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Nero Wolfe #2
The League of Frightened Men
Paul Chapin’s college cronies never quite forgave themselves for instigating the tragic prank that left their friend a twisted cripple. Yet with their hazing days at Harvard far behind them, they had every reason to believe that Paul himself had forgiven them—until a class reunion ends in a fatal fall, and the poems, swearing deadly retribution, begin to arrive. Now this league of frightened men is desperate for Nero Wolfe’s help. But are Wolfe’s brilliance and Archie’s tenacity enough to outwit a killer so cunning he can plot and execute in plain sight?
302 pages, Paperback
First published August 14, 1935
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About the author
Rex Stout
833 books1,030 followersRex Todhunter Stout (1886–1975) was an American crime writer, best known as the creator of the larger-than-life fictional detective Nero Wolfe, described by reviewer Will Cuppy as "that Falstaff of detectives." Wolfe's assistant Archie Goodwin recorded the cases of the detective genius from 1934 (Fer-de-Lance) to 1975 (A Family Affair).
The Nero Wolfe corpus was nominated Best Mystery Series of the Century at Bouchercon 2000, the world's largest mystery convention, and Rex Stout was nominated Best Mystery Writer of the Century.
The Nero Wolfe corpus was nominated Best Mystery Series of the Century at Bouchercon 2000, the world's largest mystery convention, and Rex Stout was nominated Best Mystery Writer of the Century.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 467 reviews
March 10, 2019
The first Nero Wolf book I ever read.
June 27, 2025
The best aspects of the story are the brilliant portrayal of Nero Wolfe and his relationship and entertaining conversations with his assistant Archie Goodwin. As for the novel itself, at some point I got lost (and a little bored) among all these 'frightened men' but the ending is quite OK.
December 25, 2022
I have always collected classic mysteries, even though I prefer adventures about curiosities that have more panache than crimes. I liked the first Rex Stout novel much better, despite it also receiving 3 stars. He had a long career with ample time for growth. I readily express pleasure with 5 stars. It is a shame this volume bored me. I waited since 2013 to read this sequel, finally acquired as a new birthday gift a few years ago. The last 25% of this story was action packed but too much narrating preceded it. As a matter of fact in the beginning, Archie & Nero had no business and solicited this case for themselves.
I plodded through until I became invested by default, getting far enough into the story. Nothing about the novel generated any éclat. Rather than stumping readers, the dénouement made the plot seem like a pointless exercise. It feels like Rex made up two deaths for the story to qualify as a crime mystery. I hope authors grasp that a pure mystery is enough and more inventive, than a tired old crime plot. This premise strained to be a mystery or crime case.
“The League Of Frightened Men”, 1935, are university graduates who share remorse about a prank that crippled Paul Chapin. He remained friends with some of them in varied marriages and careers: author, taxi driver, judge, doctor, lawyer. Less close cronies were fearful of letters crafted like gauntlets of revenge, even if an act of retribution made no sense decades afterwards. A peer killed in an apparent accident, nonetheless precipitated accepting the investigation that Nero proposed.
This story generated no excitement or urgency for Archie & Nero, except in the last 25%. My favourite parts are always Archie’s humour and Nero’s polite, exquisite manner of speech.
I plodded through until I became invested by default, getting far enough into the story. Nothing about the novel generated any éclat. Rather than stumping readers, the dénouement made the plot seem like a pointless exercise. It feels like Rex made up two deaths for the story to qualify as a crime mystery. I hope authors grasp that a pure mystery is enough and more inventive, than a tired old crime plot. This premise strained to be a mystery or crime case.
“The League Of Frightened Men”, 1935, are university graduates who share remorse about a prank that crippled Paul Chapin. He remained friends with some of them in varied marriages and careers: author, taxi driver, judge, doctor, lawyer. Less close cronies were fearful of letters crafted like gauntlets of revenge, even if an act of retribution made no sense decades afterwards. A peer killed in an apparent accident, nonetheless precipitated accepting the investigation that Nero proposed.
This story generated no excitement or urgency for Archie & Nero, except in the last 25%. My favourite parts are always Archie’s humour and Nero’s polite, exquisite manner of speech.
September 10, 2018
4.5 stars.
Not quite there yet as Stout is still working on things. Cramer makes his first visit to the brownstone smoking a pipe and calling Archie "sonny". Later when Archie visits Cramer at his office Cramer is finally working a cigar. The more irritating version of Cramer hasn't jelled yet.
Lon Cohen at the Gazette hasn't appeared yet. Lily Rowan doesn't show up until book 6.
Good solid mystery. I had one element figured out but was off on the rest.
Not quite there yet as Stout is still working on things. Cramer makes his first visit to the brownstone smoking a pipe and calling Archie "sonny". Later when Archie visits Cramer at his office Cramer is finally working a cigar. The more irritating version of Cramer hasn't jelled yet.
Lon Cohen at the Gazette hasn't appeared yet. Lily Rowan doesn't show up until book 6.
Good solid mystery. I had one element figured out but was off on the rest.
March 15, 2024
5 Stars. They've felt guilty all these years but it's so much more than that - the two dozen men have anticipated a murderous retaliation in one form or another by Paul Chapin over that same time. "The League of Frightened Men" is an appropriate title for this masterpiece. Who better to serve as the novel's centrepiece than Nero Wolfe, the astonishing private detective with so many eccentricities. They keep coming at you, like orchids, big fees and resolute schedules. The informal "League" came out of a hazing episode at Harvard when Chapin took-up a dare by the group and an unfortunate accident occurred. He's now a famous author. Two of the men have died in mysterious fashion. Then a third suspiciously disappears and threatening letters start to appear. The group know that Chapin is the originator. They meet with Wolfe and retain him to - sorry, you can enjoy the details of the service contract yourself. Watch as Wolfe lets his veneer slip and shows real concern for Archie when his life appears in danger. At one point we find him in a bar miles from home sipping beer, what else, while waiting for his #1. Well deserving of 5 stars. (August 2018)
February 19, 2024
Wolfe on the Prowl
Review of the Bantam Kindle eBook edition (April 28, 2010) of the Farrar & Rinehart, Inc. hardcover original (August 14, 1935)
This is my second read of a Nero Wolfe mystery and I do not enjoy this character or his Watson. Wolfe is arrogant about his deductive powers, obsessed about orchids, beer and food and gives the appearance of being mostly disinterested in justice. A lot of that arrogance rubs off on Archie Goodwin who does the legwork for the housebound detective while running about town in his “roadster” (I don’t remember the specific car model ever being identified). Quirky and confident is not always appealing.
This case begins with the deaths of two Harvard alumni in suspicious circumstances. A large group of Harvard men had brought about the crippling fall of a Harvard freshman in a hazing incident. This same group now thinks that the disabled man, who has become a popular author in the meantime, is taking his late revenge on them all. First by committing the murders and then by following them up with threatening notes.
The mercenary Wolfe brings all of these frightened men together as the league of the title and proposes to them that he will solve their various fears and concerns for fees which will be adjusted to each man’s ability to pay. Most of them agree, and you already suspect that the situation is not quite what it appears to be. In a sense, Wolfe is scamming his clients. Saying anything further would be a spoiler.
The cover of the first edition hardcover published by Farrar & Rinehart, Inc. in 1935. Image sourced from Goodreads.
Although I usually enjoy reading classics from the Golden Age of Crime, the Nero Wolfe mysteries don’t provide enough enjoyable protagonists or sufficient mystery for me to continue the series.
On the Berengaria Ease of Solving Scale® I would rate this as a 3 out of 10, i.e. "a reasonably easy solve", as it becomes evident fairly early on that Wolfe’s explanation for the situation is going to be drastically different from what the plot seems to suggest.
Trivia and Links
Promotional poster for the 1937 film adaptation. Image sourced from Wikipedia.
This 2nd Nero Wolfe book was adapted as the 2nd Nero Wolfe film The League of Frightened Men (1937) directed by Alfred E. Green and starring Walter Connolly as Nero Wolfe. You can see the entire film on YouTube here. Author Rex Stout disliked the film’s portrayals of his characters so much that he refused permission for further screen adaptations for over 30 years until a first Italian language TV series adaptation in 1969 and then several TV movies & series thereafter.
Review of the Bantam Kindle eBook edition (April 28, 2010) of the Farrar & Rinehart, Inc. hardcover original (August 14, 1935)
The roof of the old brownstone house on West Thirty-fifth Street where he had lived for twenty years, and me with him for the last seven of them, was glassed in and partitioned into rooms where varying conditions of temperature and humidity were maintained—by the vigilance of Theodore Horstmann—for the ten thousand orchids that lined the benches and shelves.
This is my second read of a Nero Wolfe mystery and I do not enjoy this character or his Watson. Wolfe is arrogant about his deductive powers, obsessed about orchids, beer and food and gives the appearance of being mostly disinterested in justice. A lot of that arrogance rubs off on Archie Goodwin who does the legwork for the housebound detective while running about town in his “roadster” (I don’t remember the specific car model ever being identified). Quirky and confident is not always appealing.
This case begins with the deaths of two Harvard alumni in suspicious circumstances. A large group of Harvard men had brought about the crippling fall of a Harvard freshman in a hazing incident. This same group now thinks that the disabled man, who has become a popular author in the meantime, is taking his late revenge on them all. First by committing the murders and then by following them up with threatening notes.
The mercenary Wolfe brings all of these frightened men together as the league of the title and proposes to them that he will solve their various fears and concerns for fees which will be adjusted to each man’s ability to pay. Most of them agree, and you already suspect that the situation is not quite what it appears to be. In a sense, Wolfe is scamming his clients. Saying anything further would be a spoiler.
The cover of the first edition hardcover published by Farrar & Rinehart, Inc. in 1935. Image sourced from Goodreads.
Although I usually enjoy reading classics from the Golden Age of Crime, the Nero Wolfe mysteries don’t provide enough enjoyable protagonists or sufficient mystery for me to continue the series.
On the Berengaria Ease of Solving Scale® I would rate this as a 3 out of 10, i.e. "a reasonably easy solve", as it becomes evident fairly early on that Wolfe’s explanation for the situation is going to be drastically different from what the plot seems to suggest.
Trivia and Links
Promotional poster for the 1937 film adaptation. Image sourced from Wikipedia.
This 2nd Nero Wolfe book was adapted as the 2nd Nero Wolfe film The League of Frightened Men (1937) directed by Alfred E. Green and starring Walter Connolly as Nero Wolfe. You can see the entire film on YouTube here. Author Rex Stout disliked the film’s portrayals of his characters so much that he refused permission for further screen adaptations for over 30 years until a first Italian language TV series adaptation in 1969 and then several TV movies & series thereafter.
October 17, 2015
I love Nero Wolfe mysteries for so many reasons. The banter between Wolfe and sidekick, feet-on-the-street Archie Goodwin, Wolfe's genius and Goodwin's street smarts, the conjuring of an era (roadsters, sedans, switchboards, 1930's attire, etc.), food, orchids, snappy dialogue and the supporting characters both in the brownstone and outside.
In this one Wolfe is becoming desperate for work and takes a job against his better judgment. Fifteen middle-aged men are frightened out of their wits that a former Harvard classmate is out to kill their group one-by-one. The former classmate was crippled in a hazing incident in college and the group of men has been haunted by it every since. Indeed, they call themselves the League of Atonement. Two of their number died in suspicious circumstances and now one has gone missing. They assemble at Wolfe's house to explain their plight and ask Wolfe for his help.
Wolfe takes the job, assigning each group member a dollar amount they will pay if he is successful. Success in this case is taking away their fear. While it seems clear that the crippled classmate is the perpetrator, with fifteen people in the group, there is plenty of room for suspicion and there are plenty of red herrings to keep ones interest. Wolfe, notorious for insisting that people come to him, actually leaves his brownstone twice. Once from being kidnapped by the main suspect's wife and once to go out to get a confession from the suspect.
Of course we have the assembling of the entire group at the end of the book where Wolfe explains his deductions about the deaths and the missing group member and defends his success in order to be paid. This was a lot of fun!
In this one Wolfe is becoming desperate for work and takes a job against his better judgment. Fifteen middle-aged men are frightened out of their wits that a former Harvard classmate is out to kill their group one-by-one. The former classmate was crippled in a hazing incident in college and the group of men has been haunted by it every since. Indeed, they call themselves the League of Atonement. Two of their number died in suspicious circumstances and now one has gone missing. They assemble at Wolfe's house to explain their plight and ask Wolfe for his help.
Wolfe takes the job, assigning each group member a dollar amount they will pay if he is successful. Success in this case is taking away their fear. While it seems clear that the crippled classmate is the perpetrator, with fifteen people in the group, there is plenty of room for suspicion and there are plenty of red herrings to keep ones interest. Wolfe, notorious for insisting that people come to him, actually leaves his brownstone twice. Once from being kidnapped by the main suspect's wife and once to go out to get a confession from the suspect.
Of course we have the assembling of the entire group at the end of the book where Wolfe explains his deductions about the deaths and the missing group member and defends his success in order to be paid. This was a lot of fun!
August 23, 2025
“It is disastrous to permit the vagaries of the heart to infect the mind.”
The League of Frightened Men, which is the second Nero Wolfe novel and arose my interest with its obvious titular nod towards the second Sherlock Holmes short story, is full of aphorisms I can easily subscribe to. And as fun things should go first, let’s have some more of these right now:
And, best of all,
Nevertheless, for all his witticisms and nonchalance, Wolfe is not becoming any more likeable to me than he was in the first book, and this is because of his imperturbable mercenary spirit, which rises to new hights, or depths, at the end of the novel but is obvious all through. Nevertheless, the book is a fun read, not only because of Wolfe and Archie but also because of its intriguing plot: Years ago, after a college hazing incident had gone terribly wrong and left Paul Chapin an invalid, the youngsters responsible for this accident tried to make atonement to Chapin in many ways but now several deaths have occurred among the members of this self-stylized League of Atonement, and the survivors got anonymous messages claiming that these men were murdered and more murders are to follow. Of course, they put it down to Chapin, who, although keeping smug, denies having anything to do with it, and it is for Nero Wolfe to bring some light into the matter.
In his second Nero Wolfe adventure, Rex Stout has managed a better pace, avoiding the slackening tempo at the end and giving Wolfe, in Chapin, an opponent whose wit is equal to the occasion. Archie still behaves like a clumsy clot and gets himself, at least once, into quite an awkward situation, and like in the first case, his narrow mind is set upon pinning the crime on a man who is characterized by otherness – this time being disabled.
Those two are not half as likeable as Holmes and Watson but still they keep me intrigued.
The League of Frightened Men, which is the second Nero Wolfe novel and arose my interest with its obvious titular nod towards the second Sherlock Holmes short story, is full of aphorisms I can easily subscribe to. And as fun things should go first, let’s have some more of these right now:
”To assert dignity is to lose it.”
“Of course I am rude to you, and on such occasions I always regret that I do not know the art of being rude elegantly.”
“It’s a temptation to cling to competence when we find it.”
“[I]t occurs to me that no publication either before or since the invention of printing, no theological treatise and no political or scientific creed, has ever been as narrowly dogmatic and offensively arbitrary in its prejudices as a railway timetable.”
“God made you and me, in certain respects, quite unequal, and it would be futile to try any interference with His arrangements.”
And, best of all,
”But as Nero Wolfe says, a nurse that pushes the perambulator in the park without putting the baby in it has missed the point.”
Nevertheless, for all his witticisms and nonchalance, Wolfe is not becoming any more likeable to me than he was in the first book, and this is because of his imperturbable mercenary spirit, which rises to new hights, or depths, at the end of the novel but is obvious all through. Nevertheless, the book is a fun read, not only because of Wolfe and Archie but also because of its intriguing plot: Years ago, after a college hazing incident had gone terribly wrong and left Paul Chapin an invalid, the youngsters responsible for this accident tried to make atonement to Chapin in many ways but now several deaths have occurred among the members of this self-stylized League of Atonement, and the survivors got anonymous messages claiming that these men were murdered and more murders are to follow. Of course, they put it down to Chapin, who, although keeping smug, denies having anything to do with it, and it is for Nero Wolfe to bring some light into the matter.
In his second Nero Wolfe adventure, Rex Stout has managed a better pace, avoiding the slackening tempo at the end and giving Wolfe, in Chapin, an opponent whose wit is equal to the occasion. Archie still behaves like a clumsy clot and gets himself, at least once, into quite an awkward situation, and like in the first case, his narrow mind is set upon pinning the crime on a man who is characterized by otherness – this time being disabled.
Those two are not half as likeable as Holmes and Watson but still they keep me intrigued.
March 27, 2017
Rex Stout is another of those authors that I have come to late in my reading life. My first experience was with one of his last books, a short story collection, Death Times Three, which I enjoyed quite a bit. I've been trying to find his first book, Fer de Lance (1934) but so far with no luck. But I did find this book, The League of Frightened Men, his second book, originally published in 1935.
From being someone who enjoyed my first experience of the great detective, Nero Wolfe, I now find my self an unabashed fan. This book was excellent, a fascinating, entertaining, great mystery. Nero Wolfe and his partner, Archie Goodwin are a great team and both interesting in their own rights. Wolfe is an oversize detective, basically housebound, whose life, while he works to solve mysteries, is quite regimented. Each morning and each afternoon, he works upstairs in his home, tending his multitude of orchids. While he can be visited, no business is conducted. He settles the remainder of his day, in his office, tending to business.
Archie is his eyes, ears, arms and legs. Archie conducts the investigations, travels around New York and local environs, interviewing, gathering information. He can be Wolfe's strong arm man if necessary. The stories are told in Archie's voice, from his perspective. (Oddly enough, Wolfe does sometime leave his home, this I discovered in this story. But this seems to be a rarety, not the norm)
So this story; a group of men, Harvard classmates have a secret past. While in university, they hazed another classmate and as a result caused him to have severe injuries. Out of guilt, they have banded together to pay medical bills, etc. Now two have died, or maybe been murdered. They think that Paul Chapin is involved and that he plans to kill them all. Wolfe is hired and so the story begins.
I enjoyed so much how the story is presented; small details like how Wolfe decides how to bill each of the different members of the group, and so many other aspects. The story has a surprising menace throughout and the case is so very interesting (even when Archie and Wolfe seem to be grinding their heels trying to get information.) I love Archie's manner of presenting the case, his thoughts on Wolfe; a combination of affection and anger. Great story and now I will have to read the whole series. An excellent story and mystery. Can you figure out the ending? (5 stars!)
From being someone who enjoyed my first experience of the great detective, Nero Wolfe, I now find my self an unabashed fan. This book was excellent, a fascinating, entertaining, great mystery. Nero Wolfe and his partner, Archie Goodwin are a great team and both interesting in their own rights. Wolfe is an oversize detective, basically housebound, whose life, while he works to solve mysteries, is quite regimented. Each morning and each afternoon, he works upstairs in his home, tending his multitude of orchids. While he can be visited, no business is conducted. He settles the remainder of his day, in his office, tending to business.
Archie is his eyes, ears, arms and legs. Archie conducts the investigations, travels around New York and local environs, interviewing, gathering information. He can be Wolfe's strong arm man if necessary. The stories are told in Archie's voice, from his perspective. (Oddly enough, Wolfe does sometime leave his home, this I discovered in this story. But this seems to be a rarety, not the norm)
So this story; a group of men, Harvard classmates have a secret past. While in university, they hazed another classmate and as a result caused him to have severe injuries. Out of guilt, they have banded together to pay medical bills, etc. Now two have died, or maybe been murdered. They think that Paul Chapin is involved and that he plans to kill them all. Wolfe is hired and so the story begins.
I enjoyed so much how the story is presented; small details like how Wolfe decides how to bill each of the different members of the group, and so many other aspects. The story has a surprising menace throughout and the case is so very interesting (even when Archie and Wolfe seem to be grinding their heels trying to get information.) I love Archie's manner of presenting the case, his thoughts on Wolfe; a combination of affection and anger. Great story and now I will have to read the whole series. An excellent story and mystery. Can you figure out the ending? (5 stars!)
March 20, 2018
3.5 stars
I read almost every Nero Wolfe book when I was younger and I still enjoy going back and reading them on occasion although they may not have the same attraction that they once did. The Nero Wolfe books were written between 1934 - 1975 and this was the second book in the series. Reading this book was like stepping into a time capsule. Roadsters, pay phones, cigar stores, etc. And the 1930's slang ... "gat", "lob", etc. At first I found this annoying. Even Wolfe had to ask Archie what he meant at one point. However, I soon got over this and enjoyed the story and life at Wolfe's brownstone on West Thirty-Fifth Street in New York.
In this story the bank account is getting low and Archie has to goad Wolfe into doing work (which seems to be a common theme in the series). The case Wolfe takes is one that he had previously turned down. Paul Chapin was left handicapped by a college prank. Two of his Harvard classmates have died under mysterious circumstances and the others have received poems that seem to indicate they are all going to be killed ... one at a time. Wolfe agrees to take the job and charges each man a fee based on their net worth / income. Essentially his job is to remove their fear.
As mentioned this is the second book in the series and having read most of the others it seems going back to this one that the characters may not be as fully developed as I have come to know them. There are some other discrepancies between this story and later ones. Nothing major that detracts from the story. Of course Wolfe gathers all of the members of the league in his office at the end where he will remove their fear. Recommend to anyone who enjoys classic mystery stories.
I read almost every Nero Wolfe book when I was younger and I still enjoy going back and reading them on occasion although they may not have the same attraction that they once did. The Nero Wolfe books were written between 1934 - 1975 and this was the second book in the series. Reading this book was like stepping into a time capsule. Roadsters, pay phones, cigar stores, etc. And the 1930's slang ... "gat", "lob", etc. At first I found this annoying. Even Wolfe had to ask Archie what he meant at one point. However, I soon got over this and enjoyed the story and life at Wolfe's brownstone on West Thirty-Fifth Street in New York.
In this story the bank account is getting low and Archie has to goad Wolfe into doing work (which seems to be a common theme in the series). The case Wolfe takes is one that he had previously turned down. Paul Chapin was left handicapped by a college prank. Two of his Harvard classmates have died under mysterious circumstances and the others have received poems that seem to indicate they are all going to be killed ... one at a time. Wolfe agrees to take the job and charges each man a fee based on their net worth / income. Essentially his job is to remove their fear.
As mentioned this is the second book in the series and having read most of the others it seems going back to this one that the characters may not be as fully developed as I have come to know them. There are some other discrepancies between this story and later ones. Nothing major that detracts from the story. Of course Wolfe gathers all of the members of the league in his office at the end where he will remove their fear. Recommend to anyone who enjoys classic mystery stories.
April 9, 2023
This is the second of Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe novels that I have read, and the more of them I read, the more fascinated I am by his character’s domestic circumstances. In the series, the great detective lives in a Manhattan brownstone, along with three other men to tend to his needs and interests. Today this sort of arrangement would raise more than a few eyebrows, and no doubt plenty of people have written articles and posts exploring this, which I look forward to reading at some point. What interests me more as I read the books, though, are the economics of running such a household. In the novels, Wolfe not only has three men permanently on his payroll, but he has as well the expenses of maintaining the brownstone as well as a few cars, at least one of which is maintained by a service, and an expensive hobby cultivating orchids.
Why do I find this so interesting? Because Stout makes it clear in his first novel, Fer-de-Lance, that Wolfe is not rich, but depends upon his income as a detective to support his lavish lifestyle. At the end of that novel, he is paid a fee of $50,000, the equivalent of over $1 million today. As it was my first Wolfe novel, I thought that amount might have been Stout’s way of freeing his character from financial needs, yet it is clear at the start of this one that income remains a concern, and to explain properly the consequences of this I have to employ spoilers.
The premise of the novel is that Andrew Hibbard, a psychology instructor at Columbia, has gone missing. Earlier he had approached Wolfe seeking protection from Paul Chapin, a Harvard classmate who was crippled in a stunt that Chapin was forced to perform by his classmates. Now two of those classmates have died, and Hibbard fears that he is the next. At the start of the novel Hibbard has disappeared, and is presumed to have been murdered by Chapin, with Hibbard’s niece seeking to employ Wolfe to find the body
The moral ambiguity of Wolfe’s actions is truly fascinating, and sets this book apart from others of its type. Whether Stout deliberately intends to implicate his central character in this manner, or if it was more a reflection of a different moral outlook, is really up to the reader to decide in the end. But that it sets the book apart from so many novels of its ilk is undeniable, and it certainly has me interested in reading more of Stout’s novels to see if this is a feature of his famous character or merely an aberration. Because I suspect the one thing that doesn’t change in them is Wolfe’s constant need for money. After all, as many a criminal can attest, living the high life is never cheap.
Why do I find this so interesting? Because Stout makes it clear in his first novel, Fer-de-Lance, that Wolfe is not rich, but depends upon his income as a detective to support his lavish lifestyle. At the end of that novel, he is paid a fee of $50,000, the equivalent of over $1 million today. As it was my first Wolfe novel, I thought that amount might have been Stout’s way of freeing his character from financial needs, yet it is clear at the start of this one that income remains a concern, and to explain properly the consequences of this I have to employ spoilers.
The premise of the novel is that Andrew Hibbard, a psychology instructor at Columbia, has gone missing. Earlier he had approached Wolfe seeking protection from Paul Chapin, a Harvard classmate who was crippled in a stunt that Chapin was forced to perform by his classmates. Now two of those classmates have died, and Hibbard fears that he is the next. At the start of the novel Hibbard has disappeared, and is presumed to have been murdered by Chapin, with Hibbard’s niece seeking to employ Wolfe to find the body
The moral ambiguity of Wolfe’s actions is truly fascinating, and sets this book apart from others of its type. Whether Stout deliberately intends to implicate his central character in this manner, or if it was more a reflection of a different moral outlook, is really up to the reader to decide in the end. But that it sets the book apart from so many novels of its ilk is undeniable, and it certainly has me interested in reading more of Stout’s novels to see if this is a feature of his famous character or merely an aberration. Because I suspect the one thing that doesn’t change in them is Wolfe’s constant need for money. After all, as many a criminal can attest, living the high life is never cheap.
November 28, 2017
I've decided I should be reading these in close to publication order. There were a couple of references in The Red Box to earlier cases, one of which I knew was one I'd read. It wasn't exactly a spoiler, but I became leery of what Stout might throw in another. There were references to earlier cases in this one, too, but I laughed (even at myself) for knowing Stout had not yet written about them and was just making up Wolfe's history of genius as he could.
This one starts out with no case and Archie itching for something to do. That he was restless would be an understatement. Even with the below, there is almost nothing to dislike about Archie Goodwin and I can lay my hands quickly on no quote that better epitomizes the relationship between Archie and Nero Wolfe.
This one starts out with no case and Archie itching for something to do. That he was restless would be an understatement. Even with the below, there is almost nothing to dislike about Archie Goodwin and I can lay my hands quickly on no quote that better epitomizes the relationship between Archie and Nero Wolfe.
I do read books, but I never yet got any real satisfaction out of one; I always have a feeling there’s nothing alive about it, it’s all dead and gone, what’s the use, you might as well try to enjoy yourself on a picnic in a graveyard. Wolfe asked me once why the devil I ever pretended to read a book, and I told him for cultural reasons, and he said I might as well forgo the pains, that culture was like money, it comes easiest to those who need it least.In many ways, I could not say this one is the reason I will continue to read the series. Archie was continuously frustrated - and hungry. As usual, I was wrong in my guess as to who did the dastardly deed until the very end. It was also obvious that Wolfe knew at least 100 pages earlier, but needed proof. I'll stick my neck out and give this one 4 stars, but it probably just barely breaks the 3-4 line and even at that I might be feeling generous.
October 30, 2014
This is arguably the first Nero Wolfe novel and probably the best. The author Rex Stout thought so himself. Across 47 Wolfe novels and anthologies, Stout kept up a remarkable quality, especially as he never edited a word. His later novels might be accused of digression, twittering dialogue that went nowhere, and loose structure. (Robert Heinlein exhibited the same faults in his dotage.) But this is ingenious, crisp and as sharply crafted as an Aztec crystal skull.
No point in reviewing the plot. Read the story! If you've never read Nero Wolfe before, you'll join a global club of addicts.
No point in reviewing the plot. Read the story! If you've never read Nero Wolfe before, you'll join a global club of addicts.
November 22, 2020
An early Nero Wolfe novel, and he’s doesn’t have the groove yet. But it’s a good effort. Archie, in particular, seems pretty unfinished. He’s definitely not as polished as “peak Archie,”
Somebody keeps killing off members of a group of Harvard chums. Suspicion falls to Paul Chapin, one of their members. But things are rarely as they seem. Even when one more disappears and another is murdered.
These books normally last 4 or 5 days but this one took 45 days or so. This is because there was a terribly boring stretch around 60% in that was super easy to walk away from. So I just kept reading my other books.
Somebody keeps killing off members of a group of Harvard chums. Suspicion falls to Paul Chapin, one of their members. But things are rarely as they seem. Even when one more disappears and another is murdered.
These books normally last 4 or 5 days but this one took 45 days or so. This is because there was a terribly boring stretch around 60% in that was super easy to walk away from. So I just kept reading my other books.
October 20, 2021
The second Nero Wolfe novel is one of Rex Stout’s best. Two men, part of a large group of college friends with a tragedy binding them together, have died. One was ruled to have passed on by accident and the other by suicide, but someone is mailing the rest of the friends poems that lead them to believe that these two men were murdered and they are next on the list of intended victims. They are in terror, but guilt over the earlier mentioned tragedy in which a foolish college prank led to the crippling of a man, prevents them from taking direct action to save themselves from becoming victim number three. When Wolfe finds out about the problem, he devises a clever scheme for supporting his orchid practice. He basically agrees to put their minds at rest in regard to Paul Chapin (the crippled alleged murderer) for one of his usual lofty fees. He then goes about investigating the deaths of the two men (and the disappearance of a third).
I thought I had figured this one out from very early on, but as the story wound its way back and forth I came to doubt my first suspicion. It’s always fun to watch Wolfe and Archie struggle with the problem. But what really makes this book stand above so many of its peers was Wolfe’s need to clear Chapin of a criminal charge in order to be certain he could collect his fee. This one is gripping from beginning to end.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
I thought I had figured this one out from very early on, but as the story wound its way back and forth I came to doubt my first suspicion. It’s always fun to watch Wolfe and Archie struggle with the problem. But what really makes this book stand above so many of its peers was Wolfe’s need to clear Chapin of a criminal charge in order to be certain he could collect his fee. This one is gripping from beginning to end.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
October 29, 2014
Definitely earns the praise it gets for being an involved, psychology-filled story. A lot of the details are either too obscure or intricate for me to follow. That's okay with me - I read for entertainment, trusting that detectives and cops and heroes in stories are capable and skilled. They don't need me back-checking their work. Anyway, Archie is great. Nero is great. And I have sympathy for Fritz. And Nero makes beer sound so good. Overall, a character-driven story with lots of misdirections and Wolfe playing cards close to his chest. For everyone to enjoy.
June 18, 2019
This was long, round-about and there were lots of missed opportunities to elevate this story up and above what it is.
Nothing particularly original either. Mr. Wolfe is basically a less genial and less interesting, for that matter, Mycroft Holmes.
Now, I wikipedia-d it (Yolo) and this seems to be one of the better of the Rex Stout books . So, will I read the rest of the series? That's a no from me .
Nothing particularly original either. Mr. Wolfe is basically a less genial and less interesting, for that matter, Mycroft Holmes.
Now, I wikipedia-d it (Yolo) and this seems to be one of the better of the Rex Stout books . So, will I read the rest of the series? That's a no from me .
December 19, 2025
So, after reading a Nero Wolfe inspired novel, (A Drop of Corruption), I figured why not read another actual Nero Wolfe novel.
This was certainly an experience. I did not enjoy it as much as the one I read last year, Over My Dead Body. Some of that was maybe to do with how Archie comes off in this one, and some to do with the actual crime/plot.
And let’s not forget all the ~isms. This was first published in 1935 and boy does it show. The casual racism, the misogyny, the alternating implying of queerness with homophobic comments, and the way the antagonist is talked about and most often referred to as “the cripple”, it’s all a bit wow! I’m opposed to anyone but the original author altering a writer’s works to make them more palatable to a modern audience, but some of the stuff those people target can be a little jarring when one does decide to read old stories.
What’s most surprising to me in this one is how much I enjoyed it despite Stout committing one of most egregious offenses an author can make in a mystery novel.* I think the reason it went down easily in this case is because I suspected it from the get go, and Stout managed to make it feel like the most fitting explanation.
I do plan on reading more of the series.
* Author Crime: (And I mean it with this spoiler tag.)
This was certainly an experience. I did not enjoy it as much as the one I read last year, Over My Dead Body. Some of that was maybe to do with how Archie comes off in this one, and some to do with the actual crime/plot.
And let’s not forget all the ~isms. This was first published in 1935 and boy does it show. The casual racism, the misogyny, the alternating implying of queerness with homophobic comments, and the way the antagonist is talked about and most often referred to as “the cripple”, it’s all a bit wow! I’m opposed to anyone but the original author altering a writer’s works to make them more palatable to a modern audience, but some of the stuff those people target can be a little jarring when one does decide to read old stories.
What’s most surprising to me in this one is how much I enjoyed it despite Stout committing one of most egregious offenses an author can make in a mystery novel.* I think the reason it went down easily in this case is because I suspected it from the get go, and Stout managed to make it feel like the most fitting explanation.
I do plan on reading more of the series.
* Author Crime: (And I mean it with this spoiler tag.)
September 6, 2018
College hijinks lead to the lifelong crippling of a young man. Those who felt responsible for the terrible accident banded together to do all they could to make amends for their foolishness to that man, who as the years have passed has become a successful author.
One by one, members of the group, or league, are found dead under suspicious circumstances. To make matters worse for the league, each of them has received anonymous lines of verse taking credit for each death in turn and intimating that anyone could be next.
Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin have their work cut out for them as they try to put the pieces together, hopefully before any more deaths can occur.
This story is one heck of a ride, so hold onto your hat and enjoy the ride.
One by one, members of the group, or league, are found dead under suspicious circumstances. To make matters worse for the league, each of them has received anonymous lines of verse taking credit for each death in turn and intimating that anyone could be next.
Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin have their work cut out for them as they try to put the pieces together, hopefully before any more deaths can occur.
This story is one heck of a ride, so hold onto your hat and enjoy the ride.
June 21, 2019
COUNTDOWN: Mid-20th Century North American Crime
BOOK 170 (of 250)
Just think of all the books this 'college-hazing-pranks' gone wrong must have inspired.
HOOK - 3: "Wolfe and I sat in the office Friday afternoon...Wolfe was drinking beer and looking at pictures of snowflakes (as in snow, not politics) in a book someone had sent him from Czechoslovakia (yes, it used to be a country). I was reading the morning paper...I do read books, but I never yet got any real satisfaction out of one; I always have a feeling there's nothing alive about it, it's all dead and gone..." The "I" is Archie Goodwin, Nero's sidekick and the case they are about to embark upon involves an invent that took place well in the past but is brought back to life. It's as if Archie and Nero conjure this one up. If you've read a Nero/Stout novel, you might like the opening banter, if not, don't start with this one.
PACE - 2: Takes a while to kick into gear, then once it does, it throws in a massive cast of old college mates, needlessly too many people, imo.
PLOT - 3: Great premise, and as I say above, one that's been copied (or did Stout copy it?) many times: a hazing prank goes wrong, a man is handicapped for life, and the man decides it is time for revenge. Murder 1 and 2 have occurred as the book opens, and murder 3 is about to happen. The problem is that there are about 30 college mates involved, all listed here, and much of the discussion/action leads nowhere. This cast could have worked with, say, 15 people instead of 30 and I think it could have been a better book. But MOST of this book feels like red herrings used for filler material.
CHARACTERS - 3: Paul Chapin as the injured student/adult is fascinating. Nero and Archie go at each other brilliantly. Andrew Hibbard might be the third person to be murdered, but then he goes missing. Is he in hiding? Hibbard's neice goes to see Nero...then about 30 other characters become involved and for me all these people feel like filler material.
ATMOSPHERE -4: Solid, the brownstone and the orchids and a college re-union and great lines like this one from Archie: "In my business I've seen it proved a hundred times that one thing you never want to leave in the bureau drawer is your curiosity."
SUMMARY: My overall rating is 3.0. This is my sixth Nero book and I've read 2* that I'd say are very good "who-done-it" novels: this is not one of them.
BOOK 170 (of 250)
Just think of all the books this 'college-hazing-pranks' gone wrong must have inspired.
HOOK - 3: "Wolfe and I sat in the office Friday afternoon...Wolfe was drinking beer and looking at pictures of snowflakes (as in snow, not politics) in a book someone had sent him from Czechoslovakia (yes, it used to be a country). I was reading the morning paper...I do read books, but I never yet got any real satisfaction out of one; I always have a feeling there's nothing alive about it, it's all dead and gone..." The "I" is Archie Goodwin, Nero's sidekick and the case they are about to embark upon involves an invent that took place well in the past but is brought back to life. It's as if Archie and Nero conjure this one up. If you've read a Nero/Stout novel, you might like the opening banter, if not, don't start with this one.
PACE - 2: Takes a while to kick into gear, then once it does, it throws in a massive cast of old college mates, needlessly too many people, imo.
PLOT - 3: Great premise, and as I say above, one that's been copied (or did Stout copy it?) many times: a hazing prank goes wrong, a man is handicapped for life, and the man decides it is time for revenge. Murder 1 and 2 have occurred as the book opens, and murder 3 is about to happen. The problem is that there are about 30 college mates involved, all listed here, and much of the discussion/action leads nowhere. This cast could have worked with, say, 15 people instead of 30 and I think it could have been a better book. But MOST of this book feels like red herrings used for filler material.
CHARACTERS - 3: Paul Chapin as the injured student/adult is fascinating. Nero and Archie go at each other brilliantly. Andrew Hibbard might be the third person to be murdered, but then he goes missing. Is he in hiding? Hibbard's neice goes to see Nero...then about 30 other characters become involved and for me all these people feel like filler material.
ATMOSPHERE -4: Solid, the brownstone and the orchids and a college re-union and great lines like this one from Archie: "In my business I've seen it proved a hundred times that one thing you never want to leave in the bureau drawer is your curiosity."
SUMMARY: My overall rating is 3.0. This is my sixth Nero book and I've read 2* that I'd say are very good "who-done-it" novels: this is not one of them.
October 11, 2021
A friend recently asked me if I reread books. Very seldom, I said; there's too many new books to enjoy.
Then I saw a Nero Wolfe omnibus volume at a garage sale. I smiled. Hello, old friend, I said, maybe it's time I visited the old brownstone at W. 35th St. in New York once again.
When I was a teenager my mother told me about Nero Wolfe. “You don't read them for the plots”, she said, “You read them for the banter between Wolfe and Archie. Wolfe never leaves home, and Archie is his leg man. Archie has to prod him to work.”
Rereads of old genre fiction can be problematic; attitudes have changed and our awareness has expanded. The banter between Wolfe and Archie is still delightful, but their attitudes towards women are often cringeworthy (casual objectification on Archie's part, downright misogynistic on Wolfe's). There is also the sort of casual racist and ethnic slurs you would expect to find in popular literature of the 1930s (Stout got better about this in later years – he published Wolfe novels over an incredible 40 year period).
This story is typical Wolfe: a plot so convoluted that only a genius like Wolfe could figure it out. This was the second Wolfe novel and Stout was still figuring out his characters, but it's amazing how strong both voices are, so early in the series. It's already a marked improvement over the first book, “Fer-de-Lance”.
Rereads often involve noticing things that sailed right past us on first reading. Sometimes this ruins the whole read. In this case, it reinforces the time and place (New York City in the 1930s, as seen by a young white guy transplanted from the Midwest), but doesn't ruin the enjoyment of the story and especially the first-person narration of Archie Goodwin.
Then I saw a Nero Wolfe omnibus volume at a garage sale. I smiled. Hello, old friend, I said, maybe it's time I visited the old brownstone at W. 35th St. in New York once again.
When I was a teenager my mother told me about Nero Wolfe. “You don't read them for the plots”, she said, “You read them for the banter between Wolfe and Archie. Wolfe never leaves home, and Archie is his leg man. Archie has to prod him to work.”
Rereads of old genre fiction can be problematic; attitudes have changed and our awareness has expanded. The banter between Wolfe and Archie is still delightful, but their attitudes towards women are often cringeworthy (casual objectification on Archie's part, downright misogynistic on Wolfe's). There is also the sort of casual racist and ethnic slurs you would expect to find in popular literature of the 1930s (Stout got better about this in later years – he published Wolfe novels over an incredible 40 year period).
This story is typical Wolfe: a plot so convoluted that only a genius like Wolfe could figure it out. This was the second Wolfe novel and Stout was still figuring out his characters, but it's amazing how strong both voices are, so early in the series. It's already a marked improvement over the first book, “Fer-de-Lance”.
Rereads often involve noticing things that sailed right past us on first reading. Sometimes this ruins the whole read. In this case, it reinforces the time and place (New York City in the 1930s, as seen by a young white guy transplanted from the Midwest), but doesn't ruin the enjoyment of the story and especially the first-person narration of Archie Goodwin.
August 5, 2019
OK, this is the second ever Nero Wolf story. It's not quite as enjoyable as the first one. I think the reason was twofold. First, in order to pull off the phycological battle between Nero and the murderer Stout had to make Archie dumber. He did that mostly by making Archie jumpy and grouchy not at all like the urbane yet coiled spring we see in later works. Second of all is the phycological battle that makes up the bulk of the adversarial relationship in this book. In order for it to work there had to be more stupid people around than just Archie. In fact nearly a dozen other people had to be incredibly clueless for the story to work. I suppose with a mass hysteria that could happen, but would a hysteria last for two decades amoung so many members who are often far apart? I don't think so. That makes the whole premise of the mystery weak I think.
Like the first book this one was sprinkled with allusions to previous investigations. It was pleasant to have two of those references be to the story in Fer De Lance. I hope to pick up on more and more references to stories that were actually written as we go along.
Like the first book this one was sprinkled with allusions to previous investigations. It was pleasant to have two of those references be to the story in Fer De Lance. I hope to pick up on more and more references to stories that were actually written as we go along.
January 25, 2014
I hadn't read this one since childhood, so I remembered almost none of it. In a way, I loved it. But not necessarily as a detective story. I'm not into looking for plotholes, yet I noticed two or three which took me out of the story briefly. No, what I loved was how absorbing the language and dialogue is. I think Stout tightened things up in later books, and that's good. But this early story has something later ones are missing; a love not only of language, but of thinking about language. Which is a love I share.
In this book, several people just wax on philosophically about this or that, and it made me want to live in a world where that was a perfectly ordinary thing to do.
As to the story itself, although the "twist" to the plot was telegraphed ahead of time, it was mostly a pleasure watching it all unfold. I've read that Rex Stout wrote all his books straight through and turned them in without editing. That's impressive if true. This one needed more editing than it got in order to be a better mystery, yet I'd hate to have had much of the winding dialogue removed.
In this book, several people just wax on philosophically about this or that, and it made me want to live in a world where that was a perfectly ordinary thing to do.
As to the story itself, although the "twist" to the plot was telegraphed ahead of time, it was mostly a pleasure watching it all unfold. I've read that Rex Stout wrote all his books straight through and turned them in without editing. That's impressive if true. This one needed more editing than it got in order to be a better mystery, yet I'd hate to have had much of the winding dialogue removed.
June 17, 2011
This episode of the Nero Wolfe Mysteries find Nero and Archie investigating an apparent murder at a Harvard Reunion.
Thrity years before, the friends talk Paul Chapin (now a famous author) into doing something dangerous, it all goes wrong and Paul is left crippled.
Back in the present of the 1930's, the friends begin to die in suspicious ways followed by murder notes to the survivors. Is it Paul taking revenge or is it a set-up? Only Wolfe and Archie can uncover the truth!
Thrity years before, the friends talk Paul Chapin (now a famous author) into doing something dangerous, it all goes wrong and Paul is left crippled.
Back in the present of the 1930's, the friends begin to die in suspicious ways followed by murder notes to the survivors. Is it Paul taking revenge or is it a set-up? Only Wolfe and Archie can uncover the truth!
December 31, 2020
Rex Stout's second novel in the Nero Wolfe series - nice mystery
January 23, 2024
A great Nero Wolfe mystery with lots of psychological drama surrounding the suspected murderer.
March 14, 2025
A new client comes to Nero Wolfe and eventually, the team of Wolfe and Archie Goodwin are on the case.
Andrew Hibbard, a psychology professor, had come to Wolfe's brownstone to share a story of how a group of young caused the crippling of another — and how now the man was murdering those who led to the crippling. There were no clues and no facts regarding the crippled man's guilt, so Wolfe did not take up the case.
But months later, Archie reads a news story about a man accused of writing pornograpy, who argues he was instead, writing about a murder he, the author, committed. The name of the author sounds familiar and soon, Wolfe connects the two incidents because the common denominator is the author Paul Chapin, who had been crippled in a hazing incident while a student at Harvard.
It causes the housebound detective to go to his old files and clarify what Hibbard had told him, the two incidents of members of 'the league of atonement,' the students involved in Chapin's hazing, had died: one was determined an accident, the other suicide. But for the members of the league, these were murder.
And then, Hibbard disappears. And Wolfe contacts the members of the league and puts forth a challenge - he will alleviate their fears about Chapin, for a fee. And soon he and Archie are in the thick of things: Wolfe by reading Chapin's books, meeting members of the league and others, while Archie — as usual — does the footwork.
This is a twisted, very crafty murder and a delight to read. Stout's detective duo are wonderful to see in action and to see how Wolfe's mind dives really into those of his clients is a gift. I always find deep satisfaction in reading these stories and look forward to more. Afterall, there are 39 books in the Nero Wolfe series.
Andrew Hibbard, a psychology professor, had come to Wolfe's brownstone to share a story of how a group of young caused the crippling of another — and how now the man was murdering those who led to the crippling. There were no clues and no facts regarding the crippled man's guilt, so Wolfe did not take up the case.
But months later, Archie reads a news story about a man accused of writing pornograpy, who argues he was instead, writing about a murder he, the author, committed. The name of the author sounds familiar and soon, Wolfe connects the two incidents because the common denominator is the author Paul Chapin, who had been crippled in a hazing incident while a student at Harvard.
It causes the housebound detective to go to his old files and clarify what Hibbard had told him, the two incidents of members of 'the league of atonement,' the students involved in Chapin's hazing, had died: one was determined an accident, the other suicide. But for the members of the league, these were murder.
And then, Hibbard disappears. And Wolfe contacts the members of the league and puts forth a challenge - he will alleviate their fears about Chapin, for a fee. And soon he and Archie are in the thick of things: Wolfe by reading Chapin's books, meeting members of the league and others, while Archie — as usual — does the footwork.
This is a twisted, very crafty murder and a delight to read. Stout's detective duo are wonderful to see in action and to see how Wolfe's mind dives really into those of his clients is a gift. I always find deep satisfaction in reading these stories and look forward to more. Afterall, there are 39 books in the Nero Wolfe series.
September 20, 2018
Excellent second novel in the Nero Wolfe mystery series. This one features a group of Harvard grads, one of whom was injured in a hazing incident instigated by the others. Twenty five years later, people in this group begin to die in horrible ways. Nero and his employee Archie Goodwin are on the case.
January 2, 2022
As #1 (Fer-de-Lance): team of two agreeable and mildly humorious gentlemen. Poignant prose, - mildly - mostly mildly, sometimes verily humorous. As a murder mystery puzzle it ranks amongst the way too easy - and way too lengthy. (Should have included in his homework some careful scrutiny of Dame Agatha.)
February 22, 2025
A re-read of this one... this is the second Nero Wolfe mystery Stout wrote, and the development of the characters, especially Archie (whose needling of Wolfe is a bit lackluster here) and Cramer (who in this one smokes a pipe instead of chomping a cigar of all things!), are still in progress compared to the characters we come to know throughout the series. The mystery itself is one of Stout's more engaging ones and was well done. Recommended.
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