Three Men Out

Nero Wolfe #23

by Rex Stout

A trio of mystery cases not to be missed by Nero Wolfe fans. In the first, questions about a poisoning come to an abrupt end--with a blunt instrument. Then Wolfe must decode the name of a killer in a message penciled by the victim. Finally, making an uncharacteristic foray to a World Series game, Wolfe meets murder again, when a rookie's struck out before he even gets to bat.

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

204 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 1, 1954

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 4 out of 5]

An entertaining trio of Nero Wolfe novellas featuring:

1) a wheelchair-bound widower with three live-in eligible females,
2) a mysterious message coded in the geometric arrangement of eight pencils, and
2) a plot to fix a Giants and Red Sox world series.

Thoroughly enjoyable.

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

While this is definitely a lesser Nero Wolfe book, it is still a Nero Wolfe book and the worst of them are better than most other mysteries out there. There were three light-hearted, breezy, and fun mysteries.
3.75/5

[astaliegurec · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rex Stout's "Three Men Out" (1954) is the 23rd book in his "Nero Wolfe" series. This one is not a novel. It's another collection of three short stories: 1) "Invitation to Murder" (1953), 2) "The Zero Clue" (1953), and 3) "This Won't Kill You" (1952). The first of those short stories is very good. It's written in good Stout/Wolfe form with a good plot and mystery. The second story, is OK. The premise of what the people in the story are doing is a bit silly and the mystery a bit weak, but it's still good Stout/Wolfe. But, the third story is pretty bad. Most of it reads like a Crime Drama instead of a Mystery. But, the biggest issue I have with it is how everything falls in line for the solution. It's pretty trite and just doesn't read like what we'd expect from a Stout/Wolfe story. So, averaging the scores, I get an OK 3 stars out of 5 for the book.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good trio of Nero Wolfe novellas. I especially appreciated how Archie manages to trick Wolfe into leaving his brownstone in the first one, "Invitation to Murder"!

[Bryan Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like all the books with a number in the title this is a collection of shorter stories that were originally published in magazines. I enjoyed this collection more than usual but mostly because of the strength of the third story.

The first two are typical Nero Wolfe and Archie and the rest of the gang we have come to know and love? Well maybe love is too strong, but be fascinated by is perfectly accurate.

The third story is one of the very best Rex Stout has ever done. This involves a game seven in a fictional World Series between the NY Giants (now of San Francisco) and the Boston Redsox.

The story was written in 1953, and that year the NY Yankees played the Brooklyn Dodgers (now of Los Angeles). The Yankees won in six games that year.

Archie is a Giants fan and when a house guest of Nero's wants to go to a real American baseball game they obtain tickets from the owner and venture out into the fresh air. Nero, of course, hates everything about it. Being forced to sit on a narrow stadium seat is a daunting ordeal for him, not to mention being surrounded by a crowd of people, being out in the fresh air, and having to take a taxi to the game.

When one of the players does not emerge from the dugout and the Giants begin making egregious errors to loose the game Archie gets the feeling something is wrong. It isn't long before Nero is summoned to the clubhouse by the team owner and presented with a mystery to solve. From there it spirals out into more and more byzantine circumstances including a gambling ring, a jealous lover, and a murder.

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

This is three fun stories, though I'll say upfront that I prefer the novels.

The first story, Invitation to Murder, starts with a man trying to hire Wolfe. Mr. Lewent believed, or so he said, that his sister intended to leave him something in her will. Further, he thought his sister had been murdered. Wolfe is disinclined to take the case, but Archie goes to the house to see what can be learned.

The second story is titled The Zero Clue. Wolfe had already turned down this case, but as the story opens Archie says he was in the neighborhood anyway and dropped in. The man wasn't in his office and Archie left. I'm not gullible enough to believe the man just wasn't in his office and sure enough a murder investigation ensues. And, as Archie had clearly been there, he was on the list of people Cramer wanted to talk to.

The final story was This Won't Kill You. This was my favorite. A very good friend of Wolfe's is a house guest and asks to be taken to a baseball game. Wolfe can't turn him down and, of course, Archie is there as guide. It turns out to be not just any baseball game, but the 7th game in the World Series. And yes, murder *can* happen at a baseball game.

As I say, I prefer the novels, but all in all this is a fairly strong 3-stars.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nero Wolfe should be supplied in doctor’s waiting rooms, in line at take-out restaurants, and at long traffic lights. This is a good three-fer, and it’s the collection with the baseball story, the secret message story with the pencils, and the wheelchair-bound guy and his three female servants. Will I remember that? No.
The baseball story is the best, but they’re all good.

[Vicki Cline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of three stories, not as satisfying as a novel, but still entertaining. In the last story, Wolfe actually goes to a baseball game, because a famous visiting foreign chef wants to see one. Wolfe in uncomfortable situations is always amusing.

[Steven Vaughan-Nichols · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn't the best collection of Nero Wolfe novelettes. Indeed the last of the trio has a major hitch in the tale, but still even a bad Nero Wolfe story is better than 90% of most mystery tales.

[Christopher Rush · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very enjoyable collection, though I can't explain too much why I thought so. It's not that the mysteries were superlative or incredibly extraordinary, but for some reason (perhaps the period in my life in which I read them) this was a refreshing group of stories. The first story about the dangers of upsetting extended family in-laws was the least sparkling of the group, but the bizarre twists during the story, especially Archie tricking Wolfe into coming to the scene, make it different enough to be enjoyable. The second story, similarly, is another impressive mix of little movement in the story, a whole lot of Wolfe talking to people, Archie appearing at the wrong place at the wrong time (as is his wont), and a very clever twist that would be more frustrating to us ignorant boffs were it handled/presented by a lesser writer. The extended red herring throughout (especially the way it builds and builds upon itself as we become more aware of it) was definitely an enjoyable misdirection. The final story is a strange mix of baseball skullduggery and a wholly atypical scene of genuine danger, with Archie really shining on his own, though likely in ways in which we may not approve. This was a very fine mix of unusual stories that really sparked well with me.

[Stephen Osborne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The three novellas that make up this volume are all fun reads and top notch mysteries. The first was my favorite, as Archie comes up with an ingenious method of getting Wolfe to leave the brownstone for a case. The enjoyment of the third story comes mainly from Wolfe's discomfort at having to attend a baseball game and being able to only perch on the edge of his seat. Fun tales from one of my favorite authors.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three Nero Wolfe mysteries are better than one--that must be why Stout wrote so many novellas and published them in compilations of three. In this collection, the title is a giveaway to expect three male corpses. It's notable because in two of the novellas, Wolfe leaves his house, which he tries to avoid doing.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was in the mood for light/quick re-read, and this fit the bill. But it's definitely not a pinnacle of the Wolfe cannon, even if it drags Wolfe out of the house more than once. The plots are thin, and Wolfe basically materializes the solution to the second story out of nowhere, and it's never fully explained. Just okay.

[Jill H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just one more in my long list of favorite Nero Wolfe books.......to be truthful, they are all my favorites. This little book contains three short stories and in one, Wolfe actually goes to a baseball game which makes it worthwhile just to imagine him trying to fit into one of those stadium seats. Simple stories with the typical Rex Stout wit. that are good for a rainy afternoon.

[David Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Friday night spent with Archie Goodwin and Nero Wolfe is never wasted; I don't think Stout was capable of writing less than a 4-star book. Even so these stories are not the cream of the crop. I'd still rather read Stout at less than his best, than any other mystery writer...

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes, a novella is just enough. This collection of 3 Nero Wolfe mysteries works very well. Short and sweet, solved in typical Wolfe style.

[Hemanth Kapila · Rating 2 out of 5]

Three separate stories in a single novel. Each of these involves Nero coming out of his house. Not great in terms of plot but a decent read none the less.

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid trio of Nero Wolfe stories.
The first had a clever resolution, the second a clever idea and the third a unique setting.

[Stacie Haden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three shorts, all good!

[Gilbert Stack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nero Wolfe is at it again, attempting to identify a killer, and at the same time make a lot of money. In two of these cases, he’s out of his house, which always adds to the tension in the story. I’m not going to give a blow-by-blow of the plots here. I’m just going to say that Stout has managed to produce three highly distinctive stories for this collection. No two of them come close to “feeling” the same. So whether it’s in a millionaire’s home, Wolfe’s brownstone, or at the baseball stadium, here are three stories that will test your ability to figure out the killer before Nero Wolfe.

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

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three stories in 150 pages and they each give you the feeling of satisfaction you get with a full novel. Perhaps at 50 pages you could call them novellas but in any event they are very satisfying and have all the complexities of regular mysteries.
That being said, these stories were written in the early 1950s and reflect the writing style of many American mysteries of the period - hard edged and just ever so slightly coarse. We would never use the word "cripple" today when describing the man confined to a custom made wheel chair nor do we assume the need for caution when dealing with women to prevent their having hysterics or otherwise falling apart. The professional ballplayer's wife in the third story was well in control in spite of a particularly ugly threat and completely capable of appropriate action when it counted.
It's been a long time since I read a Nero Wolfe and I rather enjoyed a visit with the wise cracking Archie Goodwin and hearing Wolfe utter pfui again.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

First two stories were better than the last.

[Don · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve always wondered about the armchair detective of Nero Wolfe. These three short novella mysteries were a good step into Stout’s series. Wolfe appears in 33 books and 40+ novellas that started in 1934. This book was from the early 50s so was right in the prime of the characters.

I thought the writing was pretty good but the mysteries didn’t catch me fully. I can see why the immensely overweight Wolfe with his eccentricities is part of the charm - he solves crimes while sitting or eating and we’re also the armchair detectives along with him.

[David C Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haven’t read one of these in years. Three stories with Wolfe solving crimes basically by working through the possibilities until the criminal cracks. In two, amazingly, Wolfe ventures outside his house - very rare! The usual snappy dialogue by Archie plays against Nero’s mannered egoism. The baseball one was new to me.

[Pamela Shropshire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Invitation to Murder
This story is just mediocre. A man, Herman Lewent, offers Wolfe $1000 for Archie to find out which of three women is trying to marry the widower of his late sister. When Wolfe declines, Lewent is like, oh, j/k; I actually think my sister was murdered by one of the three women. Archie goes to the family home to investigate; he later finds Lewent in his room, dead from a skull fracture. Archie plays a clever trick to get Wolfe to come to the scene because the owner of the house is wheelchair-bound. 3 stars.

The Zero Clue
This was much better than the first. A math professor, Leo Heller, had developed a probability formula that he claimed could predict just about anything. After successfully predicting several significant events, he left his professorship and turned to commerce, selling his knowledge to Joe and Jane Citizen. Not surprisingly, he had many customers, from bettors on horse racing to expectant heirs.

He calls Wolfe’s office, telling Archie he has learned information that leads him to believe one of his clients may have committed a serious crime. Wolfe’s orchids have been attacked by thrips, and he has a history with Heller, so he vehemently refuses. Contrary as usual, Archie goes to see him by appointment, and finds Heller not in his office. Later, Inspector Cramer and Sergeant Stebbins appear at the brownstone — Heller’s body has been found in a closet just off his office. Furthermore, some pencils on his desk are arranged in a curious way that they believe to be a message from the murdered man. They interpret the message as the initials “N.W.”

Immediately Wolfe recognizes the message as numerals in an ancient Hindu number system. He asks Cramer to gather all the people who saw Heller that day and, in one of his famous all-night sessions, questions them one after another until something clicks and he then denounces the killer. 4 stars.

This Won’t Kill You
Huzzah! This story centers on baseball, specifically the events surrounding a World Series Game Seven. Wolfe has a French chef, Pierre Mondor, as house guest; when Mondor wants to attend a baseball game, Wolfe feels obligated to oblige. Emil Chisholm, part owner of the Giants, is a past client, and he provides tickets to 3 home-plate box seats at the Polo Grounds. In spite of Wolfe’s discomfort — he doesn’t fit into the seats — he and Archie are enduring a pitiful performance by the Giants. The story opens with this sentence: “. . . at the end of the sixth inning the score was Boston 11, New York 1.”

Before the end of the game, Wolfe is requested to come to Mr. Chisholm’s office, to be informed that 4 Giants players had been drugged via a sports drink - a sort of forerunner to Gatorade called Beebright — and a fifth, a likely Rookie of the Year named Nick Ferrone, is missing.

The game mercifully comes to an end with the Giants humiliated, and the police are called. During the ensuing search, Archie finds Nick Ferrone, or at least his mortal remains, sporting a crushed skull. A bat lies nearby.

Of course, the police come and question everyone. One lone fact makes Wolfe suspicious of a particular person. Meanwhile, Archie observed one of the player’s wives during the game — she seemed elated even though the Giants were being humiliated. Archie follows up on that and uncovers some important facts. He calls the police and notifies them of a suspect’s location.

Back to the Polo Grounds where Wolfe is waiting until the cops leave. He gathers the remaining players, manager and two other team employees, and based on the suspicions raised by his one fact, uncovers the man who both drugged the players and murdered Ferrone.

As a baseball fan, and as a fan of the game’s history, I absolutely loved this story. 5 stars, no doubt; and 4 overall.

N.B. I suspected the title Three Men Out to be a play on words simultaneously referring to the 3 murdered men in this trio or novellas, and to the famous — or infamous — 1919 Black Sox baseball scandal which is detailed in Eliot Asinof’s book Eight Men Out. The problem with that is that Asinof’s book wasn’t published until 1963 whereas Rex Stout published Three Men Out in 1954. Was it originally published under a different title? Or was the phrase “eight men out” already part of the American lexicon prior to Asinof’s book? I don’t know, and wasn’t able to find out with a quick google.

[Ovidio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Era uma Vez Três Homens (Rex Stout). Quando, há mais de dez anos, descobri os livros de Rex Stout fiquei viciado no ambiente que criou para o seu formidável detective Nero Wolfe, que nunca sai da sua mansão em Nova Iorque e que deixa as actividades no terreno necessárias à investigação a cargo do esperto, despachado e musculado quando é preciso Archie Goodwin, que também é o seu secretário e o narrador. Wolfe é um colosso a todos os níveis, com "um sétimo de tonelada" e um elevador privado para se conseguir deslocar até à cobertura da sua linda casa onde trata a sua plantação de orquídeas, primeiro expediente diário de um horário meticulosamente planeado e escrupulosamente obedecido por Archie e pelo outro habitante da mansão, o inventivo e dedicado cozinheiro Fritz. Para além destes carismáticos servos, ainda contamos com o exímio Saul Panzer quando é preciso seguir um suspeito sem ser visto, e uma série de inspectores e agentes das forças de autoridade que vão alternando entre o agradecimento contrariado e a hostilidade disfarçada pelas intromissões recorrentes que normalmente se traduzem por casos resolvidos. Lembro-me de até ter feito contas aos livros que Rex Stout escreveu, porque eram imensos, mas finitos, e preocupava-me imaginar que um dia ficaria sem as suas histórias para ler. Naturalmente que esta preocupação se revelou descabida, e a minha voracidade foi decrescendo à medida que outros interesses foram aparecendo. Hoje, ao invés, quando sinto saudades do brilho rabugento de Wolfe e da sua entourage, sinto-me contente por os seus livros serem finitos, sim, mas imensos, e que haverá sempre certamente mais algum a descobrir. Estes livros da colecção vampiro já não são muito grandes, e sendo este dividido ainda em três casos independentes, não será uma boa introdução ao seu universo, precisamente porque aquelas idiossincrasias dos personagens precisam de estar bem interiorizadas para se poder desfrutar dos seus actos e omissões em tão pouco espaço. Mas para um pai recente a querer aproveitar o pouco tempo quando adormece o filho para se entreter com uma elegante e inteligente investigação, são como uma iguaria saída da cozinha de Fritz.

[Alison C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three Men Out is another in Rex Stout's long series of books about Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin, this one being a compilation of three novellas, as most titles in this series with the number "Three" in them are. In "Invitation to Murder," we meet a man whose wealthy father left his fortune to the man's sister; when the sister dies, the fortune passes to her husband, a disabled man who appears willing to continue to send an allowance to the man, but who is being pursued by three women who might subsequently cut him off without a cent. The man wants Wolfe to investigate and so Archie goes to the household, only to find the client is the first victim. "The Zero Clue" concerns a mathematician-turned-prognosticator, who is making a good living by resolving questions of probability for individuals, for a hefty fee of course. When he suspects a client of criminal activities, the mathematician sends for Nero Wolfe, but he is killed before Archie has had time to do more than notice the six people in the waiting room. It is among those six people that the criminal and now murderer must be found, but will Wolfe have enough clues to solve the case? Finally, "This Won't Kill You" features Wolfe leaving his house to attend, of all things, the seventh and last World Series baseball game; when four New York players are seen to be drugged, causing the team to lose the World Series to Boston, and another player turns up dead, Wolfe must try to determine who did what to whom, relying on Archie's knowledge of women and baseball....Four highly enjoyable tales, not at the top of the game in Rex Stout's world but solid and entertaining. As always, recommended.

[Robert J. Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rex Stout's “Three Men Out” is a collection of three stories from the 1950's of his master detective, Nero Wolfe, and his sidekick, Archie Goodwin.

In “Invitation to Murder”, where Wolfe sends Archie to find out which of three women has her hooks in the client's uncle, and Archie tricks Wolfe into leaving his home on business.

In “The Zero Clue”, Archie goes to the office of a mathematics genius who rivals Wolfe in solving mysteries, fails to discover his body, and Wolfe reveals the killer to the entire homicide squad of Manhattan.

In “This Won't Kill You”, Wolfe, Archie and Wolfe's guest go to the seventh game of the World Series at the Polo Grounds (where the Giants played when they were a New York team) and Wolfe is asked to solve the mystery of who drugged four players so the Red Sox could win the series (as a die-hard Red Sox fan, apparently the only way Stout could visualize the Sox winning the series was with chemical help.) It peaks in one of the most dangerous situations Archie has ever been in, and later Wolfe, still at the ball park, unmasks a killer.

Each of the stories involves a minor puzzle and usually Wolfe makes a critical observation that leads him to the culprit without resorting to the lip exercises he does when he's really working. They don't have the rich flavor of the longer works, but they are still enjoyable.

3 and a half stars, rounded up to four.

[Dave Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a novel but three short stories, memorable in that Wolf leaves his house for two of them, perhaps why it misses the top mark though.
Invitation to Murder: Wolfe solves the ubiquitous "there is a murderer in this mansion" by actually being there and with a gaggle of ladies (his bane) no less. The weakest of the stories but Stout does a good job with putting lipstick on the female stereotypes and they are not bland cardboard predictable.
The Zero Clue: Another standard setup, assemble the (6) suspects in one room and ferret out the murderer with cleverness and inspiration. Better language, clues and some numbers history. Memorable was Wolfe the wordwright being stunned by an old one (sennight) so much he has to ask the small time hustler/con-man throwing it off to confirm it's meaning.
This Won't Kill You: Wolfe at the Polo Grounds as the Giants lose the series with key players drugged and one murdered. This is definitely different and the most fun of the bunch. Much hilarity ensures to include sulfuric acid and for Wolfe, sandwiches possibly from a machine.

[cool breeze · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of three short stories from 1952-53 that were originally published in magazines. They are not among the better Nero Wolfe mysteries.

The first is notable only for Archie tricking Wolfe out of the house and for the appearance of a powered wheelchair. 2.5 stars

The second requires deciphering a coded message. Decoding it relies on facts so little known that the story feels contrived, as if Stout built it around something he encountered in an obscure book. Air conditioning makes the first appearance in a Wolfe novel that I can recall. 2.5 stars

The third takes place at the seventh game of a World Series between the Red Sox and Giants. Gamblers have fixed the game by drugging four players with phenobarbital. The depiction of the world of sports stars, groupies and gamblers around 1953 makes this more interesting. The story notes that one of the things that makes illegal gambling so attractive is that the winnings evade confiscatory Federal taxes of up to 91%, multiplying their value 5- or 10-fold. 3.5 stars