Stout Fellow: A Guide Through Nero Wolfe's World

by Ron Owens

Are you one of the millions who has spent many pleasant hours reading aboutNero Wolfeconverting the calories from his gourmet dining (albeit grudgingly) into mental energy to solve a murder? If you have traipsed through that morass of neuroses, idiosyncrasies and obsessive-compulsive behaviors, you must have questions.Did you know that while Wolfe usually tilts the scales near one-seventh of a ton, he may once have weighed less than his svelte associate, Archie Goodwin? Or how many times the "unbreakable" rules of the house are broken? Or why Fritz speaks French although he's not from France? Or how many bullet and knife wounds Wolfe carries on his normally sedentary carcass? Or what Inspector Cramer's first name is? Or how the characters evolved over the four decades of their existence?This book will provide you with the answers to those questions and a thousand others. I hope you find it satisfactory.

Genres: Nonfiction, Mystery

264 pages, Paperback

First published May 28, 2003

Reviews

[Jill H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I initially read the Baring-Gould book, which is the one usually considered the major reference for Nero Wolfe fans. I enjoyed it but this is the book for the afficianado of the Wolfe corpus. It fills in all the gaps, has no errors that I could find (the Baring-Gould book has a few) and is the perfect companion for the Wolfe fanatic. I loved it!!!

This is the second time I have read this book so it might give you the idea that I am a fan of the Nero Wolfe books and all that is written about the unforgettable characters.

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

Before there were Felix Unger and Oscar Madison, there were Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin. Though their "lives" were focused on very different things, I believe Neil Simon must have been channeling Rex Stout for some of the light moments of in his ying and yang duo.

CAUTION: Unless someone is working on a advanced degree in literature, there is no reason to open this book other than as an experienced devote of "Nero Wolfe's world." Rex Stout, of the title's pun, was a prolific writer and I have read over fifty of his short stories and novels. Coming upon this books renewed an interest that has lain dormant for a decade or more.

McBride has chosen a nice path in which he deals with each of the familiar characters (and with related topics such as orchids and gastronomy) without spoiling any of the stories for the reader. In essence, McBride offers a deconstruction of the world Stout created providing many insights and details that may have been lost to a reader focused on plot. I am grateful to have been led back to a greater appreciation of this author and his star characters.

[Jest · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the best of all the Nero Wolfe companion books that I've had my hands on. It's great for quickly checking all those little details that you want to included in your fanfic.

Now, why you would want to read this if you aren't writing fanfic is a bit of a mystery to me.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely comprehensive, and an enjoyable overview of one of my favorite detectives. Some chapters served unnecessarily encyclopedic, but if you want details, this is a good place to go!

[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A biography of the fictional detective Nero Wolfe and his world.