Murder by the Book

This was a reread, a palate cleanser after the rush of Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom, because:

1. There is never a bad time for Nero Wolfe, and
2. It's the rainy season in Los Angeles (January 18-28, roughly)

This book is one of my favorites in the series. It's sharp, it's got the usual moments of humor, it's got great Wolfe-Archie interplay (and for the Archie/Saul shipper in me, there's a terrific moment when Archie explains that Saul would totally be the best US President ever if you just upgraded his wardrobe), it's got a loathesome and intelligent villain, and it has one of my favorite female characters in the series. (Yes, I...I have a list.)

That female character is the redoubtable Mrs. Potter, a woman Archie admires for her show more brain and her sense of humor. She's great, and she never misses a trick. And she lives in Los Angeles. (And I guess Stout visited in January, because when Archie goes to LA to talk to Mrs. Potter, it's pouring.)

This is definitely one of the books on the Wolfe short list, and it wouldn't be the worst place to start with the series, either. show less

Private detective Nero Wolfe is often at odds with Lieutenant Cramer of the New York police. For once, Cramer seeks Wolfe’s advice on a difficult case. When a bereaved father hires Wolfe to look into his daughter’s death a few weeks later, Wolfe spots a link to Cramer’s case. Then a third death occurs. All three deaths are linked to a missing book manuscript. This is one of Wolfe’s most puzzling cases yet.

Wolfe directs the investigation as if he were looking for a needle in a haystack, and the pacing suffers a bit as a result. Does Stout break one of the rules of detective fiction, that of withholding clues from the reader? Wolfe learns information that the reader is not privy to. However, the first-person narrator, Wolfe’s show more assistant Archie Goodwin, is not privy to that information either. The reader only knows as much as Archie knows. In spite of the withheld information, I figured out the murderer’s identity before it was revealed. The motive was obvious, and it was the logical conclusion. show less

Solid and rather subtle mystery, involving a series of murders tied to a mysterious, unpublished manuscript. Stout plays fair, by very clearly showing the fatal flaw in the killer's plan; it takes sharp eyes and reasoning (which I didn't have) to make the connection and show what something purports to be, is not. It is slow in the middle, with an over-extended party sequence, but there's much to like otherwise.

It is not often that Inspector Cramer needs help from Nero Wolfe, but that is exactly what happens in Murder By the Book on the very first page. Cramer is horribly stuck on a case that has gone cold as ice. Leonard Dykes, a clerk for a law firm, has drowned in the East River. It seemed to be a suicide until Joan Wellerman was killed in a hit and run accident. These two people have a connection so was it suicide and an accident or murder for both? Adding to the body count is Rachel Abrams, a stenographer thrown from her office window. She also has the same connection. Author Baird Archer seems to be in the middle of the mess as it is his unpublished manuscript which ties all three deaths together. It appears that anyone who reads it show more winds up dead.
Navigating the twists and turns of the case is, as always, wise-talking Archie Goodwin. He gets a chance to flirt with multiple ladies in this adventure.
This was the first Nero Wolfe mystery that I was able to listen to as an audio book. It was fun, but I think I'll stick to print. show less

Murder by the Book is one of the later, and better loved Nero Wolfe mysteries. I thought it was just alright, as Nero and Archie stumble through a leadless case, where three murders are linked only by a pseudonymous manuscript and its unknown contents. With little to go on, our heroes badger the staff of a small law-firm that employed the first victim, setting an elaborate trap to flush out the murder. The climax, which hinges on a confession that contradicts the confessor's prior actions, is quite moving, but the rest is Archie bumping around New York and a rainy and placeless Los Angeles.

****.5

My favourite of the series so far (although I did skip a bunch based on library availability). It has all the classic Nero Wolfe elements, with a clever whodunnit, tragic victims, conniving villains, a hilarious dinner party, many pretty orchids, Archie's opinions of the women he meets, sleazy lawyers, bumbling cops, and a nice twist.

This book started very well, with one murder, a list of non-existant people, and no other clues. By the end however, I was disappointed in the story. I thought Rex Stout could have done a better job, as he had before on many of his other books. I expected more from him. But still the story was well written, clear and intriging at the same time. I still gave it three stars because of this.