Trio for Blunt Instruments

My first Nero Wolfe and still my favourite. I fell in love with Archie Goodwin through this book, as well as discovered an excellent way to cook corn-on-the-cob. The mysteries are straightforward but interesting, peopled with fun characters. Overall, Stout's strength was the short story and this showcases him at his peak.

Trio for Blunt Instruments by Rex Stout draws us back into the world of Nero Wolfe and his loyal assistant, Archie Goodwin. The last time I visited with these distinguished detectives was back in 2015 (it's been too long!) so I was very happy to get a 3-in-1 with this book. This volume contains the following mysteries: Kill Now -- Pay Later, Murder Is Corny, and Blood Will Tell. As this is a collection, the stories aren't overly lengthy (Murder Is Corny was previously unpublished and was the last novella written by Stout.) but as with all of Stout's writings they pack a powerful punch no matter the length. I continue to maintain that Archie Goodwin is one of my favorite literary characters. His veracity, loyalty, bravery, and show more overwhelming likability mark him as a singular character that it's nearly impossible not to like. There is something so real about him and his narrative voice as the reporter of Wolfe's cases lends reality and humor. Of course, Wolfe is a singular character in his own right as a true 'armchair detective' in every way.

Kill Now -- Pay Later covers the story of Wolfe's shoe shiner who witnesses something (it's not too much of a shock for me to tell you it's related to a murder I don't think) and comes to Wolfe immediately afterward. Once Wolfe is on the case, it turns out that it's not as straightforward as the police think especially since a subsequent crime is marked as a suicide and the case is considered closed. It's up to Wolfe and Archie to continue the case to its bitter end no matter how winding their path becomes.

Murder Is Corny is an extremely corny title for one of Stout's mysteries as the victim works at a farm that produces corn. Archie is pegged as the main suspect after one of his prior flames indicates that he was at the scene of the crime. Wolfe at first demurs as it's 'Archie's private affair' but when he realizes that he stands a good chance of losing someone he relies on he steps in. This one has a lot of moving parts and quite a few memorable characters but what marks it as unique is that Goodwin isn't interested in the main female character. ;-)

And that brings us to Blood Will Tell which opens up with Archie receiving a rather strange package in the mail and snowballs into a dramatic story about spurned love, boorishness, and snappy dressers. I think this one was my favorite of the three because it provided a lot of sidestories to sink your teeth into and it kept me guessing up until the last.

Whatever your taste in mysteries, you can't go wrong with this 3-in-1 because it has a little something for everybody. If you haven't ever tried a Nero Wolfe mystery then this is an excellent place to start. show less

I intended to write thorough and interesting reviews this time around of rereading the novels. What happens instead is that I get pulled into the story because it is so much fun, and I forget to pay attention to the writing style or information being offered. On the other hand, I think that is just what the author intended to happen. This is a collection of three novellas, two of which were published in magazines originally.
"Kill Now Pay Later" was published in the Saturday Evening Post in 1961. Aside from the fun interaction of Wolfe with his Greek bootblack and daughter, there are some interesting insights into society in the 1960s. Bootblacks made house calls, and went to offices to perform their duties. The delicate dance of a show more bootblack's daughter stepping up a bit in the societal ladder to get a job as a stenographer at the office her father shined shoes in is not highlighted, but nuances are there of her difficulties. The not so delicate situation of a man in the business who considers all the women there his private playthings is also mentioned, and in Stout's style, he is shown as a cad and disapproved of without much being said about it.
"Murder is Corny" - Adapted by the A&E television series. They did a good job. Another male cad is featured and shown to be a pariah. I enjoyed the scene in the book where Sue McLeod tells Archie what she told the police. One doesn't need an actor to show what Archie felt, the writing is exquisite.
"Blood Will Tell" Originally published in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. Here we have yet another man who isn't exactly a cad, but has been done wrong by a woman. Not a terribly memorable story, but fun to read while you are there.

Aside from the men who take women for granted, the stories all have a blunt instrument as their agent of doom, hence the title. show less

Good as always, but these three short stories have some plot similarities in the way Wolfe gets involved with the case, which seem a little tired by the time you get to the last story.

This trio of novellas all feature murder by blunt instruments (obviously): "Kill Now -- Pay Later", "Murder is Corny" and "Blood Will Tell".

I enjoyed all 3 but my favorite was the second one, perhaps because of the way Wolfe is forced to indicate how much he esteems Archie.

This series of 3 novellas from the 1960's shows how Stout was able to “keep up with the times” without changing the personalities of his main characters and how he was able to bring hi novellas up to the high standard of conundrums that he achieved with his longer novels. In “Kill Now, Pay Later” the bootblack who came weekly to shine Wolfe's and Archie's shoes becomes involved in a possible murder investigation. When he becomes the next victim, proving that the first victim was murdered, our heroes must act quickly to protect his daughter from becoming another victim before they can find the criminal.

This is a group of three longish short stories or novellas or whatever you want to call them, all involving sleuths Nero Wolfe and his associate Archie Goodwin. The titles are Kill Now - Pay Later, Murder is Corny, and Blood Will Tell. Kind of different, in that the Wolfe has no paying client for the first two stories. All written in the 60s. Not his best, but fun if you are a fan. If you haven't tried this series, I would say save this one for later. 3.5 stars