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Tecumseh Fox #3
Sinfonia funebre
Carnegie Hall, New York, il sogno di ogni artista. E per Jan Tusar, giovane violinista che sta bruciando rapidamente le tappe del successo, è il momento di realizzare quel sogno. Accompagnato al piano da Dora Mowbray, Tusar sale sul palco per entrare nella storia della musica. E invece è un fiasco: il suono del suo prezioso Stradivari è irriconoscibile, le note escono fredde, inespressive, senza vita. In camerino Tusar decide di farla finita e si spara. Per tutti è chiaramente un suicidio, ma non per l’investigatore privato Tecumseh Fox…
Rex Stout è nato negli Stati Uniti, a Noblesville, nel 1886 ed è uno dei più celebri Autori di romanzi gialli del secolo. Nelle sue perfette trame, caratterizzate da un sottile umorismo, domina perlopiù la figura straordinaria di Nero Wolfe, il monumentale investigatore gastronomo appassionato di orchidee. Stout è scomparso nel 1975.
Rex Stout è nato negli Stati Uniti, a Noblesville, nel 1886 ed è uno dei più celebri Autori di romanzi gialli del secolo. Nelle sue perfette trame, caratterizzate da un sottile umorismo, domina perlopiù la figura straordinaria di Nero Wolfe, il monumentale investigatore gastronomo appassionato di orchidee. Stout è scomparso nel 1975.
172 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1941
55 people are currently reading
213 people want to read
About the author
Rex Stout
838 books1,034 followersRex 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
July 22, 2013
For years I've been periodically trying to read Rex Stout novels that are not about Nero Wolfe. I have found them to be awful. But I kept trying under the theory that anyone who can write books as great as many of those are must be decent at writing something else. And the theory has paid off at last.
The detective in this book is Tecumseh Fox, about whom I gather Stout wrote several other novels. While he doesn't have the charm of Archie Goodwin or the brains of Nero Wolfe, he's not completely hopeless as a character, and now I will try to get hold of the other novels to see if this one's a fluke.
Unfortunately, I can't write much about the plot without descending into spoiler territory.So I'll just say that, while there are definitely a few surprises, the story as a whole will not be a big shock to Stout's regular readers. And that's just fine; I read these books not for something completely new, but to enjoy another interesting variation on a familiar theme. If you do too, this is worth checking out.
The detective in this book is Tecumseh Fox, about whom I gather Stout wrote several other novels. While he doesn't have the charm of Archie Goodwin or the brains of Nero Wolfe, he's not completely hopeless as a character, and now I will try to get hold of the other novels to see if this one's a fluke.
Unfortunately, I can't write much about the plot without descending into spoiler territory.So I'll just say that, while there are definitely a few surprises, the story as a whole will not be a big shock to Stout's regular readers. And that's just fine; I read these books not for something completely new, but to enjoy another interesting variation on a familiar theme. If you do too, this is worth checking out.
January 27, 2022
When I get the murderer before the detective, that means the mystery wasn't any good.
September 16, 2015
When Tecumseh Fox attends a concert by a young maestro violinist named Jan Tussah, whose Stradivarius he helped to purchase, he senses something wrong about the backstage atmosphere, but he doesn't have the ear to notice anything much wrong with the recital itself.
The more discerning music lovers amongst the crowd do though, as does his friend Diego Zorilla, himself a budding prodigy on the instrument before suffering a hand injury.
Disappointment turns to horror however when Tussah is found shot in his dressing room at the intermission, a suicide note on his table but no Stradivarius in sight.
This is the second outing for Stout's short-lived Nero Wolfe alternative, Tecumseh Fox. A wise cracking ladies man in Bad For Business, he seems to have had a charisma bypass operation since then, becoming all business and no fun here, merely trudging through a muddled plot.
Agreeing to undertake an unofficial investigation involving the dead musician's family, accompanist (with whom Tussah was in love), mentor, and various patrons, complications swiftly escalate with a second murder and the introduction of an unlikely Nazi threat.
Pretty much every early chapter in this mystery contains an extraordinary confession by one character or other, threatening to resolve the case there and then, yet succeeding instead to take it somewhere else. Unfortunately, the changes in direction don't do the plot many favors.
Certainly the weakest mystery by Stout I have yet to read in over a dozen goes, not even a fruitcake actress and a wandering vase (not the one in the title either, a second one!) can enliven a strangely dreary read for such an entertaining maestro.
The more discerning music lovers amongst the crowd do though, as does his friend Diego Zorilla, himself a budding prodigy on the instrument before suffering a hand injury.
Disappointment turns to horror however when Tussah is found shot in his dressing room at the intermission, a suicide note on his table but no Stradivarius in sight.
This is the second outing for Stout's short-lived Nero Wolfe alternative, Tecumseh Fox. A wise cracking ladies man in Bad For Business, he seems to have had a charisma bypass operation since then, becoming all business and no fun here, merely trudging through a muddled plot.
Agreeing to undertake an unofficial investigation involving the dead musician's family, accompanist (with whom Tussah was in love), mentor, and various patrons, complications swiftly escalate with a second murder and the introduction of an unlikely Nazi threat.
Pretty much every early chapter in this mystery contains an extraordinary confession by one character or other, threatening to resolve the case there and then, yet succeeding instead to take it somewhere else. Unfortunately, the changes in direction don't do the plot many favors.
Certainly the weakest mystery by Stout I have yet to read in over a dozen goes, not even a fruitcake actress and a wandering vase (not the one in the title either, a second one!) can enliven a strangely dreary read for such an entertaining maestro.
June 9, 2021
I cannot warm to Tecumseh Fox, and I guess Stout didn't either, given that there are only three Fox novels and dozens of Wolfes. I wonder why Stout took the trouble to set up such an interesting/bizarre menage for Fox (the Zoo), and then never use it after the first book? In this final volume, Fox is a watered-down version of Archie Goodwin, told in a dull third-person--and it is mostly telling. That's what's missing in the Fox books: there is not a spark of wit and his characters are cardboard cutouts, from the German maid to the rich socialite Mrs Pomfret to Diego Zorilla with his (according to Fox) "courtly Spanish manners" which to me seemed like extreme rudeness. Zorilla grunts in reply, hangs up on people, refuses to speak when spoken to, even refuses a free meal and drink in the most blunt terms.
According to whoever wrote the foreword to this reedition, this is the best of the Fox novels. I haven't read Vol 2 and I doubt I will. Actually, looking back on my reviews, yes I have read it and it was a bizarre experience, being a reworking of a Wolfe novella. Bland, hard to believe and dull. The reason for the triple murder was...well, there it was, but I doubt anyone would ever actually kill three people in such outré fashions for that reason.
Oh, and while we're on the subject, there's a huge difference between a "musicale" (private recital, often held in a wealthy person's home) and a "musical", ie a play or movie that serves as a vehicle to present songs and dancing. The editors/proofreaders missed that. Repeatedly.
According to whoever wrote the foreword to this reedition, this is the best of the Fox novels. I haven't read Vol 2 and I doubt I will. Actually, looking back on my reviews, yes I have read it and it was a bizarre experience, being a reworking of a Wolfe novella. Bland, hard to believe and dull. The reason for the triple murder was...well, there it was, but I doubt anyone would ever actually kill three people in such outré fashions for that reason.
Oh, and while we're on the subject, there's a huge difference between a "musicale" (private recital, often held in a wealthy person's home) and a "musical", ie a play or movie that serves as a vehicle to present songs and dancing. The editors/proofreaders missed that. Repeatedly.
January 21, 2016
Interesting mystery, I liked the set up of it. It would have been more interesting if every conversation didn't either end in, "I know why that happened." "Why?" "I'm not telling you." or someone loudly exclaiming some vital clue that they for some reason had not brought up earlier which thus ended the chapter. A bit hokey, but fun.
June 6, 2019
I think this is the best of Tec Fox's cases as well as a study of human nature and the lengths, peaks and depths that a man can reach and/or go to given the opportunity. This is a situation that is so obscene in its depravity and totally devoid of all the proper feelings inherent in a normal human being... that a good and loving father, a promising talent and an only son had to die so this person can have what he wants at somebody else's expense and that his unwitting accomplice is just being what nature made her to be ~ a beautiful woman who "deserves" to be given beautiful things and does not have to work very hard for it... in short, a mistress. There is also the hypocrisy... the lack of shame even the destruction of irreplaceable historical works of art... the world deprived of a great violinist this side of Paganini, maybe... a daughter without her beloved father and a mother losing her only son. Such a waste... even if they are just characters from a book... Beautiful and Impactful!
February 15, 2020
I'm a huge fan of Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin series, so I had high hopes for this book. It was an enjoyable mystery to read, but it lacked the flair of the author's most popular series, although there are hints of it - Rusterman's Bar and lots of suspects.
The relationship between Tecumseh Fox and the police detective, referred to as "the captain", isn't developed much. The cops aren't antagonistic toward the private eye, nor are they seeking his help. That lack of conflict keeps their relationship on an unsatisfying level.
There are many suspects and plenty of twists, but the motives behind their actions aren't always believable and seem complicated for the sake of complication. Still, Stout at mediocre is still better than most.
I'd recommend the book with the reservation that you shouldn't have the Nero Wolfe series in mind while reading it.
The relationship between Tecumseh Fox and the police detective, referred to as "the captain", isn't developed much. The cops aren't antagonistic toward the private eye, nor are they seeking his help. That lack of conflict keeps their relationship on an unsatisfying level.
There are many suspects and plenty of twists, but the motives behind their actions aren't always believable and seem complicated for the sake of complication. Still, Stout at mediocre is still better than most.
I'd recommend the book with the reservation that you shouldn't have the Nero Wolfe series in mind while reading it.
March 1, 2024
Només em vaig comprar aquest llibre perquè em va fer molta gràcia com estava escrit el resum de la contraportada i la veritat és que no tenia moltes expectatives en el llibre en si. He comprovat que tenia raó: la contraportada és el millor de tot. Així i tot, m'ha sorprès positivament. Per un llibre de detectius de l'any 41, hi havia molta menys misogínia de la que em pensava que trobaria. No té gaires pàgines i la història és interessant i addictiva. Hi ha alguns moments qüestionables en la trama, una mica agafats amb pinces, i el meu moment preferit ha sigut quan el detectiu que resol crims complexíssims sense gairebé proves afirma, amb tota seguretat, que un dofí és un peix, però la veritat és que m'ho he passat bé llegint "The Broken Vase".
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August 14, 2024Chalk it up to summer.... this book has come and gone from my reading pile over the past few weeks. I freely admit that I definitely prefer Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe mysteries but this is one of his departures with the main character Tecumseh Fox. I've suspected that one of the strengths of the Wolfe novels is the bifurcation of "detective" into two strong characters - Wolfe and Archie Goodwin. That freedom is missing here but it's still a darned good story.
October 13, 2019
This was three and a half stars, rounded up, and was my first reading of a mystery starring Tecumseh Fox. While The Broken Vase revealed little to nothing of his backstory, other than a farm and a penchant for filling his pockets with oddments, the mystery was clever and engaging. It would have been far better if Archie had been doing the legwork.
April 9, 2025
Very disappointed, because I love the Nero Wolf books which I have reread many times. This came across as extremely mediocre. None of the characters were particularly appealing. Lots of filler flowery language. This was vey early in Rex Stout’s career,, and he was self-aware enough to stop the series, so won’t hold it against him!
September 30, 2020
Not Stout’s best character and work, but still enjoyable and quite readable.
August 8, 2021
I definitely prefer the Nero Wolfe series to this one.
March 25, 2025
From my uncle. Saw the ending coming a mile away.
May 6, 2025
The only Tecumseh Fox mystery I’ve read, and the only thing I have against it is that it isn’t a Nero Wolfe. Interesting, fast-paced whodunit with a nasty murderer.
December 27, 2025
good
But not, for me, up to the Nero Wolfe books. I enjoyed reading this, the last Rex Stout mystery I hadn’t read.
But not, for me, up to the Nero Wolfe books. I enjoyed reading this, the last Rex Stout mystery I hadn’t read.
March 20, 2017
A great murder mystery.... but how can I figure out who the killer was when there were over a dozen suspects?
March 4, 2012
Oh my, forget about taking a break to read a slim little paperback, good, I hope, but without many complications and characters. Well, this one wasn't it.
I've been reading some Nero Wolfe by Rex Stout who wrote from the 1930's to 1970's and this was not Nero but quite a good P.I. named Tecumseh Fox. This was the last of three Stout wrote so apparently he enjoyed writing about Wolfe more than Fox.
It's got a great plot, and loads of characters any one of which could be the one who 'dun it.' It was hard for me to keep reminding myself who was who. Wore out page 30 of my edition going back to names that were only mentioned once or twice but Stout always tells a great story with a great wrap up at the end.
Without much effort anyone can see that this was written by the same author of 49 Nero Wolfe books but who cares? A good book is a good book!
By the way, Stout was named Best Mystery Series of the Century in 2000 which was one of the reasons I sought him out to read.
I've been reading some Nero Wolfe by Rex Stout who wrote from the 1930's to 1970's and this was not Nero but quite a good P.I. named Tecumseh Fox. This was the last of three Stout wrote so apparently he enjoyed writing about Wolfe more than Fox.
It's got a great plot, and loads of characters any one of which could be the one who 'dun it.' It was hard for me to keep reminding myself who was who. Wore out page 30 of my edition going back to names that were only mentioned once or twice but Stout always tells a great story with a great wrap up at the end.
Without much effort anyone can see that this was written by the same author of 49 Nero Wolfe books but who cares? A good book is a good book!
By the way, Stout was named Best Mystery Series of the Century in 2000 which was one of the reasons I sought him out to read.
August 20, 2011
The Broken Vase by Rex Stout is one of three Tecumseh Fox novels (and the third one I’ve read). Tecumseh was certainly not the prototype for Nero Wolfe. It should be obvious that I like Rex Stout. In this story Tec investigates a suicide that is more than it seems. A young violinist, who has been partially sponsored by Tec (and others) takes his life after an inexplicably bad performance. Not surprisingly there is more to the suicide than first meets the eye and Tec is off on one of the more interesting murder investigations I have had the pleasure of reading.
December 20, 2008
My first encounter with the Yankee equivalent of Agatha Christie. Out of the sizable number of his books, I managed to pick up one of the three that didn't feature his most famous character, Nero Wolfe. Nevertheless, it was a taut mystery although not quite a great imaginative endeavor. It was short and quick and satisfying, but, as I would find out, Rex Stout is capable of more.
July 10, 2015
the mystery was fairly compelling, but I had such a difficult time hearing Nero Wolf's or Archie's 'voice' coming from other characters. I did enjoy the story, but feel much more at home with a Nero Wolf mystery.
August 23, 2010
This was my first non-Nero Wolfe book by Stout, and I really enjoyed it. I look forward to more Tecumseh Fox!
August 30, 2011
An enjoyable story, and I like Tecumsah Fox as a detective. However, the .
January 8, 2012
Rex Stout's alternate investigator, Tecumseh Fox, looks into the "suicide of a promising young violinst.
September 25, 2012
A somewhat aimless mystery, much like Double for Death, too much time to characters and suspects no one cares about, but the solution is clever and the police don't hog as many pages.
February 2, 2014
An adequately entertaining mystery, but the Tecumseh Fox character isn't anywhere near as engaging as the duo of Nero Wolfe and Archie.
June 11, 2014
Once I got past the first three chapters the I was able to follow the story, and the rest of the book was better.
April 14, 2016
Vana aegne kriminull,mis lõpeb ootamatult aga erilist põnevust küll ei pakkunud
Want to read
September 28, 2018Synopsis: PI Tex Fox helps to buy a violin for a young prodigy who later commits suicide and the violin disappears.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews