The Battered Badge

Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe Mysteries #13

by Robert Goldsborough

A shake-up in the NYPD homicide squad following a high-profile murder is bad for business for private investigator Nero Wolfe.
 
When wealthy and popular crusader and reformer Lester Pierce is gunned down in front of his Park Avenue residence, the public outcry forces the NYPD to restructure its homicide department. As the deceased was highly critical of Inspector Lionel Cramer, the longtime head of homicide is temporarily relieved of his badge. But it seems Cramer was not just a He was seen dining in Little Italy with mob kingpin Ralph Mars.
 
All of which amounts to little more than conversational fodder for PI Nero Wolfe and his assistant Archie Goodwin. But if Cramer’s provisional replacement, Capt. George Rowcliff, becomes permanent, Wolfe’s future dealings with the force will be much compromised. Loath to depart from his routine, Wolfe makes the unusual decision to take on a case without an actual client.
 
His investigation quickly points toward Pierce’s organization, Good Government Group, where high-minded idealism is often trampled under the competing ambitions of the staff—several of whom would clearly have benefited from Pierce’s demise. Despite the burgeoning list of suspects, Wolfe hasn’t ruled out the involvement of the underworld and its connection to Cramer. But in order to untangle an abundance of motives and end the inspector’s forced furlough, Wolfe may have to venture out of his comfort zone—and the premises of his brownstone.
 
Continuing his beloved series—which also includes Archie Meets Nero Wolfe, Murder in the Ball Park, Archie in the Crosshairs, and Murder, Stage Left—Nero Award–winning author Robert Goldsborough “demonstrates an impressive ability to emulate Rex Stout’s narrative voice” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).
 
The Battered Badge is the 60th book in the Nero Wolfe Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.
 

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Historical Mystery, Detective, Audiobook, Historical Fiction, Historical

254 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 17, 2018

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

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nero Wolfe is a legendary fictional private investigator created by Rex Stout. When Stout died, the series was continued by Robert Goldsborough. This is the 13th Nero Wolfe book by Goldsborough, and - like the rest of the series - can be read as a standalone.

*****

Nero Wolfe is an eccentric, obese private detective who lives and works in a brownstone in New York City in the mid-1900s. Wolfe almost never leaves his house; spends four hours a day tending his orchids; has a chef who prepares delicious gourmet meals; loves beer; and would rather read books than take new cases.



Wolfe employs Archie Goodwin as his assistant, legman, and gadfly - a smartmouth who prods Wolfe to 'go to work' when the bank account is running low.



When Wolfe's investigations encroach on those of the police, which happens frequently, Wolfe can expect a visit from Inspector Lionel T. Cramer - head of NYPD homicide. Though Cramer generally has bitter complaints about Wolfe's 'interference', he almost always benefits from Wolfe's inquiries.



Now Inspector Cramer himself is in trouble. A man named Lester Pierce, executive director of the 'Good Government Group' (GGG) - a watchdog organization that has harshly criticized Cramer - was gunned down in the street.....and Cramer has been put on administrative leave. In Cramer's place is Captain George Rowcliff, a spiteful boob whom Wolfe and Archie can't stand.



Though Wolfe would MUCH prefer to have Cramer back as head of homicide, he considers it imprudent to interfere in the Pierce investigation, or do anything else to help his 'frenemy.' Still, when rumors surface that Pierce's killing was a mob hit, Wolfe quietly dispatches one of his most reliable free-lance operatives, Saul Panzer, to make enquiries.



Saul gets roughed up by thugs and ends up hospitalized, and Wolfe goes on the warpath.

Wolfe is now determined to find out who killed Pierce....and who hurt Saul. Thus Saul and another free-lance private eye called Fred Durkin are dispatched to make inquiries, and Archie is sent to interview people who knew Pierce. These include:

- Pierce's widow Audra - who isn't especially grief-stricken;



- Pierce's adult children Malcolm, Marianne, and Mark - who insist the mob killed their dad;



- Roland Marchbank - Pierce's colleague, who expects to take over as executive director of GGG;



- And Laura Cordwell - Pierce's extramarital lover, who ALSO expects to take over as executive director of GGG.



As he's going about his work, Archie gets a good many tips from Lon Cohen, editor of The New York Gazette, whose job keeps him well-informed about criminal activities in New York City.



Amidst the questioning and re-questioning of persons of interest, Wolfe, Archie, and others do a lot of speculating about why (or why not) the mob would kill Pierce, and who else might have wanted him dead. In the end, all the suspects are gathered together and the truth is revealed.

This is a typical plot for a Nero Wolfe book, but it doesn't quite work this time. Normally, Archie persuades (or bullies) people to come to Wolfe's office, so the brilliant detective can question the suspects himself. This doesn't happen, and Wolfe is pretty much distanced from the action....relying mostly on the reports of others.

There's also a lot of blather about vocabulary, with the characters congratulating each other (and themselves) if they use 'hard words' (such as dalliance, for example). This is condescending, and if it's supposed to be funny, it doesn't succeed. Moreover, Archie doesn't exhibit his usual hilarious wisecracking, which normally adds a nice element of humor to the books.

It's always fun to visit with the recurring characters in the series, and I enjoyed the novel from that perspective. Archie and Wolfe eat lots of delicious meals;



Wolfe argues with his chef Fritz about what spices to use;



Wolfe decorates his desk with orchid racemes;



Archie goes out with his long-time girlfriend Lily Rowan;



Archie jokes about playing poker with his buddies; etc.



The book was fine from that perspective.....but the story itself, not so much. I hope Goldsborough ups his game in future books.

You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot....

[Judy Lesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Open Road Integrated Media for the digital copy of this galley.

Unfortunately I found myself being ambivalent toward this continuation of the Nero Wolfe series by Robert Goldsborough. In one instance it was nice to be back in the old brownstone investigating with Wolfe and Archie. On the other hand the mystery here is very thin and I couldn't seem to work up much interest in what was happening. A wealthy reformer working with a private watchdog organization concerned with police ineptitude was shot down on the street outside his residence. Inspector Cramer had not made any progress toward solving the mystery so he was put on administrative leave. The battered badge of the book title is referring to Inspector Cramer.

This was just an okay reading experience for me mainly because almost all that happens is that the same suspects keep being investigated and interviewed by the same people with the results remaining the same. The name of the murderer felt as if it had been drawn out of a hat. The wordplay between Archie and Lon Cohen (of The Gazette newspaper) focused on them making puns and drawing attention to each other's vocabulary. Not very exciting stuff when I found the words they were discussing to be rather commonplace.

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a long-running series, I read the first in the 80's and all of those by Rex Stout many times. When Robert Goldsboro wrote the first one I didn't like it. Now I do enjoy reading the additional information about Nero, Archie, and friends. Both have unique qualities. I find Nero and Archie both more open and friendly. The descriptions of food dishes are not as detail. I now recommend both series. The all the regulars are developed better.
In this one, Nero is again turning away from Inspector Cramer's until it becomes personal when Saul is injured. Nero becomes in involved and works with Cramer to solve the case. He allowed the Inspector to received the credit. As time allows I will be reading the series again. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND BOTH.

Disclosure: Many thanks to Open Road Integrated Media for a review copy. The opinions expressed are my own.

[Darius Ostrowski · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little too much and too little. Too much Lon Cohen, not enough Saul. Too much Archie, not enough Nero. Too much imitation of Rex Stout's style, not enough "mystery". The interviews with the suspects are all rote, don't tell us anything, are all pretty much interchangeable. There's no real solving of the mystery, no "genius" deduction. Rather disappointing.

[Thomas Jr. · Rating 1 out of 5]

The worst book in the series yet. I was actually angry when I finished it - Goldsborough succeeded in reducing some of my favorite literary characters to a mere cliche. I wish he would stop writing Nero Wolfe stories and let someone else have a go.

[Randee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think Nero Wolfe is the best of all the series detective. I admit he has a very special place in he heart. One wonderful summer, my mother and I made plans to read every single book in the series. We had such a good time talking about the cases. She really liked Archie and I really liked Nero and we talked about them like they were members of our family. I think many people overhearing us chat, thought they were members of our tribe. I was a junior in high school and little did I realize that I had one year left of h.s. and then would move to California to start college. My mother would not wake up from sleep one night the next May. The evening before I saw an El Greco type figure standing in the doorway of my closet, 7 feet tall, black hat with a wide brim, a full length black cape. I knew it was death looking at me. I was so scared, I closed my eyes got under my bed spread and stayed there for the next few hours. My father reported that a black bird had tapped on the basement window several times with its beak the same day. Make of it what you will, but my father and I have always believed it was a sign. Every time I read a new one by Robert Goldsborough, I think of my mother. I'm sure she would approve. I'm positive Rex Stout would too!

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mehh, it was all right, it just felt kind of dull or flat overall. I mean I wouldn’t say the book was bad, it just seem to lack some spark or something. Also, I’ve never read any other books in the series so not sure if that has an impact on my rating or not.

[Lady Wesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable story where Wolfe helps pull Cramer’s backside out of the fire And rakes in a hefty fee at the same time.

[Brent · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not much to say. Completely forgettable in every way. A stale mystery with stale characters and conclusion. I only listened to it because it was 6 hours and included with my audible membership, and I needed a fill in book.

[Kathy Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new Nero Wolfe story is concerned with the death of Lester Pierce who is a crusader and reformer who wants to change the police department. Inspector Lionel Cramer of the NYPD Homicide division has been a particular target of the reformer. He's been put on leave and Captain George Rowcliff has become his replacement.

Neither Wolfe nor Archie are looking forward to working with Rowcliff but they don't have a client to encourage them to investigate. Cramer's sergeant comes to ask Wolfe and Archie to look into the case but he doesn't have the money to hire them. Archie begins to investigate and discovers a bunch of potential suspects including the "other woman." the mob, and others.

When Wolfe finally decides to get involved, it brings some changes to his normal pattern. He doesn't have a client and the climax has him actually leaving his home for the reveal of the villian.

Goldsborough does an excellent job recreating Rex Stout's characters. They sound and act just like the originals. L. J. Ganser does a great job narrating the story. He does an excellent job with Archie as the narrator.

[Darcia Helle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a short read, which is perhaps the best I can say about it.

If you're unfamiliar with this series or the original Nero Wolfe series by Rex Stout, you probably don't want to start here. There is no character development whatsoever. That's true of all the characters, not just Nero and Archie.

The investigation is weak. In fact, there really isn't much investigation at all. Archie exchanges a lot of phone calls with a newspaper reporter, and that is how he learns most everything he needs to know.

The author relies heavily on dialogue to move the story forward, which I normally enjoy. Here, though, the constant banter between the characters is overly exaggerated and affected. They toss big words at each other, then tell the other person what that big word means. The followup explanation feels like it's for the reader's benefit, to make sure we keep up with all these fancy words. By midway through the book, I'd grown weary of it all.

*I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.*

[P.D. Workman]

I have just finished The Battered Badge, a Nero Wolfe Mystery by Robert Goldsborough. This is the first of Goldsborough’s series that I have read, but I am familiar with the original Nero Wolfe Mystery series by Rex Stout (although noting that it is 45 books long, I suspect I have not read all of them!

The more modern series appears to be pretty true to the original. The characters, setting, and Wolfe’s daily routine were all familiar and true to Stout’s creation. No weird shifts in personality, gender, or era. In this episode, it is Cramer, the chief of homicide, who falls under suspicion, and although reluctant to investigate, Archie and Wolfe would prefer Cramer remain as chief of homicide over the alternative.

Well written. I would be happy to read any of the other books in Goldsborough’s 16 book series.

[Nancy Cook Lauer · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5. A tasty snack of a book, in the old-school whodunit style that's almost all dialogue. This one was about a wealthy "good government" advocate gunned down in front of his Park Avenue residence. Nero Wolfe lives on under the faithful hand of Robert Goldsborough.

[hotsake (André Troesch) · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I still have issues with Robert Goldsborough's version of these characters I do have to give some credit because nearly all of my complaints from the previous book were corrected in this one. By far my favorite of his second batch of Nero Wolfe books.

[Ken Mattes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 13th book in the Nero Wolfe series by Goldsborough.
The story revolves around the gang land style murder of a prominent anti-corruption leader. This event triggers a political battle in the NYPD Homicide department and imperials Cramer as the head of the department.
Nero Wolfe is engaged to help find the murder and indirectly save the career of Cramer.

[Susan Mattes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Also read 4/27/2018. I love to spend time with these characters.

[Diane K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh, pfui. Reading this was like watching a splendid race, only to see everyone crash right before the finish line.

I really thought I was going to be giving this one five stars. As I read, I was mentally lining up my review: "Goldsborough rings the bell on this one!" It did have its usual irritations--the stilted dialogue, and that peculiar, uncalled for enmity between Purley Stebbins and Archie that I noticed in the last book, MURDER, STAGE LEFT. But I was able to ignore the irritations in the pleasure of the story--which doesn't always happen. It started off very well, a good pace, decent mystery, imminent peril to a beloved (yes, I feel there's a case for calling him "beloved") character. Feeling impatient as Wolfe delayed at getting involved. Was it or was it not a mob hit? The only other strong motive seemed to go by the wayside in the circumstances of Wolfe's hiring. I was starting to wonder if the murder would turn out to be a gambit, with the primary target someone else--maybe even Cramer himself! A shocking incident with Saul, good characters...the book just zipped along. As they approached the finish, Wolfe and Cramer were neck and neck, an astonishing occurrence. There was the standard gathering of the suspects--with an intriguing twist....

And, with two statements by Wolfe--bing, bing--the killer shatters like glass. Minutes after they arrived, everyone packs up and leaves. They might as well have phoned it in.

Goldsborough is showing a tendency for single-clue deductions. That's fine when properly handled; Rex Stout was known for it. The N.I.A. man addressing a B.P.C. man as he would an employee (THE SILENT SPEAKER) or the senior law student who didn't know what a tort was ("Before I Die") are classic examples. However, Stout's Wolfe is wise enough to know that what satisfies him will not necessarily satisfy others--namely, D.A.s and juries--and he is careful, therefore, to gather corroborating evidence (usually, though not always, easy to do when you know who your bad guy is).

(spoilers) Goldsborough's Wolfe does not. In the previous book, he based his deduction on the fact that one suspect out of the group failed to inquire after the well-being of a would-be suicide who was in the hospital. He failed to consider that A) the suspect might have been anxious and distracted, or B) the suspect might have personally called the hospital to obtain an up-to-the-minute update on the patient's condition. In this book, he bases his deduction on the fact that one suspect out of the group clung to the notion that the killing was indeed a mob hit, whereas everyone else had conceded that it was unlikely. Wolfe (and, presumably, Cramer) fail to consider that A) the suspect might sincerely (if naively) believe that it really was a mob hit, or B) the suspect might be trying to protect someone else. In both cases, if the suspects had kept their nerve, stood fast and silent, Wolfe's cases would have fallen apart, because the DA's office would never have touched them. Relying on your villain to obligingly fall apart and bleat out a confession in front of witnesses is shoddy detective work, and using virtually the same device two books in a row is lazy writer's work.

One other note: One of the people in the book had a deep and long-held rancor (to use a Wolfe word) for another person. Wolfe managed to disperse the rancor with a couple logical sentences. Excuse me, but generally speaking, deep, years-old, senseless hate does not respond well to logic.

And again, pfui.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rabid fans (like myself) of Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe series may have very mixed feelings about this book. On the positive side, I relish every opportunity to be in the company of two of my favorite fictional detectives. Another positive is the (no doubt) short-term alliance between Wolfe and Inspector Cramer of NYPD homicide. Traditionally they are adversaries---in this novel they are more like colleagues---novel indeed !

But, on the negative side, this is a fairly weak effort by Goldsborough. I have read many of his Nero Wolfe books---and thought he started off his series rather tentative and eventually found his voice. In this one, I think it is missing in action. And, there is decidedly not enough Nero Wolfe and far, far too many phone conversations (saying the same thing) with their media friend, Lon Cohen.

I noticed another reviewer felt very positive that Goldsborough didn't spend as much time expounding on Nero Wolfe's time at the dinner table---I considered that a weakness, not a strength. I would expect friends of this series depend on descriptions of Fritz Brenner's gourmet meals and relish the conversations he has with Mr. Wolfe planning the menus or debating which herb to use. That is the pleasure of a Nero Wolfe novel.

I love the Rex Stout characters so much that I will continue to read any new mystery which reprise Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin---but, this particular book is not recommended as a good place to start for any reader.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#60 in the Nero Wolfe mystery series. This 2018 entry is #13 by author Robert Goldsborough after 47 by series creator Rex Stout. As usual, Goldsborough does a fine job of writing in the voice of Stout. This entry is apparently set in 1957 NYC and the author provides interesting historical endnotes and mentions now defunct daily newspapers and the police HQ building and Greenpoint Hospital since replaced by more modern structures. While nit the best in the series, this entry is a satisfying read especially for fans of Nero Wolfe (and Inspector Cramer).

Lester Pierce, the director of the Good Government Group known as Three-G, who singled out Insp. Lionel Cramer, the head of NYPD's homicide squad, for criticism over the department's subpar record cracking down on the mob, has been gunned down in an apparent gangland hit. Cramer is being scapegoated in the murder by the tycoon bankrolling Three-G and by the new Police Commissioner who wants his own man in charge of homicide. This has his loyal sergeant, Purley Stebbins, to swallowing his pride to go to the famous West 35th Street brownstone to ask for help. After Cramer's suspension, Wolfe eventually gets involved in probing the crime from the comfort of his armchair. He pursues the less obvious theory that organized crime wasn't responsible by sending Archie, his leg man, out to interview Pierce's surviving relatives and colleagues at Three-G who may have coveted the top slot.

[Jerry B · Rating 4 out of 5]

We’re sometimes a contrarian, liking books than many pan, or vice versa. Despite a bevy of poor ratings for “Badge”, Goldsborough’s sixth recent extension (of currently seven total, not counting seven earlier ones) of the Rex Stout’s famed Nero Wolfe series from the mid-20th century, we enjoyed it even more than many of his others. It featured Inspector Cramer, who’s in trouble due to police politics, but a standby in these tales as he storms into Wolfe’s office usually outraged over the meddling of the detectives in his cases. Compared to his temporary replacement (Rowcliff), Archie and Nero work surreptitiously to get Cramer back on the job when the solving of the murder of a police watchdog group’s leader goes nowhere by the authorities.

Eventually Wolfe gets an actual client to help identify the murderer, and for a change he and Cramer, with help from regulars operative Saul Panzer and newsman Lon Cohen (who almost had too big a role), actually collaborated, with both having an inkling as to the culprit at virtually the same time. The closing reveal was actually held at police HQ, a surprising outing for Wolfe to say the least.

Not the longest or most complicated novel by any stretch, we nevertheless found it great fun – polishing it off in one elongated reading session on a rainy Sunday during which we lost power. One advantage of eBooks is that you can still read in the dark!

[Gilbert Stack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspector Cramer has been suspended from the police force in one of the best openings of Robert Goldsborough’s homages to Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe. As if losing Cramer wasn’t bad enough, he’s been “temporarily” replaced by Captain Rowcliff, Archie’s nemesis in the police department. The problem? An important city reformer has been killed—presumably by the mob—and Cramer not only hasn’t caught the killer, he may be compromised by the mob he’s supposed to investigate.

Unlike most Nero Wolfe mysteries, the focus of this story isn’t really about solving the crime. The mystery element and the investigation takes up a lot of pages but is extremely weak. The revelation of the murderer at the end of the story feels like an unfortunately necessary ingredient of the series that was just thrown in at the end of the book. There was no real evidence of the killer’s guilt, no great trap to flush him out, and really, if he hadn’t confessed, the murderer would never have been caught.

But that’s not what’s great about this book. Wolfe and Cramer have bumped heads in just about every novel of the series, but in this one, Wolfe goes out of his way to help Cramer and save his job. It’s wonderful to watch him work, subtly bringing politicians around to the point of recognizing that Cramer is a great man to lead the homicide squad. In doing so, Wolfe shows something that readers of the series have long suspected—he genuinely likes and respects Cramer.

I found that heartwarming.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nero Wolfe is back along with his able assistant, Archie Goodwin, in yet another installment by Robert Goldsborough to Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe mysteries, and this one is different from many of the others that have become before.

In The Battered Badge, this latest addition of the close to 50 Nero Wolfe mysteries, Inspector Cramer, the cigar chewing police detective who usually comes storming into Wolfe’s study decrying Wolfe’s involvement in police matters, has been put on administrative leave for some mysterious reason, but some suspect it might be because the head of the Good Government Group that had severely criticized Cramer had been murdered in a drive by shooting – Cramer might be a suspect.

And even more bizarre, former Lieutenant Rowcliff, a brave but inept police detective has been promoted to at least temporarily fill Cramer’s place, and Rowcliff is despised by not only Wolfe and Archie, but by a large number in the detective bureau.

Wolfe decides to discover the reason for Cramer’s forced leave and along with Archie begins to unravel a case that not only has begun topsy-turvy, but will end topsy-turvy as well. How?

That’s for you to discover, as you return to West 35th Street and become part of that gourmet, orchid grower and genius’s sleuthing along with Archie, of course, and with a most unusual partner – you won’t be disappointed!

[Jerry Jares · Rating 2 out of 5]

After Rex Stout died, his estate approved Robert Goldsborough's request to continue the series with himself as the author.  Goldsborough came with significant bonafides; he's an established journalist and writer.  He also seemed to be an authority of all things 'Rex Stout.'  This book is the thirteenth book of fifteen in the Goldsborough series.

This book is just too talky; there wasn't enough action -- just talking.  Granted, Nero Wolfe parked himself at his desk most of the time for Rex Stout and was the resident genius.  Still, in this book, Archie spent most of his time on the telephone, not on doing much investigating.  I thought it bizarre that Archie deduced that the Lester Pierce death had anything to do with the death of a small-time mobster (mentioned in a late page of the paper days after Pierce's death).  It just didn't seem realistic.

Archie chats on the phone to Lily Rowan and Saul Panzer instead of going out to find out the info. This seemed to drain the excitement from whatever they shared.  It was just he said, she said.  Boring.  Generally, the characters were two-dimensional.

Nero Wolfe Mystery
continued from the original series by Rex Stout
   -- skipped several --  
11. Stop the Presses! (2016)  
12. Murder, Stage Left (2017) 
** 13. The Battered Badge(2018)  
14. Death of an Art Collector (2019)  
15. Archie Goes Home (2020)

[Lloyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another mystery is the revived Nero Wolfe mystery series. Nero Wolfe is a private investigator in New York City who is most ably assisted by Archie Goodwin, also a private investigator. Nero is the brains (a genius) who unravels mysteries from his office in Manhattan. Archie (and others) do the leg work and report their findings to Wolfe. All the characters have unique personality traits that enhance the reader’s enjoyment of these mysteries. The original stories in the series were written by author Rex Stout (1886 – 1975). Stout wrote 33 novels and 41 short stories in the Nero Wolfe series. After Stout’s death, author Robert Goldsborough continued the Nero Wolfe mystery series starting in 1986. In my opinion these mysteries are very much character driven cozy mysteries. The repeating characters seem like old friends that you get back together with to enjoy Archie’s narration of a mystery they solved. I recommend that you sit in your favorite reading chair along with two chilled bottles of Wolfe’s favorite beer, Remmers (I substitute Miller Genuine Draft as it is more readily available) with a pilsner glass and start reading this series of mysteries for both enjoyment and relaxation.

[Bill · Rating 1 out of 5]

A big fan of Rex Stour and his Nero Wolfe books, I approached the Goldsborough books with some trepidation way back in 1986. And while he did not totally capture the style and charm of Stout, he was close enough and I enjoyed getting to spend more time with Nero and Archie. And when he returned to them after a 16 year hiatus, with his prequel and subsequent books, I eagerly read them. But as he continues writing them, they move further away from the originals and this latest has turned into an ugly and seemingly lazy pastiche. Both Archie and Wolfe come across as unlikeable and the "wordplay" is really forced. The dialogue exchanges between Archie and their reporter friend, Len Cohen, are unbelievable and juvenile, something of which you could never accuse Stout. One reads these continuation novels (whether of Wolfe, Poirot, James Bond, Holmes or Spenser to mention a few other detectives) to continue spending time with characters readers have come to love. But when the characters no longer resemble the originals, what's the point. Its an insult to the original authors and to the readers who loved them.

[Tristan Wolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 13th installment of Goldsborough's Nero Wolfe series is another fine entry that could well be considered canonical, even to the most die-hard Rex Stout fans. This particular story is itself an homage to the hard-worn character of Homicide Inspector Lionel Cramer, who is temporarily relieved of his badge due to political machinations that are, we would say today, "above his pay grade." Cramer would not go to Wolfe for help, but Wolfe agrees with Archie's statement that making permanent Cramer's replacement -- a dunderhead named Rowcliff, who fans might recognize -- would be a serious blow to Wolfe's ability to conduct business.

Suspects and clues are placed before us by the fine Italian hand of Stout's worthy successor. No spoilers offered when I say that the ending is doubly satisfying for having Cramer and Wolfe come to the same conclusion at nearly the same time, and for Cramer providing the summing up of the case in one of Wolfe's (in)famous gathering-0f-suspects scenes. The Inspector has been due for this fine compliment for many long years of mysteries, and I'm very glad that Goldsborough has done us proud in providing it.

[Kim Bakos · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'll begin by saying I've never read any other Nero Wolfe books, so I can't compare this author to the previous author of the series. I'll also say that I won't ever read another Nero Wolfe book!
If you read the thesaurus for fun, you will like this series. That is what the first half of the book felt like - nothing exciting in the plot to draw you in, just tons of big words that didn't add a thing to the story. It wasn't that I was lost due to not understanding them, since I have a huge vocabulary and knew what each word meant. But I wouldn't want to talk to someone who feels the need to use every word they know in every conversation, and use big words when small ones would do. So since I wouldn't speak with someone who speaks that way, I didn't enjoy characters who felt the need to do just that.
I also like my mysteries to have a bit of tension in them, like when the murderer knows someone is on his trail and there are threats/dangers to those trying to solve the crime. There was none of that in this story. Overall, it fell very flat for me.

[Kay Hudson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still in the 1960s, The Battered Badge finds Wolfe and Goodwin in the unusual position of coming to the aid of Inspector Cramer, the cigar-chewing homicide detective who maintains a semi-adversarial role throughout the series. This time, however, Cramer finds himself relieved of duty and replaced as head of the homicide squad by George Rowcliff, a detective who Wolfe really doesn't like. The specter of dealing with Rowcliff in the future so discomfits Wolfe that he takes on investigating the murder that seems to have derailed Cramer’s career.

As much fun as it was to see Cramer squirm a bit, and even more to see him collaborating (at arm’s length, but still) with Wolfe and Goodwin, the mystery itself fell a little flat. A couple of characters changed their minds on important issues simply because Wolfe told them to (pointing out the errors in their thinking), and the ending was a bit rushed (although it did see Wolfe leave the brownstone, riding white-knuckled in the rear seat as Archie drove). But these books are fun even if they don’t always hit all the high notes.

[Robert LoCicero · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume seems to be a fairly interesting and accurate rendering of a story that the original author Stout would pen involving his private eyes Nero Wolfe and investigator Archie Goodwin. Author Goldsborough catches the essentials of procedures and details of the investigation and milieu that surround the Wolfe character in the original series. In these new stories of Wolfe and Goodwin the modern era seems to be somewhat in evidence though author Goldsborough does try to stick with the atmospherics of a bygone age. In all the story is interesting and the style a bit more readable than the writing style of Rex Stout. I am not up enough on the original works to really critique the new Wolfe series but I applaud the efforts of this author along with the willingness of the Stout family to proceed with an evolution of the original characters. I think I will continue to read these new volumes as I find them.

[Laurie Hoppe · Rating 3 out of 5]

While reading the morning paper, PI Archie Goodwin learns of the murder of Lester Pierce, a crusader against corruption. Rumor has it that NYPD Homicide Inspector Cramer is somehow involved. Though hardly buddies, Cramer and Wolfe had developed a grudging admiration for one another, and Wolfe decides to clear Cramer by solving the crime.

The gang's all here -- Archie, Wolfe, Cramer, Saul, Fritz, and Lily. They are good company, as always. So this was an entertaining read. Certainly not one of the best in the series, but still fun. I didn't guess who the killer was until I was told.

One thing about the story disturbed me, though. One of the characters is a stutterer, and at one point Archie stoops to imitating him. Archie is a smart aleck, but he's never been cruel. It was unnecessary and made me sad.