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Nero Wolfe #45
Please Pass the Guilt
A bomb explodes in the desk drawer of a top TV executive. But was the death trap intended for him or for the man who opened the drawer? Each man had a host of enemies, so was it the ambitious business partner, the jealous wife, the office secretary, or the man with blood on his hands? Nero Wolfe finds himself up to his corpulent neck as he and Archie Goodwin sort their way through secrets, over-the-top ambition, and a long list of suspects to find the truth and the guilty party.
5 hrs. 11 min.
5 hrs. 11 min.
6 pages, Audible Audio
First published September 24, 1973
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695 people want to read
About the author
Rex Stout
831 books1,028 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 183 reviews
October 8, 2019
This is the penultimate Nero Wolfe novel, published in 1975 when Stout was 87 years old, and it is a solid work of craftsmanship with all the familiar pleasures a Wolfe fan could desire, including a delightful bonus: Lieutenant Rowcliff finally gets what's coming to him.
Stout throws in a few contemporary touches--LSD, Arab Terrorism--but the real delight is of course in a familiar type of tale well told, with the same old cast of characters we have come to love.
January 20, 2023
This is the third time I have read this book in my favorite detective series
Need I say that I love Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin? Another goody from Rex Stout; short and cleverly plotted, it concerns a bomb in the drawer of a high placed executive of a television station which kills the wrong man......or does it? Wolfe is actually puzzled 2/3 of the way through the book which is unusual for the genius detective but of course he prevails. This is my alternate book from my larger main book and as usual, it is superb. I may be one of the world's greatest fans of Stout's Nero Wolfe stories!
Need I say that I love Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin? Another goody from Rex Stout; short and cleverly plotted, it concerns a bomb in the drawer of a high placed executive of a television station which kills the wrong man......or does it? Wolfe is actually puzzled 2/3 of the way through the book which is unusual for the genius detective but of course he prevails. This is my alternate book from my larger main book and as usual, it is superb. I may be one of the world's greatest fans of Stout's Nero Wolfe stories!
January 24, 2020
The Nero Wolfe books are a sort of time machine. We start in the 1930s New York of the gangster era and have a great villain in Arnold Zeck. Then the 1940s are, of course, consumed by the war efforts and spies, etc. With the 1950s and 1960s comes communism as well as the push-back against McCarthyism. Now in book #45, it’s the 1970s with hippies and drugs — even the daughter of Fred Durkin, one of the usual contract detectives, admits she is “smoking grass.” N.B. How times have changed; now marijuana is legal for medicinal use in most states and for recreational in a handful.
The drug LSD plays a minor role in this book, which also contains a red herring concerning an anti-Israel terrorist group planning bombings in New York. I love how Stout always grounds his books firmly in time and place.
An employee of a (fictional) communications company is killed by a bomb when he opens the drawer of his boss’s desk. The big question is for whom was the bomb actually intended. No one is talking, the police investigation is going nowhere, Nero Wolfe hasn’t had a profitable case for months and Archie is worried because the bank balance is down into 4 figures. So he visits the new widow and suggests that she might consider hiring Wolfe to find out who killed her husband.
It isn’t unusual for Wolfe to threaten to return the client’s retainer when the going is tough, but this time he actually does. Again, it is Archie who contrives a new strategy.
One of the most consistently interesting dynamics is that between Wolfe and the police. He and Cramer are sometimes enemies and often almost friends who on occasion will drink beer together. Archie likes Sergeant Stebbins although he doesn’t think too highly of his intellect, or as Archie would say, “he’s no genius.” But there is no ambiguity with Lt. Rowcliff — he is always the enemy. In this, the penultimate Wolfe novel, Rowcliff finally, at last gets his comeuppance, and for Archie, it is sweet indeed.
4.5 stars.
The drug LSD plays a minor role in this book, which also contains a red herring concerning an anti-Israel terrorist group planning bombings in New York. I love how Stout always grounds his books firmly in time and place.
An employee of a (fictional) communications company is killed by a bomb when he opens the drawer of his boss’s desk. The big question is for whom was the bomb actually intended. No one is talking, the police investigation is going nowhere, Nero Wolfe hasn’t had a profitable case for months and Archie is worried because the bank balance is down into 4 figures. So he visits the new widow and suggests that she might consider hiring Wolfe to find out who killed her husband.
It isn’t unusual for Wolfe to threaten to return the client’s retainer when the going is tough, but this time he actually does. Again, it is Archie who contrives a new strategy.
One of the most consistently interesting dynamics is that between Wolfe and the police. He and Cramer are sometimes enemies and often almost friends who on occasion will drink beer together. Archie likes Sergeant Stebbins although he doesn’t think too highly of his intellect, or as Archie would say, “he’s no genius.” But there is no ambiguity with Lt. Rowcliff — he is always the enemy. In this, the penultimate Wolfe novel, Rowcliff finally, at last gets his comeuppance, and for Archie, it is sweet indeed.
4.5 stars.
April 22, 2025
As a favor to Dr. Vollmer, Wolfe agrees to see a man claiming to have blood on his hands (literally, that he can't wash off) and try to find out his true identity. It turns out the man works at a company where one of the executives was recently killed by a bomb planted in a desk drawer. Archie, who keeps a constant eye on the bank balance, sees an opportunity and concocts a plan to get the wealthy widow to hire Wolfe to investigate.
If the story sounds a bit convoluted, it is. Since the man that died was not the owner of the desk, it's not clear whether he or someone else was the intended victim. And without knowing that, it's nearly impossible for Wolfe to find out who planted the bomb and why. When Wolfe is ready to throw in the towel, Archie steps in again and manages to redirect the investigation. In the end it's up to Saul, Fred and Orrie to get the vital missing information.
If the story sounds a bit convoluted, it is. Since the man that died was not the owner of the desk, it's not clear whether he or someone else was the intended victim. And without knowing that, it's nearly impossible for Wolfe to find out who planted the bomb and why. When Wolfe is ready to throw in the towel, Archie steps in again and manages to redirect the investigation. In the end it's up to Saul, Fred and Orrie to get the vital missing information.
May 7, 2020
This is near the end of Stout's career and it shows as a solid entry into the Nero Wolfe lexicon. One point is that this story feels more modern than any other Nero Wolfe story. That felt a little awkward to me, possibly because I prefer the more old time style.
Speaking of old time style one of the tropes in the radio dramas for Nero Wolf is Archie dragging Nero into an investigation because the bank balance is low. That is exactly what happens in this story, discovering an angle on a murder and knowing the victims wife is wealthy, Archie contrives to drag her into investigating the murder outside of the police, and also maneuvers Nero into accepting the case.
The usual cast of characters is here and as enjoyable as always. It was nice to see Lt Rowcliff get chewed out, deservedly, for something he did. And it wasn't even provoked by Archie it was all Rowcliff.
Speaking of old time style one of the tropes in the radio dramas for Nero Wolf is Archie dragging Nero into an investigation because the bank balance is low. That is exactly what happens in this story, discovering an angle on a murder and knowing the victims wife is wealthy, Archie contrives to drag her into investigating the murder outside of the police, and also maneuvers Nero into accepting the case.
The usual cast of characters is here and as enjoyable as always. It was nice to see Lt Rowcliff get chewed out, deservedly, for something he did. And it wasn't even provoked by Archie it was all Rowcliff.
October 29, 2023
4/5
A solidly fun mystery with just a bit of a rushed wrap-up.
A solidly fun mystery with just a bit of a rushed wrap-up.
August 15, 2017
Between 1934 and 1975, Rex Stout wrote 33 novels and 39 novellas featuring his fictional detective Nero Wolfe and Wolfe’s wise cracking assistant, Archie Goodwin. Reading one of his novels is like pulling an old, favored sweater out of your dresser drawer and putting it on. The sweater might be a little out of style, but it’s comfortable. Brilliant, but misanthropic and eccentric, Wolfe is a great literary creation and Stout constructed well-plotted mysteries that he wrote in a breezy style. If a complaint can be leveled against his Nero Wolfe novels it’s that they tend to be formulaic, but it’s a formula that works. In his novels, a murder has been committed and Wolfe is hired to solve it. Since Wolfe refuses to leave his New York Brownstone, the legwork falls on his wise cracking assistant, Archie Goodwin. Soon, a collection of suspects is assembled and the culprit is eventually unmasked. Usually, Inspector Cramer, the head of the Homicide Division and Wolfe’s most frequent foil, makes an angry appearance somewhere along the way. The books have held up fairly well and there’s little in them that’s cringe worthy by modern standards. About the worse that can be said about them is that there is a small element of sexism in the stories. The books are written in first person, from Archie’s point of view, and Archie is a ladies’ man who has a keen appreciation of the female form. The female characters are well written, though, and don’t come off as weak or simpering.
This story doesn’t veer far from the series successful formula. In the novel, a man dies when a bomb explodes in the desk drawer of rival TV network executive, but was it meant for the executive or for the man who opened the drawer? There’s soon a collection of suspects, each with their own motive depending on who the bomb was meant for. Archie does the legwork, Wolfe questions the suspects, and the murderer is eventually unmasked. Nothing world shattering, but it’s a fun and entertaining read.
This story doesn’t veer far from the series successful formula. In the novel, a man dies when a bomb explodes in the desk drawer of rival TV network executive, but was it meant for the executive or for the man who opened the drawer? There’s soon a collection of suspects, each with their own motive depending on who the bomb was meant for. Archie does the legwork, Wolfe questions the suspects, and the murderer is eventually unmasked. Nothing world shattering, but it’s a fun and entertaining read.
June 13, 2018
I feel that my reviews of Stout's Wolfe and Goodwin books are redundant. They are funny with lively characters who engage in witty repartee through out the story. If the men and women are slightly cliche to our 21st tastes, just think of it as vintage.
A man believes he's got blood on his hands and the psychiatric clinic he has visited cannot help him. One of the counselor's sends him to Wolfe to see if the man might truly be guilty of a crime, especially since he is using a false name.
With a little digging Nero and Archie find the man's true identity and where he works. It turns out that someone planted a bomb in the office drawer of one of the company heads. But another man went to the drawer and was killed.
A. Why was a bomb put there. Was someone trying to kill the owner of the desk?
B. Why was another man going through the desk?
C. Did someone know that someone else would get bombed or did he intend for the owner to be killed?
D. Was anyone else intended to be blown up?
E. Who did it and why?
And that is the premise. We meet a lot of colorful characters, some just as colorful as Archie and Nero. The plot has it's usual share of twists and turns. Everyone looks suspicious, but only one of them did it.
My only complaint about this particular book is that, being written in the seventies, Stout apparently felt he needed to modernize his characters. He does a poor job of this. I keep thinking that the story takes place in the 30s or 40s. Adding hippies, drugs, a bit of sex, women's lib and fouler language than usual really did not change anything for the better.
But minus that, it's as good a mystery as Stout gets.
A man believes he's got blood on his hands and the psychiatric clinic he has visited cannot help him. One of the counselor's sends him to Wolfe to see if the man might truly be guilty of a crime, especially since he is using a false name.
With a little digging Nero and Archie find the man's true identity and where he works. It turns out that someone planted a bomb in the office drawer of one of the company heads. But another man went to the drawer and was killed.
A. Why was a bomb put there. Was someone trying to kill the owner of the desk?
B. Why was another man going through the desk?
C. Did someone know that someone else would get bombed or did he intend for the owner to be killed?
D. Was anyone else intended to be blown up?
E. Who did it and why?
And that is the premise. We meet a lot of colorful characters, some just as colorful as Archie and Nero. The plot has it's usual share of twists and turns. Everyone looks suspicious, but only one of them did it.
My only complaint about this particular book is that, being written in the seventies, Stout apparently felt he needed to modernize his characters. He does a poor job of this. I keep thinking that the story takes place in the 30s or 40s. Adding hippies, drugs, a bit of sex, women's lib and fouler language than usual really did not change anything for the better.
But minus that, it's as good a mystery as Stout gets.
June 17, 2020
3.5*
The mystery was good but some of the "modern" (1973) language and discussions were not what I expected from a Nero Wolfe book. None of it was offensive to me, just a great surprise.
The mystery was good but some of the "modern" (1973) language and discussions were not what I expected from a Nero Wolfe book. None of it was offensive to me, just a great surprise.
April 17, 2019
Nero Wolfe non mi entusiasma mai, il personaggio pachidermico che sa tutto senza uscire di casa, il genio, preferisco il poliziotto sgangherato che gira da solo a cercare la soluzione.
La storia è bella ma rimango dell'idea che spesso questi autori rinomati vivano un po' di rendita perché ho spesso trovato nomi sconosciuti sulla serie il giallo Mondadori che sono nettamente superiori.
È una questione di gusti personali, Nero Wolfe è il tipico giallone senza grandi varianti.
La storia è bella ma rimango dell'idea che spesso questi autori rinomati vivano un po' di rendita perché ho spesso trovato nomi sconosciuti sulla serie il giallo Mondadori che sono nettamente superiori.
È una questione di gusti personali, Nero Wolfe è il tipico giallone senza grandi varianti.
October 22, 2021
Not one of my favorites. I actually had a lot of difficulty keeping the different characters separate and the plot never caught my interest.
June 3, 2012
Reading Please Pass the Guilt right after The Silent Speaker provided quite an interesting contrast. Both cases involve Archie and Wolfe drumming up business, but the times have changed in 25 years.
In the first place, technoligically things are quite different. In, The Silent Speaker, recording cylinders were a cumbersome yet important part of the case that Wolfe and Archie didn't really understand. By the time of Please Pass the Guilt, Wolfe and Archie are recording nearly every conversation to occur in the office. (Them and Richard Nixon both.)
Perhaps, more striking is the cultural change. Archie has to compete with a television when trying to pitch the widow of a murder victim on hiring Wolfe. Wolfe for his part remains the same iconoclastic figures as always. When asked if he watches television, Wolfe responds curtly, "I turn on the television rarely, only to confirm my opinion of it."
Stout was clear that Nero and Archie had not changed in their basic temperment and behavior in the past thirty-eight years of the series while the world around them has transformed and that tension manifests itself. Stout even brushes with the more modern times and approaches (but back away from) edgier profanity when a women's libber obsessed with the supposed sexism of language asked. "What is one of men's favorite four-letter colloquial words that begins with f?" Archie demurred, claiming not to know what she was getting at. Acceptance of the use of that language may have been growing in the late 1960s and early 1970s but not in Rex Stout novels.
In a key moment, Archie expressed exasperation when unable to convince a female suspect go on a date as is his usual practice. Archie declared, "I'm done. Washed up. I've lost my touch, I'm a has-been. You knew me when."
Fritz provides a rare moment of sagacity. "Then she is washed up, not you. You are looking at the wrong side. Just turn it over, that's all you ever have to do, just turn it over" Perhaps, this served as a metaphor for the book and for Nero Wolfe and Archie's place in a rapidly changing world. If 1970s American readers reached the point where they could no longer appreciate these characters, then readers were washed up, not them.
As one reviewer pointed out on Amazon, this is as much a period piece as the Wolfe stories from the 1940s. For most of Wolfe's long-time fans, it's just not a period they like as well. The case begins when Doc Volmer asks Wolfe to do a favor for a friend of his. A young man has shown up at a local psychological clinic and states he has blood on his hands, but he won't even give his right name. He suggests Wolfe apply his skills to the problem to help unearth the truth. When the young man shows up, the most Wolfe is able to do is to connive to find out his real name. Wolfe discovers he's one of the figures in the murder of an executive who went into another executive's room and opened a drawer he kept whiskey in.
With the bank balance low and Wolfe having worked even less than usual the first five months of 1969, Archie goes on his own initiative to the widow of the executive to lobby her to hire Wolfe. She does so and answers a key question: What was her husband doing in another executive's private office? Simple, he was spiking his whiskey with LSD so his would blow his interview with the board to become the next president of the company. Welcome to the 1960s, man.
From there, Wolfe embarks on an investigation to find the truth. Along the way, he runs into a steady stream of lies: from employees of the firm, complete strangers who respond to an ad for information, and even from his client. Wolfe has never treated a client with such contempt as he does in Please Pass the Guilt. However, the contempt was well-earned. What's perhaps most astounding is that a truth embedded in one of the lies Wolfe's told leads him to the true solution of the case.
So, while it's not vintage 1940s Wolfe, Please Pass the Guilt shows the timeless power of Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin.
Rating: Very Satisfactory
In the first place, technoligically things are quite different. In, The Silent Speaker, recording cylinders were a cumbersome yet important part of the case that Wolfe and Archie didn't really understand. By the time of Please Pass the Guilt, Wolfe and Archie are recording nearly every conversation to occur in the office. (Them and Richard Nixon both.)
Perhaps, more striking is the cultural change. Archie has to compete with a television when trying to pitch the widow of a murder victim on hiring Wolfe. Wolfe for his part remains the same iconoclastic figures as always. When asked if he watches television, Wolfe responds curtly, "I turn on the television rarely, only to confirm my opinion of it."
Stout was clear that Nero and Archie had not changed in their basic temperment and behavior in the past thirty-eight years of the series while the world around them has transformed and that tension manifests itself. Stout even brushes with the more modern times and approaches (but back away from) edgier profanity when a women's libber obsessed with the supposed sexism of language asked. "What is one of men's favorite four-letter colloquial words that begins with f?" Archie demurred, claiming not to know what she was getting at. Acceptance of the use of that language may have been growing in the late 1960s and early 1970s but not in Rex Stout novels.
In a key moment, Archie expressed exasperation when unable to convince a female suspect go on a date as is his usual practice. Archie declared, "I'm done. Washed up. I've lost my touch, I'm a has-been. You knew me when."
Fritz provides a rare moment of sagacity. "Then she is washed up, not you. You are looking at the wrong side. Just turn it over, that's all you ever have to do, just turn it over" Perhaps, this served as a metaphor for the book and for Nero Wolfe and Archie's place in a rapidly changing world. If 1970s American readers reached the point where they could no longer appreciate these characters, then readers were washed up, not them.
As one reviewer pointed out on Amazon, this is as much a period piece as the Wolfe stories from the 1940s. For most of Wolfe's long-time fans, it's just not a period they like as well. The case begins when Doc Volmer asks Wolfe to do a favor for a friend of his. A young man has shown up at a local psychological clinic and states he has blood on his hands, but he won't even give his right name. He suggests Wolfe apply his skills to the problem to help unearth the truth. When the young man shows up, the most Wolfe is able to do is to connive to find out his real name. Wolfe discovers he's one of the figures in the murder of an executive who went into another executive's room and opened a drawer he kept whiskey in.
With the bank balance low and Wolfe having worked even less than usual the first five months of 1969, Archie goes on his own initiative to the widow of the executive to lobby her to hire Wolfe. She does so and answers a key question: What was her husband doing in another executive's private office? Simple, he was spiking his whiskey with LSD so his would blow his interview with the board to become the next president of the company. Welcome to the 1960s, man.
From there, Wolfe embarks on an investigation to find the truth. Along the way, he runs into a steady stream of lies: from employees of the firm, complete strangers who respond to an ad for information, and even from his client. Wolfe has never treated a client with such contempt as he does in Please Pass the Guilt. However, the contempt was well-earned. What's perhaps most astounding is that a truth embedded in one of the lies Wolfe's told leads him to the true solution of the case.
So, while it's not vintage 1940s Wolfe, Please Pass the Guilt shows the timeless power of Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin.
Rating: Very Satisfactory
March 8, 2015
Great reading.
I ALWAYS enjoy Nero Wolfe books. I re-read them. My daughter does the same. I will loan them, but never give them away.
I ALWAYS enjoy Nero Wolfe books. I re-read them. My daughter does the same. I will loan them, but never give them away.
October 11, 2023
This is one of the weakest books in the Nero Wolfe series. It was published in 1973, after an unusual four-year gap, when Stout was 87 and two years from his death. Uniquely, it is not set in the (then) present day, but explicitly set four years earlier, in 1969. Did this avoid any need to touch on thorny intervening issues like the Vietnam War, race riots, and Nixon? Or was it withheld from publication for years because he or his publisher knew it wasn’t particularly good?
It is also one of the shortest Nero Wolfe novels at 150 pages. Essentially, nothing happens for the first hundred pages. Stout wrote lots of 50-page Nero Wolfe novellas. Was this a novella that he padded out with filler because he needed money or to fulfill a book contract?
Nero Wolfe novels usually contain some interesting observations on contemporary life and this one is no exception. Color television and concern about rising inflation are mentioned for the first time in the series. There is way too much filler about the “Amazin’ Mets” 1969 turnaround season. There is some lame use of hippie jargon for the second time, like Archie calling Inspector Cramer “Mr. Fuzz”. LSD figures (somewhat ignorantly) in the plot and marijuana is referenced several times, including one of Wolfe’s operative’s daughter smoking pot. Bomb making figures prominently (led by Bill Ayers, who would later mentor Obama, the Weather Underground started bombing things in 1969 and three members blew themselves up while making bombs in a Greenwich Village townhouse in 1970). There is a minor sub-plot involving Arab/Palestinian terrorism, which flared up in this period.
The worst misstep involves what Stout calls “Women Lib” being clumsily incorporated for the first time in the series. Wolfe dismisses it with, “That’s merely the herd syndrome. Fad.”. Oops.
There is one high point, when Wolfe finally gets revenge on Lt. Rowcliiff, but the mystery itself is well below Stout’s usual standards. As mentioned, there is no progress for the first hundred pages. The essential clue is only dropped in the last 20 pages. The ending is weak and unsatisfying. This is the first time in the series that Stout has written two flops in a row and it is hard not to think that he is losing his abilities in his late 80s. I have read all of the previous books in the Nero Wolfe series and am very fond of it, but I don't think this one rates any higher than 2.3 stars. Only its immediately predecessor, Death of a Dude, was worse.
It is also one of the shortest Nero Wolfe novels at 150 pages. Essentially, nothing happens for the first hundred pages. Stout wrote lots of 50-page Nero Wolfe novellas. Was this a novella that he padded out with filler because he needed money or to fulfill a book contract?
Nero Wolfe novels usually contain some interesting observations on contemporary life and this one is no exception. Color television and concern about rising inflation are mentioned for the first time in the series. There is way too much filler about the “Amazin’ Mets” 1969 turnaround season. There is some lame use of hippie jargon for the second time, like Archie calling Inspector Cramer “Mr. Fuzz”. LSD figures (somewhat ignorantly) in the plot and marijuana is referenced several times, including one of Wolfe’s operative’s daughter smoking pot. Bomb making figures prominently (led by Bill Ayers, who would later mentor Obama, the Weather Underground started bombing things in 1969 and three members blew themselves up while making bombs in a Greenwich Village townhouse in 1970). There is a minor sub-plot involving Arab/Palestinian terrorism, which flared up in this period.
The worst misstep involves what Stout calls “Women Lib” being clumsily incorporated for the first time in the series. Wolfe dismisses it with, “That’s merely the herd syndrome. Fad.”. Oops.
There is one high point, when Wolfe finally gets revenge on Lt. Rowcliiff, but the mystery itself is well below Stout’s usual standards. As mentioned, there is no progress for the first hundred pages. The essential clue is only dropped in the last 20 pages. The ending is weak and unsatisfying. This is the first time in the series that Stout has written two flops in a row and it is hard not to think that he is losing his abilities in his late 80s. I have read all of the previous books in the Nero Wolfe series and am very fond of it, but I don't think this one rates any higher than 2.3 stars. Only its immediately predecessor, Death of a Dude, was worse.
March 26, 2018
When you think classic mysteries, Rex Stout and his Nero Wolfe detective doesn't always spring to mind. I really do think he belongs there though. The world that's been created around Nero's townhouse is amazing. The characters are strongly developed and true to that character development - even after 45 books. I feel like each time I read these books, it's a little like going home.
In this one, there's a bomb in the corporate office of an employee who is competing to be the next CEO. The problem is that the victim of the blast is his competitor for the position. Who placed the bomb? Who was the intended victim? And what makes Archie break out the whisky instead of milk?
I read this one really quickly and it was a blast.
ahem. Sorry.
In this one, there's a bomb in the corporate office of an employee who is competing to be the next CEO. The problem is that the victim of the blast is his competitor for the position. Who placed the bomb? Who was the intended victim? And what makes Archie break out the whisky instead of milk?
I read this one really quickly and it was a blast.
ahem. Sorry.
July 18, 2021
I'm so used to the Wolfe and Goodwin of the early days that it was a bit of a reach for me to end up in 1969, with the dynamic between Wolfe, Goodwin - and even with his stance on his Orchid Time - having changed a bit. That being said, once I adjusted my mindset I settled down for a pretty fab read. Stout is/was an elegant, spare writer - never hardboiled (at least not through the Wolfe oeuvre that I've read - and I've read a goodly number of them over the years) but comfortable in both the world of violence and the world of restrained elegance.
And, as always, Nero Wolfe makes me want to be a better-developed and informed person. Why not 6 languages?
And, as always, Nero Wolfe makes me want to be a better-developed and informed person. Why not 6 languages?
September 4, 2018
Always fun to read Rex Stout, especially for his twists and sense of humor.
April 22, 2019
Замечательный лёгкий и остроумный детектив!!! Арчи и Ниро как всегда на высоте!!!
July 24, 2023
Excellent mystery. The obvious suspect is left behind until the ed.
April 14, 2018
Another erudite look at the standoffish genius of the armchair detective, Nero Wolfe, and his look into a mysterious death of a buisiness man Inspecter Cramer, Sarg Rowcliffe, Archie Goodwin, Fred, Orrie, and Saul are the usual crew who make up the main characters in this one. The suspects all were involved with the changing of the head of the corporation, due to the impending retirement of the former bossman. Although I read this years before, I could never guess who really done it, as Nero W is too smart for me, again.
March 22, 2017
An oldie but goodie. Love the Nero WOlf stories
September 2, 2013
The rating should be a 4, but I was thinking more about the act of reading than reading the book itself. Let me explain.
I had this conversation, not the first, with several members of my brain health care team who said it's not normal to read a book in one day, that that's unusual. Really?! Before my brain injury, I'd take out three of these kinds of books -- mystery or Star Trek, mass paperback, usually longer than a Rex Stout book -- per week, five if I could get away with it, and read one in a day, about two hours, less for a book like Please Pass the Guilt, more for a PD James mystery. I'd often read a book like this in one go, or maybe I'd take it with me when I went out and read it on the TTC, while waiting, while eating alone, even on the escalator or walking, and it was not usual for me to take longer than a day to finish it. I absolutely know I'm not the only one -- one day I saw three women on one escalator, noses in their ebooks or paperbacks. I see more and more men reading trade paperbacks on the subway too.
So I downloaded Please Pass the Guilt from the library onto my Sony Reader and made myself finish reading it in one day.
The best part of reading Please Pass the Guilt was spending time with Archie. Being the narrator, Archie is more present in one's mind than Nero is. I learnt a few new things about Archie and the running of Nero's household, and I liked the nuanced change, if temporary, in the relationship between Nero and Inspector Cramer.
The worst part was the act of reading. Because my brain injury harmed my reading ability a great deal -- and even though we've been focussing treatment on healing the damaged systems involved in reading -- it was not easy. First off, reading fatigues me. I had to keep taking breaks to recharge. It reminded me that if such an easy-to-read book as one by Rex Stout saps my energy, then I still have someway to go to be able to read at my old level without needing a nap or three. Then I had a hard time staying engaged -- the more tired one is, the harder it is. Plus reading outside naturally means distractions -- squirrels, far-off conversations, sounds of an air show. And then there were the usual-for-me-now keeping track of characters, dates (and Rex Stout makes it soooo easy to know what day it is), but at least not plot . . . although the solution made no sense to me. I think my brain must've been fried at that point. I shall have to reread it at a slower, broken-up pace so that I can keep up with Archie's narration and revelation of the motive.
I timed my reading because I always do in order to track my reading progress. It took me just shy of three hours to read this book (I wonder if reading a mass paperback version would've taken me longer or the same time . . .). So about 1.5 times longer than my old normal. Since in the early years after my brain injury, it took me longer than 21 days to read a mystery mass paperback and hardly absorb one word of it and would cause me to incur library fines, hence me stopping borrowing books, that's pretty good. Wish it was better though. (The year it took me a year to read a short non-fiction book liberally sprinkled with illustrations is the year I stopped reading altogether until I found and began treatment for my brain injury.)
I used to solve mysteries before the end, and always loved to see how quickly I could do it. Now I don't, before the end or even a few times understand them at the end. I've gotten used to that big change, but maybe if I can leap the hurdles of reading a short, easy mystery in one day, I shall set the next goal as solving the mystery before the author reveals it, even if it's only a sentence before.
I had this conversation, not the first, with several members of my brain health care team who said it's not normal to read a book in one day, that that's unusual. Really?! Before my brain injury, I'd take out three of these kinds of books -- mystery or Star Trek, mass paperback, usually longer than a Rex Stout book -- per week, five if I could get away with it, and read one in a day, about two hours, less for a book like Please Pass the Guilt, more for a PD James mystery. I'd often read a book like this in one go, or maybe I'd take it with me when I went out and read it on the TTC, while waiting, while eating alone, even on the escalator or walking, and it was not usual for me to take longer than a day to finish it. I absolutely know I'm not the only one -- one day I saw three women on one escalator, noses in their ebooks or paperbacks. I see more and more men reading trade paperbacks on the subway too.
So I downloaded Please Pass the Guilt from the library onto my Sony Reader and made myself finish reading it in one day.
The best part of reading Please Pass the Guilt was spending time with Archie. Being the narrator, Archie is more present in one's mind than Nero is. I learnt a few new things about Archie and the running of Nero's household, and I liked the nuanced change, if temporary, in the relationship between Nero and Inspector Cramer.
The worst part was the act of reading. Because my brain injury harmed my reading ability a great deal -- and even though we've been focussing treatment on healing the damaged systems involved in reading -- it was not easy. First off, reading fatigues me. I had to keep taking breaks to recharge. It reminded me that if such an easy-to-read book as one by Rex Stout saps my energy, then I still have someway to go to be able to read at my old level without needing a nap or three. Then I had a hard time staying engaged -- the more tired one is, the harder it is. Plus reading outside naturally means distractions -- squirrels, far-off conversations, sounds of an air show. And then there were the usual-for-me-now keeping track of characters, dates (and Rex Stout makes it soooo easy to know what day it is), but at least not plot . . . although the solution made no sense to me. I think my brain must've been fried at that point. I shall have to reread it at a slower, broken-up pace so that I can keep up with Archie's narration and revelation of the motive.
I timed my reading because I always do in order to track my reading progress. It took me just shy of three hours to read this book (I wonder if reading a mass paperback version would've taken me longer or the same time . . .). So about 1.5 times longer than my old normal. Since in the early years after my brain injury, it took me longer than 21 days to read a mystery mass paperback and hardly absorb one word of it and would cause me to incur library fines, hence me stopping borrowing books, that's pretty good. Wish it was better though. (The year it took me a year to read a short non-fiction book liberally sprinkled with illustrations is the year I stopped reading altogether until I found and began treatment for my brain injury.)
I used to solve mysteries before the end, and always loved to see how quickly I could do it. Now I don't, before the end or even a few times understand them at the end. I've gotten used to that big change, but maybe if I can leap the hurdles of reading a short, easy mystery in one day, I shall set the next goal as solving the mystery before the author reveals it, even if it's only a sentence before.
June 18, 2013
In a recent speech I attended by Walter Mosley, author of, for example, “Devil in a Blue Dress,” “The Man in my Basement,” and “Bad Boy Brawley Brown” (see my review), he cited Rex Stout as one of his “mystery genre” influences. Mr. Stout was a prolific writer of mystery novels and stories. His most famous character is a private detective, Nero Wolfe, a rotund, well-read, opinionated, man with a penchant for orchids and for gourmet cooking (indeed, Mr. Stout published a cookbook with recipes from Nero Wolfe’s kitchen). These books are always narrated by Archie Goodwin, Nero’s assistant. In recent months I have also read ‘The Doorbell Rang” (see my review), which I found entertaining, so this one seemed just waitin’ to be read, so here we go!
This short book (154 pages) involves the murder-by-a-bomb-in-a-desk-drawer of Peter Odell, a vice president of an oil company who is one of two potential candidates for president, as the president, Cass Abbati, is retiring. Problem is, the aforementioned desk belongs to Amory Browning, one of the other candidates for president. The two main questions, then, are: Why was Mr. Odell in Mr. Browning’s office opening his desk drawer? And: Who planted the bomb? Well, OK, Question #3: Who was the intended victim, really? Per usual, the suspects are several in number and include Mr. Browning; Odell’s wife Madeline (who retains Mr. Wolfe to investigate the murder of her husband); Helen Lugos, Browning’s secretary; Dennis Capes, a researcher in the firm; Sylvia Vemeer, an actress; and Kenneth Meer, Odell’s assistant.
This one goes quickly, as do most of the Wolfe novels, with plenty of red herrings, research by both Archie and a trio of part-time investigators (think of ‘em as New York’s version of the Baker Street Irregulars), suspects and police captains alike summoned to Wolfe’s digs (he never goes out), and the revelation of corporate chicanery and infighting gleefully reminiscent of “Mad Men” and “Game of Thrones.” This book was published in 1973, but set in 1969, the year the Mets battled for the Pennant (Archie is a die-hard Mets fan) and feminism was becoming a more prominent political force. Of course, both Archie and Nero are more traditional men, so dealing with these issues is a confusing issue for both of them. Nero somehow sees Archie as able to relate better to women, but Archie is dating a woman who is challenging many of the gender stereotypes that had gone unquestioned for a long time; makes for a more entertaining book.
Fun, quick read (I guess one might call it a “beach read” these days).
This short book (154 pages) involves the murder-by-a-bomb-in-a-desk-drawer of Peter Odell, a vice president of an oil company who is one of two potential candidates for president, as the president, Cass Abbati, is retiring. Problem is, the aforementioned desk belongs to Amory Browning, one of the other candidates for president. The two main questions, then, are: Why was Mr. Odell in Mr. Browning’s office opening his desk drawer? And: Who planted the bomb? Well, OK, Question #3: Who was the intended victim, really? Per usual, the suspects are several in number and include Mr. Browning; Odell’s wife Madeline (who retains Mr. Wolfe to investigate the murder of her husband); Helen Lugos, Browning’s secretary; Dennis Capes, a researcher in the firm; Sylvia Vemeer, an actress; and Kenneth Meer, Odell’s assistant.
This one goes quickly, as do most of the Wolfe novels, with plenty of red herrings, research by both Archie and a trio of part-time investigators (think of ‘em as New York’s version of the Baker Street Irregulars), suspects and police captains alike summoned to Wolfe’s digs (he never goes out), and the revelation of corporate chicanery and infighting gleefully reminiscent of “Mad Men” and “Game of Thrones.” This book was published in 1973, but set in 1969, the year the Mets battled for the Pennant (Archie is a die-hard Mets fan) and feminism was becoming a more prominent political force. Of course, both Archie and Nero are more traditional men, so dealing with these issues is a confusing issue for both of them. Nero somehow sees Archie as able to relate better to women, but Archie is dating a woman who is challenging many of the gender stereotypes that had gone unquestioned for a long time; makes for a more entertaining book.
Fun, quick read (I guess one might call it a “beach read” these days).
July 21, 2018
After waiting four years, impatient fans probably thought this book reasonably worth the wait, (while at the same time sighing for three books that could have been). It was quite an exciting, interesting mystery.
One blooper I noted--when Wolfe mentions the title of the book, a character admires the turn of phrase. Wolfe states that Mr. Goodwin would admire it also, and adds that he had once stated that he, Wolfe, "rides words bareback." Mr. Goodwin did not. That was Paul Whipple, in A RIGHT TO DIE. Whipple was quoting his father's pet phrase for a man who used words well.
Wolfe grudgingly does a favor for one of the few men who can ask it of him, Dr. Vollmer. A doctor at a psychiatric clinic has a walk-in patient with "Lady MacBeth Syndrome"--blood on his hands. The patient seems to think that they can effect a cure without his giving them any information whatsoever, and his doctor finally advises him to either have his hands removed or go to Nero Wolfe and try to dodge his questions. Archie had naturally turned away the person who had called with such an oddball request. Having agreed to see him, Wolfe and Archie employ a very simple stratagem to identify the man. (I wonder what circumstances caused them to acquire that nifty little gadget in the first place? Or perhaps Archie convinced Wolfe to invest in it for future necessities.) The man was a witness to a recent horrific incident at the CAN building--a local news network. Wolfe is satisfied. Favor done. Back to his books.
Archie, with his eye ever on the bank account, takes another good look at the CAN incident, realizes that the widow of the victim is obscenely wealthy, and, for the first time since AN BE A VILLAIN, goes fishing for a client, this time without Wolfe's sanction. Mrs. Odell is rather like Mrs. Bruner of THE DOORBELL RANG, ready to spend whatever it takes to get what she wants. Wolfe accepts the job, although he's not impressed with his client.
The job is truly a tough one. A opens a desk drawer belonging to B, and is promptly blown to bits. Was B the target? Or did someone know that A was going to open that drawer, and seized the opportunity? Or was the target C, or D, two others inclined for poking around the desk? Or was A trying to plant the bomb, and inadvertently killed himself? The police are getting nowhere, and Wolfe is dismayed to find that he's getting nowhere as well. He finally reaches the point where he's ready to quit! Archie grabs an idea from Saul and presents it to Mrs. Odell, namely, that she offer a hefty reward for information. Wolfe knows perfectly well that Archie spearheaded the idea, but having it come from Mrs. Odell detours around his pride, and he's back on the job.
A book that I have, AT WOLFE'S DOOR, complains about a couple of points in this book. The first is the scene with the undercover Jewish terrorist who shows up to try and claim the reward. I think it adds a bit of contemporariness to the book. The part I found confusing about it was when the man asked if they were anti-Semite and Archie said that the only thing he had against Jews was that "...one of them is as good a poker player as I am. Sometimes a little better." I assume he's referring to Lon Cohen, because Saul Panzer is consistently a better poker player than Archie, but why didn't he mention him, too?
The other scene the book complained about was the "effects of male dominance on certain vulgar idioms of the English language...." I found that scene fascinating and funny. I wonder just how long Rex Stout had that idea percolating in his head. I think she made a valid point. A valid voint. I also found it shocking the very first time I read it, because I couldn't believe a woman would discuss such matters with a man she was barely acquainted with. I now realize that if you've got an idea you think is both interesting and important, you're going to want to share it as much as possible. No doubt "peeing and veeing" had long since become an inside joke at the CAN building. And the scene when Archie came home and reported! Of course, starting off with the description of the diet picnic was just plain cruel. He could have at least mentioned that the milk and Fritz's chicken got him through. Not to mention the pickles. Vickles. Wolfe's reaction to the discussion of vulgar idioms was priceless--and very much Wolfe.
After days and days and DAYS of not getting anywhere, it was wonderful to see Saul and Fred, almost simultaneously, bring home a big, juicy hunk of bacon, especially when it led to everyone's favorite obnoxious cop getting what for. With this vital information, Wolfe rapidly brought the case to an end.
SPOILER
I did have a problem with the ending. It turns out that two characters, right from day one, knew perfectly well not only who the killer was, but who the real target had been. They kept silent, apparently to try and hide their scandalous relationship--which practically everyone knew about! For nearly a month, they saw the killer in the halls of the CAN building, passed the time of day with him, waiting...for what? The police obviously weren't going to get him, and even Wolfe was stymied. What were they going to do? Wolfe should have chewed them out far more than he did. He should have pointed out that the killer quite possibly might have tried again, this time making it look like suicide. That would have closed the case as far as the police were concerned. It wouldn't have for Wolfe, but the killer wouldn't know that.
EXTRA SPOILER
I have always wondered just when Rex Stout began plotting the downfall of Orrie Cather. He started as an ordinary op, rather roughhewn (and tobacco spitting). He became younger and better looking, and more sophisticated (at least in his own opinion). He was more interested in his reputation as a detective than in his looks. Interestingly, just before the death of Johnnie Keems, Archie made the comment that Orrie had improved somewhat since he had GIVEN UP his ideas of taking over Archie's job. This, I believe, was the first mention that Orrie had such ambitions; Johnnie Keems was the one who wanted it. After Keems' death, his characteristics were transferred to Orrie, including his ambition. Was it at this point that Stout knew his future plans for Orrie? His vanity began to vie with his concern for his reputation, and he became more "Casanova" with women. Also, Archie and Wolfe both began taking snide little cracks at him, implying (and leaving you to infer) that he's much less competent than Saul or Fred. (But he's still on Wolfe's short list.) In DEATH OF A DOXY, he got into terrible trouble simply because he was stupid enough to take up with another man's girlfriend. In this book, it becomes clear that marriage has not made him "go tame", to use a phrase from THE MOTHER HUNT. He takes full advantage of his assignment at the CAN building to date up the women staff, (leaving the men to Fred and Saul, no doubt), and fights with Archie over charging an overnight trip to Atlantic City as a business expense, stating quite openly that he intends to sleep with the woman. And in the final book...at it again. Oh, dear, oh, dear.
Must go now. I have to vee.
One blooper I noted--when Wolfe mentions the title of the book, a character admires the turn of phrase. Wolfe states that Mr. Goodwin would admire it also, and adds that he had once stated that he, Wolfe, "rides words bareback." Mr. Goodwin did not. That was Paul Whipple, in A RIGHT TO DIE. Whipple was quoting his father's pet phrase for a man who used words well.
Wolfe grudgingly does a favor for one of the few men who can ask it of him, Dr. Vollmer. A doctor at a psychiatric clinic has a walk-in patient with "Lady MacBeth Syndrome"--blood on his hands. The patient seems to think that they can effect a cure without his giving them any information whatsoever, and his doctor finally advises him to either have his hands removed or go to Nero Wolfe and try to dodge his questions. Archie had naturally turned away the person who had called with such an oddball request. Having agreed to see him, Wolfe and Archie employ a very simple stratagem to identify the man. (I wonder what circumstances caused them to acquire that nifty little gadget in the first place? Or perhaps Archie convinced Wolfe to invest in it for future necessities.) The man was a witness to a recent horrific incident at the CAN building--a local news network. Wolfe is satisfied. Favor done. Back to his books.
Archie, with his eye ever on the bank account, takes another good look at the CAN incident, realizes that the widow of the victim is obscenely wealthy, and, for the first time since AN BE A VILLAIN, goes fishing for a client, this time without Wolfe's sanction. Mrs. Odell is rather like Mrs. Bruner of THE DOORBELL RANG, ready to spend whatever it takes to get what she wants. Wolfe accepts the job, although he's not impressed with his client.
The job is truly a tough one. A opens a desk drawer belonging to B, and is promptly blown to bits. Was B the target? Or did someone know that A was going to open that drawer, and seized the opportunity? Or was the target C, or D, two others inclined for poking around the desk? Or was A trying to plant the bomb, and inadvertently killed himself? The police are getting nowhere, and Wolfe is dismayed to find that he's getting nowhere as well. He finally reaches the point where he's ready to quit! Archie grabs an idea from Saul and presents it to Mrs. Odell, namely, that she offer a hefty reward for information. Wolfe knows perfectly well that Archie spearheaded the idea, but having it come from Mrs. Odell detours around his pride, and he's back on the job.
A book that I have, AT WOLFE'S DOOR, complains about a couple of points in this book. The first is the scene with the undercover Jewish terrorist who shows up to try and claim the reward. I think it adds a bit of contemporariness to the book. The part I found confusing about it was when the man asked if they were anti-Semite and Archie said that the only thing he had against Jews was that "...one of them is as good a poker player as I am. Sometimes a little better." I assume he's referring to Lon Cohen, because Saul Panzer is consistently a better poker player than Archie, but why didn't he mention him, too?
The other scene the book complained about was the "effects of male dominance on certain vulgar idioms of the English language...." I found that scene fascinating and funny. I wonder just how long Rex Stout had that idea percolating in his head. I think she made a valid point. A valid voint. I also found it shocking the very first time I read it, because I couldn't believe a woman would discuss such matters with a man she was barely acquainted with. I now realize that if you've got an idea you think is both interesting and important, you're going to want to share it as much as possible. No doubt "peeing and veeing" had long since become an inside joke at the CAN building. And the scene when Archie came home and reported! Of course, starting off with the description of the diet picnic was just plain cruel. He could have at least mentioned that the milk and Fritz's chicken got him through. Not to mention the pickles. Vickles. Wolfe's reaction to the discussion of vulgar idioms was priceless--and very much Wolfe.
After days and days and DAYS of not getting anywhere, it was wonderful to see Saul and Fred, almost simultaneously, bring home a big, juicy hunk of bacon, especially when it led to everyone's favorite obnoxious cop getting what for. With this vital information, Wolfe rapidly brought the case to an end.
SPOILER
I did have a problem with the ending. It turns out that two characters, right from day one, knew perfectly well not only who the killer was, but who the real target had been. They kept silent, apparently to try and hide their scandalous relationship--which practically everyone knew about! For nearly a month, they saw the killer in the halls of the CAN building, passed the time of day with him, waiting...for what? The police obviously weren't going to get him, and even Wolfe was stymied. What were they going to do? Wolfe should have chewed them out far more than he did. He should have pointed out that the killer quite possibly might have tried again, this time making it look like suicide. That would have closed the case as far as the police were concerned. It wouldn't have for Wolfe, but the killer wouldn't know that.
EXTRA SPOILER
I have always wondered just when Rex Stout began plotting the downfall of Orrie Cather. He started as an ordinary op, rather roughhewn (and tobacco spitting). He became younger and better looking, and more sophisticated (at least in his own opinion). He was more interested in his reputation as a detective than in his looks. Interestingly, just before the death of Johnnie Keems, Archie made the comment that Orrie had improved somewhat since he had GIVEN UP his ideas of taking over Archie's job. This, I believe, was the first mention that Orrie had such ambitions; Johnnie Keems was the one who wanted it. After Keems' death, his characteristics were transferred to Orrie, including his ambition. Was it at this point that Stout knew his future plans for Orrie? His vanity began to vie with his concern for his reputation, and he became more "Casanova" with women. Also, Archie and Wolfe both began taking snide little cracks at him, implying (and leaving you to infer) that he's much less competent than Saul or Fred. (But he's still on Wolfe's short list.) In DEATH OF A DOXY, he got into terrible trouble simply because he was stupid enough to take up with another man's girlfriend. In this book, it becomes clear that marriage has not made him "go tame", to use a phrase from THE MOTHER HUNT. He takes full advantage of his assignment at the CAN building to date up the women staff, (leaving the men to Fred and Saul, no doubt), and fights with Archie over charging an overnight trip to Atlantic City as a business expense, stating quite openly that he intends to sleep with the woman. And in the final book...at it again. Oh, dear, oh, dear.
Must go now. I have to vee.
November 7, 2015
Archie è preoccupato dalla mancanza di guadagni del suo capo. Quando il dottor Volmer si presenta col caso di un paziente anonimo che si vede sangue sulle mani, Wolfe continua a non far niente, così Archie prende in mano la situazione. Scopre che un noto dirigente televisivo è morto per l'esplosione di una bomba mentre era nell'ufficio del diretto rivale. Chi ha piazzato la bomba? E a chi era diretta?
Un po' troppo frettolosa la conclusione, insomma, io voglio sapere cosa succede dopo la parola FINE! Però Archie è uno dei miei preferiti da quando ero adolescente, così galante e sicuro di sé...
* «A che cosa servirebbe, una catena, se i suoi anelli fossero deboli?» Abbott aveva annuito. «Bella frase. Di chi è?» «Mia. Il pensiero non è nuovo, nessun pensiero lo è. È semplicemente espresso in modo più elegante.» «Le parole vi piacciono, vero?» «Sì. Quando è necessario, le uso in sei lingue. Ma è poco, perché vorrei poter comunicare con tutti gli uomini del mondo. Invece, a volte è difficile anche tra persone che parlano la stessa lingua, come voi e me.»
* Wolfe era alla sua scrivania con in mano una raccolta di racconti di Turgenev, e anche questo era un brutto segno. Quando è giù di corda, sceglie sempre un libro che ha già letto più di una volta.
Un po' troppo frettolosa la conclusione, insomma, io voglio sapere cosa succede dopo la parola FINE! Però Archie è uno dei miei preferiti da quando ero adolescente, così galante e sicuro di sé...
* «A che cosa servirebbe, una catena, se i suoi anelli fossero deboli?» Abbott aveva annuito. «Bella frase. Di chi è?» «Mia. Il pensiero non è nuovo, nessun pensiero lo è. È semplicemente espresso in modo più elegante.» «Le parole vi piacciono, vero?» «Sì. Quando è necessario, le uso in sei lingue. Ma è poco, perché vorrei poter comunicare con tutti gli uomini del mondo. Invece, a volte è difficile anche tra persone che parlano la stessa lingua, come voi e me.»
* Wolfe era alla sua scrivania con in mano una raccolta di racconti di Turgenev, e anche questo era un brutto segno. Quando è giù di corda, sceglie sempre un libro che ha già letto più di una volta.
June 11, 2022
So, big problem, no one wants to summarize the plot of this for me, I got confused at the end, and, well, I’m not sure happened. Wikipedia is no help and there are no “spoilers” reviews in Good Reads. Is it okay for me to review? I mean, I should know more about it than you, right? No? Nobody’s going to read this thing anyway? Okay, I’ll go ahead, then. This one’s not bad, a little out of time, as some Good Reads reviewers have pointed out. “Women’s Lib” dialogue is a little creepy and sadly dated. A red herring terrorist makes a brief, startling appearance before the plot goes back to business as usual. I mean, I know who did it, but I’m confused by the secretary-big shot interview just before the denouement. Sigh. I’ll never get it right.
———
6/8-All right, all right. Reread ending. I got it. Never mind.
———
6/8-All right, all right. Reread ending. I got it. Never mind.
October 10, 2015
This book came out 4 years after the previous one, an unprecedented gap in the series. Only one more Nero Wolfe book was published in Rex Stout's lifetime; 3 stories were found after he died and published posthumously. In this book it is very clear the culture has changed: the words "prick", "pecker", "grass", "LSD", "vagina" all find their place here. One thing about reading these books: since the Wolfe household basically stays the same over the 40+ years of the series, it's easy and interesting to pick out the changes in the U.S.
I'll have to find another great mystery series pretty soon.
I'll have to find another great mystery series pretty soon.
October 24, 2012
Possibly the least satisfying Nero Wolfe novel I've read. Archie and Wolfe are stumped through three quarters of the book. Archie even apologizes several times for the fact that the story is getting nowhere. There are some red herrings, such as the possibility of international terrorism, which not only go nowhere, but are apparently forgotten. Then a new fact, never even hinted at before, is discovered, and Wolfe uses some very tenuous logic prompted by that fact to identify the murderer. The next-to-last novel, apparently written when Stout was in his mid 80's.
December 9, 2015
Ho scoperto Nero Wolfe grazie alla tv che praticamente non guardo mai. Dopo aver visto il bravissimo Francesco Pannofino (spero di ricordare bene il nome dell'attore) sono andata a leggermi un libro di Stout.
Per la prima volta forse mi è piaciuta più la versione televisiva che quella cartacea, o meglio.. forse quest'indagine non mi ha tenuto troppo col fiato sospeso.
Rimane comunque un grande investigatore, amante della buona tavola e delle orchidee.
Per la prima volta forse mi è piaciuta più la versione televisiva che quella cartacea, o meglio.. forse quest'indagine non mi ha tenuto troppo col fiato sospeso.
Rimane comunque un grande investigatore, amante della buona tavola e delle orchidee.
February 3, 2016
Archie wangles a wealthy client after a corporate executive is killed in a bomb explosion--in one of his rival's office. Frankly, to me this is not one of Wolfe's best, as he starts off with an advantage over the police, and still can't find a clue, until Archie (again!) persuades the client to make a move. Even then, the case doesn't make too much sense to me.
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