Three Trumps: A Nero Wolfe Omnibus

by Rex Stout

From Nero Wolfe is a fictional character, an armchair detective created in 1934 by the American mystery writer Rex Stout. Wolfe's confidential assistant Archie Goodwin narrates the cases of the detective genius. Stout wrote 33 novels and 39 short stories from 1934 to 1975, with most of them set in New York City. Wolfe's residence, a luxurious brownstone on West 35th Street, features prominently in the series. Many radio, television and film adaptations have been made from the stories. ~ The Nero Wolfe corpus was nominated for Best Mystery Series of the Century at Bouchercon 2000, the world's largest mystery convention, and Rex Stout was a nominee for Best Mystery Writer of the Century. ~ The Nero Wolfe stories take place contemporaneously with their writing and depict a changing landscape and society. The principal characters in the corpus do not age. Although it is not directly stated in the stories, Nero Wolfe's age is 56, according to Rex Stout. ~ "Those stories have ignored time for thirty-nine years," Stout told his authorized biographer John McAleer. "Any reader who can't or won't do the same should skip them. I didn't age the characters because I didn't want to. That would have made it cumbersome and would seem to have centered attention on the characters rather than the stories." ~ Archie Goodwin, the narrator of the stories, frequently describes Wolfe as weighing "a seventh of a ton." At the time of the first book, 1934, this was intended to indicate unusual obesity, especially through the use of the word "ton" as the unit of measure. In 1947 Archie writes, "He weighs between 310 and 390, and he limits his physical movements to what he regards as the irreducible essentials." ~ "Wolfe's most extravagant distinction is his extreme antipathy to literal extravagance.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

442 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1955

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

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another omnibus - three books, all great, as usual.

The Black Mountain - This one was fascinating because Wolfe not only gets out of his office on a case, he goes to Montenegro/Yugoslavia in search of the murderer of his dear friend. Trying to imagine him climbing up mountains and wading through rivers was a bit difficult. Extremely interesting, as well. We also briefly meet his adopted daughter, who was a surprise to me!

If Death Ever Slept - Otis Jarrell wants to hire Wolfe to get rid of his daughter-in-law, whom he calls a 'snake'. He suggests that Archie join his family posing as his secretary under an assumed name. When the security system catches a rug coming through the door, Jarrell's gun turns up missing. Then the previous secretary, whom Jarrell had fired, turns up murdered, and later another friend of the Jarrells is also killed, both apparently with the missing gun. Jarrell would like to frame the daughter-in-law, but Wolfe insists on doing a proper job of the investigation, hampered as usual by the police and district attorney. Interesting, but not quite as good as The Black Mountain. A couple of good twists.

Before Midnight - An advertising agency hires Wolfe to help with a contest they are sponsoring to advertise a perfume. A member of the firm has been killed, and the answers to the most recent set of contest questions have disappeared, and the firm is trying to figure out how to salvage everything. The final set of contestants are a very mixed bag, and between them, the ad agency folks, and their lawyer, Wolfe's nerves are tried to the limit. Rather convoluted but very interesting, especially because of all the characters.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read and reread these books many times for the pleasure of hanging out with Archie, Wolfe, and the household. This is a good collection, as it begins with The Black Mountain, in which Wolfe, who never leaves his house, actually travels back to his birthplace of Montenegro to solve a mystery which is close to his heart. This was written in 1954, and, both here and in other books, Stout's opinion of fascism and communism is clearly delineated. The story is an interesting adventure, with amazing characters and lovely scenery. You may have to practice a little suspension of disbelief, but it's a romp. Very enjoyable. Rating: 5 stars
If Death Ever Slept is not may favorite. Archie is sent to live in a bizarre household to try and solve an issue for a client, and, of course, someone dies. Stout uses the premise several times, and this is not the strongest example. Rating: 3 stars
Before Midnight is a wonderful puzzle of a mystery, and a true delight, both for the complexity of the clues and the interesting personalities that make up the cast of clients -- clients with a truly unique problem. Rating: 4 stars

[Michael Norwitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three impeccable mysteries from Rex Stout (although some readers may be dismayed at the rather vicious satire of a feminist/environmentalist in 'Before Midnight'). Chief among them is 'The Black Mountain,' one of the rare novels in the series which contains a change to the status quo, and has Wolfe forced to behave very out of character by returning to the place of his birth, Montenegro, in order to solve a murder in which he has a very personal stake. NOT the novel to read first, but a treat for aficionados.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I own this book but will review the three components separately.

[Dave Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stories, one very good, two mediocre.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an omnibus edition: it's actually three novels in one volume. If you're new to the Nero Wolfe series, I'd suggest reading some other novels in the series first, and then tackling this omnibus. If for some reason you have only this omnibus and no other options, then read the novels in reverse of the order in which they appear: so, Before Midnight, then If Death Ever Slept, then The Black Mountain.

Actually, that's probably the best way for everyone to read this collection (you'll catch an aside in If Death Ever Slept that makes that clear). It seems they appear in the order in which they were published, but for reading one right after another, I'd suggest reversing the order.

This collection pays off best for the longtime Nero Wolfe aficionados (as I suggested earlier); in fact, The Black Mountain reads like a special reward Rex Stout wrote for his biggest fans and no one else. If you're not familiar with the series, you won't understand why it's so special; if you are, it is just thrilling. (The solving of the mystery is hacky, but otherwise it's epic. In short: Nero Wolfe leaves the house, and the city, and the COUNTRY, and then--goes HIKING.) (See, if you haven't read the books before, you won't see why this is amazing.)

If Death Ever Slept has better mystery-solving in it, but introduces some characters that seem fascinating, but whom we don't get to spend any time with, and that's very frustrating. Before Midnight is the most classically "Nero Wolfe" of the three books and stands up best as a mystery. As a longtime fan, though, Black Mountain steals my heart: it has the weakest mystery but the ambiance, the side-plots, and all the travel make up for it. If you love Nero Wolfe, you can't miss this one.

[Kate K. F. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book because I wanted to reread The Black Mountain where Wolfe and Archie go back to Montenegro. At this point I haven't read the other stories but I think I've read them elsewhere. This review will be of The Black Mountain which is a strange Nero Wolfe story. I've always had the sense that Stout didn't like Communists or any government that kept a close eye on its citizens. The stories from the 50s and 60s are full of Wolfe getting annoyed at how nosy the CIA and FBI are and him solving cases out of spite.

The Black Mountain is a novella about someone who once fought for freedom returning home and seeing how the world has changed but still searching for justice. Its not a Nero Wolfe novella to start with but if you love the world and are thinking about how much the world can shift after war, its a fascinating read.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another collection of (surprise!) three Wolfe stories. In "The Black Mountain" we learn more of Wolfe's origins and travel to Montenegro with him (Archie accompanying, of course). I have to say, this was probably my least favorite of all the Wolfe stories, and I really got bogged down in it. Too political for my taste. The other 2 stories ("After Midnight" and "If Death Ever Slept") made up for the first.

[Paul Unruh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contains three full-length mysteries:
The Black Mountain
If Death Ever Slept
Before Midnight