted set of stories and commentary float above the puzzles. Decrypt them to find out their hints. The hints lead to a surprise—if you can figure them out... 43 illustrations.