4/9/22

I reread this the other day, because I couldn't remember at first if I'd read this one. Not one of the best Nero Wolfe books, but still quite enjoyable, as they all are. ( )

Good entry in the Nero Wolfe series, though Archie's wisecracking was a little bit subpar. However, Wolfe's ability to reach conclusions based upon deduction is wonderful & there were some fun skirmishes with the various police agencies. ( )

Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin are back at it again when Althea Vail approaches them to help her retrieve her husband who has been kidnapped and is being ransomed for a half million dollars. The situation changes from kidnapping to murder when first Althea’s assistant dies and then her husband dies. The murder of the husband can only be done by one of the family members present. Wolfe and Goodwin go about solving the crimes in their usual manner. Archie does all of the leg work, and Nero never leaves the house but is able to deduce things in his head in his own mercurial manner.

As far as mysteries go, this one was fairly mediocre. It’s a fairly typical, by the book kind of mystery. There were no great revelations or anything shocking. On the other hand, it moved at a good pace and was pretty entertaining. The characters are what make it work. Nero isn’t an especially likable person. He’s arrogant, aloof, and if he was an actual person, he isn’t the kind of person I would want to share a beer with. Archie is far more personable and makes up for some of his boss’s shortcomings. Together, they make a good team. Although this isn’t the best Nero Wolfe book I’ve read, I still found it worth reading.

Carl Alves – author of Conjesero ( )

Good, breezy read. ( )