Nero Wolfe is as sardonic as ever. This book is not his absolute most brilliant, but put 10 awesome chef's a room, kill one of them and see which is more important, finding a killer or making a great sauce. Also, anyone who thinks that civil rights has not taken some major strides forward needs to read this and ask themselves when the last time was they heard so many racial slurs about every possible ethnicity. The sad part is that at the time this was completely acceptible and represented "respectable" society. But as always, when the context is taken into account, the story is entertaing with an unexpected ending. ( )

This is the first Nero Wolfe book that I've read, although I have seen the dramatatizations that have been done on television. I enjoyed these, and I enjoyed this book. Wolfe is an eccentric and he is wonderfully portrayed. In this book he and his sidekick Archie are on their way to a gourmet cook convention in West Virginia. This is something in itself because Wolfe rarely leaves his home in New York City. He solves most of his crimes from there, close to his orchids and his own wonderful cook. Wolfe is a gourmet, and food drives everything he does. The mystery is intricate, and the story here is lots of fun. I do need to read more of Rex Stout's wonderful character. This is a sign of a good author, when one of his characters makes it into folklore, and becomes a household name, like Nero Wolfe is. ( )

In this fifth outing for Nero Wolfe and Archie they go to West Virginia to attend a meeting of the world’s 15 finest chefs. They meet every five years to cook, eat, and talk about food and elect new members to replace those who have died. Wolfe has been invited to the event and be the guest speaker at the final banquet. This is probably the best one so far in the series, especially in getting to understand the two recurring characters. We see Wolf under trying (for him) circumstances on a train and in a hotel room. The characters are interesting and we learn more about Marko Vukcic. We know from near the beginning who the victim will be but the puzzle is very interesting and although about two thirds through I had a suspicion about the perpetrator I wasn’t sure until almost the end.
Since this takes place in West Virginia in 1938 at a spa-like location we meet several blacks employed there in menial positions. Many people object to the racist language used in this book, but that was how it was then. Even Archie showed some mild effects of the tenor of the times. What I was impressed with is how Rex Stout has Nero Wolfe relate to these employees, taking the trouble not only to ask but also to remember the name of each one of them when he interviews them, letting one educated black air his opinions without putting him down but never condescending to them. In short he treated them just as he would treat any other person he was interrogating. I think it was remarkable that an author would make a point of having his character behave this way at a time when most people were prejudiced against blacks even outside of the South. ( )

Fun read, but pretty dated in language and culture. ( )

One of the better stories, dealing with racism, also lots of cooking which I enjoy. ( )