Only Rex Stout and Nero Wolfe can make a case from a pair of earrings. ( )

One of my favorites by Stout. It has more pathos than many of the others. ( )

Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe books are told in the distinctive voice of Archie Goodwin, Nero Wolfe's leg-man. Nero Wolfe is a rotund genius private investigator who doesn't leave his house unless absolutely necessary. He insists on good meals (with no discussion of work), uninterrupted time with his orchids (four hours a day), and a good night's rest. In contrast, Archie is a good sport with a wonderfully sarcastic sense of humor and is game for most anything.

In this story, a young boy comes to Wolfe's home with a business proposition. The boy works a street corner, earning money by cleaning windshields of cars stopped at a traffic light. That evening, the boy had started working on a car when the woman driving the car turns to him and expressly mouths "help, call the police." The man sitting beside the woman notices the boy's expression, and the car quickly drives off. The boy remembers the license plate number and a description of the woman driver who wore gold spider earrings. The next day, before Wolfe can identify the car, the boy is intentionally run over by the same car. Because Wolfe feels an obligation to the boy, he makes a quick stab at identifying the mystery woman. The woman he locates hints at a problem she has, pays Wolfe a retainer, and promises to come back the next day to go into details. The next morning, she is found dead--run over by a car. For Wolfe, the situation is insufferable: he has a reputation to maintain and can't have people hiring him and then getting killed. Plus he has the money the woman paid him for a retainer that he has to feel he has earned. He is committed to investigate.

Stout's books are a joy to read. Archie's playful, positive tone keeps the whole narrative at a jovial ramble. Also, each book is short enough to be swallowed in one gulp. The mysteries aren't very complex, and the format is very formulaic, with the case being resolved in Wolfe's recitation in his study in front of all the suspects and the police. The joy is in the characters, and the mystery is just enough to keep the plot going. When I'm finished reading, I don't feel as if I've engaged my mind in solving a mystery like in some mystery books, but I do feel like I've just finished a light-hearted banter with a friend. ( )

Another one of my favorites, I like the idea of hunting down a lady with golden spider earrings and avenging a young boy. ( )