Archie in the Crosshairs

Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe Mysteries #10

by Robert Goldsborough

When Archie Goodwin’s life is threatened, Wolfe must find the gunman or lose his right-hand man

Archie Goodwin is chipper as he strolls home from his weekly poker game, money in his pocket and a smile on his lips. He has just reached Nero Wolfe’s stately brownstone on West Thirty-Fifth Street when a sedan whips around the corner and two gunshots ring out, nearly hitting Goodwin. It is a warning, and the message is The next bullet will not miss.

Rotund investigator Nero Wolfe has made more than his fair share of enemies over the years, and it seems one of them has decided to strike, targeting Wolfe’s indefatigable assistant. Some might run for cover, but Archie Goodwin is not the type. With the help of Wolfe’s brainpower, Goodwin will find the man who wants him dead—unless the killer gets to Goodwin first.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Historical Mystery, Crime, Historical Fiction, Audiobook, Ebooks

228 pages, Paperback

First published March 10, 2015

About the author

Robert Goldsborough is an American author of mystery novels. He was born in 1937 and grew up in the Chicago area. Although he worked for 45 years for the Chicago Tribune and Advertising Age, he first came to prominence in the 1980s with the publication, with the approval of the estate of Rex Stout, of his Nero Wolfe mystery Murder in E Minor. Written privately for his mother back in 1978, shortly after the death of Stout, creator of the Wolfe stories, the novel received a Nero Award.

Six other Nero Wolfe books followed from Goldsborough, all favorably received. However, more recently he has turned his attention to creating books with his own characters, beginning with Three Strikes You're Dead, a novel set in pre-war Chicago, and starring Steve Malek, a reporter for the Tribune.

Series:
* Nero Wolfe Novels by Robert Goldsborough
* Snap Malek Mystery

Reviews

[Eric_W · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always loved Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe series, so, of course, it was a tragedy when he died and the series came to an end. Trying to emulate a writer must be a very difficult task, one taken up by several different writers for Robert Parker, but only one so far for Rex Stout: Robert Goldsborough. They are pretty good. Not perfect, mind you, but they do, in spots, capture the master.

Rex Stout had a formula that worked very well. Nero reluctantly takes on a client, usually after Archie's nagged him enough because the bank balance is low. Then it's Archie's job to collect information and relay it verbatim to Nero who then summons all the participants to his brownstone, usually with Inspector Cramer in attendance, whereupon he solves the case. Stout had the formula down to perfection. It wasn't so much the plots that garnered such a devoted following but rather the wordplay of the characters. Goldsborough has captured that pretty well.

Archie is the ostensible target in this novel. Two shots have been fired at Archie as he enters the brownstone. He and Wolfe assume it's someone out for revenge especially after the phone calls. A man Wolfe helped put away years before has vowed to kill Archie in revenge. Saul and Fred are enlisted to help dig through the cases in attempt to find the culprit. In the midst of this, Cordelia Hutchinson, a railroad millionairess, wants Wolfe to find who is blackmailing her about an affair she had in Florence that threatens her upcoming nuptials. Since the Wolfe's bank account has suffered mostly withdrawals Archie is badgering Wolfe to take the case.... Then the two cases begin to cross.

A little slow in starting, once I got into it, I felt comfortably back in the world of Nero Wolfe and couldn't put it down.


My thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy in return for my unbiased review.

[H (trying to keep up with GR friends) Balikov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nero Wolfe is the brilliant private investigator of mid-20th century New York City. Archie Goodwin is his investigative arm and tether to the day-to-day world. Otherwise, Wolfe would only want to culture his orchids, eat the gourmet meals prepare by his private chef, and sip his beer while doing a crossword puzzle or reading great literature, science and history. Thus, the following conversation often takes place with prospective clients:

"“We will pay whatever you charge.”
“That will depend on how the investigation progresses,” Wolfe said, “but I can assure you my fee will be no less than fifty thousand dollars, plus expenses. And based upon what I know and anticipate, some of those expenses may run to a considerable amount.”
Neither … flinched at the figure, and why should they? I thought. I felt Wolfe was letting them off easy.
“Would you like a check now?” …
“For half the amount,” Wolfe said, “with the other half, plus the expenses due, on completion of the assignment.”"

Wolfe sends Goodwin out on investigative assignments and besides being a good detective, Archie has a remarkable gift of memory:
"“Report,” he said.
“Yes, sir.” I proceeded to give him my interviews in the order I had conducted them. As is my practice, I unloaded them to him verbatim, including hesitations, inflections, and pregnant pauses on the part of the interviewees."

Unfortunately for Archie and Nero, someone (at the beginning of this novel) tries to take Goodwin out with several shots as he is approaching Wolfe’s Westside brownstone. These two believe that this is an attempt to take revenge based on one of Wolfe’s previous cases. Both Saul and Fred (familiar auxiliary investigators) are brought in and assigned tasks. "“Very well,” Wolfe pronounced. “I trust you all will use your intelligence guided by your experience.” This was a line he had used on me many times. We were soon to learn how effective his advice would be."

Before too long, Wolfe is engaged by a very rich client (see above) to stop someone from blackmailing a rich, young woman. (see above) There are preparations for a money exchange, shots fired, many interviews to determine the blackmailer. This is all interspersed with the bandying of words among friends and associates in that period’s typical cant:
"“You are exactly two minutes and forty-three seconds late,” Saul said, making a production out of consulting his wristwatch.
“I was not about to wolf down Fritz’s wonderful poached eggs Burgundian,” I replied haughtily. “A dish like that must be savored, and the poor man is upset enough lately without my treating his culinary efforts as if they were some slapped-together hash-house grub.”
“Point taken,” Saul allowed. “You did the humane thing, all right. Now let’s hit the road.”"

Robert Goldsborough does most everything right in following in Rex Stout’s footprints. 3.5*

[hotsake (André Troesch) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A perfectly fine but utterly forgettable Wolfe mystery.

[Randee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have loved Nero Wolfe since I was a teenager. My mother and I read the entire series one summer~the original Rex Stout books. Robert Goldsborough has been doing a fine job of carrying on the characters that Mr. Stout created. I hope he continues to do so. I can't really be objective about this series because it is too tied into my heart of being a 15 year old with an endless summer ahead enjoying myself with my mother (who I would lose in a few short years). I think it's a first rate detective series with an eccentric genius, his crew and New York City as a featured character between the 1930's-1950's.

[Lady Wesley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review of the audiobook narrated by L.J. Ganser

It's always a pleasure to hang out with Wolfe, Archie, and the gang, but the plot here was so convoluted and unlikely that it ruined the experience. The clues are vague, and in the end, Wolfe solves the whole thing after forty minutes of sitting and thinking. Now, he is a genius, but I'm just not buying that he was able to figure out how two apparently unrelated murders were actually connected.

L.J. Ganser is a good narrator for these books, although I was shocked to hear him pronounce "Pfui!" with a "P." Maybe I have been misinformed, but I always thought it was just a fancy way of spelling "phooey."

This was free via Audible Plus, and I'm glad that I did not spend any money on it.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall enjoyable. I was able to connect a few of the dots prior to the final reveal. My biggest complaint comes in chapter 6. The excessive back and forth between Archie and Saul on the telephone is cumbersome and not at all in line with how Rex Stout would have conveyed the myriad of facts that Saul had tracked down.

[Linda Munro · Rating 5 out of 5]

A typical mystery of yesteryear; when Nero Wolfe’s right hand man Archie Goodwin’s life is threatened, Wolfe must find the gunman. Nero Wolfe has made many enemies over the years, now one such enemy is striking back targeting Wolfe’s assistant.

At the same time, a weeping young, wealthy woman asks to hire Wolfe about a blackmailing campaign. Is it possible that these two incidents are more closely related then meets the eye?

Reading this book was like taking a step back in time. Can you figure out the mystery before Wolfe? Can Wolfe figure out the mystery before Archie becomes shark bait?

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Rex Stout died Robert Goldsborough was given permission by Stout's estate to continue the Nero Wolfe series. I read and enjoyed all the books he wrote from 1986 to 1994. I thought he did a very good job remaining true to the tone of the original series. In 2012 he began writing Nero Wolfe books again and I am catching up with the new ones. Nero Wolfe mysteries were never great literature, but the are a fun way to spend a few hours. This book is no exception.

[Ken Mattes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 10th book, published I 2015, of the Goldsborough Nero Wolfe series.
A dual track mystery of murder and intrigue that almost resulted in the death of Archie.

[Peter Ackerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an eclectic mystery reader for years, I have read a selection of the Nero Wolfe books written by Rex Stout and also a couple by Robert Goldsborough who first decided to carry the series on so that his mother would sill have new Wolfe reads!

Archie in the Crosshairs is a winning entry into the series with all the characters and balance that one looks for in a Nero Wolfe, Archie Goodwin adventure. In this one, there appear to be two simultaneous mysteries - one where someone is trying to kill Archie, and another where a wealthy heiress is the victim of a blackmail scheme. Perhaps expectantly both storylines diverge onto one.

One thing I like about the Goldsborough series is that he really does pay homage to the past works and keeps the narration, pacing, character relationships, etc. in line with the original novels - unlike the various "new" Robert B. Parker continued series where there seems to be no attempt at re-creating the author's voice.

If there is anything negative about Archie in the Crosshairs, it is the minor element of having too many suspects. There are half a dozen ones who could be involved in trying t shoot Archie, and then later another half a dozen suspects to the blackmail scheme...that makes a lot to follow. Gone are the days of "cast lists" in the beginning of mystery novels...this one could have used that! Yet this is a minor complaint.

All in all this one one of those books where I felt that I was meeting old friends, and it was difficult to put down, and easy to pick back up and re-engage. For me, Archie in the Crosshairs: A Nero Wolfe Mystery is a winner!

[Novel Destination · Rating 5 out of 5]

This new Goldsborough-Stout hybrid is jake! The old favorite characters are up to their usual: sleuthing while maintaining the strict routines of Nero Wolfe. The orchids grow and blossom with Mr. Horstleman's loving care, Fritz is anxious about happenings in the brownstone but busy putting together fabulous meals, Percy Stebbins still dislikes Archie, and Nero and Inspector Cramer still growl but have begrudging respect for each other. I was pleased that the mystery was complex enough that we saw Saul Panzer, Orrie Cather and Fred Durkin join the detectives. Of course, Lon Cohen's newspaper finesse was also called into play, leading to some fun verbal exchanges.
Yes, Goldsborough tends to have more dialogue between characters than Rex Stout would have, but I enjoy their repartee.
The interweaving of the mysteries was done well. It was fun to read about Archie, Wolfe and others reviewing a few old cases to try to see who might want Archie dead. The required use of the hidden back entrance to the brownstone and need for Dr. Vollmer and his lovely nurse Carol were nice touches. Speaking of touches, what novel would be complete without lovely Lily Rowan calling Archie "Escamillo" at least once? Mr. Goldsborough did not disappoint me.
That Nero Wolfe can still lean back with hands across his vast waist, lips pursing in and out thinking deeply, and solve the complex mystery he is hired for, without even leaving the brownstone, remains a satisfying read.
While this uncorrected proof was given to me by the publisher, it did not influence my review in any way.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Return to Wolfe and Archie in the Old Brownstone

Returning home from a satisfactory poker game at Saul Panzer's, two bullets slam into the wall near the brownstone narrowly missing Archie. Shortly after, Wolfe and Archie receive an anonymous phone call telling them that the caller plans to murder Archie in revenge for one of Wolfe's cases.

This is a very typical Nero Wolfe mystery. Goldsborough did a good job capturing Stout's style. As in most Nero Wolfe mysteries, the plot is not hard to figure out, but Archie, Wolfe, Fritz, Saul and the others are such interesting characters that it's fun to be back with them. I did find that Goldsborough has updated the writing style with more emotional content. Archie is quite shaken after being shot at. For me, this doesn't detract from the novel, but it is a change from the original Stout books.

If you like a good mystery, or are a Nero Wolfe fan, this is one to read.

I reviewed this book for Amazon Vine.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

A place called Hot Doug's closed down last fall, not because of lack of business but because Doug was tired of it. It was a terrific place to eat lunch and eat lunch there I did. Over 200 times. A new place has opened in the old space and I went there recently to try it out. It was great to be back in the place where I have so many fond memories but, while the food was fine, it just wasn't Hot Doug's. This is kind of how I feel about Archie in the Crosshairs. I've read the entire Nero Wolfe canon by Rex Stout which is about 55 books, some of them twice. I miss Nero and Archie but especially Archie. Reading Archie in the Crosshairs was a chance to reunite with one of my favorite fictional characters and I think Robert Goldsborough did a better job getting the tone right than I remember from the other Nero Wolfe book of his that I'd read, Murder in the Ball Park. Like methadone, it ain't heroin but if you're an addict it will get you through the night.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Turn back the clock to the ‘50s and join legendary detective, gourmet and orchid grower extraordinaire, Nero Wolfe, and his wise cracking narrator and legman, Archie Godwin, as they face yet another puzzler that will have you up reading till the cows come home.

Someone wants Archie dead. Bullets miss him as he nears Nero Wolfe’s New York brownstone, phone calls begin threatening his death – a revenge on Nero Wolfe.

Then a millionaire’s daughter arrives wanting to hire Wolfe – she’s being blackmailed by persons unknown – and Wolfe, though hating to work, takes her on.

They arrange a payment to be delivered by Archie in Central Park, and that is when Archie is shot.

Join Archie and the genius, Nero Wolfe, as they unravel one of their most mystifying mysteries – a double mystery.

[Cuppa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been a fan of Nero Wolfe mysteries since A&E created a television series based on Rex Stout's characters. Since then I have read a handful of the books and listened to all of the vintage radio show episodes I could find. According to his website, Robert Goldsborough wrote his first Nero Wolfe book shortly after the death of Wolfe's creator, Rex Stout. The book was written as a 1978 Christmas present for Goldsborough's mother, who introduced him to the series. Eventually Stout's estate granted permission for the book to be published. Archie in the Crosshairs is Goldsborough's 10th Nero Wolfe book. I am not an expert on Nero Wolfe but I think the author captures the spirit and style that Stout used for the series. In addition, Goldsborough plots a great story. I would defiantly read another of his Wolfe books and I'd also like to try one of his Snap Malek mysteries.

[Melisende · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it! Had the pleasure of reading Goldsborough's prequel to the Nero Wolfe series - this introduced Archie to us. This episode tackles yet another mystery to be solved by the almost reclusive Nero Wolfe with the aid of his side-kick, Archie Goodwin. I read this in one sitting as the pace and style of writing kept me intrigued to the very end. I read the complete Nero Wolfe series quite a number of years ago, and these new additions faithfully follow Stout's originals.

[Monica Willyard Moen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing plot and nice period details.

[Kelvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rex Stout created the famous and long running Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin detective series that he wrote from 1934’s debut Fer-de-Lance to his death in 1975. A decade after his death, Rex Stout’s estate gave permission to Robert Goldsborough to publish a Nero Wolfe story that Robert Goldsborough wrote. It is the first of a long series of Nero Wolfe stories, in this case written by Robert Goldsborough as a continuation of the original series.
Archie in the Crosshairs is a 2015 book written by Robert Goldsborough and is the 10th Nero Wolfe book written by him. Goldsborough did a very good job staying true to form and tone of the original series. All the characters, the brownstone and Wolfe’s daily routine remain the same. Goldsborough was also able to capture Archie’s cynical tone and continue his famous wise cracks. His portrayal of the characters and as well as their dialogues are also comparable to Rex Stout’s works. Although sometimes I feel there may be less flair or ingenuity than the original works. Goldsborough pretty much uses the same formula created by Rex Stout: Nero Wolfe is too lazy to work, Archie forces Wolfe to take on a client, a meeting with the client is held, Archie receives instructions from Wolfe and do all the legworks to execute Wolfe’s orders, Archie reports to Wolfe on his interrogation and researches, Wolfe calls a dénouement meeting to solve the case, and usually resulting in a hefty fee to Wolfe and an arrest for Inspector Cramer of the New York police.

The setting of this book is in a July in New York City. Although Goldsborough did not specify the year, he did have Archie walk by the United Nations building while it was under construction, which places the story between 1947 and 1952. The story is about two men who came up with a complicated plot for each of them to achieve their respective criminal goals (one of blackmail, the other of murder). The first conspirator is Douglas Hutchinson, the no-good son of a rich railroad millionaire who has burnt through his inheritance and is now cut off from his rich father. Doug wants to set up a blackmail scheme to get money from his young sister Cordelia Hutchinson, the rich favorite of their father. The second conspirator in the scheme, Alan Marx, is also the mastermind of the plot. He is delusional and believes that Wolfe has framed his brother Simeon Marx for murder so he designed a revenge plot to kill Archie to get back at Wolfe.

The plan was to have Doug’s accomplice Marlene Peters, a good friend of Doug’s sister Cordelia, to get some pictures taken of Cordelia when she is in a compromising situation with a gentleman in Florence, Italy. Then, Alan sent the picture to Cordelia and called and blackmailed her for $75000, which causes Cordelia to hire Wolfe to handle the money drop. At that point, Alan had a hired gun Noah McManus to shoot Archie. Fortunately for Archie, Noah only injured Archie but was himself shot dead by Alan to eliminate loose ends. After that, their plan fell apart. The two argued and Doug killed Alan in a struggle. In the end, Wolfe solved the case.

[Gilbert Stack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goldsborough starts this novel with two bangs—literally. Someone takes two shots at Archie Goodwin as he stands at the front door of Nero Wolfe’s Brownstone. Shortly thereafter, a telephone call tells Wolfe that Archie is going to be killed as payback to Wolfe for his past actions. This sets Wolfe and Archie to looking through the old files to see if they can’t determine who might be wishing a little revenge. Their search is alternately interrupted by continued phone calls from their tormentor and Inspector Cramer who wants to find out if someone is really trying to kill Archie.

My instincts on this threat told me to look to the future, not the past. In other words, was the tormentor more worried about a present or future case of Wolfe’s then a past one. As Wolfe wasn’t currently employed, when a blackmail case was brought to him shortly thereafter, I thought it likely that this was the key to the case. I was only half right, like Rex Stout before him, Robert Goldsborough’s mind had plotted a bit more intricate of a case than mine was doing.

This is one of the fastest moving of the Goldsborough books and the two mysteries (blackmail case and repeated attempts to murder Archie) kept me interested. As usual, the highlight of the book is Wolfe working his magic before a crowd in an exciting ending.

[Jerry B · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Crosshairs” is Goldsborough’s third of (currently) seven new extensions to Rex Stout’s famous Nero Wolfe series from the mid-1900’s. These recent books are the author’s second set of seven for Stout’s estate, after a hiatus while writing stories of his own characters. We don’t bother to compare these to the originals – the classic format, settings, and characters are all there, in good form, and that’s plenty good enough to revisit old favorites.

The story gets off to a fast start as Nero’s right-hand man Archie Goodwin, narrator of all the stories, dodges a couple of bullets while out for a little walk. Threatening phone calls follow, leading the detectives to research particularly violent old cases they have solved. Meanwhile a society babe is being blackmailed and persuades Wolfe to take her case. Mayhem follows when a planned cash delivery goes awry, resulting in gunshot wounds and a death! It didn’t seem possible the two sub-plots might merge, but one never knows.

Typically, the grand reveal in Wolfe’s office explains all – and while the logic was all there, we enjoyed the surprising conclusion to an entertaining tale; and will certainly continue to polish off the further novels still left.

[☯Emily Ginder · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started to read this book as I was waiting for my father to breath his last. I needed something easy to read and that could easily be laid aside. The book certainly fulfilled its purpose.

Even though Robert Goldsborough has continued the Nero Wolfe series, the feel is not the same. I have tried to determine what it is. I came up with two possible solutions. Mr. Goldsborough tries so hard to sound like Rex Stout that he repeats the same phrases over and over, trying to convince the reader that there is no difference between the two authors.

In this book, Goldsborough sets the book in the Truman Administration, yet it feels modern. There is a reference to the United Nations complex being built and a few baseball players from that era, but the feel is not authentic. One reason: There was mention of joggers in Central Park in Chapter 12. The running craze did not begin until the 1970's, so I doubt if there were many "joggers" in the park in the 1950's. The description of the city just didn't have the accuracy and atmosphere that the Mr. and Mrs. North books have, which were written in the 1950's.

Overall, a light read for a stressful situation.

[Bill Plott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is yet another of Goldsborough's marvelous re-creations of one of my favorite armchair detectives. Yes, Nero Wolfe is always arrogant, often lazy, and pretty much misogynistic, but he and Archie Goodwin make a great team when it comes to solving mysteries. This one opens with Archie indeed in the crosshairs. Someone takes a shot at him outside the West 35th Street brownstone and telephone threats follow. They quickly compile a list of convicted criminals or their relatives with the biggest grudge against Wolfe/Goodwin. Saul Panzer and Fred Durkin join in the hunt for the culprit. Meanwhile a rich young heiress persuades Wolfe to get off of his lazy butt and investigate who is blackmailing her. Will the tow cases dovetail? You know they will in the inevitable gathering of all of the principal figures in Wolfe's office for the revelation. And of course, grumpy Inspector Cramer and Sgt. Purley Stebbins will witness the proceedings with handcuffs at ready. While I've enjoyed all of these stories, I found this one particularly engaging.

[Lloyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 10th mystery in the continued Nero Wolfe mysteries, originally created by Rex Stout. As usual with these Nero Wolfe mysteries you’ll find interesting, eccentric and dynamic characters with witty, sharp dialogue. These Nero Wolfe stories are thoroughly enjoyable mysteries. In this story, someone is trying to kill Nero’s righthand man, Archie Goodwin. The killer is targeting Archie in an effort to get back at Nero Wolfe for previously identifying the guilty party in a criminal case. But which previous case is connected to this threat and who is the avenging killer? In conjunction with that mystery, a new client seeks their help in dealing with a blackmailer. The cases are worked simultaneously which keeps Archie very busy and very nervous. Thus, Nero’s usual go-to contract P.I.s, Saul Panzer and Fred Durkin, are brought in to handle some of the investigative leads. The plot takes a few twists and turns before they can identify the potential assassin and in the other case, the blackmailer.

[Dave Ziegler · Rating 2 out of 5]

My review of Goldsborough's previous Nero Wolfe Mystery, Murder at the Ballpark, while accurate, was not especially kind. His next effort, Archie in the Crosshairs, is a little better. The mystery is better, the suspects more varied, and it actually came together in an interesting fashion. So why the low scores? The voices still aren't quite right, though they are vastly improved over the previous effort. Nero & Inspector Cramer? No problem. But Archie, Saul, and Lon all sound like they've been taking witty banter classes and want to show off what they've learned. I've wavered between 2 and 3 stars for this one. I'm going to give Goldsborough the benefit of the doubt and give him the 3, but I'm hoping his next one (Stop the Presses, published last year) is better.

As an aside, I have no idea why his earlier Wolfe novels are so good and more recent efforts just...aren't. But it's a question that has vexed me, to be sure.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Revenge is a dish best served at the table.

I always feel guilty reading one of Goldsborough's Nero Wolfe novels, as Rex Stout was rather clear that he wanted no one to take on Wolfe and Archie after his passing. But Goldsborough does such a fantastic job of replicating their world and Stout's style that by the end, my mystery hunger is as well nourished as Lon Cohen at dinner.

This book specifically deals with Archie and Wolfe as the hunted, not just the sleuths, although they manage to get plenty of detection in, and sets the pair in an era when they were at their zenith, around the same general time A&E's lamented series set most episodes.

If you have love for the world's most reclusive grower of orchids and his factotum, you will enjoy this book.

[Richard Schwindt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have said before that writing a good Sherlock Holmes pastiche is doable, but writing James Bond or Nero Wolfe and capturing the original tone is almost impossible. Robert Goldborough has never quite nailed Rex Stout's protagonist and his subtle skill in capturing character and mood. That said, he writes good books; readable stories that engage the fan base. This one in particular, featuring Archie in peril from an assassin and a comely young heiress is a nice smooth read with all the right touches, the great food, beer and secondary characters. Archie in the Crosshairs is a good evening read, with beer, for fans of mystery and good storytelling.

[Wanda Boyer M.C., Ph.D., RCC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Mr. Goldsborough for writing another thoughtfully complimentary work advancing the Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin chronology and narrative with this novel entitled, “Archie in the Crosshairs.” I valued how your tale seeks to further explore the synergy between Nero and Archie. In order for the criminals to seek to punish one member of this team they realize they must punish both in subtle ways that are intended to neutralize this super dynamic duo. My GoodReads friends, I know that you will enjoy seeing the exchange of affection and loyalty between Nero and Archie. Good reading to you.

[Mike Hanford · Rating 3 out of 5]

The good bits first..... the author has Mr Stout’s major characters down cold. It is as much fun as the real thing for language, and character interactions.

For this book, in particular, the author — without providing spoilers —- has a fog of stupidity descend upon Archie and Saul at several critical episodes in the plot. Both of these guys have a VERY healthy sense of self-preservation; which gets turned off, in places, to extend the length of the novel. Enjoyable, with a bit of teeth grinding for long-time Nero Wolfe fans. Actually a 3.2 or 3.3.

[Diane K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

As always with Goldsborough's books, I found this adequate to feed my hunger for new Wolfe stories, but as always, found it "not quite".

It was disappointing because it starts out with a truly clever premise. Archie and Wolfe have frequently referred to people who would sleep better knowing that Wolfe was no longer in the world. But Wolfe, by nature of his habits, is rather difficult to get at. To target Archie instead is brilliant. If Wolfe were to be killed, well, he's gone and at peace. With Archie gone, Wolfe would be left to suffer the knowledge that he died because of Wolfe. Plus, Wolfe's entire lifestyle would be severely and probably permanently crippled.

It made sense that Archie would be shaken up by his near miss (who wouldn't be?) He recovers fairly quickly.

I was really looking forward to a quick trip down memory lane when Wolfe and Archie began researching old cases. But it wasn't to be. The research was covered in just a couple of paragraphs. And considering that Archie has referred to a "thousand" people wanting Wolfe dead, to reduce that to just five possibilities seemed silly. Granted, they had to make it a reasonable amount for the confines of the book, but even so...and all five possibilities were created for the occasion. Not one reference to a Stout case, not even one that Archie only referred to in passing. The only Stout reference was to the Great Orchid Shootout arranged by Arnold Zeck, and that was simply in reference to the shots fired at Archie. They could have plausibly considered that one of Zeck's compatriots was pulling a Colonel Sebastian Moran/"The Empty House" trick.

The storyline was all right, and it was great visiting the brownstone and meeting Fritz and Saul and all the rest. The secondary plot, concerning a young woman being blackmailed, was interesting. However, the business of Archie coming and going by the back way for several days, making it seem as though he was remaining hidden in the house, didn't seem like Archie. Archie could have taken precautions while making it clear that he wasn't going to be intimidated by threats.

The whole business of Archie being shot while making the blackmail drop didn't make sense. The shooter was promptly killed himself, by an unknown person. Upon discovering that the shooter was a common thug, Wolfe and Archie deduce that he was NOT their revenge killer, but only a hired gun...yet, from that point on, Archie and Wolfe completely dropped all their former precautions. Archie casually comes in and out the front door again, and even goes blithely off to a ball game--with Wolfe's blessing. Apparently Archie's shooter was himself shot by the revenge killer, who was right there on hand to watch. If he was right there anyway, why not take the satisfaction of shooting Archie himself? (Answer: Archie would have been dead and gone.) It would have been more sensible to have the shooter winged by Fred or Saul, then escape. The following day, they could have learned that a local thug had been found murdered, but strangely had bullets from two different guns in him.

The story processes fairly adequately from there, but the climax was implausible. Wolfe makes only two real deductions, not enough to justify all the assumptions he makes. The first deduction, concerns two blackmail letters and their missing envelopes. Wolfe decides that no one would be silly enough to throw away the envelopes, with their possible clues, and therefore the letters had been written by the victim, at the behest of the blackmailer. In the first place, the victim is described as being somewhat immature, and it's quite possible that she wouldn't have thought about clues when she opened up the letters and tossed the envelopes aside. In the second place, the blackmailer wants the letters to seem genuine, so why not just write them himself and send them? This would ensure that the letters would not end up typed by a machine in the victim's house.

The second deduction concerns two people who had briefly dated, then split up...only they didn't. They kept seeing each other secretly, and collaborated on a crime. Wolfe figures this out because both of them use the phrase "it just didn't click" when describing why they broke up. First off, there was no earthly reason why they should have wanted their relationship to be hidden, and good reason why it shouldn't have been, because how would they explain getting back together afterwards? Secondly, Wolfe is surely aware of words and phrases that come into fashion and are used and overused by everyone, so it was quite possible for two different people to use the same phrase.

By the way, I just finished rereading Goldsborough's first Wolfe book, MURDER IN E MINOR, and realized that he used the exact same deduction: two people who claimed to have seen each other only casually both said that their relationship was a "convenience" and Wolfe deduced that they were collaborating.

Wolfe's deductions are really only assumptions, such as that the blackmailer was the one who most needed money (which doesn't necessarily mean that one will commit a crime to get some), that the blackmailer had met the revenge killer (Cramer confirms this AFTERWARDS), and other things. It would have been simple to have him set Fred or Saul to confirm his assumptions first.

Ah, well. A starving man will be satisfied with crumbs....

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was an okay mystery. The author has the characters and settings from the original series down pat. The puzzle was pretty good; I never figured out whodunit. But I had a tough time accepting the characters who came to Wolfe for help and I never felt like Archie was in any real danger, in spite of the book title. I also thought that the big scene at the end where Wolfe uncovers the culprit lacked the usual spark.