The Silent Speaker

Nero Wolfe #11

by Rex Stout, Walter Mosley (Introduction)

When a powerful government official scheduled to speak to a group of millionaires turns up dead, the business world clamors for a solution, and Nero Wolfe takes the case.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Detective, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, American

289 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 21, 1946

About the author

Rex Todhunter Stout (1886–1975) was an American crime writer, best known as the creator of the larger-than-life fictional detective Nero Wolfe, described by reviewer Will Cuppy as "that Falstaff of detectives." Wolfe's assistant Archie Goodwin recorded the cases of the detective genius from 1934 (Fer-de-Lance) to 1975 (A Family Affair).

The Nero Wolfe corpus was nominated Best Mystery Series of the Century at Bouchercon 2000, the world's largest mystery convention, and Rex Stout was nominated Best Mystery Writer of the Century.

Reviews

[Bill Kerwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good Nero Wolfe, involving WW II era price controls, bureaucratic double-dealing and cutting edge technology--the dictaphone cylinder, that is.

[Jack Heath · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars. Archie Goodwin, the sarcastic, argumentative and opinionated assistant to Nero Wolfe, but competent, even Wolfe begrudgingly notes that in "The Silent Speaker," is the narrator in Rex Stout's more than 40 Wolfe books. Archie's got a problem. His narration is solely dependent on how much private detective Wolfe takes him into his confidence. Which the great one studiously avoids here. Archie's in the dark on several matters. What's it all about? Cheney Boone is the director of the U.S. government's Bureau of Price Regulation established to control prices in times of shortage during and after WW2. He's scheduled to speak to the National Industry Association at the Waldorf in New York. The NIA are the bad guys, the leaders of industry who despise the BPR for curtailing profits. But Boone is found bludgeoned to death. The NIA executive board sees a looming public relations nightmare and retains Nero Wolfe to find the killer. And a reward is posted. What doesn't Archie know? Why is Saul Panzer reporting directly to Wolfe? Has Boone's lost dictation cylinder been found? Why did Wolfe return the NIA retainer? For answers, read the book! (December 2023)

[Gary Sundell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid Nero Wolfe novel. I wish it had a character list. I am fairly certain that I read this many years ago, but maybe I am remembering g the TV adaptation.

[hotsake (André Troesch) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The mystery itself isn’t all that great, but Nero Wolfe is at his nefarious best. Also, the ending is maybe one of my favorites.

[Jill H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read all the Nero Wolfe 40+ stories by Rex Stout over the years and often return to them for a bedtime read. This one is particularly good since:

*Wolfe actually leaves his house
*There are two murders, one of which is on Wolfe's doorstep.
*Inspector Cramer gets transferred
*Wolfe punches a police inspector (not Cramer) in the face!
*Cramer brings Wolfe a gift.

Put is all together and you have a classic. I never get tired of Mr. Wolfe and Archie and all the supporting characters that appear in these books.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, which has a lot of humour and great interaction between Wolfe and Archie. However, I have to say the intricacies of the plot were too much for me and I frequently got lost and forgot who the various suspects were!

Interestingly, although it's always said that you can read these books in any order, this one is set just after the war with Archie as an ex-major, and he also mentions in passing that he has been working for Wolfe for more than ten years - so perhaps Stout was still thinking in real time to some extent at this stage in the series?

[Steven Walle · Rating 5 out of 5]

An other great Nero Wolf detective story where Wolf is almost arrested but gets proven innocent and solves the crime of murders way before any one else.
I recommend this to all.
Enjoy and Be Blessed.
Steven

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of Archie Goodwin's job functions is to prod Nero Wolfe to work when the bank account starts getting low. As is often necessary that is what he needs to do here if Wolfe wants to pamper orchids, eat gourmet food, not to mention pay him and Wolfe's personal chef, Fritz Brenner.

A government official with the Bureau of Price Regulation (BPR) was killed just before he was to give a speech in front of the National Industrial Association (NIA) which is a bunch of millionaires who are not very receptive to the BPR. There is no love lost between these groups and any member of the NIA is a potential suspect.

The title of the book comes from missing Dictaphone cylinders that the murder victim had recorded. His secretary, Phoebe Gunther, claims she left the case with the cylinders in the room where her boss was murdered. Witnesses say they saw her with the case later. Then she too is murdered … on Wolfe's backdoor steps. The missing cylinders hold the key and Wolfe wants them.

Inspector Cramer is removed from the case and demoted as head of homicide. When his replacement, Inspector Ash, issues a warrant to have Wolfe arrested as a material witness Wolfe fakes a nervous breakdown. His performance of having a persecution complex was very funny. Wolfe also shows his respect for Cramer and thus Cramer in the end returns to his familiar role as head of homicide.

Overall an entertaining story with lots of laughs. The interaction between Archie and Wolfe is part of what makes the stories so great. They are always a fun read.

[Bryan Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 11 is back to one story instead of two. I prefer the longer format stories because they allow for both more twists and turns in the plot and they allow for the characters to display more character. One of the high points of this was watching Nero put on a display of a nervous breakdown, specifically a persecution complex. It was hysterical, and the interaction between him and Archie, and Dr Vollmer (the reoccurring doctor character) was a hoot to watch.

This story is also notable for how the plot affected Archie. He is normally so suave and collected it was fascinating to watch him in a situation where he was completely rattled, and unable to function in his normal way. One quote from the book that gives you an idea is this. "I had been sitting in my room twenty minutes when I noticed that I hadn't drunk any milk, but I hadn't spilled any from the glass." When Archie is side lined from the investigative work it wasn't just a plot device this time, he was truly unable to function as his normal self for a good chunk of this story.

I haven't mentioned in these reviews yet, but another fun thing is having to look up words occasionally. Some because they have fallen out of general use and some because I just never knew them. In this book I looked up the word gammer. This is an archaic word meaning old woman, similar to the word gaffer referring to an old man.

[Jeff Bleyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nero and Archie investigate the murder of a Federal official who was bludgeoned with a monkey wrench right before he was set to deliver a speech before hostile crowd. During the investigation a second bludgeoning occurs on the doorstep of Wolfe’s Manhattan brownstone. When political pressures result in Inspector Cramer’s demotion and Wolfe’s arrest as a material witness, these traditional adversaries become allies leading to a very notable thank you gift given at end of book which is perfectly in character for both. Another great entry for this always stimulating and entertaining series!

[Eric_W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic Rex Stout. The dialogue is scintillating and in this one Archie may have met his female match. Part of its charm today is the anachronistic flavor with 3-cent stamps, dime phone calls from real phone booths and the battle between wartime price regulators and industry shills. Some of the dialogue is LOL funny. If you haven’t read any Nero Wolfe I urge you to do so. For audiobook fans, my favorite reader is Michael Pritchard who perfectly captures Archie’s sardonic wit.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 11th Nero Wolfe book has Wolfe at his best (though remarkably little mention of food!).

[S.P. Aruna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another entertaining mystery in the Nero Wolfe series. This one involves political rivalries that Archie, the faithful PI assistant, and Mr. Wolfe, his boss, must wade through to find the killer. And typical of the series we have a breezy writing style, yet a convoluted plot, so reader, despite the quick reading potential of the book, pay attention!

[thefourthvine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite Rex Stouts and a reasonably good place to start with the series -- one of the best of the first 15 books, and it features most of the canon's main and supporting characters. Best of all, the relationships in this book are great. This series' charm and lasting appeal comes from the characters and the relationships between them, and this book has great interactions between Archie and Wolfe, Wolfe and Cramer, Wolfe and his client, and Archie and pretty much the whole group of suspects and one-book characters.

Added bonus: the mystery is built upon the dictaphone. I remember reading this book for the first time as a teenager and being utterly bewildered by the cylinders and the weird machine they need to read them (which weighs a mere 60 pounds! Practically portable). So, on top of a fun read, this book comes with a bonus history of technology lesson.

Overall, this is truly a stand-out Wolfe novel, well worth reading for those new to the series.

[M.E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars, rounding up to 5.
A well written, clever and fast paced mystery that was fun to read. This delivers quite well on the mystery novel model, the logic worked well, including the red herrings and it’s hard to read the unflappable Archie Goodwin without smiling or laughing, at least occasionally.

[Pamela Shropshire · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was published just after the end of WW2. Archie is back in civilian life, and the bank account is in dire need of an injection of funds. Therefore when a prominent man in a government bureau (Bureau of Price Regulation) is murdered, Wolfe takes steps to get a piece of the action. The BPR is at odds with the National Industrial Association (NIA), and no love is lost between the rival members, so naturally, the NIA members are suspects in the investigation.

Wolfe accepts a $10k retainer from the NIA, and Archie is detailed to do the leg work. There are several attractive women working in both associations, so Archie is quite dedicated to his tasks. But far above all the other women, in both looks and brains, is Phoebe Gunther, secretary of the murdered man. The first and, for some time, the only discrepancy is the missing case containing recording cylinders of letters dictated by the murder victim the day before his death: Miss Gunther claims she accidentally left it in the room where the murder took place, while 4 different witnesses state they saw her with it.

And then Miss Gunther is murdered, literally on Wolfe’s back door-step, Inspector Cramer is taken off the case and demoted as head of Homicide, and Wolfe has a (fake) nervous breakdown after Cramer’s replacement, the obnoxious Inspector Ash, issued a warrant to have Wolfe arrested as a material witness. Under these circumstances, Wolfe arranges things so the Cramer gets credit for arresting the murderer and others involved in the several crimes. For once, Wolfe and Cramer are on the same side.

Archie notes this strange state of affairs midway through the investigation:

’Yes, Sir,’ Cramer agreed. ‘I know we will. Get ‘em in here, Archie.’

So that was the state of mind the inspector was in. As I proceeded to obey his command I tried to remember another occasion on which he had called me Archie, and couldn’t, in all the years I had known him. Of course after he had got some sleep and had a shower he would feel differently about it, but I put it away for some fitting moment in the future to remind him that he had called me Archie.

Not only that, but Cramer is moved to gift Wolfe with a present after Wolfe generously allows Cramer to arrest the baddies and is restored to Homicide chief:

’So with me back at the old stand you’ll have to continue to watch your step. Try pulling any fast ones and I’ll still be on your neck.’

‘I wouldn’t dream of trying to pull a fast one.’

‘OK. Just so we understand each other.’ Cramer started for the door. I called after him:

‘Hey, your package!’

He said over his shoulder, barely halting. ‘Oh, I forgot, that’s for you, Wolfe, hope you like it,’ and was on his way. Judging from the time it took him to get on out and slam the door behind him, he must have double-quicked.

I went over and lifted the package from the floor, put it on Wolfe’s desk, and tore the green paper off, exposing the contents to view. The pot was a glazed sickening green. The dirt was just dirt. The plant was in fair condition, but there were only two flowers on it. I stared at it in awe.

‘By God,’ I said when I could speak, ‘he brought you an orchid.’

‘Brassocattleya thorntoni,’ Wolfe purred. ‘Handsome.’

‘Nuts,’ I said realistically. ‘You’ve got a thousand better ones. Shall I throw it out?’

‘Certainly not. Take it up to Theodore.’ Wolfe wiggled a finger at me. ‘Archie. One of your most serious defects is that you have no sentiment.’

‘No?’ I grinned at him. ‘You’d be surprised. At this very moment one is almost choking me – namely, gratitude for our good luck at having Cramer back, obnoxious as he is. With Ash there life wouldn’t have been worth living.’

Wolfe snorted. ‘Luck!’

[Elizabeth (Alaska) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone knows how much I like this series. I just checked and there are 47 installments. With this, I have read 25 of them, so a bit more than half. I feel as if I can't perfectly describe why I like them so. Included in this edition is an Introduction by Walter Mosley who, saying he had read the entire series, wrote it perfectly. I hope I'm not violating his copyright by sharing a couple of paragraphs. First, Wolfe

Wolfe was lazy, agoraphobic, prejudiced against many different kinds of people (most notably women), and a glutton. He was arrogant, vengeful, spiteful, and sometimes cruel. Any manners he had came from a personal sense of decorum and never from common civility. But I always knew that he had high moral values and that people sitting before him could trust him if they themselves could be trusted.

And then Archie

I read about Nero Wolfe because it was Archie who told the tale. His voice is the voice of all the hope and humor of a new world. This bright light shines upon the darkness of Wolfe’s deep fears and genius and upon the craven and criminal minds that infest the world.

Wolfe and Archie are each the perfect foil for the other. But, as Archie tells the tale, it's his point of view entirely. As Wolfe signed them he folded and inserted them, and even sealed the envelopes. Sometimes he has bursts of feverish energy that are uncontrollable.

This installment was darned good. I can't elaborate on that, you'll have to trust me. The best I give for the series is 4-stars and this earned every point on all 4 of them.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the challenges Nero Wolfe faces as an independent businessman with an expensive household to maintain is the constant need to find remunerative work. This is why, when he learns of the murder of Cheney Booth, the director of the federal Bureau of Price Regulation, in a Manhattan hotel just before he was scheduled to give a speech to the hostile audience of the National Industrial Association, he sends Archie Goodwin out to insert himself into the case. Wolfe quickly comes to regret this, however, as he comes up against a paucity of evidence and enormous pressure from the deep-pocketed businessmen of the NIA, who as his new clients want to be exonerated of the crime as quickly as possible. Frustrated by a seemingly insolvable murder, the famous detective seems on the verge of losing his sanity – and all over a missing recording that may or may not be the clue to solving the mystery.

The publication of Rex Stout’s eleventh Nero Wolfe novel represented the start of his second decade of writing about the adventures of his greatest creation. While all the elements of a Nero Wolfe mystery had been in place long ago, here we seem them firing on all cylinders. For me the story reminded me a lot of his second book in the series, The League of Frightened Men, as again Wolfe demonstrates his willingness to manipulate people into becoming clients mainly for his own pecuniary needs. That these clients are a group of millionaires makes this exploitation more enjoyable than it should be, while the mystery itself ensures that Wolfe earns every penny he squeezes from them. It made for one of the most satisfying Nero Wolfe novels yet, and demonstrated how much entertainment Stout still could produce from his characters.

[Una Tiers · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delight with language that I love. Confound it, numbskulls, etc.
Recommended.

[cool breeze · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first Nero Wolfe novel after the end of World War II. Wartime rationing is winding down, but there are still many shortages. In real life, Stout’s publisher asked and received his permission to melt the plates to three earlier novels in order to reuse the metal. Stout's political sympathies at the time leaned hard left, so he makes the government Bureau of Price Regulation (BPR) the saintly and zealous good guys and a large national business organization the unanimously contemptible bad guys. It never occurs to him that government price regulation is exacerbating and prolonging the shortages. Or that the businessmen are simply responding like any sensible person would to market pricing cues that have been distorted by BPR price controls. Nero Wolfe intentionally and eagerly joins in tormenting the business organization, despite them being his innocent client.

The 1946 Federal tax rate is a confiscatory 91% (down from 94% in 1945) which draws several bitter remarks and an offer to pay Wolfe in cash to increase his after-tax compensation over tenfold. Under-the-table cash work had apparently and understandably become common at such oppressive tax rates. The atom bomb is mentioned for the first time (as something appropriate to be used on the business organization). Otherwise, a good, but not exceptional, Nero Wolfe mystery.

[Vicki Cline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now that WWII is over, Stout is back to full-length novels. Archie and Wolfe have to trick someone (anyone) into becoming clients to solve a murder that's about a week old. Near the end, Wolfe pretends to be crazy in order to keep away the cops, who are counting on him to solve the murders.

[Skjam! · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rotund consulting detective Nero Wolfe and his more physically active assistant Archie Goodwin haven’t had a paying case in quite some time. Helping the government with certain activities behind the scenes during the war was patriotic, but doesn’t pay the bills. They need a lucrative payday, and soon!

Wolfe spots a golden opportunity. Cheney Boone, Director of the Bureau of Price Regulation had been beaten to death with a wrench just before he was scheduled to give a speech to a convention of the National Industrial Association. Since government regulations are roundly hated by the NIA, all two thousand attendees must be considered as having a motivation for murder, and there are a few people from the Bureau that can’t be ruled out.

The police and FBI are stymied, so Nero Wolfe manages to bluff his way into the case, being hired by the NIA. Attention soon focuses on several missing dictation cylinders that may provide a specific motivation for the murder. The speaker is silenced, but for how long?

Rex Stout (1886-1975) made his career from the Nero Wolfe books, which combined both cerebral detection and a bit of hard-boiled action. This is the eleventh novel in the series.

It’s easy to see the author’s delight in getting to write these characters again, both as friends, and as people who get on each other’s nerves.

There’s an extended section towards the end where it looks like Wolfe has given up and is faking a nervous breakdown just to buy time. The truth is a clever twist that is fully set up.

Recommended to Nero Wolfe fans, though it’s one of the few stories that is specifically tied to historic events, so can be a bit tricky for the loose continuity of the series.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best Wolfes. A lot of action: Wolfe slaps a policeman, Cramer sends Wolfe flowers, and a woman(!) impresses Wolfe no end. There’s also a surprise ending and some choice one-liners to make up for the overload of dull suspects. As a plus, corporate America is the villain, and government regulation the hero.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best Nero Wolfe mysteries I've read. A thoroughly enjoyable page-turner.

Like The Doorbell Rang, in which Wolfe tangles with J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI, this book has political undercurrents of the day. It was published just after World War II, and key plot elements reflect the lingering effects of the war: housing shortages and restrictions on consumer goods, including government regulation of prices, featuring the conflict between a federal price regulatory body and a national business association.

Stout creates one of his very best female characters in Phoebe Gunther. Wolfe to Archie: "A woman who is not a fool is dangerous." Fortunately, Archie doesn't heed his warning.

The most fun part of the story: to put off the police and reporters, Wolfe fakes a nervous breakdown and has next-door neighbor Dr. Vollmer give him a certificate (?) stating that he cannot be seen by anyone until he recovers. Wolfe goes humorously overboard in his made-up delusions. Wolfe: "Do you want to pay two dollars a pound of butter? Fifty cents for shoestrings? They'll examine every inch of your skin, as they did mine! They'll find the mark!" Dr. Vollmer to Archie: "Who wrote this script for him?" Wolfe: "What's the matter with it?"

One of the most memorable Stout quotes addresses the title of the book. Wolfe to Archie: "Our literature needs some revision. For example, 'dead men tell no tales.' Mr. Boone is dead. Mr. Boone is silent. But he speaks."

PS This series of Nero Wolfe mysteries include introductions to each novel by a contemporary mystery writer. This one, by Walter Mosley, may be the very best. One can see some of Easy Rawlings traits in Mosely's lifelong admiration and affection for the character of Archie Goodwin.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first Nero Wolfe book. For some reason, I'd always thought Rex Stout was pure trash--a case of judging a book by its cover, I guess. I probably never would have read a Nero Wolfe mystery if BYT hadn't set up a Wolfe hot read.

I'm so glad I finally gave Stout a try. Within the first couple of pages I was enjoying myself greatly. How can you go wrong with comments like these....
"I tossed and turned for a full thirty seconds before sleep came." "There were a dozen letters to be typed and envelopes for same. As Wolfe signed them he folded and inserted them, and even sealed the envelopes. Sometimes he has bursts of feverish energy that are uncontrollable." "The scientific name for the disease you've got is acute malignant optimism." At least a couple of times per chapter I was chuckling at the language.

Both Wolfe and Archie are real characters and it was such fun to read about their quirks and see the relationship between the two.

I still don't think Rex Stout is great literature, but for a bit of entertainment, you can't go wrong with Nero Wolfe. I'll definitely be reading some more of the series.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite Nero Wolfe mysteries so far, and I didn't know it until it was nearly the end. By the time I was 3/4 through, I was enjoying it, feeling like Stout had parred the hole, but then, almost out of nowhere, I found myself laughing out loud as Wolfe pretended to have gone crazy. Furthermore, in the very end, Archie just bats it out of the park as he really stands up for himself and puts Wolfe in his place. Lots of people have said this and I have to agree: you don't read a Nero Wolfe mystery for the whodunit (though they do tend to keep me guessing). You read them to enjoy once more being invited in to that old 35th St. brownstone, a passenger in Archie's car, or to observe from a yellow leather chair in Wolfe's office. If only they came with samples of some of the awesome food Fritz cooks up so we could enjoy that along with Archie's in-depth commentary about what makes it so perfect.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been interesting rereading some very old Nero Wolfe mysteries. Inspector Cramer has been lighting his cigar, and in the earliest books the red leather chair is not present in the office. This post-war episode has Wolfe, short of money, agreeing to investigate the death of a federal bureaucrat at the annual dinner of the National Industrial Association. The government and the NIA are at daggers drawn, and the NIA desperately needs some good publicity. When there's a second murder, at Wolfe's very door, the stakes are rise.

[Johnny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Archie is out of the army since I finished reading the last Nero Wolfe novel I consumed, but the Cold War, espionage, and national security are still very much in the forefront of The Silent Speaker. Indeed, it’s a government bureaucrat who forms the first corpse. And, the fellow has the temerity to be murdered at a conclave of capitalists who represent the bureaucratic controls put on the “free market.” So, naturally, the government is interested along with Inspector Cramer and his impatient, often obstreperous demeanor.

In one verbal shot at Wolfe, Cramer delivers a delightful line (at least to a boy who grew up listening to and watching Charlie McCarthy): “That’s the situation, my fat friend, as Charlie McCarthy said to Herbert Hoover.” (p. 114) I also rather enjoyed when Goodwin accused Wolfe of suffering from “acute malignant optimism.” (p. 239) I also liked the biblical allusion to the sun standing still when Wolfe complains that Archie hadn’t postponed a police appointment long enough. Archie responds, “Who do you think I am, Joshua?” (p. 242).

This novel has the advantage of Archie and Wolfe discovering that there are considerably worse law enforcement bureaucrats (even incompetents) than Inspector Cramer. So, it features a brief entente between Cramer and Wolfe. I know this has happened before, but the events of The Silent Speaker were considerably more interesting, at least to me. As for the mystery, I’m (and this is not infrequent with well-written mysteries) kicking myself for not sticking with my initial gut instinct. It wasn’t so much that I was overwhelmed by “red herrings” as that it was just too obvious. Double bluff? And just to be clear, the title, The Silent Speaker, is perfectly suited to capture the solution to this mystery.

When I was in high school, my best friend’s Mom was forever reading Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe mysteries. My friend also read them on occasion and told me they were worth reading. Alas, I was put off by the covers. They didn’t seem nearly as exciting as the Edgar Rice Burroughs pulp adventures and then in vogue James Bond thrillers I was reading. Boy, was I wrong! I am correcting my error by reading the full series in order as I enjoy my old age.

[Patty_pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

L'investigatore privato Nero Wolfe e il suo fedele braccio destro, nonché uomo d'azione Archie Goodman sono di fronte all'omicidio del direttore dell'importantissimo Ufficio Prezzi. Gli avversari di sempre, ovvero i rappresentanti dell'Associazione Nazionale degli Industriali assumono Wolf per trovare il colpevole. Wolfe è un altro di quegli investigatori che preferiscono muovere il cervello piuttosto che le gambe e delegano il lavoro fisico a qualcun altro. In forte sovrappeso, terribilmente scortese con tutti, soprattutto con alcuni ispettori di polizia e con le donne (proprio con tutte), innamorato delle sue orchidee a cui dedica diverse ore della sua giornata, Wolfe esce difficilmente di casa e pensa... Non solo, sbraita ordini a destra e a manca, litiga con tutti, clienti compresi e si arrabbia quando non si rende conto della soluzione del caso. Siamo negli anni '30 a New York, ma lo stress sembra quello di una città moderna!

[Gilbert Stack · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s a large cast of suspects in the eleventh Nero Wolfe mystery with everyone seeming to have a bone to pick with the murder victim. To make things worse, there really are no clues (at least no clues that the reader could be expected to pick up upon) to identify the culprit. What there is is a missing recording cylinder which may or may not help to identify the miscreant.

So, in other words, it’s a typically impossible Nero Wolfe case, but what makes this mystery stand out above others is that Wolfe gets mortally offended twice—a dead person on his doorstep (so to speak) and a new Homicide Inspector who is determined to go after Wolfe with rubber hoses. It’s a fascinating case which brings Wolfe places I never expected him to go.

If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.