Homicide Trinity

Nero Wolfe #36

by Rex Stout

It’s a wily killer who dares to strike on Nero Wolfe’s hallowed turf—and leave a corpse strangled with Wolfe’s own soup-stained tie. But no sooner does the gourmandizing sleuth clean up this first course of murder than he faces a gun-toting wife who serves up a confession of homicidal intent—only to become the sole suspect when the corpus delicti is found. It’s murder à la carte when the third course is a cop-hating landlady brings Wolfe counterfeit cash—that leads to genuine murder. It’s up to Wolfe to see that the malefactors get their just deserts.  

Introduction by Stephen Greenleaf
 
“It is always a treat to read a Nero Wolfe mystery. The man has entered our folklore.”— The New York Times Book Review
 
A grand master of the form, Rex Stout is one of America’s greatest mystery writers, and his literary creation Nero Wolfe is one of the greatest fictional detectives of all time. Together, Stout and Wolfe have entertained—and puzzled—millions of mystery fans around the world. Now, with his perambulatory man-about-town, Archie Goodwin, the arrogant, gourmandizing, sedentary sleuth is back in the original seventy-three cases of crime and detection written by the inimitable master himself, Rex Stout.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Detective, Crime, Short Stories, Audiobook, Ebooks

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 26, 1962

About the author

Rex Todhunter Stout (1886–1975) was an American crime writer, best known as the creator of the larger-than-life fictional detective Nero Wolfe, described by reviewer Will Cuppy as "that Falstaff of detectives." Wolfe's assistant Archie Goodwin recorded the cases of the detective genius from 1934 (Fer-de-Lance) to 1975 (A Family Affair).

The Nero Wolfe corpus was nominated Best Mystery Series of the Century at Bouchercon 2000, the world's largest mystery convention, and Rex Stout was nominated Best Mystery Writer of the Century.

Reviews

[Bill Kerwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Among mystery writers, Rex Stout stands out for four things: 1) devising the second most memorable eccentric detective genius, 2) creating--in Archie Goodwin--the breeziest, most deceptively effortless first-person narrative voice in detective fiction, 3) fathering the single greatest crime-solving pair (although Holmes wins out slightly over Wolfe, Goodwin beats Watson hands down), and 4) being the absolute master of the 25,000 word detective novella.

These three novellas are among Stouts finest. The first involves a prospective client strangled with Wolfe's necktie, the second features two identical guns and a mysterious strongbox, and the third introduces us to Hattie Annis, a crusty, cop-hating landlady who is one of the most vivid of Stout's incidental creations. If possible, read each in one sitting. Enjoy.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

A triple treat. Three novellas. Three damsels in distress. Three opportunities to visit the famous brownstone on West 35th Street, home of Nero Wolfe.

Eeny Meeny Murder Mo:
In this story the murder takes place in Wolfe's own home. In his office. With his own necktie! Wolfe got a spot on his necktie took it off and left it on his desk before heading upstairs for his session with his orchids. Archie and Fritz discussed whose responsibility it was to remove the tie from his desk and agreed it wasn't theirs. A woman, Bertha Aaron, rings the doorbell and wants to talk with Wolfe. She does not have an appointment. That is not going be easy so Archie takes her into the office to get a few details. She is a legal secretary for the senior lawyer at a small firm. They represent a husband in a high profile divorce. A few days ago she saw one of the members of the firm meeting with the client’s wife. Because this is highly unethical she concluded he was betraying the firm’s interest. She is afraid to tell her boss because he is elderly and has a bad heart. Archie leaves her in the office to go up to the orchid room to explain the situation to Wolfe and why this is not a divorce case. When he returns to office she is on the floor, dead, with Wolfe's necktie wrapped around her throat. Wolfe comes down to the office shortly after expecting to find her gone and sit in his custom made chair. Wolfe is incensed. A murder in his own home! He undertakes to find out which member of the law firm is guilty before the police. No one insults Wolfe by committing a murder under his roof.

Death of a Demon:
A woman, Lucy Hazen, has an appointment with Wolfe. She only needs 30 minutes to talk for which she will pay $100. At the meeting she takes out a gun and tells Wolfe that it is not the gun she will shoot her husband with. She believes that if there is a record of her saying so and he winds up shot no one will believe she did it. With ten minutes still left in her appointment she asks if she can see the orchids. While Lucy and Wolfe are up in the plant rooms Archie turns on the news. Yep … her husband was found shot to death. It seems that her husband was a blackmailer and there are many people who wanted him dead. It is up to Wolfe, and Archie, to find the real murderer before Inspector Cramer locks up Lucy.

Counterfeit for Murder
An interesting client. Not the usual client with deep pockets. Hattie Annis shows up on the steps of brownstone. She calls Wolfe "Falstaff" and Archie "Buster". She is a landlady who owns a rooming house in the theatre district. She turns over a package to Archie that she found in her rooming house. It is counterfeit money. She doesn't like cops because one shot her father years ago. Therefore she is giving it to Archie (and Wolfe). When Archie goes to Hattie's rooming house he finds a woman dead in the room where Hattie found the counterfeit money. Tammy Baxter wasn't just an actress renting a room. She was an undercover Treasury agent investigating a counterfeiting ring. I had to laugh when I read how after finding Tammy's body Hattie locks herself in her room and refuses to talk to the police. She will only talk to "Buster". The police have to break down her door and carry her out. Even then she refuses to say a word. Needless to say she has Wolfe's admiration.

[Jill H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this paperback which contains three short stories, two of which I had already read. But I had not read the third which is "Death of a Demon" which is too short to have a separate book. That's how much I love the Nero Wolfe series and think that Rex Stout can do no wrong.

Stout's stories are not usually strong as far as the plot is concerned and this one may be one of the weakest ones. But as usual, that is not what makes this series so enjoyable to me. It is the interaction among the continuing characters that makes Nero Wolfe mysteries classics. In this tale, a woman comes to Wolfe's office, hands him a revolver and states that "this is the gun with which I am not going to kill my husband". Wolfe keeps the gun and the next day, the aforementioned husband is found murdered and the woman is arrested. And off we go!

I think Stout got a little lazy with this story as there are some holes in it as big as the Grand Canyon but when you are as avid a fan as I am, you just say "so what" and give it four stars.

[JZ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of course, the A&E tv series has affected my perception of the first story. I am forever, in my puny lifetime, grateful to Timothy Hutton for bringing my imaginings of Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin to glorious life.

The first story in this trinity, which is a trademark of Rex Stout, (three stories in one volume with a clue that there are three enclosed) was made into one of the excellent series starring Maury Chakin and Himself, with their lawyer, Nathaniel Parker, played by George Plimpton and Bill Smitrovitch as Inspector Cramer. It was interesting to me how the male roles had dedicated actors, and the women, not so much.

But I digress.

The first story was interesting, and the second moreso, because another woman becomes a client, and the third, for the same, kind of, reason.

Within, some of Stout's richest dialogue and wit are on display. This is the height of his power. A pleasant reassurance of his power after having read his final book in the series recently, which was such a bitter disappointment.

[Elizabeth (Alaska) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another great installment in the series. This time, as the title suggests, it is a collection of 3 stories.

Eeny Meeny Murder Mo Nero Wolfe got a spot of grease on his necktie (gasp!) so he took it off and left it on his desk. While up in the plant rooms, a young woman arrived without an appointment. While Archie was up with Wolfe about the woman, she was murdered in the office. And with Wolfe's necktie, no less.

Death of a Demon A woman plunks a gun down on Wolfe's desk. "That's the gun I'm not going to shoot my husband with." Well, of course, the husband gets murdered. Did she have a another gun or did someone else shoot him?

Counterfeit for Murder This time a gray-haired woman, looking down on her luck, shows up without an appointment. She wishes to share the reward with Wolfe and Archie. Reward for what? For finding $10,000 in $20s hidden in her parlor. Did she know they were counterfeit? And what about her new tenant (who just happens to work undercover for the Treasury department) found dead on the parlor floor?

I think none of these is 4 stars, but the pages flew by. For me, this is a perfect series for fitting in between heavier reads.

[Bryan Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of shorter stories. I read this and two other Nero Wolfe books (and a Jim Butcher book) in a weekend reading frenzy and didn't review any of them.

However, the final story in this volume is a stand out story well worth your time to look it up. It features Archie at his very best. Not just his usual urbane wit, but he provides a major portion of the thinking that leads to the final conclusion of the mystery.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was recently reading a rave about Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe stories on the blog of a crime-fiction enthusiast whose views I regard highly, and it reminded me it's been quite a few years since last I read any Stout. Yes, I know he's a darling of the critics, but for some reason I've never been able to regard his work highly.

So here I am with Homicide Trinity in front of me, attempting to mend the error of my ways.

Ho hum.

It's a collection of three novellas, and between them the three reminded me of why I've never been able to get overly enthused about Stout's fiction. It's not that I dislike the character of Wolfe (although I do), it's that the necessarily circumscribed arena in which much of the main action takes place -- Wolfe's NYC house, because he refuses to leave it except under duress -- and the similar limitation on the action itself, Wolfe being a man of inviolable habit, mean that the stories tend to be a bit samey. That's certainly true of the first two stories here, in which a small cast of suspects find themselves being interviewed by Wolfe, the guilt of the relevant party being revealed through their responses.

Somewhat the same template is observed in the third story, "Counterfeit for Murder," yet for some reason I enjoyed it far more -- perhaps because in it Archie Goodwin, Wolfe's Watson, discovers that he can like a woman who isn't young and short of skirt. The woman concerned, Hattie Annis, is the scruffy middle-aged owner of a downtown boarding house where she lets rooms to theatrical types, charging them rent if they can afford it, and she's discovered in her little-used parlor a stash of counterfeit money. The solution to the mystery's a bit crapola, to be honest -- and flies, for no explained reason, into the teeth of an earlier-planted clue -- but the character of Hattie is so glorious that I didn't much care. Pfui, in other words.

So, read this for "Counterfeit for Murder," is my advice. The other two are pleasant enough pieces, but hardly essential reading.

[Pamela Shropshire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eeny Meeny Murder Mo
Wolfe gets a spot on his necktie and removes it, laying it on his desk. Archie and Fritz confer on whose responsibility it is to remove the offending tie, but each agrees they are not responsible. Meanwhile, a woman rings the bell of the brownstone one morning and says she needs to talk to Wolfe. Of course it isn’t that easy, so Archie gets a few details. She is Bertha Aaron, legal secretary for the senior lawyer at a small firm. They represent a man in his divorce. A few days earlier, Miss Aaron saw one of the members of the firm in a meeting with the client’s wife. Because this is highly unethical behavior, Miss Aaron concluded the attorney was betraying the firm’s interest. She says she can’t tell her boss, because he is elderly and has a bad heart.

All readers of the adventures of Wolfe & Archie know that Wolfe will not touch divorce work. Archie feels this issue is distinguishable from a divorce investigation. He leaves Miss Aaron in Wolfe’s office and goes up to the plant rooms to try to convince Wolfe to see her. It’s no go, so Archie goes back to tell her Wolfe won’t see her. Miss Aaron is lying on the rug with Wolfe’s soiled necktie tightly around her neck. Alive, Miss Aaron was a nuisance to be rid of; dead, she is a stain upon Wolfe’s escutcheon. To regain his self-respect, he must expose the murderer even though it makes Cramer livid.

This is one of several “law-related” cases, and as a paralegal, I always enjoy these. 4 stars.

Death of a Demon
A woman makes an appointment with Wolfe, saying she just needs 30 minutes of his time and that she just needs to tell him something; for this she will pay him $100. At the appointment, she pulls out a gun, a .32 revolver, and announces that this is the gun she will not shoot her husband with. She goes on to say that she has discovered she despises her husband, that she found a gun in his desk and since then, she has obsessed over killing him with it. (Hey, I just read Crime and Punishment, so I believe it.) Anyway, she decided, after many sleepless nights, that if she told someone her idea, she wouldn’t actually carry it out. She makes Wolfe promise that if he hears her husband has been murdered, he will tell the police about her visit. She gives Wolfe a check for $100, so there will be a record of her payment.

Then since 10 minutes still are left of her 30, she asks to see the orchids. While she and Wolfe are on the roof, Archie turns on the news. You guessed it — her husband’s body has been found, shot to death with a .32 revolver.

This is one of the more interesting set-ups in the Wolfe canon. It turns out the murder victim was a blackmailer. Wolfe lays a clever trap to expose the murderer. 4 stars.

Counterfeit for Murder
The plot of this story isn’t that interesting — the murder of an undercover Treasury agent investigating a counterfeiting ring — but the client is a fascinating character. In fact, she quickly became one of my favorites of all of Wolfe’s clients.

It starts off like this: Archie is about to leave the brownstone to take a deposit to the bank. When he opens the door, a woman is on the stoop. I’ll let him describe her:

. . .when I looked through the one-way glass panel of the front door and saw her out on the stoop, my basic feelings about the opposite sex were hurt. Granting that women can’t stay young and beautiful forever, that the years are bound to show, at least they don’t have to let their gray hair straggle over their ears or wear a coat with a button missing or forget to wash their face, and this specimen was guilty on all three counts. So, as she put a finger to the button and the bell rang, I opened the door and told her, “I don’t want any, thanks. Try next door.“ I admit it was rude.

“I would have once, Buster,“ she said. “Thirty years ago I was a real treat.“

Now, on the face of it, Archie’s comments sound both sexist and ageist. But by the next page, after further conversation with the woman, whose name is Hattie Annis, Archie is, well, not smitten in the sense that we usually see him smitten, but Hattie has definitely made an impression on Archie.

I took [the package] because I liked her. She had fine instincts and no sense at all. She had refused to tell me what was in it, and was leaving it with me and telling me not to open it – my idea of a true woman if only she would comb her hair and wash her face and sew a button on.

Hattie turns out to be quite a character. She hates cops because one shot her father years earlier. She has her own ideas about things and life and cannot be convinced otherwise. She owns a run-down house near the theatre district and she takes in “stage people,” as she calls them, as roomers whether or not they can pay any rent. When the young female agent is murdered in Hattie’s house, Hattie locks herself in her room and refuses to let the police in. Archie tried to convince her that she has to talk to the police, but it’s no go. Even after the police bust in the door and carry her — literally — downtown to the station, she refuses to speak a single word. Even Wolfe develops a grudging respect for her, in spite of her calling him Falstaff (she continues to call Archie “Buster” for the entire story).

This one deserves 5 stars simply for the character that Rex Stout creates.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I definitely liked these the best. Short stories fit Nero Wolfe very well. All 3 cases were well done, interesting, & full of the quirkiness I expect of the series.

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

4.5/5
This was a great collection of short mysteries that were both varied and fun. I tend to always have a good time while reading a Nero Wolfe book.

[♪ Kim N · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eeny Meeny Murder Mo
A woman who comes to Wolfe for help ends up being murdered in the office, strangled with Wolfe's own necktie. Wolfe takes on the case (minus a client) to avenge the affront to his dignity and self-esteem. There's a small pool of suspects and their alibis all seem to check out. Inspector Cramer considers three possibilities (assuming one must be true) but Wolfe sees a fourth option and moves in quickly to close the case.

Death of a Demon
Lucy Hazen makes an appointment with Wolfe, not to hire him, but to tell him something confidential about her husband. For 30 minutes of his time, she's willing to pay one hundred dollars. What starts out as easy money turns into a baffling case when the husband turns up dead shot with the gun he kept in his house and Lucy becomes the obvious suspect. Is she gulling Wolfe or being set up?

Counterfeit for Murder
This story features Hattie Annis, one of Rex Stout's most memorable characters. She is said to have been based on Alice Todhunter Bradley, Stout's formidable aunt. Opinionated and difficult to deal with, she manages in the end to earn Wolfe's grudging respect. The case involves counterfeit money and the murder of a treasury agent at Hattie's rooming house.

[cool breeze · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of three Nero Wolfe novellas from 1962.

“Eeny Meeny Murder Mo” is sort of a “locked room” murder mystery where the locked room is Wolfe’s house. 3.5 stars

In “Death of a Demon”, the victim is a blackmailer who uses a public relations firm as a cover. It has Wolfe observing, “A man who hires another man to forge distinction for him deserves as little as he gets”. It also mentions two current events, Algeria and Castro’s Cuba. However, the mystery itself is decidedly below Stout’s usual standards, 2.5 stars.

I think “Counterfeit for Murder” marks the first significant appearance by Federal law enforcement in the series, in this case the US Treasury Secret Service. It is also the first time anyone treats cops with undisguised open contempt, not merely the usual ribbing from Archie and Wolfe. Nero Wolfe’s client, one of his most memorable, is a woman whose father was unfairly killed by police 15 years earlier. This is not the case Wolfe is investigating, but she hires Wolfe to make the cops “eat dirt”. 4 stars

The weak middle story drags this collection down and precludes any chance of rating it higher than 3 stars overall.

[Kelly_Hunsaker_reads ... · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is my first introduction to Rex Stout and unfortunately it did not work for me. I found it far more dated than I hoped. The prose is clunky, the dialogue stereotypical, the main character a chauvinist. I didn't really enjoy this collection of three novellas enjoyable or interesting.

[Stacie Haden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rex Stout is the King. This one was a three in one, and they were all good. I dread the day I finish this "go to" series.

[Dominique · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Alexis Neal · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of three novellas, at least two of which will seem oddly familiar to Wolfe fans. In each case, the motive is established right from the get-go, and Wolfe faces a discrete collection of 4-5 murder suspects. The mysteries aren't terribly complex (these are short stories, after all), but Wolfe gets there ahead of the police every time.

In 'Eeny Meeny Murder Mo', a woman comes to Archie for help. Archie naturally consults Wolfe--up in the plant rooms with the orchids, obviously--and when he returns to the office he finds nothing but a corpse. The woman has been strangled. If this reminds you of 'Disguise for Murder' in Curtains for Three, you're not alone. However, this story adds the humiliating fact that the victim was strangled using Wolfe's own soup-stained tie, which he left on his desk. Obviously, the killer must pay. The mystery itself centers around a law firm--specifically, a member of the firm that the dead woman saw meeting with an opposing client. But which member? Wolfe is determined to find out and uncover the murderer before the police. After all, no one strangles a woman with his tie in his office and gets away with it!

In 'Death of a Demon', pretty young Lucy Hazen shows up in Wolfe's office with a gun. It is, she insists, the gun she is not going to shoot her husband with. She wants to, but she won't, and telling Wolfe is insurance to keep her from doing so. When her husband winds up dead, shot in the back with a gun of the same caliber as the gun Lucy turned over to Wolfe, things get complicated. Before long, Wolfe discovers that the dead man was no saint--he was, in fact, a blackmailer with a rather sick sense of humor, and any and all of his victims had good reason to want him dead. But who done it? And can Wolfe find the murderer before Inspector Cramer locks Lucy up for good?

In 'Counterfeit for Murder', Wolfe and Archie find themselves in possession of some counterfeit money. Their client, one Hattie Annis, who found the money in her home and trusted Archie with it, doesn't like cops, and refuses to allow the detectives to turn it over to the authorities. Instead, they must find out which of her boarders is the counterfeiter--and, it turns out, a murderer to boot.

This last story is the published version of 'Assault on a Brownstone' (published posthumously in Death Times Three)--and Stout picked the right version to publish all right. In 'Assault on a Brownstone', the eccentric Hattie Annis is the murder victim, and Archie meets and cooperates with T-woman (that is, Treasury agent) Tammy Baxter to catch the killer. Here, Ms. Annis survives the hit-and-run attempt, and Ms. Baxter winds up dead. This is a much better state of affairs, as Ms. Baxter is rather dull and annoying (and, as an attractive young woman, a rather run-of-the-mill object of interest for Archie). Ms. Annis, on the other hand, is visually unappealing and a total nutball, and Archie can't help liking her. She hates cops so much that she refuses to tell them a single thing, even when a murder is committed in her house. Instead, she barricades herself in her room and the cops have to bust down the door and carry her out. She is constantly telling Archie he's no good, and instructing him alternately to either call her Hattie or not to call her Hattie. Their interaction, and Archie's clear enjoyment of her eccentricity, makes for an entertaining read.

All three stories are long on character, if a bit short on actual mystery, and Michael Prichard's narration of the audiobook version continues to be competent if not brilliant. This is definitely one that fans should check out, even if it's not the brightest start in the Wolfe universe.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I see by other reviews here that I'm not crazy...or at least, not more than usual. The plots are familiar, though different to what I remembered. Because Stout, like Christie, recycled elements of them in other stories, or perhaps re-wrote the other stories and improved them. These are the improved versions, some of which I've seen in the A and E series of Nero Wolfe Mysteries, which taught me the Yiddish word "Schlampig" which means slovenly (or, if applied to a woman in a certain context, slutty). I enjoyed that story particularly, as Hattie Annis manages to get under Wolfe's guard and even causes him to chuckle!

All three novellas present Wolfe in a new light, taking a case because he is angry at the system, himself, or the police. How dare someone kill a client in his house, with his own necktie? Yeah, that's right--it's his own fault for leaving the murder weapon to hand. He's a much kindlier genius than usual, even though two of his clients and one of his victims is a woman. Never did I think I'd read of Wolfe actually laughing out loud, let alone being polite to females. Archie is less abrasively judgemental of women in the stories, too.


I listen to audibooks when cleaning or doing other boring tasks. Having been disappointed with my last Wolfe choice, I was relieved that this was much better. Michael Pritchard is not my favourite reader, but since he's my only choice for the Wolfe books, I'll make do.

[Shireen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The thing about Rex Stout's writing is that it's tight, matter-of-fact yet visually, auditorally, and smell-o-vision live. The characters are so strong it's like they're standing in front of you. By the time you finish your first Nero Wolfe mystery, you know Archie, Nero, Inspector Cramer, Fritz, and the principal clients as well as you know your own friends.

Homicide Trinity provides three short Wolfe mysteries. I like compilations of shorts by my favourite mystery authors; unfortunately, they're harder to find than they used to be. They provide a quick immersion into a well-loved mystery series, reading them one at a time when you have only a few minutes to read -- or so that's the theory. However, these three stories were so compelling, I went right from the first into the second, barely pausing for a bite or breath. Whether you like mysteries or want to study how tight writing can succeed, check this one out from your library or buy it from your favourite bookstore. It's worth the price.

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the last story the best! Hattie was a hoot.

[Cathy Hooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a soft spot for Nero Wolfe novels. They brought me out of a multi-year reading slump over 30 years ago. So I like to revisit the brownstone, Mr. Wolfe,Archie, and Frits occasionally. This series of three novellas was new to me. In each of them we see Mr. Wolfe’s least favorite clients, and Archie’s specialities -women. In each of them Wolfe takes the case because the women have somehow managed to intrude on his very private life.
If you’ve never ventured into this world, but like old fashioned detective fiction written in the 40s, 50s, and 60s you should give it try. You’ll encounter a world of phone booths, news on the radio, men who wear hats and language like phooey, rats, and “go soak your head.”

[Darius Murretti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked it ! Liked It ! Yes I did !!!

[Mack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Getting used to every little detail...

[Gilbert Stack · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think Nero Wolfe adventures work best in the novella format. The shorter mysteries offer a better chance at solving the crime and figuring out how Wolfe will bring the villain to justice. Homicide Trinity offers three such tales and I thoroughly enjoyed each of them. Perhaps that’s because each crime felt so distinctive.

In the first mystery, Eeny, Meeny, Murder, Mo, the victim is strangled with Wolfe’s own necktie and the personal insult Wolfe feels from this drives him to ferret out the murderer to protect his own self-esteem and reputation. In the second mystery, Death of a Demon, Wolfe and Archie have to figure out which victim of blackmail murdered their tormentor. In the final story, Counterfeit for Murder, the key to the killer is in identifying which of them was also a counterfeiter.

Stout doesn’t always play straight in his mysteries, but at least in the first and the third of these he dropped enough clues that I could identify a prime suspect waiting only for the evidence to be dragged out to confirm my suspicions—and isn’t that the way Wolfe often solves his cases?

If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.

[Ken Mattes · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 36th volume of Nero Wolf series of stories. This volume is a trilogy of short stories. They Aztr all enjoyable.

[Betty Torma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Nero Wolfe stories by a master.

Three really well done short stories, although you could figure out the killers in each story. But they are still worth readings because Nero Wolfe wrote them.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the three-stories-in-a-volume books, this is definitely lesser Rex Stout. But the pleasures of the characters, the dialogue, and Archie's inimitable voice are enough to keep me reading...

Having just re-read this after taking (inadvertently) a long break from the series, I now think I want to up my grade. I so enjoy Archie, the writing, and the whole world of Nero Wolfe, and these three shorter pieces had the advantage of enabling me to finish one in a shorter period of time, then move on to something I needed to do. And that meant I didn't need to find something new to read, just pick up the next adventure! Sweet!

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another of Stout's collections of 3 novellas: "Eeny Meeny Murder Mo", "Death of a Demon" and "Counterfeit for Murder"

I enjoyed all 3 of these stories but I think that "Eeny Meeny Murder Mo" was the best.

I listened to the digital audiobook from the library & Michael Pritchard does a great narration (though the digital file was clearly made from the original audio cassettes because in a few places, they forgot to edit out the "This is the end of cassette #1. Please turn over this cassette to continue listening."!).

[Matthew Reads Junk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing to distinct this from other Nero Wolfe novels, aside from the fact that it's just a collection of three short stories.
Archie and Wolfe still bicker delightfully, and the solution is still pulled out of Nero's ass somehow. The conclusion to these crimes never make any sense, and if the suspects never actually agreed to meet at Nero Wolfe's house, they would remain free, and the crimes go unsolved. But that wouldn't make for compelling reading.

[Michael Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is more obvious that Cramer is an idiot He yells He screams. He accuses Wolfe and Goodwin of lying every time they open their mouths. Yet he sits and takes their abuse and then arrests whomever they say is guilty. It seems that he just waits for them to solve whatever case they are on rather than have his hundreds of minions do the job.

[Christopher Rush · Rating 4 out of 5]

This may be the best trilogy yet, and that's saying something. The first, "Eeny Meeny Murder Moe," was an early Chaykin/Hutton episode, and I can see why they did this story: it's practically a television script. That's not an attack on Mr. Stout's writing; it translates quite perfectly, though they did a bit of addition with Lon and the guys to connect this story to the next episode, "Disguise for Murder." The opening of this story, with a murder committed using Wolfe's tie (though started by his paperweight), is classic. The resolution is fairly simple, as is often the case, but the pace of the story moves along well, which is ideal for a short story.

"Death of a Demon" is possibly the most gripping of the short stories, in that I was really intrigued by the investigation process, perhaps more than any other Wolfe adventure. The beginning is bizarre, with a woman coming to show Wolfe a gun she claims she won't be using to kill her husband, only for Archie to hear on the radio the husband was recently shot. The revelation of the culprit doesn't quite live up to the the tension of the mystery, but it makes up for it with the boldness of the lack of resolution for some important plot points, something Archie comes out and unabashedly declares. The "demon" part is also unusual, in that we learn very little about the victim, and only slowly get vague hints about why he is/was, after all, a demon - and that very obliquely. The culprit was doing a lot of people a favor, it turns out, but he's no angel himself.

The last story here, "Counterfeit for Murder," is also fairly gripping, despite having an almost ludicrously long first chapter. Archie makes a couple of trips, we encounter multiple people on the front stoop, and the chapter keeps going and still we have no clue what the story's really about and who is who ... and then it really picks up from there. The resolution is again somewhat lackluster compared to the pace and intrigue of the investigation, but it still is an enjoyable story on the whole.