The Robots of Dawn is a "whodunit" science fiction novel by Isaac Asimov, first published in 1983. It is part of Asimov's Robot series.

The book opens with Elijah Baley on Earth, training with his son to tolerate the outside, in spite of their socially ingrained agoraphobia. He is ordered to go to Washington.

There, he is told that the Spacer world of Aurora has requested through diplomatic channels that he go to Aurora. He is told that Jander Panell, a humaniform robot identical to R. Daneel Olivaw has been unexpectedly shut down via a mental block - "roboticide" as Baley terms it.

The robot's inventor, Han Fastolfe, has been implicated. Fastolfe, whom we last met in The Caves of Steel is the best Robotocist on Aurora. He has admitted that he is the only person with the skill to have done it, although he denies doing it. Fastolfe is also a prominent member of the Auroran political faction that favors Earth. Implication in the crime threatens his political career. Therefore, it is politically expedient that he be exonerated.

While en route to Aurora, Baley once again is partnered with R. Daneel Olivaw, as well as R. Giskard, another of Fastolfe's robots.

On Aurora, he sets out to solve the crime. He interviews Gladia Rikkaine (whom we last saw in The Naked Sun; she now prefers the surname "Solaria" instead). Jander was a member of her staff before he was shut down. We find out that Gladia had a secret, sexual relationship with Jander. She even considered him to be her husband.

Baley later interviews Fastolfe's estranged daugher, Vasilia Fastolfe (although she disdains the use of her given name and prefers to use "Aliena" instead). Vasilia claims that her father is a monster, and would do anything necessary to advance his theories of a science that can predict the future - psychohistory. This includes the murder of Jander, if it would help him observe Gladia's responses.

Following that, Baley interviews Santirix Gremionis. Gremionis was an Auroran whom was attracted to both Gladia and Vasilia. With each of them, he committed the Auroran taboo of offering to have sex after they had rejected him. Gremionis denies involvement in the murder, and says he has reported Baley to the Chairman (the executive of the Auroran Government) for slander. Vasilina subtly manipulated him into falling in love with Gladia, and he only realizes it after Baley asks him about it directly.

Next, Baley interviews Keldon Amadiro. Amadiro is Fastolfe's chief politican rival. He explains their political motivations - that they wish to see Aurora and only Aurora colonize the rest of the Galaxy. Humaniform robots are an integral part of their planned colonization, although Fastolfe is the only one who can construct them. The Robotics Institute which Amadiro heads has been attempting, futily, to construct one.

On the way back to the Falstofe residence from the interview with Amadiro, Baley's airfoil (a car that uses airjets to float slightly off the ground) is forced to stop. The air compressor has been sabotaged. Baley, suspecting that it was done by Amadiro in an attempt to kidnap Daneel, order him and Giskard to flee the car. A few minutes later, a large group of Robots arrive and interrogate Baley. Baley tells them that he ordered Daneel back to the Robotics Institute, and they leave. Baley flees the car into the thunderstorm outside. His agoraphobia gets the best of him, and he falls unconscious.

He awakes in Gladia's home. He is told that they had stopped not far from her house. Daneel and Giskard fled there quickly. A rescue party was quickly formed and Baley was recovered not long after passing out.

Baley then goes to a prearranged meeting with the Chairman, who holds political sway over the entire situation, and is intent upon ending the crisis. Present at the meeting are the Chairman, Baley, Falstofe, and Amadiro.

Baley confronts Amadiro with a question. During Baley's interview with him, Amadiro said that he knew of the relationship between Gladia and Jander. Baley asks him how he could have known of it, since it was a secret. Amadiro says he heard it from someone, but cannot remember who it was that he heard it from. Baley says that the only person he could have heard it from would have been Jander himself.

Baley then gives the solution to the mystery of who killed Jander. While Gladia was her frequent walks with Gremionis, Amadiro took the opporunity to contact Jander via trimenionsal viewing (telepresence) and question him. The questions would allow Amadiro to understand how Jander was designed, which in turn would allow Amadiro himself to create a humaniform robot. Apparentely, this questions created enough entropy in Jander's positronic brain to kill him.

The Chairman is satisfied with this explination. Amadiro is forced to agree to support Falstofe's policies, which are immedately put into effect. Earth benefits greatly from this.

As he is leaving Aurora for Earth, Baley confronts Giskard. Vasilia, who had made modifications to Giskard's programming many decades before, had accidentally given him the ability to read minds, human and robot alike. Several times throughout the book, he acts upon thoughts going on in someone else's head, and this leads Baley to suspect his abilities. Giskard found out about Amadiro's contact with Jander, and it was Giskard who shut Jander down. He did it with the skills he had aquired by listening in to Falstofe's thoughts.

Baley gets a promise from Giskard to make sure Gladia and Gremionis will be happy together, and then leaves for Earth.