Book Description
This digital document, covering the life and work of Rex (Todhunter) Stout, is an entry from Contemporary Authors, a reference volume published by Thompson Gale. The length of the entry is 3913 words. The page length listed above is based on a typical 300-word page. Although the exact content of each entry from this volume can vary, typical entries include the following information:

• Place and date of birth and death (if deceased)
• Family members
• Education
• Professional associations and honors
• Employment
• Writings, including books and periodicals
• A description of the author's work
• References to further readings about the author

Book Description
In this ingenious whodunit, a perfume company offers a million dollars for correctly identifying certain women in history who used cosmetics. When the advertising genius behind the campaign is murdered and the answers stolen, Nero Wolfe is called in to find both. Archie Goodwin tries bravely to keep Wolfe away from the irritating women involved and focused on the case. But with puzzling phone calls and conflicting instructions from the ad company, it's anybody's guess when — or even if — Wolfe will find the killer. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Another Winner
I haven't found a Nero Wolfe mystery that I didn't love.You are totally lost in the story unfolding...

Another Great Stout-Pritchard Collaboration
I've wondered whether Michael Pritchard and Rex Stout ever met.

He interprets Stout's work with such insight and feeling.In this book, Stout confronts another of the 1950s institutions:the advertising business and the "big contest" approach to promoting products.

An advertising firm runs a million-dollar contest to promote perfume.The finalists have been asked to determine which perfume-using historical figure is depicted in some rhymes.The writer of the rhymes teases the finalists by flashing the answers, and is later found dead.

It's historically interesting to note that, strictly speaking, Stout anticipated the quiz show scandals a few years after this story's time (1955).To learn more about this, get the wonderful DVD "Quiz Show," which deconstructs this era with great insight and empathy.

But man, that Michael Pritchard.I have some Nero Wolfes read by others, but Pritchard got it right for sure. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (1)

Two Aces and a Deuce
A PRIZE FOR PRINCES is a pretty good Rex Stout novel, but HER FORBIDDEN KNIGHT is just awful.Otto Penzler, I used to think you had some integrity, but calling this reprint of schlock THE REX STOUT READER is the act of a con man playing the shell game in old Times Square to rook the tourists.Wouldn't a real "REX STOUT READER" have something in it with Nero and Archie?Not these two undiscovered "gems" from a pre World War I period!A PRIZE FOR PRINCES has a kind of detective story plot, but really it's a sort of noir novel, the kind that Robert Hichens used to turn out by the carload in turn of the century England.This one, like many of Hichens' books, revolves around the evil antics of a continental vamp called Aline Solini, Princess of Marisi, who captures men like flies and twists them in her web of evil.Her dark glamor is contrasted with the lighter soubrette charms of a French girl, Vivi Janvour, whose lighter, sunnier disposition is ultimately what a real man presumably wants.She is "distinctly French from the tip of her toes to the top of her head."You can tell that Stout was writing by the word, for chapter after chapter comes out padded to ridiculous lengths."I don't know.""What do you mean?""Well--that is to say--I do know--and yet--I don't know really."Aline is the kind of part Theda Bara used to play in silent movies, dangerously irresistible, not the kind of girl you take home to Mother, sort of a vampire Goth feeling about her.She knows how to apply poison to the tip of a sword; why, she knows everything about men's bodies and how weak we poor saps are.

Penzler adds as a bonus a previously uncollected story from the same period, "Out of the Line."This brief tale takes us to the birthday of a well to do American woman, Agatha, who, at age 31, has entered middle age, so "henceforth Time's sickle would descend with increasing rapidity and more disastrous stroke."Brother, do I know the feeling! ... Read more

Book Description
Miss Sarah Blount, better known as Sally, has come to Wolfe to plead for his help with her father's case. Matthew Blount is charged with poisoning a man to death at the Gambit Club, and all evidence points to his guilt. Sally knows that her father is innocent, but doesn't trust his lawyer, who seems too interested in her mother. Despite the lack of cooperation by Matthew Blount or the lawyer, Wolfe takes the case, trumping the police with a list of four suspects. But when one of those suspects turns up dead, Wolfe is forced to retrench, so unnerved that he forgoes a fabulous lunch and ignores his treasured orchids. Sally's increasing interest in Wolfe is only one of many trials he faces in this witty, cleverly plotted tale.

Rex Stout's literary creation, Nero Wolfe, is one of the greatest fictional detectives of all time.And, as always, Archie's assistance as the perennial wise guy and legman complements Wolfe's devotion to orchids, gourmet meals, and his specially constructed brown leather chair. Together, Archie and Wolfe make an entertaining odd couple. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Review for People Looking for Chess Fiction
The other review is quite thorough - but I will review this book from the theme of chess literature. I am an accomplished chess player and life long devotee to the game. I gave this story three stars because it did flow pretty smooth. The mentionings of chess are okay and accurate. The setting was pretty much a murder that takes place at a chess club and Nero Wolfe and his sidekicks are responsible for solving it. This was my first Stout book, so the colorful characters really did catch my interest and I would read Stout again in the future. However, I had a little bit of a tough time with Stout's style. He uses had had and that that so much and even in the dialogue of the characters. Yuck! Still, from a chess fan point of view and seeing how chess fiction of any type is quite scarce - I do recommend this book even though it is average in quality.

Not Stout's Best
Michael Pritchard's typically outstanding reading of "Gambit" cannot overcome an often-repeated comment about this book:that Rex Stout in the 1960s was on the way down in creative powers.

Gambit was written in 1962 and contains intriguing contemporary references:Bobby Fischer, television news, the cold war.These are always fun, and revealing of Stout's attitudes toward contemporary society.However, some elements of Stout at his best are conspciuously absent.

For one thing, he has Wolfe accepting a case largely because a pretty woman appeals to his vanity concerning his detecting ability and genius.It verges on Wolfe becoming a stereotypicaly dirty old man, and is not satisfactory.Then, the interplay between Cramer and Wolfe portrays Cramer in an uncharacteristially mean-spirited and even loutish manner.The Cramer we know is better than that.

Perhaps worst, though, is the absence of the wise observations we've come to expect from Wolfe.In this one, he gets peevish (not necessarily a bad thing) but also skittish - not like him at all.He shows an indecisive streak which is so inconsistent with the "better Wolfe" that the faithful wonder whether Wolfe should consider nursing home care.

Finally, the plot.If Stout has to have Wolfe explain what a gambit actually is, you can sense trouble coming.The plot outline seems rigged-up and contrived, and the characters seem to have some trouble sticking to it.

Must mention, though, the typically wonderful job Michael Pritchard does with this one.But for that, the audio version would be worth only 2 stars, not three... ... Read more

Book Description
Twenty-two-year-old Amy Denovo needs Nero Wolfe's help. She is determined to learn the identity of her father, a secret her mother scrupulously guarded — and took to her grave when struck by a hit-and-run driver. Now Wolfe and his sidekick, Archie, have just one clue to go on: a note from Amy's mother and a box with over $250,000. Seems every month since Amy's birth, her mother received $1,000 from an unknown source and saved it for Amy's future. It's easily enough for Amy to afford Wolfe's services, and he grudgingly agrees. But as the weeks go by, Wolfe realizes this may be one of his most challenging cases ever. Someone doesn't want Amy's pedigree discovered, and that someone appears to wield great power. It isn't long before Wolfe and Archie come to believe that Amy's mother was murdered — and that Amy could be next. Michael Prichard gives another of his masterful readings to this cleverly plotted tale. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

A decent entry in the Wolfe series
I enjoyed the story--I always like it when Archie and Wolfe run into dead ends before they come up with the answer.It's not the best Wolfe book ever, but Michael Prichard's reading is enjoyable and the story is good.

Another Intelligent Novel By Rex Stout
It's hard not to become fascinated by these books, and this one has an attractive symmetry. The whole Manhattan world of offices and penthouses of the 1940s through the 1960s, and Wolfe and Archie's private domain in the brownstone, comprise a universe inside a universe. It is an imagined world more charming to me than Middle Earth or any such silliness. I love it and only regret there is not an infinite supply of Stout. (Yum). Wolfe is especially "cool" as in unemotional in this one. The police are especially bad--more interested in winning some competition than in serving justice. The scene in which the police penetrate the plant rooms and invade the office is truly upsetting. Stout knows what he is doing. The scene elicits a righteous anger. I am eager for the memory of the book and others of Stout's to fade so that I will have the pleasure of reading them again. By the way, I disagree with the reviewer who disliked the audio version. I listened to it as well, and I quite like the reader's approach. He is very serious and that's what I want. These books, unlike the painfully eye-winking, clownish, and embarrassing TV series that appeared on A and E, are not cute and should not be made so. (Perhaps I am misreading the reviewer's comment and this was not the direction he would like to have seen the reading go). The audio versions are read intelligently and are deliberately dry in their humor. I much prefer that myself.

The Mamas and the Papas
Here, we join in the search for a father - just as we'd joined in a mother hunt some many years before.

There are some wonderful narrative devices used here, and Archie is better than ever.It's one of the best!

Circumstantial evidence
They had been to Shea Stadium to watch the Mets.Amy Denovo told Archie Goodwin she did not know who her father was.Her mother was dead and she no relatives.Archie said that Nero Wolfe had an inflated idea about fees.Amy's mother had been a television producer.She had sent her daughter to Smith.

Archie had learned, with practice, to recount long conversations verbatim.He did this when Miss Denovo appeared with twenty thousand dollars for a retainer to hire the Nero Wolfe organization to identify her father.Her mother, Elinor, had been careful, correct, and cold.Amy was born April 12, 1945.Elinor Denovo had died in a hit and run accident in May.Three pedestrians and a taxi driver had seen her hit by an automobile, (it didn't slow down), on 83rd Street.It turns out that she was hit by a stolen car.

Amy had received money her father had sent to her mother it was presumed.She didn't know who he was and didn't think her mother had liked her.Mother and daughter had lived in New York City.Elinor Denovo had started to work for her employer in 1945 as a stenographer.Her references were not checked.

The name of the man sending payments to Elinor was Cyrus M. Jarrett.He had been president of the Seaboard Bank.He had an estate on the Hudson Riverand was an artcollector.The estate was eighty eight miles from the city.Jarrett claimed he knew nothing about Amy.

Nero Wolfe and Archie discovered that Elinor Denovo's name was Carlotta Vaughn.She had been secretary to Mrs. Jarrett.She came from Wisconsin.In 1944 she suddenly wasn't there, at Jarrett'shome.Jarrett put forth an alibi nixing the notion of paternity.As a financier he had war duties in London and other locations abroad during the summer of 1944.

The investigators Saul, Orrie, and Fred were put on the case.(It is amusing to see how in the the Nero Wolfe universe the full press is employed to solve a mystery.)It was determined that Jarrett was the grandfather of Amy and the father was someone, unknown and unacknowledged, called Floyd Vance.

This Nero Wolfe mystery is great, fun, sparkling.

There's no such thing as a bad Nero Wolfe book
The Father Hunt does not rate at the top of Rex Stout's plots, but certainly near the top for characterization.Wolfe and Archie have never been better.While some would think this is a companion piece to The Mother Hunt, it should be read only after reading Death of a Doxy, as there is a minor tie-in to that book.A young woman has never known her father, so hires Wolfe to discover his identity.What begins as a simple paternity case ends up being a hunt for a murderer.If you've never read a Nero Wolfe novel before, DON'T read this one--start with one of the earlier books.But if you are familiar with the residents of the brownstone on West 35th Street, a treat awaits. ... Read more

Book Description
Originally published in 1938, this book follows the gourmand Nero Wolfe to a meeting of the greatest chefs in the world, where he is to be the honored dinner guest. This is a rare vacation for the corpulent sleuth - until a four-star killer serves up a side dish of murder. In order to solve the crime, Wolfe and Goodwin must deal with inept local law enforcement, recalcitrant witnesses, and Wolfe's fervent desire to get back to his orchids and his specially constructed brown leather chair. ... Read more

Book Description
Here are two Rex Stout short stories for war buffs and Nero Wolfe fans alike. In "Not Quite Dead Enough," Archie Goodwin - Nero Wolfe's perennial legman - literally steals the limelight. Recently inducted into Army Intelligence, Archie goes to Wolfe's flat to see why he hasn't been answering his or the Army recruiter's calls. Wolfe could be dead, but Archie later finds out he's been "training" to join the Army. It takes the murder of a woman Archie goes dancing with to get Nero Wolfe to investigate crime again. The wartime theme continues in "Booby Trap" as Archie and Wolfe investigate the murder of Captain Albert Cross, killed only hours before he was to make a report about a prototype grenade theft to the group of intelligence people Wolfe works with. Listener favorite Michael Prichard, named by Smart Money magazine as one of the "Top Ten Golden Voices," precisely captures the characters' personalities and the story locations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

BBC Audio version incomplete
I bought this product in the CD version and received the BBC Audio edition rather than the one from Audio Partners. The first story, "Not Quite Dead Enough" was incomplete. The whole first chapter and beginning of the second were omitted. I opted for a refund from Amazon rather than a replacement since every copy of the BBC Audio edition is likely to be similarly defective.

Hope Michael Pritchard Finishes What He Started
Just got this CD set, so now I have, let's see, 27 Nero Wolfe books on tape or CD.

There's no help for it.

Now, bear in mind that while Michael Pritchard read most of these, he did not read all of these, and that is not satisfactory.An actor from the A&E series read one or two of them and while I admite his chutzpah, he's no Pritchard.

I hope that, eventually, Pritchard records ALL of the Wolfe stories.

Michael Pritchard jumps into these two stories with his usual enthusiam.I love the way he does Wolfe - not exaggerating or overplaying, but clearly conveying that Wolfe is a big guy with a commanding voice.Maury Chaykin comments on the A&E DVDs that "no one talks like Nero Wolfe."Well, I know one guy who does...

And when Pritchard speaks with Archie's voice [and Archie's "inner voice"], he captures Archie's special combination of earnestness and cynicism that makes him so appealing.

These two stories are logically grouped as among Stout's World War II efforts.Some have derided the first one as too implausible, and recommend jumping right into "Booby Trap."With the CD set, it's pretty easy to do that:the tracks are clearly labelled.But if you do, you actually miss some of the "setup material" since, it appears, "Not Quite..." is set at a time frame preceding "Booby Trap."

Suit yourself.Since I cannot get enough of Nero Wolfe, I just let the good times roll...

Not Quite Dead Enough and Booby Trap
A welcome distraction for Wolfe fans. While worthy of the Wolfe name, neither of these stories has the amount of plot and character depth as most of Stout's other novels. But that by no means, means that these stories aren't an interesting listen.
Prichard of course delivers the subtle differences of every character in his inimitable way.
Not Quite Dead Enough is the best of the two, and is in my opinion, one of Stout's best short stories.
Booby Trap shows a bit of a 'dark side' of Wolfe, wherein, ***spoiler*** he persuades a murderer to commit suicide near the end. But overall this collection is a must-read for Wolfe fanatics, as is pretty much every other Wolfe novel. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (1)

Leisurely Ruminations
Stout creates a female character here who writes a poem. She is moved to write it because she has killed a squirrel and is mourning its loss. Her turn of phrase is "If Death Ever Slept..."

This supposes, of course, that death never sleeps. The conceptual buzz much informs this book. As detective fiction goes, it is leisurely and ruminative, so I give it only the three stars you see. However, I enjoyed its characterizations of the relationships in "the family." Archie's insecurities and professional jealousy are never better described than they are here, and the other extended family members are given a good airing.

But why did she write it? If it was because she felt bad about the squirrel and wants to share, she almost succeeds. There is too little satisfaction at the conclusion of this one; its tone of futility and moral loss rival the way the reader feels at the end of "Fer-de-Lance."

Michael Prichard once again does a wonderful job bringing this story to life.His emotional portrayals of Archie's semi-conscious human frailty is extremely appealing. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (7)

With Kidnapping Comes Murder
When Archie Goodwin ushers former stage actress Althea Vail into Nero Wolfe's office, he assumes she will be dismissed in just a few minutes.Instead, Althea lays out a tale of kidnapping that Nero can't resist.

It seems that Althea's current husband, Jimmy Vail, has been kidnapped.Althea is more then willing to pay the ransom, but she wants to hire Nero in case something goes wrong.

The ransom payment goes fine and Jimmy returns.In fact, everything seems to be going well.Until the police call and ask Althea to identify a body.Nero has put his reputation on the line for this case, so he can't let it go.But what is really going on?Meanwhile, Nero is also hired to find the missing ransom money.Can he do that without leaving home?

This is only my second outing with Nero Wolfe, but I really enjoyed it.Nero is an interesting character.I must admit I tend to like him in spite of his harsh demeanor.I'm sure that Archie really helps in that regard.The plot moves swiftly from one event to another.The solution was obvious yet so covered with red herrings I never saw it coming.

The book was written in the 60's, so that makes the occasional reference dated.On the whole, this is a strong mystery that will please any fan of the genre.

A high-society kidnapping and murder.
Rex Stout's THE FINAL DEDUCTION receives Michael Prichard's warm recording - indeed, Prichard's narrated all the title by Stout featuring the Nero Wolfe protagonist, which lends a wonderful uniformity to this mystery revolving around a high-society kidnapping and murder.

The Final Deduction
Another in fine line of Nero Wolfe mysteries.I first met Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin on the A&E TV series and I have enjoyed all of the stories.

Only Certain Cases Are Acceptable...
...and divorce cases are not.

I guess that a certain suspension of disbelief is needed for any detective fiction of Nero Wolfe's genre.From Sherlock Holmes forward, we've been asked to accept as plausible that a private detective could earn a living by solving murder cases and staying away from messy detective stuff.Like tailing cheating spouses.

Let's face it:private detectives being hired to solve murders for large fees??Not really likely.Nero himself says, often, that the NYPD and Inspector Cramer's staff are far better equipped to handle these cases...

But we are nonetheless fascinated with the process.One key element:Nero is not hamstrung by the obligations of due process which are borne by the police.In this case, bald trickery is used to snare a murderer.Nero clearly believes that the end justifies the means, and so long as the end is satisfactory to Nero Wolfe, any means is acceptable.

So we like reading this, and we feel kind of uncomfortable at the same time.If that isn't great entertainment, I don't know what is!!

Only 'final' for this particular case
Althea Vail, an actress who left the stage to become the trophy wife of millionaire Harold Tedder, was in time left a widow with 2 grown children. A few years ago, she acquired a trophy husband of her own - ex-standup comic Jimmy Vail. When Archie recognizes her on Wolfe's doorstep, he assumes that she's about to try to hire them for divorce evidence, and settles down to watch Wolfe throw her out.

Instead, they learn that Jimmy Vail has been kidnapped, and that Althea is prepared to pay the half-million ransom demanded as the price of his return. But to hedge her bets, she wants Wolfe in reserve, to avenge Jimmy if payment doesn't bring him back alive. Wolfe and Archie aren't to investigate unless Vail is harmed, and he does return home safely - only to be found dead shortly thereafter, crushed by a fallen statue of Benjamin Franklin. A tragic accident, coupled with the murder of Mrs. Vail's secretary...and Mrs. Vail's grown son and daughter aren't interested in hiring Wolfe to investigate it, but rather to recover the ransom money, since their mother will let whichever sibling finds it first *keep* it.

For once, the female characters aren't particularly sympathetic; Archie sympathizes with the son's desire to develop a spine, and can't abide the arrogant foolishness of the daughter. Saul, Fred, and Orrie are brought into play, keeping tabs on various suspects - not to expose a killer, technically - but given the fishy circumstances of the kidnapping, and of the secretary's death, they'll end up solving the murder to find the money. For another not-a-murder-investigation story (but with a wider playing field and more fun), see _Before Midnight_, where Wolfe's goal was to help salvage a contest - where the man bearing the answer sheet had been murdered, putting Wolfe squarely in Inspector Cramer's path. :) ... Read more

Book Description
Paul Chapin's college cronies have never completely forgiven themselves for the tragic prank that left their friend a twisted cripple. Yet with their Harvard days behind them, they thought it was all in the past - until a class reunion ends in a fatal fall, and mysterious poems swearing deadly retribution begin to arrive. Now this league of frightened men seeks Nero Wolfe's expert help. But are Wolfe's brilliance and Archie's tenacity enough to outwit a most cunning killer? This is the second mystery in the Rex Stout's Wolfe series, originally published in 1935. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

All the Nero Wolfe books are gems ...
I don't understand someone who would think that any of the Nero Wolfe boosk were not good.Of course some are better than others, but frankly, his worst is better than the best of just about anyone (well, Raymond Chandler is an example of someone who you may prefer, but for gods sake, he's a legend).

The man deserved the Nobel Prize.Oliver Wendell Holmes considered him the best of all the detective writers.I agree.

Enjoyable, but not the right reader
I love Nero Wolfe mysteries and this was very enjoyable. But in my opinion they chose the wrong reader. The narrator sounded very good being Nero Wolfe. But all the Nero Wolfe stories are written from the point of view of his legman, Archie Goodwin. The narrator did not at all sound like Archie.

I don't regret the purchase but I wish they would choose another narrator for further stories, one who sounds more like the cocky, streetwise Archie, who doesn't know what 'rancour' means.

Excellent entertainment
I love Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin!This book was definitely up to their standards!

Top Form
I really loved this book even before I read "Stout Fellow" by "O.E.McBride."Her insightful analysis of all of Rex Stout's work confirms what I already suspected:Rex Stout's earliest books were his best.

This one can be forgiven some narrative excesses (the pink tie and soup, for example) in fair exchange for some of Wolfe's best Wolfeisms.The one about membership in the Hardvard Club is in this book.

And finally, Paul Chapin is a much better "Moriarty" than Arnold Zeck.He's much deeper and more complex, in fact, than virtually any other of Stout's other characters, doubly subtle by the way in which his villainy is propounded.

Fetishism, kinky stuff - all here more so that in anything else of Wolfe's that comes to mind.And it is expertly read in audio.

Wolfe saves a murdered who didn't murder anyone
A bit longer than most of Stout's Nero Wolfe mysteries, but still well worth the read.This is also one of the earliest Nero Wolfe books so there are a few differences between it and later stories, which made it even more interesting.
A good read, a great story line, and great value for the money compared to the $9 or $10 for a 90 minute movie, not including the 20 bucks for popcorn and soft drink. ... Read more

Book Description
Wealthy industrialist P. L. Storrs has never approved of lady detectives, and he normally would not have made an exception of Theodolina "Dol" Bonner. But faced with a very delicate problem and surprisingly impressed, he hires her instantly. It seems that Storrs' bird-witted wife has fallen under the spell of a smooth-talking religious charlatan, and now Storrs wants Dol to get the goods on him. But when the gorgeous gumshoe arrives at Storrs' picturesque country estate, Birchhaven, to meet the scoundrel, she finds more than she bargained for - namely, the corpse of her client and a garden party teeming with suspects! This witty whodunit, brought dramatically to life by noted reader Judith West, was first published in 1937. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Good Reading, Weird Book
Others below have expressed concerns about the quality of the narration in this audio book.We're not talking much about this book itself...

Rex Stout tried to subfranchise Nero Wolfe many times.He sold to radio and hated what the scriptwriters came up with.He sold to movies and then criticized how the screenplays were.

Well, actually, he was right.These adaptations are pretty bad, in all truth.

But when he adapts his own stuff, and then tries to inhabit a woman's mind, it's a mess.Inspector Cramer is the only lucid, well-developed charater in this book - and this comes from a mystery author who developed such memorable characters.

Dol Bonner is a crypto-lesbian who cannot come out in 1938.The only love interests she has in this story are other women, so I think my last observation is credible.And Rex just cannot be that attitudinally flexible.The storyline is weak and not consistently interesting.

Most fatal flaw:the abandonment of first-person narrative style.We like Archie Goodwin because we can see ourselves as fantasy Archies.But Rex was not adventurous enough to make "Being Dol Bonner, Gay Detective" in 1938 as a first-person piece.Even though we do not see this story exactly from Dol's viewpoint, everything described is within her sight.About three-fourths of the way through, we're suddenly observing a too-long scene which is outside Dol's consciousness.It's jarring and might be worthwhile, if it really led someplace.

But it is just a little meander.Rex felt like exploring nonconventional religion, nonconventional relationships and nonconventional detectives, but the guy's just way too conventional for the job.It's a noble experiment, but it failed.Stout knew;he never tried again.

A good fit
High-pitched and grating? We can't disagree with the one-star reviewer more.The voices are consistent and carefully chosen.We listened to this book while painting an apartment and found it thoroughly absorbing and well produced.We can't claim to own 30 unabridged Stout mysteries with which to compare this, but we can claim to know strong female characters strongly portrayed. Having listened to stories by writers such asSara Paretsky and Sue Grafton, we think this performance ranks.It's consistent throughout, intelligently performed, and completely satisfying.

Narration hard to take!
I am an avid audio-book fan, and own 30 unabridged, Nero Wolfe audio books.Naturally, this book interested me, and I purchased it with a Christmas gift certificate.What a disappointment!!The narration is high-pitched and grating.I truly cannot understand how the producers chose to use this narrator.My mother listened to the set before me and refrained from saying anything so as not to spoil the set for me.Once I commented on the poor narration, she felt free to say that she strongly disliked the narration to.What was Audio Editions thinking?Please choose the narrators with thought next time.

An interesting work by the master of mystery
This is a Rex Stout book, but Nero and Archie are no where to be found. This adventure features Dol Bonner, the tough-talking female detective who has appeared briefly in some Wolfe books. As a character, she's interesting. She had her heart broken before the book begins, and consequently insists that she "hates men." Yet some of her closest relationships are with men. She's proud and efficient and good at her work. However, while it's interesting to watch Stout flesh out a new character and to hear him write in a new voice, it's still not great Stout. Sometimes the story is told from Dol's POV, sometimes it shifts to her partner and friend Syliva, other times the story is told by some one else altogether. This is no where near as satisfying a way to tell a mystery as by telling it all from the detective's point of view, and letting us solve the mystery along with our narrator. So, while this book will be fascinating for Stout's fans, I don't think it holds up very well as a mystery on its own. ... Read more

Amazon.com
I've promised myself for the past decade that, when I finally retire, my first major project will be to reread the entire Nero Wolfe canon in chronological order, a worthwhile occupation if ever there was one.

Although entirely different and not nearly as literary as Ross Macdonald's Lew Archer series or the Philip Marlowe novels of Raymond Chandler, the Wolfe saga deserves to be ranked with them as among the finest series of detective stories ever written by an American. Fer-de-lance introduces the brilliant, idiosyncratic, and obese armchair detective to the world and, while it may not be the best book of the series, it provides a wonderful murder set on a golf course and a cast of characters and laundry list of eccentricities that are an integral part of each novel and novella.

Rex Stout has managed to pull off a feat unparalleled to this day: the perfect combination of deductive reasoning--as exemplified by the classic Golden Age writers such as Christie, Sayers, Van Dine, and Queen--with the hard-boiled attitude and dialogue of the more realistic tough guy writers such as Chandler, Macdonald, Hammett, and Robert B. Parker.

The toughness is brought to the books by Wolfe's leg man and amanuensis, Archie Goodwin. The structure and ambience of the books is, quite deliberately, very much like the Sherlock Holmes stories that Stout so admired. The house on West 35th Street is as familiar as the sitting room at 221B Baker Street; his cook Fritz pops up as regularly as Mrs. Hudson; and his irritant, Inspector Cramer of the NYPD, serves the same role as several Scotland Yard detectives, notably Inspector Lestrade, did for Holmes. Fair warning: It is safe to read one Nero Wolfe novel, because you will surely like it. It is extremely unsafe to read three, because you will forever be hooked on the delightful characters who populate these perfect books. --Otto PenzlerBook Description
This is Rex Stout's first mystery novel, featuring the first appearance of Nero Wolfe, one of the greatest fictional detectives of all time. As any herpetologist knows, the fer-de-lance is among the most dreaded snakes on Earth. When someone makes a present of one to Wolfe, his assistant Archie Goodwin knows the large detective must be getting dangerously close to solving the murders of an immigrant and a college president. As for Wolfe, he's busy playing snake charmer in a case with more twists than an anaconda. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (32)

The first Wolfe
This is the first book in the Nero Wolfe series but you would never know it. Unlike what is usually the case of a first book in a series, it stands as good as any that follow. One of the beauties about the books of Rex Stout is that you do not have to read them in order. Any Nero Wolfe book you pick up has Nero and Archie in the same place, the same age, the same minor characters. Only some of the events in the background give away the year. There is a comfort in knowing that any book will give you the same satisfaction without having to keep track of the characters.

Fer De Lance has an interesting plot and some interesting characters. A must read for Rex Stout fans, and all fans of a good mystery.

Remarkable
This book is remarkable in two ways.One is in how consistent the writing has been in the series, and the second is how true the television series on A & E had been in presenting the stories.

Unless you checked the chronology, or nitpicked throughout the story, most readers would not be able to find any discontinuity or breaks in flow or inconsistency in style in this story.I was hard pressed to believe that this is the first book in the series.Rex Stout made no special effort to introduce the characters that we all know and love in this book.They were introduced, but to no great fanfare, very little background was given, yet he was able to get the reader involved in the plot.Archie starts out in his inimitable style, as does Nero Wolfe.The intelligence, was there, the styling is there, and the eccentricities are there.

I came to the Nero Wolfe mysteries through the A & E series: Nero Wolfe - The Complete First Season and Nero Wolfe - The Complete Second Season.It struck mewhile reading this book as to how true to the stories the producers were in putting the same ethos and peculiarities.The furnishings were very well described in the book, and the show did a remarkable job filling in the blank spots.

The story itself was classic Nero Wolfe, lots of thing going on to derail the line of reasoning, yet everything falls together brilliantly. Stout doesn't overly indulge in springing surprises, always a turnoff in a good mystery,nor does he telegraph his hand until the very end.The mystery was well paced and the dialog was clever and streetwise, all at the same time.The book was written in 1933, so one would expect the dialog top be very corny and conspicuous in its datedness, but it wasn't really noticeable, besides, this gives the story a noirish spin that is both entertaining and cool sounding.

This book, being the first book in the series, is an anomalous book because one would expect something that is less than perfect from a first book.Even though this book isn't perfect, it is, however, quite satisfactory.

Clever Dialog with So-So Mystery
Nero Wolfe is one of the most famous detectives in fiction. Wolfe is a genius for solving murders but that is not what makes these books worth reading. It is Wolfe's eccentricities combined with the narration of Wolfe's assistant, Archie Goodwin. Rex Stout displays clever and funny writing (especially the dialogs), to keep the story moving. Nero Wolfe is, of course, the incredibly obese detective who rarely leaves his apartment in Manhattan but sends Archie Goodwin, (his hardboiled, skirt-chasing assistant) to gather evidence for him so that Wolfe can sit in his chair and solve the case.

Fer-De-Lance is the first book in the Nero Wolfe series (there are 73 in the series) and it is amazing how fully developed the characters were even in this first book. It has been said that that you can pick up any of the novels in any order and you won't feel out of place. In this story, Wolfe is short of money (a perennial problem as he lives in an expensive apartment, with a chef, a gardener to maintain his precious orchids, and Archie on staff). Wolfe first needs to find a case that can pay him enough and he is lucky enough to find a convenient murder and even better he has a clue that the police don't have as he knows another murder is linked to the first. Slowly, and yet inexorably, Wolfe reels in the murderer and solves the case.

But solving the murder is only a small part of the story. It is the narration of Archie Goodwin, the wonderful dialog, and the uniqueness of Nero Wolfe, that make this a fun story to read. There is little mystery in the actual murder but watching Wolfe crack the case and figure out how to get the evidence against the killer is pure joy.

The first, if not best, Wolfe novel
Rex Stout didn't just create a character when he thought up Nero Wolfe, but a major franchise that endures to this day.Fer-de-Lance is the beginning of it all where the reader is first introduced to Nero Wolfe, Archie Goodwin, Fritz, Saul Panzer, and the rest of the supporting cast.Introduced may be too strong a word, however, because things pick up as if these characters' adventures had been published many times before.The team is in place and Archie Goodwin actually says that he's been with Wolfe for 7 years so we certainly aren't there for the beginning of the relationship.In this way, Fer-de-Lance is structured much as any other Wolfe novel.

The plot begins with a young woman asking Wolfe to help find her missing brother.We learn pretty quickly that her brother has been killed and shortly thereafter we learn of a second murder that is connected to his.Thus begins the typical process of the murder plot revealing itself layer by layer like until we know who the murderer is.Even though this is the first Wolfe novel, the characters are surprisingly mature and little changed from what you would read in later stories.

It is worth noting, however, that this book does have its shortcomings.First, the snappy patter and humor that is so characteristic of the series is present but not quite as sharp as it would be later.Also, Stout makes an error in pacing the novel as he reveals the murderer to both Wolfe and the reader nearly 100 pages prior to the end of the book.The rest is largely taken up by Archie and Wolfe trying to gather the proof they need to definitively convict the murderer.This made the last part of the book less interesting and when it should have been building up tension for the big reveal, it is instead a bit tired despite a slightly unexpected outcome in the finale.On a petty note, this edition is also marred by several typographical errors that are largely unimportant but always irritating and the editors should have caught them.

All in all, Fer-de-Lance is well worth reading for a fan of Nero Wolfe but I would not recommend it as an introduction to someone who has never read one of his novels.There are others that are more entertaining (e.g. Some Buried Caesar) and there is nothing here that you need to know to enjoy the stories written subsequently.Save this one until after you've read a few and are curious about how it all started.

delightful book, annoying typos in this edition
After watching the Nero Wolfe episodes from A & E, brilliantly rendered by Timothy Hutton and company, I am finally getting around to reading these terrific books.I am starting at the beginning, and am enjoying myself enormously.According to many readers and Amazon reviewers, I have a lot to look forward to, because they get even better than this book.Hooray!But one star off and a poke in the eye to Bantam Crime Line.There are irritating and unnecessary typos in this edition.These wonderful books, and their fans! deserve better. ... Read more

Book Description
A client presents Wolfe with a difficult job: to find something unsavory about his son's fiancee in order to stop their interracial marriage. The white girl's record comes up clean but she comes up dead, with her black fiance accused. Nero and Archie set out to prove his innocence in this story of thwarted romance and murder. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Wolfe and Archie fight racism
Paul Whipple doesn't want his son to marry outside of his race. It's not that he doesn't like white people, but a black man marrying a white woman in 1964 is trouble. Whipple wants Nero Wolfe to help him find a way to break up their engagement. Wolfe would normally reject job like this but he owes a debt to Whipple because of an incident that had occurred in the distant past when Whipple helped him solve a case.

So off Archie goes to Racine, Wisconsin to dig up some dirt on Susan Brooke but after a fruitless search that finds not a trace of scandal, Archie gets a call from Wolfe.Return to New York... Susan Brooke has been found beaten to death in her apartment. And when Whipple's son is arrested for the crime, the case changes into a hunt for the real killer.

The book was written in 1964 at the same time the debate over the Civil Rights Act was going on. Stout covers what was controversial material at the time, reminding us that attitudes in 1964 were not the same as they are today. But this book also reminds us that we haven't come as far as we might like to think. The n-word is used in the book, but only in dialog when Stout uses it to reveal something about the character of the person who says it.Wolfe and Archie never use it, and as Archie says, "I have felt superior to plenty of people but never because of the color of my skin."

As to the the mystery itself, it is one of the best I have read so far.I didn't have the slightest idea who the killer might be and yet when it was revealed I wanted to smack myself for not getting it.

Nero Wolfe at his best
This book begins with Wolfe breaking one of his own rules; namely to never take a case that involves digging up dirt on someone (an undertaking he finds reprehensible and beneath him).But he feels obligated to a man who once did him a favor and decides to undertake the job of looking into the background of a woman who later ends up being murdered, with his client's son being suspected of the Murder.Archie and Wolfe must prove their client's son did not committ the crime and to do that, they must find the murderer.And, as you might guess, the solution lies in the victims past.

This book is extremely well written.It touches on a number of topics, but none as intimately as the civil rights movement and interracial relationships.Combined with Stout's usual flair this makes for an intriquing mystery and a fascinating look at the civil rights era that still is important today.

The book also highlights alot of the characteristics of Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin that have made them such memorable characters.

Making a statement does not always produce the best work
A RIGHT TO DIE is Stout at his most political, using Wolfe to make a commentary about race relations in America. Wolfe's involvement in a case relating to the civil rights movement, interracial relationships, and of course, a murder that will confound the police, is an interesting time capsule. The book exposes some harsh truths which appear a bit dated today, but don't lack for impact. The mystery itself is a fairly involving one, but the weight of the events surrounding this particular tale is a bit too heavy for Nero and Archie to carry. Stout was not afraid to make political statements in this series, but they didn't always make for the best episodes.

If A&E Starts Up Again...
...it would be fascinating to see what they would do with this story.

As you read above, itis true that Rex Stout does want to "get on the civil rights bandwagon."He has some basis, though:his "Too Many Cooks" addresses the issue of "race relations" in a manner unusally forthright for its era.

It meant enough to Stout to bring back a character from that story as a protagonist in this one.By the way, that alone strains your "Nero Wolfe Time Warp."The character has aged enough to grow from a teenager to a parent of an adult child, but Nero, Archie and the gang have not changed a bit...

Anyway, the preachment is simple:people are people, regardless of race.You could see this as "traditional liberalism," but the race flavor does add a special quality to the storytelling.It's still a hard one to solve...

I guess he had to get on the civil rights bandwagon...
This book was boring, reading it i got the impression it was an altered storyline to fit hte current civil rights movement of hte time. Wolfe was more annoying than usual and Archie more arrgravatingly natty. Even Fritz's usually neutral character got me down when reading this. If you are new to Nero Wolfe i would recommend starting witha lighter story, like maybe Some Buried Caesar. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (10)

arrived quickly from seller
good who dunit, a little chauvenistic writing due to the period of hte story.

Put Not Your Trust
In this story, Wolfe is asked by the police for some help - and this alone breaks a key paradign of all the Nero Wolfe stories.

The victim's family really wants to know how and why he was killed, and that precedes the followup murders of other people who read his manuscript.

Mostly, we're invited to see Wolfe's relationship with Inspector Cramer as a running gag, with Cramer as the buffoon.In this case, though, as well as a few others, Cramer's character is deepened with great effect.

You'll enjoy this read...

Murder by the Book
Written with such a mastery over words and phrases, that it's really hard not to like it. I've read almost every Nero Wolfe novel and while this one is not my absolute favorite, it has several scenarios that I find among the most memorable. The first being the 'scam' that Wolfe and Goodwin contrive to attempt to lure the murderer to the sister of one of the people who've read the book - this is expertly handled and quite thorough. The second is (I'm obviously not going in order :P) the 'group interrogation' with the dozen or so secretaries. But there's alot of little nuances throughout the novel that are professional touches that make it seem almost as if the characters are real and that you're reading a piece of history. Stout's almost tedious attention to detail is more fuller appreciated the more you read it, or better yet listen to the audiobook (read by Michael Prichard).

Very Good, But It Has a Flaw
This mystery is wonderful, whether you are a new Stout fan or an old afficionado.Since the other reviewers have discussed the plot, I won't delve into it much.Basically, a man, Leonard Dykes, has written a story and everyone who reads it (he, the woman at the publishing house, and the typist) is killed.The father of the woman from the publishing house, Joan Wellman, hires Wolfe because he is not satisfied with the police's efforts.The rest of the story is fairly formulaic for the Stout series:Wolfe is arrogant, sticks to his schedule, and never leaves the Brownstone.Archie is sarcastic, lures the women, and is a 1940s man-about-town.

There are two differnt things about this story: one good, one bad.First, the bad: Stout doesn't explain the alibi of the murderer.The killer says there is one, and Wolfe starts to dispute it, but Cramer stops him.Therefore, we never find out how the killer contrived the alibi.This may not bother some, but for me, it's frustrating.As for the good, Archie's (perhaps) ultimate love interest is found in this book, in the form of a plump, older, married woman.Don't worry:Archie does nothing wrong, but he sure does think about it...

Bottom line:Well up to Stout's usual standards, with extra interest.The flaw, though, keeps it from being five stars.

About as good as it gets
I loved just about everything about this book.A wistful, infatuated Archie, an exasperated/exasperating Wolfe, police who are (as Wolfe himself would say) good enough at what they do but always a step or two behind, and an action-packed yet heartbreaking mystery.So often books of this genre use murder merely as a catalyst for action.By introducing the victims' families and giving them voice, Rex Stout makes us view the murders in terms of the very real pain they cause those who are left behind. But don't get me wrong -- this book is not a downer.It's bright and clever and, as always, the Wolfe/Goodwin exchanges brought me many a smile. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (1)

Some Buried Caesar: A Nero Wolfe Mystery
Excellent story, kept me interested through out the telling. I listen to Books on CD at work and Nero Wolfe stories always are a favorite. ... Read more

Book Description
This mystery from one of America's best-loved writers features Nero Wolfe, the arrogant, orchid-loving, gourmandizing sleuth, and his invaluable legman, Archie Goodwin, who narrates with his usual wry wit. When the esteemed and wealthy Mr. Noel Hawthorne dies at the age of 49, his sisters are furious that he left his mistress seven million dollars - and nothing for each of them but a piece of fruit! When the investigator discovers that Hawthorne's death was not an accident, Nero and Archie stumble into what appears to be a legacy of murder. Complete and unabridged, this is the ninth Nero Wolfe mystery in the audio series, and it features Michael Prichard's gripping and humorous performance. 6 cassettes. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

A stylish mystery from days gone by
There's a famous family, an old fortune, a sudden death and a mysterious will. All the ingredients for a good whodunnit, and Rex Stout makes the most of them. Nero Wolfe behaves like the temperamental genius he knows he is, while his assistant Archie cracks wise and resigns every few pages. Their interplay is delightful. Even more than a mystery, this is an evocative tale of New York during the Depression. Heiresses were celebrities. The common folk took cabs everywhere, ate meals in drugstores and used payphones. Everyone complains about the heat because no one has air conditioning.

Where Ther's a Will
Another in the fine collection of Nero Wolfe mysteries>I have enjoyed them all.

Competent
I had really hoped that A&E would "do" this one.I would have loved to see how the female repertory cast members would have handled the brilliant spring sisters in this book.

It's a good, vigorous read.I'm hoping to get a copy of Michael Pritchard's reading of it, based on how well he's handled the other Wolfe books.They're coming out on CD audio now, which is great for clarity and ease of use.

Not the best, I suppose, but this book belongs on the shelves of any mystery fan.

Where There's A Will...there's a death...
Nero Wolfe and Archi Goodwin are asked to help break a will. It seems a very rich man, name of Noel Hawthorne, died and left most of his money to the 'OTHER WOMAN' and the wife is going to fight over it. His sisters DON'T want her to do so, as they all have good names they don't wish to be splashed through the mud of a very public, and very ugly, court battle. They want him to either stop the wife, break this will, find another will or maybe even get the 'OTHER WOMAN' to cough up some of the millions she will get.
Right when it looks like Wolfe will just dismiss it all with a 'Pfui!' the police show up. It seems Mr. Hawthrone was murdered.
Now Nero, with help from Archie, will have to get to the bottom of the murder if he wants any peace (or any money).

For Wolfe Junkies
If you have read three or four Nero Wolfe books, and liked them, you will like this book.What's not to like about three sisters named April, May and June?
This is somewhat of an "inside baseball" of Wolfe -- lots of characters, constant action.Not a long book, but alot of content.
Wolfe leaves his home, which is always an interesting twist, given how much he hates it.
Wold almost gets arrested and taken to Police HQ.He dictates a letter before he is to be taken, and staves it off.The letter is vintage Rex Stout. ... Read more