Rex Stout continued to gear up after WW II and 1947's Too Many Women reflected both the business boom in the post-war years as well as the reflection of women in the workplace at that time.
And we'll get into more in the review but for now, on with...
The Plot: The president of a large company comes to Wolfe when an employee who recently died in a hit-and-run accident is rumored to have been murdered. In order to keep the rumors from ruining the company Wolfe is charged with finding out if there is any truth and if there is to find the killer.
This sends Archie undercover at the company where he finds a bevy of beautiful secretaries and evidence that the murdered man was quite the lady-killer. But he wasn't the only one with romance in mind and in addition to that there are jealousies and in-fighting amongst the various employees on a professional level as well.
There are twists and turns aplenty as Wolfe and Archie not only try to figure out why the man was murdered but to prove to the police that it was murder to begin with! And there are enough women in the case that even Archie's vaunted charm may collapse under the effort!
My Take: I love Stout's stuff written at a contemporary time that is now past. He has a great talent for authentically capturing a way of life or a way of doing things that then becomes a snapshot for the time period.
Whereas his previous story, The Silent Speaker highlighted the tension between government regulation and business, this story takes the reader inside how companies operated in the post-war boom as well as seeing a little slice of the female workforce and the roles and attitudes women were relegated to at that time.
In addition, there is also Stout's usual quirky characters, strong personalities, driving passions, and psychological depths which continue to make his stories a joy to read.
Admittedly, Too Many Women does, occasionally, get a little bogged down in the detail and the action lags at a couple of points but it is not enough to ruin the rest of the story and the ending more than makes up for it.
Favorite Quote: Usually, I choose one of the more witty, cutting, or humorous quotes as a favorite but here I found Stout's description of Wall Street to be just as true today as it was in 1947: Those pyramids of profit down in the Wall Street section, ,sticking straight up nine hundred feet and more, are tenanted by everything from one-room midgets to ten-floor super-giants.
Showing posts with label Nero Wolfe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nero Wolfe. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
The Nero Wolfe Reviews: "The Silent Speaker" 1946
Rex Stout came roaring back from the war years with a full-length book as opposed to the short story collections he had been producing for the past few years.
The post-war situation obviously inspired this story with the Bureau of Price Regulation standing in for the real Office of Price Administration and the National Industrial Association standing in for any number of business organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce.
You see WW II brought about many governmental controls over industry in the name of mobilization for the war as well as a country which was still recovering from the Great Depression. As such, the government had taken over a number of industries and switched them to the production of items necessary for the war and the government had also set prices for many goods and services during this time in order to prevent gouging on items which had become more scarce or difficult to produce.
Of course, after the war was over many of these governmental controls remained in place in order to help ensure a smooth transition from a wartime economy to a peacetime one. This led to a certain amount of friction between the government and business as many businesses now wanted the government out of their hair.
It was this conflict which inspired Stout's story here.
The good news is that you don't have to be a history major to enjoy the story. Although if do have a background in history (as I do) it adds a little extra layer of satire to the story which is really enjoyable. That's right, *better living through history!*
Anyway, let's get on to the meat of the matter....
The Plot: Wolfe's funds are getting low so for a change he goes fishing for a case rather than accepting one that has dropped into his lap. In this case Cheney Boone, the Director of the Bureau of Price Regulation is murdered right before he is scheduled to give a speech before the National Industrial Association. There is certainly no love lost between the BPR and the NIA but who would resort to murder and why? Wolfe sets out to solve the mystery to earn his fee but along the way the killer strikes again and proves to be elusive -- much to Wolfe's anger. With a reputation and a big, fat paycheck on the line Wolfe is determined to solve the case... even if he has to drag both organizations through the mud in the process.
My Take: As I said before, you don't have to be a historian to get this story. The rivalries and conflicts are as old as time and readers will probably see some echoes in the modern struggle between businesses and government regulation.
At heart, though, the story is about the personalities involved and, as always, Stout creates strong, memorable personalities for his characters. In particular is Phoebe Gunther -- Boone's secretary and one of the few women who win the open respect of the misogynistic Wolfe. Not only is she a match for Wolfe's intelligence she is also a match for Archie's razor sharp tongue -- giving back as good as she gets.
And Stout's Archie and Wolfe are at the top of their game here -- Wolfe, for once, even more so than Archie as Wolfe presents one of the most hysterically funny and terrible displays of a "nervous breakdown" ever committed to print. Again, Stout proves masterful at throwing in bits of humor among the seriousness of the investigation.
The investigation in question takes many twists and turns and, interestingly, it stalls out for Wolfe and Archie yet Stout manages to make even no new information seem tension-filled. Wolfe being blocked at every turn, missing the last crucial piece of the puzzle, leaves the reader waiting with baited breath as the pressures mount for Wolfe to solve the case. Will this be the first time Wolfe loses?
This story also has the benefit of being one of those adapted for the A & E TV series. As with the previous outing, Over My Dead Body, the adaptation is almost ridiculously faithful to the book. There are a few slight changes but none of them are jarring and, again, dialogue is lifted pretty much whole from the book -- proving (as if proof were needed) that Stout could write just as well if not better than any Hollywood script writer.
There isn't a foot put wrong here and The Silent Speaker is Stout weaving a book-length tale in his inimitable fashion.
Favorite Quote:
"Who's Wolfe working for?"
"There is never," I told him, "any question about that. He is working first, last and all the time for Wolfe."
The post-war situation obviously inspired this story with the Bureau of Price Regulation standing in for the real Office of Price Administration and the National Industrial Association standing in for any number of business organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce.
You see WW II brought about many governmental controls over industry in the name of mobilization for the war as well as a country which was still recovering from the Great Depression. As such, the government had taken over a number of industries and switched them to the production of items necessary for the war and the government had also set prices for many goods and services during this time in order to prevent gouging on items which had become more scarce or difficult to produce.
Of course, after the war was over many of these governmental controls remained in place in order to help ensure a smooth transition from a wartime economy to a peacetime one. This led to a certain amount of friction between the government and business as many businesses now wanted the government out of their hair.
It was this conflict which inspired Stout's story here.
The good news is that you don't have to be a history major to enjoy the story. Although if do have a background in history (as I do) it adds a little extra layer of satire to the story which is really enjoyable. That's right, *better living through history!*
Anyway, let's get on to the meat of the matter....
The Plot: Wolfe's funds are getting low so for a change he goes fishing for a case rather than accepting one that has dropped into his lap. In this case Cheney Boone, the Director of the Bureau of Price Regulation is murdered right before he is scheduled to give a speech before the National Industrial Association. There is certainly no love lost between the BPR and the NIA but who would resort to murder and why? Wolfe sets out to solve the mystery to earn his fee but along the way the killer strikes again and proves to be elusive -- much to Wolfe's anger. With a reputation and a big, fat paycheck on the line Wolfe is determined to solve the case... even if he has to drag both organizations through the mud in the process.
My Take: As I said before, you don't have to be a historian to get this story. The rivalries and conflicts are as old as time and readers will probably see some echoes in the modern struggle between businesses and government regulation.
At heart, though, the story is about the personalities involved and, as always, Stout creates strong, memorable personalities for his characters. In particular is Phoebe Gunther -- Boone's secretary and one of the few women who win the open respect of the misogynistic Wolfe. Not only is she a match for Wolfe's intelligence she is also a match for Archie's razor sharp tongue -- giving back as good as she gets.
And Stout's Archie and Wolfe are at the top of their game here -- Wolfe, for once, even more so than Archie as Wolfe presents one of the most hysterically funny and terrible displays of a "nervous breakdown" ever committed to print. Again, Stout proves masterful at throwing in bits of humor among the seriousness of the investigation.
The investigation in question takes many twists and turns and, interestingly, it stalls out for Wolfe and Archie yet Stout manages to make even no new information seem tension-filled. Wolfe being blocked at every turn, missing the last crucial piece of the puzzle, leaves the reader waiting with baited breath as the pressures mount for Wolfe to solve the case. Will this be the first time Wolfe loses?
This story also has the benefit of being one of those adapted for the A & E TV series. As with the previous outing, Over My Dead Body, the adaptation is almost ridiculously faithful to the book. There are a few slight changes but none of them are jarring and, again, dialogue is lifted pretty much whole from the book -- proving (as if proof were needed) that Stout could write just as well if not better than any Hollywood script writer.
There isn't a foot put wrong here and The Silent Speaker is Stout weaving a book-length tale in his inimitable fashion.
Favorite Quote:
"Who's Wolfe working for?"
"There is never," I told him, "any question about that. He is working first, last and all the time for Wolfe."
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Nero Wolfe Reviews: "Not Quite Dead Enough" 1942
And with this book the series finally enters the War years. World War II obviously. As with Black Orchids this book consists of two short stories -- "Not Quite Dead Enough" and "Booby Trap".
Not Quite Dead Enough
The Plot: Archie Goodwin has entered the Army and been made a Major in Army Intelligence. Archie is called back to New York after an assignment and told his new assignment is to get Nero Wolfe! The military brass wants Wolfe working for them but Wolfe keeps refusing to talk to anyone.
So Archie returns to the brownstone but gets the shock of his life -- Wolfe has not only stopped taking cases he's put himself on a diet and is exercising to get in shape to join the military and fight in the war! Needing dynamite to blast Wolfe out of this notion, Archie decides to do a favor for his sometime inamorata Lily Rowan. An acquaintance of Lily's -- one Ann Amory -- knows something about someone (a secret that seems to be tied to the death of an old woman named Mrs. Leeds) but needs advice. Archie is unsuccessful in getting the girl to confide in him and when Ann suddenly turns up murdered Archie sees a way of killing two birds with one stone. He gets himself sort-of framed for Ann's murder, knowing it will get Wolfe involved... and once Wolfe is involved he should be able to bring Ann's killer to justice.
Archie's plot works... perhaps a little too well, because now suspicion is thrown on Lily for the crime. What will Archie do if Wolfe uncovers Lily as the killer? Could it be possible?
My Take: This is another of Stout's stories that is filled with hilariously quirky characters -- from two old bickering ladies to a man with an obsession with racing pigeons. Unfortunately, the story is also tied to a murder in which the reader has to swallow something of the abject stupidity of the victim. There are no really good reasons for Ann not to confide in Archie and it is a bit of a failing on Stout's part not to give any. Then again, many mystery series require the reader to accept at least one stupid action (and sometimes more than one) on the part of the characters.
We also have the return of Lily Rowan whom we first met in Some Buried Caesar. She is sadly changed, though. Gone is the unconventional, free spirit who was inclined to thumb her nose at social conventions and who could take someone or leave them. Here she has been turned into a borderline stalker who pursues Archie relentlessly. It is, in a word, unattractive.
The real saving grace of this story is seeing what happens to Wolfe when he loses his right-hand man to the war. There is an insanity that seems uniquely Wolfian in that he retaliates in the most unthinkable (for him) manner possible. With Wolfe's extreme actions Archie is forced to take some extreme measures of his own to get Wolfe's head back on straight.
Favorite Quote: Archie: "There is one thing you are better qualified to do than anyone else, in connection with undercover enemy activities in this country. It is a situation requiring brains, which you used to have and sometimes used. The Commander in Chief, the Secretary of War, and the General Staff, also Sergeant York, respectfully request you cut the comedy and begin using them. You are wrong if you think your sudden appearance in the front lines will make the Germans laugh themselves to death."
Booby Trap
The Plot: Someone is selling manufacturing secrets to rival companies to give them a leg up after the war. When the Army Intelligence officer assigned to the investigation turns up dead Wolfe and Archie are assigned to find out what he knew... and find out why he died if they can. Things heat up quickly, though, when the dead man's commanding officer also dies -- his office blown up with a hand grenade. He had just lost his only son to the war -- could it have been suicide? Or is there someone who has a secret to keep? Wolfe is determined to get to the bottom of it but can even he flush out a killer who has covered his tracks so well?
My Take: As was true of Black Orchids one of the two stories is stronger than the other and this is the stronger one. There is less silliness to be swallowed and there is also a kind of cinematic drama to many of the scenes. This story could have easily been adapted to the A & E TV series.
There is also a decided lack of humor and quirky characters here but that is to be expected as Stout takes a more serious tone to the story. Also, considering that Stout wrote this story during the war years it makes sense that he would be willing to portray many of the military figures involved as somewhat less than inspired but by no means ineffectual idiots.
While the mystery itself isn't poor it also isn't really anything spectacular until the end. The ending to this story is shocking and one is again reminded that Wolfe is not always a very good person... or even necessarily a moral one.
Favorite Quote: Inspector Cramer: "I've known Wolfe for something like twenty years, and I'll tell you this. Show me a corpse, any corpse, under the most ideal and innocent circumstances, with a certificate signed by every doctor in New York, including the Medical Examiner. Then show me Nero Wolfe anywhere within reach, exhibiting the faintest sign of interest, and I order the squad to go to work immediately."
Taken as a whole, Not Quite Dead Enough is interesting and entertaining -- particularly as a kind of peek into history at what the homefront was like in WW II. It is the second story, though -- "Booby Trap" -- that will stick in your mind long after the cover is closed.
Not Quite Dead Enough
The Plot: Archie Goodwin has entered the Army and been made a Major in Army Intelligence. Archie is called back to New York after an assignment and told his new assignment is to get Nero Wolfe! The military brass wants Wolfe working for them but Wolfe keeps refusing to talk to anyone.
So Archie returns to the brownstone but gets the shock of his life -- Wolfe has not only stopped taking cases he's put himself on a diet and is exercising to get in shape to join the military and fight in the war! Needing dynamite to blast Wolfe out of this notion, Archie decides to do a favor for his sometime inamorata Lily Rowan. An acquaintance of Lily's -- one Ann Amory -- knows something about someone (a secret that seems to be tied to the death of an old woman named Mrs. Leeds) but needs advice. Archie is unsuccessful in getting the girl to confide in him and when Ann suddenly turns up murdered Archie sees a way of killing two birds with one stone. He gets himself sort-of framed for Ann's murder, knowing it will get Wolfe involved... and once Wolfe is involved he should be able to bring Ann's killer to justice.
Archie's plot works... perhaps a little too well, because now suspicion is thrown on Lily for the crime. What will Archie do if Wolfe uncovers Lily as the killer? Could it be possible?
My Take: This is another of Stout's stories that is filled with hilariously quirky characters -- from two old bickering ladies to a man with an obsession with racing pigeons. Unfortunately, the story is also tied to a murder in which the reader has to swallow something of the abject stupidity of the victim. There are no really good reasons for Ann not to confide in Archie and it is a bit of a failing on Stout's part not to give any. Then again, many mystery series require the reader to accept at least one stupid action (and sometimes more than one) on the part of the characters.
We also have the return of Lily Rowan whom we first met in Some Buried Caesar. She is sadly changed, though. Gone is the unconventional, free spirit who was inclined to thumb her nose at social conventions and who could take someone or leave them. Here she has been turned into a borderline stalker who pursues Archie relentlessly. It is, in a word, unattractive.
The real saving grace of this story is seeing what happens to Wolfe when he loses his right-hand man to the war. There is an insanity that seems uniquely Wolfian in that he retaliates in the most unthinkable (for him) manner possible. With Wolfe's extreme actions Archie is forced to take some extreme measures of his own to get Wolfe's head back on straight.
Favorite Quote: Archie: "There is one thing you are better qualified to do than anyone else, in connection with undercover enemy activities in this country. It is a situation requiring brains, which you used to have and sometimes used. The Commander in Chief, the Secretary of War, and the General Staff, also Sergeant York, respectfully request you cut the comedy and begin using them. You are wrong if you think your sudden appearance in the front lines will make the Germans laugh themselves to death."
Booby Trap
The Plot: Someone is selling manufacturing secrets to rival companies to give them a leg up after the war. When the Army Intelligence officer assigned to the investigation turns up dead Wolfe and Archie are assigned to find out what he knew... and find out why he died if they can. Things heat up quickly, though, when the dead man's commanding officer also dies -- his office blown up with a hand grenade. He had just lost his only son to the war -- could it have been suicide? Or is there someone who has a secret to keep? Wolfe is determined to get to the bottom of it but can even he flush out a killer who has covered his tracks so well?
My Take: As was true of Black Orchids one of the two stories is stronger than the other and this is the stronger one. There is less silliness to be swallowed and there is also a kind of cinematic drama to many of the scenes. This story could have easily been adapted to the A & E TV series.
There is also a decided lack of humor and quirky characters here but that is to be expected as Stout takes a more serious tone to the story. Also, considering that Stout wrote this story during the war years it makes sense that he would be willing to portray many of the military figures involved as somewhat less than inspired but by no means ineffectual idiots.
While the mystery itself isn't poor it also isn't really anything spectacular until the end. The ending to this story is shocking and one is again reminded that Wolfe is not always a very good person... or even necessarily a moral one.
Favorite Quote: Inspector Cramer: "I've known Wolfe for something like twenty years, and I'll tell you this. Show me a corpse, any corpse, under the most ideal and innocent circumstances, with a certificate signed by every doctor in New York, including the Medical Examiner. Then show me Nero Wolfe anywhere within reach, exhibiting the faintest sign of interest, and I order the squad to go to work immediately."
Taken as a whole, Not Quite Dead Enough is interesting and entertaining -- particularly as a kind of peek into history at what the homefront was like in WW II. It is the second story, though -- "Booby Trap" -- that will stick in your mind long after the cover is closed.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
The Nero Wolfe Reviews: "Black Orchids"
This 1942 book would be the first of Rex Stout's to collect short stories into a single volume. It would not be the last. Most of Stout's short story collections would put two or three stories in a volume but rarely more than that.
The two stories contained here are "Black Orchids" and "Cordially Invited to Meet Death". Since both stories really do stand each on their own I'm looking at them separately for my review.
The other thing to make Black Orchids a little different is that the stories are connected and that . It is a somewhat tenuous connection but they are deliberately linked together with a bit of narration from Archie Goodwin. Other volumes of stories did not necessarily link the stories together. Here the link is, as the title suggests, rare black orchids.
The Plot: Black Orchids: Wolfe actually leave the brownstone again. This time he treks to a flower show to see the black orchids a rival orchid enthusiast has bred. When a murder occurs, though, and threatens scandal Wolfe undertakes to flush out the killer... for a very specific fee.
My Take: In point of fact, the method for murder here is rather needlessly convoluted and one can think of a dozen or more different ways it could have gone wrong. Stout's succumbing to a bit of theatrical flourish (okay, more theatrical flourish since, really, you can't get any more theatrical than Wolfe himself) does hurt the story a little bit. Stout quickly gets back on track, though, with a twisty little murder which hits all the right notes and concludes with a bang which manages to show off just how cold-hearted Wolfe can be sometimes.
Favorite Quote: The dick got out his memo book and wrote it down. "I don't think it was deliberate", he said. "I think she just changed her mind. I think she just --"
"You think? You say you think?"
"Yes, Inspector, I --"
"Get out. Take another man, take Dorsey, and go to that address and look into her. Don't pick her up. Keep on her. And for God's sake don't think. It's repulsive the idea of you thinking."
The Plot: Cordially Invited to Meet Death: A famous party organizer and all around eccentric come to hire Wolfe to find out who is initiating a smear campaign against her -- intimating she is uncovering secrets about her wealthy clients and then gossiping them about. Before he can sole the mystery, however, his client dies of tetanus -- a terrible accident. Wolfe feels honor bound to fulfill his contract though... by proving this was no accident but actually a cunning murder!
My Take: This one is likely to give you a kind of "mood whiplash" but in a surprisingly fun way. The story is filled with eccentric characters and crazy situations which make you laugh out loud but then there is nothing funny about the murder... or the murderer. It is interesting to see Stout tackle this kind of emotional balancing act though -- keeping the humor and the drama both in check and it should come as no surprise that he seems to do it effortlessly. It is also interesting to note that this story illustrates as well how far medical science has come in the intervening years since people in the U.S. today rarely die of Tetanus if they receive proper medical treatment -- even after onset of symptoms.
Favorite Quote: "The bottle in that cupboard contained good iodine at four o'clock that afternoon."
Cramer growled. Daniel demanded, "How do you know that?"
"Because it was used that hour. By Archie. He tripped on an alligator and scratched his hand."
And for the record -- that isn't Wolfe making a joke. The story contains a real, live alligator, a chimpanzee and a bear.
Taken as a whole, both stories in Black Orchid are fine examples of Stout's prowess with the pen and way around a good mystery. I have to say, however, from a personal standpoint, "Cordially Invited to Meet Death" is the stronger of the two with it's combination of more humor and drama and slightly less ridiculous method for murder.
The two stories contained here are "Black Orchids" and "Cordially Invited to Meet Death". Since both stories really do stand each on their own I'm looking at them separately for my review.
The other thing to make Black Orchids a little different is that the stories are connected and that . It is a somewhat tenuous connection but they are deliberately linked together with a bit of narration from Archie Goodwin. Other volumes of stories did not necessarily link the stories together. Here the link is, as the title suggests, rare black orchids.
The Plot: Black Orchids: Wolfe actually leave the brownstone again. This time he treks to a flower show to see the black orchids a rival orchid enthusiast has bred. When a murder occurs, though, and threatens scandal Wolfe undertakes to flush out the killer... for a very specific fee.
My Take: In point of fact, the method for murder here is rather needlessly convoluted and one can think of a dozen or more different ways it could have gone wrong. Stout's succumbing to a bit of theatrical flourish (okay, more theatrical flourish since, really, you can't get any more theatrical than Wolfe himself) does hurt the story a little bit. Stout quickly gets back on track, though, with a twisty little murder which hits all the right notes and concludes with a bang which manages to show off just how cold-hearted Wolfe can be sometimes.
Favorite Quote: The dick got out his memo book and wrote it down. "I don't think it was deliberate", he said. "I think she just changed her mind. I think she just --"
"You think? You say you think?"
"Yes, Inspector, I --"
"Get out. Take another man, take Dorsey, and go to that address and look into her. Don't pick her up. Keep on her. And for God's sake don't think. It's repulsive the idea of you thinking."
The Plot: Cordially Invited to Meet Death: A famous party organizer and all around eccentric come to hire Wolfe to find out who is initiating a smear campaign against her -- intimating she is uncovering secrets about her wealthy clients and then gossiping them about. Before he can sole the mystery, however, his client dies of tetanus -- a terrible accident. Wolfe feels honor bound to fulfill his contract though... by proving this was no accident but actually a cunning murder!
My Take: This one is likely to give you a kind of "mood whiplash" but in a surprisingly fun way. The story is filled with eccentric characters and crazy situations which make you laugh out loud but then there is nothing funny about the murder... or the murderer. It is interesting to see Stout tackle this kind of emotional balancing act though -- keeping the humor and the drama both in check and it should come as no surprise that he seems to do it effortlessly. It is also interesting to note that this story illustrates as well how far medical science has come in the intervening years since people in the U.S. today rarely die of Tetanus if they receive proper medical treatment -- even after onset of symptoms.
Favorite Quote: "The bottle in that cupboard contained good iodine at four o'clock that afternoon."
Cramer growled. Daniel demanded, "How do you know that?"
"Because it was used that hour. By Archie. He tripped on an alligator and scratched his hand."
And for the record -- that isn't Wolfe making a joke. The story contains a real, live alligator, a chimpanzee and a bear.
Taken as a whole, both stories in Black Orchid are fine examples of Stout's prowess with the pen and way around a good mystery. I have to say, however, from a personal standpoint, "Cordially Invited to Meet Death" is the stronger of the two with it's combination of more humor and drama and slightly less ridiculous method for murder.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
The Nero Wolfe Reviews: Where There's a Will (1940)
My Wolfe reviews are backing up on me so I need to get caught up. We're up to 1940's
Where There's a Will
The Plot: The Hawthorne family is accomplished and somewhat eccentric. It still manages to come as a surprise, though, when businessman Noel Hawthorne is killed in a hunting accident and his will reveals he has left the bulk of his estate to a woman presumed to be his mistress. His three sisters, April (a stage actress), May (a scientist) and June (a novelist) are unhappy but willing to let things lie to avoid a scandal. Hawthorne's scarred wife, Daisy, however, is determined to raise a protest.
The sisters hire Wolfe to try to convince the "other woman" to give up some of the inheritance to Daisy to avoid a media storm but the job soon changes when it is discovered that Noel's accident was an "accident" of the deliberately murderous kind. Wolfe now has an abundance of motives as well as suspects and Wolfe must find the one path that leads to the truth. It may be a daunting task but where the great detective is concerned where there's a will....
My Take: This is another one of Stout's "odd" books. Like with Some Buried Caesar we are introduced to a host of eccentric characters who, at first, present something of a comical proposal to Wolfe. The Proceedings have an element of farce throughout but Stout often brings it up short, shifting the tone quickly to a more serious vein. The murder and, even more, the strange character of Daisy, give the story not only weight but a kind of creepy, Gothic tone.
Where There's a Will is also kind of unusual in that the cast of characters are so unusual that they actually come close to overshadowing Wolfe and Archie for a change. This is particularly true of Daisy who comes across as a weird, somewhat damaged, and even slightly cruel figure but who is balanced with a kind of implacable strength which is admirable. At the other end of the spectrum is the other stand-out character -- Sarah, June's daughter. Sarah has a live wire energy mixed with a disregard for conventions and proprieties that makes her pop off the page.
With all of these wild characters Stout picks up the reader and carries them briskly through the story. This is a good thing because if you stop for even a moment to really think about the plot you realize just how silly and convoluted the killer's machinations and reasons are.
If you let yourself be swept away by the characters and Stout's usual breathtaking dialogue, however, you'll find Where There's a Will to be an excellent read that will make the time just fly by.
Favorite Quote of the Book:
Wolfe inquired dryly, "Is your daughter a professional photographer, Mrs. Dunn?"
"No, she's a professional fiend."
Where There's a Will
The Plot: The Hawthorne family is accomplished and somewhat eccentric. It still manages to come as a surprise, though, when businessman Noel Hawthorne is killed in a hunting accident and his will reveals he has left the bulk of his estate to a woman presumed to be his mistress. His three sisters, April (a stage actress), May (a scientist) and June (a novelist) are unhappy but willing to let things lie to avoid a scandal. Hawthorne's scarred wife, Daisy, however, is determined to raise a protest.
The sisters hire Wolfe to try to convince the "other woman" to give up some of the inheritance to Daisy to avoid a media storm but the job soon changes when it is discovered that Noel's accident was an "accident" of the deliberately murderous kind. Wolfe now has an abundance of motives as well as suspects and Wolfe must find the one path that leads to the truth. It may be a daunting task but where the great detective is concerned where there's a will....
My Take: This is another one of Stout's "odd" books. Like with Some Buried Caesar we are introduced to a host of eccentric characters who, at first, present something of a comical proposal to Wolfe. The Proceedings have an element of farce throughout but Stout often brings it up short, shifting the tone quickly to a more serious vein. The murder and, even more, the strange character of Daisy, give the story not only weight but a kind of creepy, Gothic tone.
Where There's a Will is also kind of unusual in that the cast of characters are so unusual that they actually come close to overshadowing Wolfe and Archie for a change. This is particularly true of Daisy who comes across as a weird, somewhat damaged, and even slightly cruel figure but who is balanced with a kind of implacable strength which is admirable. At the other end of the spectrum is the other stand-out character -- Sarah, June's daughter. Sarah has a live wire energy mixed with a disregard for conventions and proprieties that makes her pop off the page.
With all of these wild characters Stout picks up the reader and carries them briskly through the story. This is a good thing because if you stop for even a moment to really think about the plot you realize just how silly and convoluted the killer's machinations and reasons are.
If you let yourself be swept away by the characters and Stout's usual breathtaking dialogue, however, you'll find Where There's a Will to be an excellent read that will make the time just fly by.
Favorite Quote of the Book:
Wolfe inquired dryly, "Is your daughter a professional photographer, Mrs. Dunn?"
"No, she's a professional fiend."
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
The Nero Wolfe Reviews: Over My Dead Body (1939)
There's a nice "extra" to this story since this is one of more than 20 Nero Wolfe books and short stories to be adapted by the A & E TV series between 2001 and 2002. Not only can you read the book but you can see a really faithful adaptation of it as well. And we'll get into that a bit more below. For now.....
The Plot: A young Montenegrin woman comes to Wolfe to ask him to defend one of her fellow countrywomen, Neya Tormic, against a charge that she stole diamonds from a client at the fencing school where both women teach. The women can't pay Wolfe's usual fees but they call upon his good will since Neya claims to be his daughter!
Wolfe reluctantly admits that years ago in his idealism he fought for Montenegro's independence. Finding a starving, orphaned girl he adopted her to provide for her but later left the country but sent money to continue to provide for her care. When he tried to find her again later she had vanished.
Wolfe takes on the case despite his questioning on if Neya is that little girl but the mystery of the missing diamonds is quickly settled without him having to lift a finger. Before he can even be informed of this fact, though, there is a murder and Neya and her friend Carla are in the thick of things again.
The murder is wrapped up in international intrigue and spy vs. spy, much to Wolfe's annoyance. He must untangle a web to find out if his client is guilty or innocent and even to discover if she really is his daughter.
My Take: As I've mentioned before, I watched (and loved) the A & E series when it first ran in 2001-2002. Since I saw the episodes which were based on this book it was impossible for me to come to Over My Dead Body completely cold as I have with the other stories.
That being said, the reading added an extra layer to things and readers might need to keep a scorecard for this book... I know I almost did. This is one of Stout's more complex stories to date as there is a small raft of characters and a lot happening among them all. If you aren't paying attention it is easy to get lost in the maze-like plot.
All of this is not a bad thing, however. The layers upon layers, the family drama, murder mystery, and espionage thriller aspects of things blend rather well and prove that there is no one quite like Rex Stout for pulling all the threads together and coming up with something so eminently readable.
If there is a fault to be found it is that many of the characters are a little thin. In some cases Stout crafted characters who are more like countries personified than they are characters.
All of this can be overlooked though with the taut, layered mystery that constantly keeps you guessing.
Out of curiosity, I also decided to take another look at the corresponding A & E episode after I read the book, just to see how well they compare, and I have to admit I was shocked. I know that there were praises for the series for being faithful to Stout's work but I really cannot remember if I have ever seen an adaptation that was so much like someone had simply set the book to film. The dialogue is nearly exact and scenes play out almost precisely as Stout wrote them originally. There are a few things to quibble with (actor James Tolkan's attempt at a British accent being one of them. Ouch. Seriously. I like Tolkan as an actor but that accent was just... bad. And actor Maury Chaykin isn't *quite* the Nero Wolfe I have in my head... but he's darn close) but when you get down to it most of it is just nitpicking. If you get a chance to I do highly recommend reading the book and then watching the episodes. The series brilliantly brought Stout's book to life here and if you're like me you'll probably spend the rest of your reading hearing Timothy Hutton's voice in your head as you read Archie Goodwin.
Favorite Quote of the Book: Apparently, Mr. Faber, Mr. Goodwin doesn't like you. Let's disregard that. What can I do for you?
"You can first," said Faber in his perfect precise English, "instruct your subordinate to answer questions which are put to him."
"I suppose I can. I'll try it sometime. What else can I do for you?"
The Plot: A young Montenegrin woman comes to Wolfe to ask him to defend one of her fellow countrywomen, Neya Tormic, against a charge that she stole diamonds from a client at the fencing school where both women teach. The women can't pay Wolfe's usual fees but they call upon his good will since Neya claims to be his daughter!
Wolfe reluctantly admits that years ago in his idealism he fought for Montenegro's independence. Finding a starving, orphaned girl he adopted her to provide for her but later left the country but sent money to continue to provide for her care. When he tried to find her again later she had vanished.
Wolfe takes on the case despite his questioning on if Neya is that little girl but the mystery of the missing diamonds is quickly settled without him having to lift a finger. Before he can even be informed of this fact, though, there is a murder and Neya and her friend Carla are in the thick of things again.
The murder is wrapped up in international intrigue and spy vs. spy, much to Wolfe's annoyance. He must untangle a web to find out if his client is guilty or innocent and even to discover if she really is his daughter.
My Take: As I've mentioned before, I watched (and loved) the A & E series when it first ran in 2001-2002. Since I saw the episodes which were based on this book it was impossible for me to come to Over My Dead Body completely cold as I have with the other stories.
That being said, the reading added an extra layer to things and readers might need to keep a scorecard for this book... I know I almost did. This is one of Stout's more complex stories to date as there is a small raft of characters and a lot happening among them all. If you aren't paying attention it is easy to get lost in the maze-like plot.
All of this is not a bad thing, however. The layers upon layers, the family drama, murder mystery, and espionage thriller aspects of things blend rather well and prove that there is no one quite like Rex Stout for pulling all the threads together and coming up with something so eminently readable.
If there is a fault to be found it is that many of the characters are a little thin. In some cases Stout crafted characters who are more like countries personified than they are characters.
All of this can be overlooked though with the taut, layered mystery that constantly keeps you guessing.
Out of curiosity, I also decided to take another look at the corresponding A & E episode after I read the book, just to see how well they compare, and I have to admit I was shocked. I know that there were praises for the series for being faithful to Stout's work but I really cannot remember if I have ever seen an adaptation that was so much like someone had simply set the book to film. The dialogue is nearly exact and scenes play out almost precisely as Stout wrote them originally. There are a few things to quibble with (actor James Tolkan's attempt at a British accent being one of them. Ouch. Seriously. I like Tolkan as an actor but that accent was just... bad. And actor Maury Chaykin isn't *quite* the Nero Wolfe I have in my head... but he's darn close) but when you get down to it most of it is just nitpicking. If you get a chance to I do highly recommend reading the book and then watching the episodes. The series brilliantly brought Stout's book to life here and if you're like me you'll probably spend the rest of your reading hearing Timothy Hutton's voice in your head as you read Archie Goodwin.
Favorite Quote of the Book: Apparently, Mr. Faber, Mr. Goodwin doesn't like you. Let's disregard that. What can I do for you?
"You can first," said Faber in his perfect precise English, "instruct your subordinate to answer questions which are put to him."
"I suppose I can. I'll try it sometime. What else can I do for you?"
Monday, October 18, 2010
The Nero Wolfe Reviews: Some Buried Caesar (1939)
Rex Stout is probably one of the few writers who could combine comedy farce with tragedy in such an effortless blend as this...
The Plot: When Wolfe leave the brownstone it's just one problem after another... On their way to the mid-Atlantic exhibition in upstate New York a blowout causes Archie and Wolfe to become guests of Mr. Pratt -- a roadside diner mogul. Pratt has purchased a champion bull -- Hickory Caesar Grindon -- in order to butcher and barbecue it as a publicity stunt. This puts Pratt on the hate list of local stockmen.
If that were not enough, Pratt also has a feud with the neighboring Osgood family. Upon finding out about the stunt Clyde, the Osgood scion, makes a reckless bet that Pratt will not barbecue Caesar that week.
It is not Pratt who winds up dead, however, but Clyde; found in Caesar's pasture apparently killed by the bull while trying to steal it to win the bet. At least that's what the authorities think. Clyde's father thinks differently and Wolfe backs him up and declares it to be murder. Osgood hires Wolfe to prove it so and find the killer and Wolfe accepts the case. This time, though, the great detective is up against an unexpectedly wily and fast moving killer. Can Wolfe prove the murder before all the evidence vanishes?
My Take: The opening sequence from the car accident to the bull chase is quite one of the funniest things I've read in a long time. If you can read that without laughing or at least cracking a smile then you should probably see a doctor because you funnybone may be broken.
From there the story is light, breezy and funny -- almost like one of the screwball comedies of the 1930's, which makes the sudden death hit with the force of a sledgehammer. One would expect the humor to quickly evaporate after that but this is Stout we're talking about here. He somehow manages to move from scenes of comedy to scene of pathos with lightning speed. The readers' emotions and sympathies are put in a bumper car with a target painted on it and yet it never makes the reader feel strained or whiplashed.
Stout also returns to his theme of romance as well. Here he places a definite call back to Romeo and Juliet in the form of the feuding families and young lovers but that aspect of the story never really ends up on the front burner. In fact, out of all of these early books Some Buried Caesar is one of the few where, once the "young lovers" subplot is introduces it fades away almost completely.
That's okay, though, because a different sort of relationship begins here. Meet Lily Rowan. She is independent, smart, wealthy, used to getting her own way, and keenly self-aware. She would actually be a very easy character to dislike but Stout injects her with so much charm, verve and life that she becomes one of his best characters. She comes across as a very modern woman -- one who would be as comfortable in 2010 as she was in 1939. And if you think Archie and Wolfe's dialogue is sharp wait till you read Archie and Lily. Their exchanges have the wit, punch and sexual tension of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall and Archie and Lily actually predate the first pairing of those actors on screen!
Readers also get a look at a slightly new side to Wolfe as well. He's a bit of a greedy jerk here. We've seen him be eccentric, egotistical, arrogant and manipulative but this is something more than that. He's selfish. Here he is certain Clyde's death was murder and without being hired the death would have been labled an accident and a killer would have gone free and a death gone unavenged. Despite Wolfe's defense of his actions it still places him in an unflattering light.
As for the mystery, again, this was a story which I had at least part of figured out early on. The relative thinness of the mystery does not detract at all though from the overall story. The characters are so forcefully drawn that it is them you keep reading for, not necessarily the mystery.
Archie and Wolfe tackle a mystery off their home turf, comedy and tragedy ensues and Archie meets a woman who just might be able to match him smart-alec quip for smart-alec quip. Some Buried Caesar sure shouldn't be buried in your reading pile.
My Favorite Quote of the Book: I stood up with my heels together and saluted him, and he glared at me. Naturally he knew I was on to him, Machiavelli was a simple little shepherd lad by comparison. Not that I disapproved by any means, for the chances were that I would get a fairly good bed myself, but it was one more proof that under no circumstances could you ever really trust him.
The Plot: When Wolfe leave the brownstone it's just one problem after another... On their way to the mid-Atlantic exhibition in upstate New York a blowout causes Archie and Wolfe to become guests of Mr. Pratt -- a roadside diner mogul. Pratt has purchased a champion bull -- Hickory Caesar Grindon -- in order to butcher and barbecue it as a publicity stunt. This puts Pratt on the hate list of local stockmen.
If that were not enough, Pratt also has a feud with the neighboring Osgood family. Upon finding out about the stunt Clyde, the Osgood scion, makes a reckless bet that Pratt will not barbecue Caesar that week.
It is not Pratt who winds up dead, however, but Clyde; found in Caesar's pasture apparently killed by the bull while trying to steal it to win the bet. At least that's what the authorities think. Clyde's father thinks differently and Wolfe backs him up and declares it to be murder. Osgood hires Wolfe to prove it so and find the killer and Wolfe accepts the case. This time, though, the great detective is up against an unexpectedly wily and fast moving killer. Can Wolfe prove the murder before all the evidence vanishes?
My Take: The opening sequence from the car accident to the bull chase is quite one of the funniest things I've read in a long time. If you can read that without laughing or at least cracking a smile then you should probably see a doctor because you funnybone may be broken.
From there the story is light, breezy and funny -- almost like one of the screwball comedies of the 1930's, which makes the sudden death hit with the force of a sledgehammer. One would expect the humor to quickly evaporate after that but this is Stout we're talking about here. He somehow manages to move from scenes of comedy to scene of pathos with lightning speed. The readers' emotions and sympathies are put in a bumper car with a target painted on it and yet it never makes the reader feel strained or whiplashed.
Stout also returns to his theme of romance as well. Here he places a definite call back to Romeo and Juliet in the form of the feuding families and young lovers but that aspect of the story never really ends up on the front burner. In fact, out of all of these early books Some Buried Caesar is one of the few where, once the "young lovers" subplot is introduces it fades away almost completely.
That's okay, though, because a different sort of relationship begins here. Meet Lily Rowan. She is independent, smart, wealthy, used to getting her own way, and keenly self-aware. She would actually be a very easy character to dislike but Stout injects her with so much charm, verve and life that she becomes one of his best characters. She comes across as a very modern woman -- one who would be as comfortable in 2010 as she was in 1939. And if you think Archie and Wolfe's dialogue is sharp wait till you read Archie and Lily. Their exchanges have the wit, punch and sexual tension of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall and Archie and Lily actually predate the first pairing of those actors on screen!
Readers also get a look at a slightly new side to Wolfe as well. He's a bit of a greedy jerk here. We've seen him be eccentric, egotistical, arrogant and manipulative but this is something more than that. He's selfish. Here he is certain Clyde's death was murder and without being hired the death would have been labled an accident and a killer would have gone free and a death gone unavenged. Despite Wolfe's defense of his actions it still places him in an unflattering light.
As for the mystery, again, this was a story which I had at least part of figured out early on. The relative thinness of the mystery does not detract at all though from the overall story. The characters are so forcefully drawn that it is them you keep reading for, not necessarily the mystery.
Archie and Wolfe tackle a mystery off their home turf, comedy and tragedy ensues and Archie meets a woman who just might be able to match him smart-alec quip for smart-alec quip. Some Buried Caesar sure shouldn't be buried in your reading pile.
My Favorite Quote of the Book: I stood up with my heels together and saluted him, and he glared at me. Naturally he knew I was on to him, Machiavelli was a simple little shepherd lad by comparison. Not that I disapproved by any means, for the chances were that I would get a fairly good bed myself, but it was one more proof that under no circumstances could you ever really trust him.
Friday, October 15, 2010
The Nero Wolfe Reviews: Too Many Cooks (1938)
Whooo boy. I have to say I've not been looking forward to reviewing this one for reasons which will be outlined below. Time to take a deep breath and just plunge in....
The Plot: Les Quinze Maitres is an exclusive society of the 15 best chefs in the world. Masters in the art of food. They meet now at that exclusive Kanawha Spa in Virginia with the intent to dazzle each other with their culinary skills and to elect three new members (as three have passed away due to natural causes). Nero Wolfe is invited as a guest and keynote speaker and the honor is enough to get him out of the brownstone with Archie along of course in his usual role of secretary, travel agent, and bodyguard.
Wolfe expects world class cuisine and socializing with the greatest minds in the culinary arts. The last thing he expects is to get tangles up in the murder of one of the great chefs -- a man who has no end of enemies, including many of his fellow Quinze Maitres.
Now Wolfe must take a busman's holiday to catch a killer. Bon Appetite if you dare!
My Take: Let's just get this out of the way first... there is rather a lot of racism in this book and that is where most of my discomfort with the story lies.
At the time Stout was writing racism was still institutionalized. Segregation was a fact of life -- some of it on the books as law others of it a matter of social pressure and convention. It was part of a less enlightened time and narrow minded thinking.
As someone who works in the history field I recognize this as a fact of the times. Too Many Cooks is a product of those times. It doesn't excuse the attitude, it doesn't make it right but it is the past and the past cannot be changed.
One part of me is able to read this book on that level -- seeing it in it's historical context and analyzing what it adds to understanding that time period. But there is also the non-historian side of me which flinches when the n-word is used to describe African Americans here. And the word is used plenty along with other, slightly less inflammatory but no less hurtful racial slurs.
There is a lot to unpack here... For one thing, as I said, many characters use the n-word, but in 1938 Virginia where this story is set that would have been fairly common so Stout is, technically, merely giving realism to the story.
It is indicated that many of the workers at the spa-hotel where the action takes place are African-American. Again, for the time period,this would have been common with usually menial jobs being the ones most open to African-Americans and not many other career paths available. There is also a problem in that Stout tends to leave them as "greenjackets" -- the livery of the spa being for workers to wear green jackets. In Stout's other stories even the throwaway characters like secretaries get a little more individuation and description. Here, for a good chunk of the book, the African-American character are treated just as a kind of collective whole.
And then there's Archie. I know Stout wanted to show Archie's unsophisticated nature but again the racial slurs just make me cringe. Archie never stoops to the n-word but he does use some other racial slurs which are still just... ugly.
There are a few bright spots. Stout writes Wolfe as pretty firmly egalitarian. Wolfe treats the African-American characters exactly as he does the while characters and Wolfe does at least briefly mention the fact that African-Americans are denied many of the rights and privileges that whites have in society. Wolfe also warns the police against taking frustration out on the African-American hotel workers when they opened up to Wolfe rather than to the police. It shows that Wolfe is aware of the relationship African-Americans have with the police in this time period.
Stout also depicts most of the African-American characters as highly intelligent and/or great chefs in their own right. He makes them observant and having their own thoughts and issues and this really rounds the characters out and makes them true characters rather than just stereotypes or anti-stereotypes.
Overall, at least a part of me thinks Stout was against the racism and bigotry of the day and was trying to reflect the social situation of the time and place he was setting the story. It is still highly uncomfortable though for a modern reader or for someone unable to fit the book into it's historic context.
The rest of the plot is rather interesting and we get the excitement of a physical threat to Wolfe -- reminding us once again why one of Archie's job titles is bodyguard -- and there is a bit of Stout's usual hints of romance in the story but Being honest, the racial aspect of the story did somewhat ruin my reading of the book.
I would love to see a serious roundtable discussion of Too Many Cooks by a multi-racial panel; it's one of the reasons I regret reading and analyzing these books in isolation because some, like this one, might really benefit from a book discussion group. In the end, though, as much as I hate to do it, for most people out there it's probably for the best if they skip Too Many Cooks.
My Favorite Quote: Even though the book made me a bit uncomfortable reading it there was still quite a bit of Stout's trademark witty dialogue. My favorite bit comes from Archie.. I thought to myself, darn you, some day you're going to push the button for my wits when they're off on vacation, and then you'll learn to let me in on things ahead of time.
The Plot: Les Quinze Maitres is an exclusive society of the 15 best chefs in the world. Masters in the art of food. They meet now at that exclusive Kanawha Spa in Virginia with the intent to dazzle each other with their culinary skills and to elect three new members (as three have passed away due to natural causes). Nero Wolfe is invited as a guest and keynote speaker and the honor is enough to get him out of the brownstone with Archie along of course in his usual role of secretary, travel agent, and bodyguard.
Wolfe expects world class cuisine and socializing with the greatest minds in the culinary arts. The last thing he expects is to get tangles up in the murder of one of the great chefs -- a man who has no end of enemies, including many of his fellow Quinze Maitres.
Now Wolfe must take a busman's holiday to catch a killer. Bon Appetite if you dare!
My Take: Let's just get this out of the way first... there is rather a lot of racism in this book and that is where most of my discomfort with the story lies.
At the time Stout was writing racism was still institutionalized. Segregation was a fact of life -- some of it on the books as law others of it a matter of social pressure and convention. It was part of a less enlightened time and narrow minded thinking.
As someone who works in the history field I recognize this as a fact of the times. Too Many Cooks is a product of those times. It doesn't excuse the attitude, it doesn't make it right but it is the past and the past cannot be changed.
One part of me is able to read this book on that level -- seeing it in it's historical context and analyzing what it adds to understanding that time period. But there is also the non-historian side of me which flinches when the n-word is used to describe African Americans here. And the word is used plenty along with other, slightly less inflammatory but no less hurtful racial slurs.
There is a lot to unpack here... For one thing, as I said, many characters use the n-word, but in 1938 Virginia where this story is set that would have been fairly common so Stout is, technically, merely giving realism to the story.
It is indicated that many of the workers at the spa-hotel where the action takes place are African-American. Again, for the time period,this would have been common with usually menial jobs being the ones most open to African-Americans and not many other career paths available. There is also a problem in that Stout tends to leave them as "greenjackets" -- the livery of the spa being for workers to wear green jackets. In Stout's other stories even the throwaway characters like secretaries get a little more individuation and description. Here, for a good chunk of the book, the African-American character are treated just as a kind of collective whole.
And then there's Archie. I know Stout wanted to show Archie's unsophisticated nature but again the racial slurs just make me cringe. Archie never stoops to the n-word but he does use some other racial slurs which are still just... ugly.
There are a few bright spots. Stout writes Wolfe as pretty firmly egalitarian. Wolfe treats the African-American characters exactly as he does the while characters and Wolfe does at least briefly mention the fact that African-Americans are denied many of the rights and privileges that whites have in society. Wolfe also warns the police against taking frustration out on the African-American hotel workers when they opened up to Wolfe rather than to the police. It shows that Wolfe is aware of the relationship African-Americans have with the police in this time period.
Stout also depicts most of the African-American characters as highly intelligent and/or great chefs in their own right. He makes them observant and having their own thoughts and issues and this really rounds the characters out and makes them true characters rather than just stereotypes or anti-stereotypes.
Overall, at least a part of me thinks Stout was against the racism and bigotry of the day and was trying to reflect the social situation of the time and place he was setting the story. It is still highly uncomfortable though for a modern reader or for someone unable to fit the book into it's historic context.
The rest of the plot is rather interesting and we get the excitement of a physical threat to Wolfe -- reminding us once again why one of Archie's job titles is bodyguard -- and there is a bit of Stout's usual hints of romance in the story but Being honest, the racial aspect of the story did somewhat ruin my reading of the book.
I would love to see a serious roundtable discussion of Too Many Cooks by a multi-racial panel; it's one of the reasons I regret reading and analyzing these books in isolation because some, like this one, might really benefit from a book discussion group. In the end, though, as much as I hate to do it, for most people out there it's probably for the best if they skip Too Many Cooks.
My Favorite Quote: Even though the book made me a bit uncomfortable reading it there was still quite a bit of Stout's trademark witty dialogue. My favorite bit comes from Archie.. I thought to myself, darn you, some day you're going to push the button for my wits when they're off on vacation, and then you'll learn to let me in on things ahead of time.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
The Nero Wolfe Reviews: The Red Box (1937)
The Plot: When a model for prestigious clothing designer Boyd McNair is poisoned a young friend of McNair's, Mr. Frost, hires Wolfe to find the killer... and to convince his cousin to stop modeling. Wolfe takes the job with much grumbling but soon finds it is not as straightforward as it appears.
McNair is the next to die but not before cryptically telling Wolfe the truth can be found in a Red Box. The search is on for the box with Wolfe and the police both vying for it in hopes of catching the killer. The stakes are high in this one -- love, money, truth and justice all hinge on Nero Wolfe's genius and one red box.
My Take: Out of all the stories I've read so far this one is the weakest. At least part of the solution is telegraphed fairly early on and the third murder skews into the realm of esoteric.
In addition to that the initial death which start the story is kicked to the curb and as the story goes on it is mentioned less and less. It makes the death feel like little more than a plot device and somewhat less than integrated into the whole. It is kindling for the fire and like kindling it is quickly burnt up and nothing left. That really isn't Stout's usual style.
The book does have a number of good points though. The supporting characters provide comedy, tragedy and pathos and the young Miss Frost does quite a bit of growing up over the course of the story. The character Gebert also becomes fascinating. My attitudes toward Gebert in particular changed over the course of the story. At first I thought him merely a slimy, middle aged letch, then as one of those annoying people who think themselves funnier than they actually are and finally as a quite intelligent and tough individual who has become disillusioned and jaded with life but tries to hide how are he's sunk behind a sardonic mask. I ended up with a grudging respect for him and that change in attitude toward the character is a testament to Stout's skill.
There is also the humor of seeing Wolfe out of his element as he is convinced to leave his brownstone for a while, the usual witty banter between Archie and Wolfe and a little tweaking of the nose of Inspector Cramer and the police.
The Red Box isn't a bad story, far from it and in point of fact I have yet to encounter one of Stout's Wolfe stories that is outright bad (although it's still early days in my reading through the corpus), but it isn't the best one I've encountered so far. The murdered are uneven and some of the outcomes are easy to figure out. The wealth of characters in the book are what truly make it worth the time to read, though and time spent with Stout's characters is never time wasted.
McNair is the next to die but not before cryptically telling Wolfe the truth can be found in a Red Box. The search is on for the box with Wolfe and the police both vying for it in hopes of catching the killer. The stakes are high in this one -- love, money, truth and justice all hinge on Nero Wolfe's genius and one red box.
My Take: Out of all the stories I've read so far this one is the weakest. At least part of the solution is telegraphed fairly early on and the third murder skews into the realm of esoteric.
In addition to that the initial death which start the story is kicked to the curb and as the story goes on it is mentioned less and less. It makes the death feel like little more than a plot device and somewhat less than integrated into the whole. It is kindling for the fire and like kindling it is quickly burnt up and nothing left. That really isn't Stout's usual style.
The book does have a number of good points though. The supporting characters provide comedy, tragedy and pathos and the young Miss Frost does quite a bit of growing up over the course of the story. The character Gebert also becomes fascinating. My attitudes toward Gebert in particular changed over the course of the story. At first I thought him merely a slimy, middle aged letch, then as one of those annoying people who think themselves funnier than they actually are and finally as a quite intelligent and tough individual who has become disillusioned and jaded with life but tries to hide how are he's sunk behind a sardonic mask. I ended up with a grudging respect for him and that change in attitude toward the character is a testament to Stout's skill.
There is also the humor of seeing Wolfe out of his element as he is convinced to leave his brownstone for a while, the usual witty banter between Archie and Wolfe and a little tweaking of the nose of Inspector Cramer and the police.
The Red Box isn't a bad story, far from it and in point of fact I have yet to encounter one of Stout's Wolfe stories that is outright bad (although it's still early days in my reading through the corpus), but it isn't the best one I've encountered so far. The murdered are uneven and some of the outcomes are easy to figure out. The wealth of characters in the book are what truly make it worth the time to read, though and time spent with Stout's characters is never time wasted.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
The Nero Wolfe Reviews: The Rubber Band
In 1936 Rex Stout published the third of his Nero Wolfe stories...
The Rubber Band:
The Plot: It's double duty for Wolfe and Archie as a previous client asks them to discover the truth when a beautiful employee of his company is charged with theft. Before the day is out, though, that employee, Clara Fox, would appear at the brownstone with a group in tow, wanting to hire Wolfe for another job!
Decades ago out west a band of rabble rousers led by "Rubber" Coleman saved the life of an Englishman. As payment the Englishman pledged a chunk of his fortune to the men when he came into it.
Clara's father was one of that band and now Clara thinks she's found the Englishman -- a visiting dignitary and British peer! Clara wants Wolfe to help her and her friends get the promised reward. Instead, the little group may get eternal rewards as members are murdered one-by-one.
Suddenly Wolfe finds himself with an abundance of concerns: protecting the life of his clients from an unknown killer, finding said killer and preventing Clara from being arrested by the police for theft, blackmail and murder!
My Take: Unlike with the previous two stories Stout hit the ground running with this one. Readers are quickly plunged into the drama of the office theft and then subsequently hit with murder and debt collection.
With Wolfe hiding Clara in the brownstone we get some of the clearest pictures of it's interior, it's staff, and how they operate. We also get to see a new side to Wolfe -- that of a reluctantly charming host.
Wolfe and Archie also spend a good portion of the book keeping the officers of law enforcement -- notably Inspector Cramer and Lt. Rowcliffe -- spinning in circles and generally just raising the ire of anyone affiliated with law enforcement. Wolfe and Archie's failure to be impressed by officials of the law shows an anti-establishment streak to the two characters that is always a delight to behold. Archie and Wolfe's run arounds with Cramer and his ilk are second only to Archie and Wolfe's bantering for humor and wit.
For all of the steam Cramer raises, though, Stout manages to keep the character fun and interesting, mostly by making it clear that, for his exasperation, Cramer still has respect for both Wolfe and Archie. It is hard to really hate Cramer nor see him as a buffoon but that doesn't mean it isn't great fun to see Wolfe and Archie pull a fast one on him. It's like watching Bugs Bunny get the better of Daffy Duck.
Not only does Stout keep the characters in motion, he also not only starts the story at a brisk pace he keeps it moving at a fairly speedy clip -- although not so fast as to lose the reader. He effortlessly juggles the carious plot points and the supporting characters here are roundly interesting and readable... with the exception of the British secretary Francis Horrocks. It's one thing to use one or two stereotypes for a character but it's something else to throw nearly every single one into the mix and then add a cod accent on top of it all. Stout was going for a bit of comedy here but it ends up with a character who is kind of insufferable to read. Especially for me since I have a lot of British friends and I know they're fairly tired of the American version of the British stereotype.
If you look at The Rubber Band as a whole you find that it's a mystery with a treasure hunt at the heart of it. Leave it to Rex Stout to give readers a treasure hunt story of an entirely different sort.
Even within the short span of three books there are certain things which readers come to expect from Stout: witty dialogue, engaging characters, impenetrable mysteries, twists, turns and surprises. This story delivers on all three.
My Favorite Quote of the Book: Well, I have to say that my favorite sequence is where a couple of cops manage to get past Archie at the front door and he retaliates by physically throwing them both out the door and down the front stairs. Since this isn't eactly a quote though I suppose I have to go with: Cramer got up too, saying to Hombert, "He's always like this. You might as well stick pins in a rhinoceros."
The Rubber Band:
The Plot: It's double duty for Wolfe and Archie as a previous client asks them to discover the truth when a beautiful employee of his company is charged with theft. Before the day is out, though, that employee, Clara Fox, would appear at the brownstone with a group in tow, wanting to hire Wolfe for another job!
Decades ago out west a band of rabble rousers led by "Rubber" Coleman saved the life of an Englishman. As payment the Englishman pledged a chunk of his fortune to the men when he came into it.
Clara's father was one of that band and now Clara thinks she's found the Englishman -- a visiting dignitary and British peer! Clara wants Wolfe to help her and her friends get the promised reward. Instead, the little group may get eternal rewards as members are murdered one-by-one.
Suddenly Wolfe finds himself with an abundance of concerns: protecting the life of his clients from an unknown killer, finding said killer and preventing Clara from being arrested by the police for theft, blackmail and murder!
My Take: Unlike with the previous two stories Stout hit the ground running with this one. Readers are quickly plunged into the drama of the office theft and then subsequently hit with murder and debt collection.
With Wolfe hiding Clara in the brownstone we get some of the clearest pictures of it's interior, it's staff, and how they operate. We also get to see a new side to Wolfe -- that of a reluctantly charming host.
Wolfe and Archie also spend a good portion of the book keeping the officers of law enforcement -- notably Inspector Cramer and Lt. Rowcliffe -- spinning in circles and generally just raising the ire of anyone affiliated with law enforcement. Wolfe and Archie's failure to be impressed by officials of the law shows an anti-establishment streak to the two characters that is always a delight to behold. Archie and Wolfe's run arounds with Cramer and his ilk are second only to Archie and Wolfe's bantering for humor and wit.
For all of the steam Cramer raises, though, Stout manages to keep the character fun and interesting, mostly by making it clear that, for his exasperation, Cramer still has respect for both Wolfe and Archie. It is hard to really hate Cramer nor see him as a buffoon but that doesn't mean it isn't great fun to see Wolfe and Archie pull a fast one on him. It's like watching Bugs Bunny get the better of Daffy Duck.
Not only does Stout keep the characters in motion, he also not only starts the story at a brisk pace he keeps it moving at a fairly speedy clip -- although not so fast as to lose the reader. He effortlessly juggles the carious plot points and the supporting characters here are roundly interesting and readable... with the exception of the British secretary Francis Horrocks. It's one thing to use one or two stereotypes for a character but it's something else to throw nearly every single one into the mix and then add a cod accent on top of it all. Stout was going for a bit of comedy here but it ends up with a character who is kind of insufferable to read. Especially for me since I have a lot of British friends and I know they're fairly tired of the American version of the British stereotype.
If you look at The Rubber Band as a whole you find that it's a mystery with a treasure hunt at the heart of it. Leave it to Rex Stout to give readers a treasure hunt story of an entirely different sort.
Even within the short span of three books there are certain things which readers come to expect from Stout: witty dialogue, engaging characters, impenetrable mysteries, twists, turns and surprises. This story delivers on all three.
My Favorite Quote of the Book: Well, I have to say that my favorite sequence is where a couple of cops manage to get past Archie at the front door and he retaliates by physically throwing them both out the door and down the front stairs. Since this isn't eactly a quote though I suppose I have to go with: Cramer got up too, saying to Hombert, "He's always like this. You might as well stick pins in a rhinoceros."
Monday, October 11, 2010
The Nero Wolfe Reviews: The League of Frightened Men
And moving on with my proposed attempt to read and review my way through Rex Stout's entire run of Nero Wolfe stories here is the second book in the series, published in 1935...
The League of Frightened Men
The Plot: Years ago a group of Harvard students forced a fellow student, Paul Chapin, into a stunt. An accidental fall left Chapin crippled for life and left the others emotionally scarred. They vowed to make sure Chapin wanted for nothing and called themselves privately "the League of Atonement".
Now Chapin is a successful if controversial novelist. When two members of the League die nothing seems amiss to the authorities but the other League members receive threat letters after each death and believe Chapin is a killer.
When a third member goes missing, presumed dead, Wolfe steps in for a very hefty fee. Has Wolfe, however, met his match in the brilliant Chapin? Can he stop the man from killing again? Wolfe believes he can snare Chapin but is he really on the right track or will the great detective fail?
My Take: As with the first book some of the cultural references go whizzing by overhead, rendered somewhat irrelevant by the passage of time. Also, as with Fer-de-Lance this book is a slow burn. There is much time spent on the League, it's members, their lives, and of course Paul Chapin and his situation. Stout holds the readers' interest, though, by dint of keeping Wolfe and Archie (and through them the reader) busy contemplating three possible murders all the while trying to protect the remaining League members from a fatal attack which could come at any time and in any form.
There is also a sudden twist that comes as the end would seem to be in sight. This twist throws open what has gone before to new interpretation and causes the reader to change ideas as well as change sympathies to a certain degree. Stout, however, with an already sure writing style, never allows any of these changes to seem unnecessarily jarring or simply tacked onto the plot in order to bump the page count.
There are some areas, though, where time has not been as kind to the book. Much of the psychology that Wolfe and his clients bandy about seems rather suspect now -- particularly considering all of the advances the field of psychology has made over the decades. Readers also meet more of an unsavory side to Archie Goodwin. Goodwin's use of the term "lop" (for lopsided) in relation to Paul Chapin is distasteful to the modern reader. The reaction Wolfe shows to it -- which is to take Archie to task for using it -- implies that Stout put the term in exactly for that reason -- to demonstrate to readers that Archie is rather uncouth -- but even at that the word grates on the spine. Thankfully it is used sparingly.
Overall, the good points far outweigh the few bad ones here. The story has more twists and turns than a Rubik's Cube and shocks and drama keep readers at the edge of their seats once the story cranks up speed. Wolfe's psychology may be shaky after the passage of time by Stout's psychology of knowing exactly how to thrill readers still holds fast today.
Favorite Quote: Wolfe: "I'm really not much good at negotiation, I am too blunt. It is a shortcoming of temperament not to be overcome. For instance, my proposal to you. I can only present it and say, take it or leave it. I compensate for the handicap by making the proposal so attractive that it cannot very well be refused."
The League of Frightened Men
The Plot: Years ago a group of Harvard students forced a fellow student, Paul Chapin, into a stunt. An accidental fall left Chapin crippled for life and left the others emotionally scarred. They vowed to make sure Chapin wanted for nothing and called themselves privately "the League of Atonement".
Now Chapin is a successful if controversial novelist. When two members of the League die nothing seems amiss to the authorities but the other League members receive threat letters after each death and believe Chapin is a killer.
When a third member goes missing, presumed dead, Wolfe steps in for a very hefty fee. Has Wolfe, however, met his match in the brilliant Chapin? Can he stop the man from killing again? Wolfe believes he can snare Chapin but is he really on the right track or will the great detective fail?
My Take: As with the first book some of the cultural references go whizzing by overhead, rendered somewhat irrelevant by the passage of time. Also, as with Fer-de-Lance this book is a slow burn. There is much time spent on the League, it's members, their lives, and of course Paul Chapin and his situation. Stout holds the readers' interest, though, by dint of keeping Wolfe and Archie (and through them the reader) busy contemplating three possible murders all the while trying to protect the remaining League members from a fatal attack which could come at any time and in any form.
There is also a sudden twist that comes as the end would seem to be in sight. This twist throws open what has gone before to new interpretation and causes the reader to change ideas as well as change sympathies to a certain degree. Stout, however, with an already sure writing style, never allows any of these changes to seem unnecessarily jarring or simply tacked onto the plot in order to bump the page count.
There are some areas, though, where time has not been as kind to the book. Much of the psychology that Wolfe and his clients bandy about seems rather suspect now -- particularly considering all of the advances the field of psychology has made over the decades. Readers also meet more of an unsavory side to Archie Goodwin. Goodwin's use of the term "lop" (for lopsided) in relation to Paul Chapin is distasteful to the modern reader. The reaction Wolfe shows to it -- which is to take Archie to task for using it -- implies that Stout put the term in exactly for that reason -- to demonstrate to readers that Archie is rather uncouth -- but even at that the word grates on the spine. Thankfully it is used sparingly.
Overall, the good points far outweigh the few bad ones here. The story has more twists and turns than a Rubik's Cube and shocks and drama keep readers at the edge of their seats once the story cranks up speed. Wolfe's psychology may be shaky after the passage of time by Stout's psychology of knowing exactly how to thrill readers still holds fast today.
Favorite Quote: Wolfe: "I'm really not much good at negotiation, I am too blunt. It is a shortcoming of temperament not to be overcome. For instance, my proposal to you. I can only present it and say, take it or leave it. I compensate for the handicap by making the proposal so attractive that it cannot very well be refused."
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Wolfe at the Door
It isn't often that I revisit books I didn't like. Most of the time if I try to read a book and find it doesn't capture my interest I get rid of it and move on.
On rare occasions, though, I will go back and give a book a second chance. Most of the time I find my initial reaction was correct. Sometimes though... sometimes I discover that my attitude has changed.
One of those rare occasions was with Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe books.
A few years back I borrowed the first of Stout's Nero Wolfe books from the library. I had thoroughly enjoyed the A & E TV series that had been broadcast in the early 2000's and so naturally I thought I would enjoy the books.
I did not.
In point of fact I found the plot slow to get started and all of the characters -- from Wolfe to his aide-de-camp Archie Goodwin to all of the supporting cast -- were dull. I returned the book to the library and went on to other things.
Several months ago, however, I felt compelled to give it another chance. Again, I checked the first book in the series out of the library. To my surprise something had changed and this time I honestly enjoyed the story!
So fast forwarding to now... I had been checking books out of the library, participating in a contest sponsored by said library. Among those I checked out I decided to grab the second book in the Nero Wolfe series since it had been so long since I had read the first. I was again captivated... in fact, even more so. And this has sent me on a quest to read all of the books in the Nero Wolfe corpus (NOT corpse, corpus -- as in "body of work"). I also thought I might share some of my thoughts on the books with my readers. And so... we begin.
Fer-de-Lance
The Plot:Nero Wolfe is hired by Maria Maffei to find her missing brother, Carlo. The trail leads to the death of university president Peter Oliver Barstow of an apparent heart attack. Wolfe, however, believes it was murder. When he is proven correct the race is on to find the murderer and more bodies show up as Wolfe starts to pull skeletons out of suspects' closets. As Wolfe begins unravelling the truth he puts himself in the path of a man who will not hesitate to kill again.
My Take: Written in 1934, some of the cultural references the characters (particularly Archie) make will likely fly over the heads of many if not most modern readers. There is also some ethnic stereotyping which was common for the era but modern readers may be anywhere from uncomfortable with it to expressing distaste for it.
With that out of the way, Rex Stout's main characters carry the day. The plot is a bit convoluted and the murderer seems to be going about things in a ridiculously complex manner but the reader is willing to overlook this because Wolfe and Archie make the story spark.
It is true that there are still some rough edges which Stout would file down over the years -- both in his writing style and in his characters. Archie is often blunt and outright rude but this is balanced by a witty sarcasm and the ability to go from zero to charming in about two seconds. Likewise, despite the fact that Wolfe's ego is as large as he is (a seventh of a ton according to Archie) he manages to come across as charming and eccentric rather than annoying and grating.
Someone once wrote that Stout achieved the near-impossible -- he married the British mannerly style of mystery stories with the American hard boiled style. This is not only true it is obvious even here in the first book. Wolfe, with his insistence on logic and rational thinking, his attention to detail and his genius is very much in the style of Sherlock Holmes. Archie, on the other hand, with his sarcasm, his eye for the ladies, and his streak of old-fashioned Knight Errant in him is firmly from the Raymond Chandler school of characters. And this odd mix works -- just as the odd friendship, partnership and employment relationship works for Wolfe and Archie. We also see that, while Archie may not be up to Wolfe's level of genius, he is a keen student of human nature and Wolfe relies on him, trusts him, and has confidence in his abilities. In short, Archie is no Watson, forever trailing in Holmes' wake.
It is true that the book is a slow burn. It does take a while for the plot to get started and some of the 'talking heads' scenes do go on a bit and get boring but if you persevere you will be rewarded with being introduced to two of the most unique characters in American mystery.
Quote of the Book:He (Wolfe) cursed. I hated to hear him curse. It got on my nerves. The reason for that, he told me once, was that whereas in most cases cursing was merely a vocal explosion, with him is was a considered expression of a profound desire.
On rare occasions, though, I will go back and give a book a second chance. Most of the time I find my initial reaction was correct. Sometimes though... sometimes I discover that my attitude has changed.
One of those rare occasions was with Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe books.
A few years back I borrowed the first of Stout's Nero Wolfe books from the library. I had thoroughly enjoyed the A & E TV series that had been broadcast in the early 2000's and so naturally I thought I would enjoy the books.
I did not.
In point of fact I found the plot slow to get started and all of the characters -- from Wolfe to his aide-de-camp Archie Goodwin to all of the supporting cast -- were dull. I returned the book to the library and went on to other things.
Several months ago, however, I felt compelled to give it another chance. Again, I checked the first book in the series out of the library. To my surprise something had changed and this time I honestly enjoyed the story!
So fast forwarding to now... I had been checking books out of the library, participating in a contest sponsored by said library. Among those I checked out I decided to grab the second book in the Nero Wolfe series since it had been so long since I had read the first. I was again captivated... in fact, even more so. And this has sent me on a quest to read all of the books in the Nero Wolfe corpus (NOT corpse, corpus -- as in "body of work"). I also thought I might share some of my thoughts on the books with my readers. And so... we begin.
Fer-de-Lance
The Plot:Nero Wolfe is hired by Maria Maffei to find her missing brother, Carlo. The trail leads to the death of university president Peter Oliver Barstow of an apparent heart attack. Wolfe, however, believes it was murder. When he is proven correct the race is on to find the murderer and more bodies show up as Wolfe starts to pull skeletons out of suspects' closets. As Wolfe begins unravelling the truth he puts himself in the path of a man who will not hesitate to kill again.
My Take: Written in 1934, some of the cultural references the characters (particularly Archie) make will likely fly over the heads of many if not most modern readers. There is also some ethnic stereotyping which was common for the era but modern readers may be anywhere from uncomfortable with it to expressing distaste for it.
With that out of the way, Rex Stout's main characters carry the day. The plot is a bit convoluted and the murderer seems to be going about things in a ridiculously complex manner but the reader is willing to overlook this because Wolfe and Archie make the story spark.
It is true that there are still some rough edges which Stout would file down over the years -- both in his writing style and in his characters. Archie is often blunt and outright rude but this is balanced by a witty sarcasm and the ability to go from zero to charming in about two seconds. Likewise, despite the fact that Wolfe's ego is as large as he is (a seventh of a ton according to Archie) he manages to come across as charming and eccentric rather than annoying and grating.
Someone once wrote that Stout achieved the near-impossible -- he married the British mannerly style of mystery stories with the American hard boiled style. This is not only true it is obvious even here in the first book. Wolfe, with his insistence on logic and rational thinking, his attention to detail and his genius is very much in the style of Sherlock Holmes. Archie, on the other hand, with his sarcasm, his eye for the ladies, and his streak of old-fashioned Knight Errant in him is firmly from the Raymond Chandler school of characters. And this odd mix works -- just as the odd friendship, partnership and employment relationship works for Wolfe and Archie. We also see that, while Archie may not be up to Wolfe's level of genius, he is a keen student of human nature and Wolfe relies on him, trusts him, and has confidence in his abilities. In short, Archie is no Watson, forever trailing in Holmes' wake.
It is true that the book is a slow burn. It does take a while for the plot to get started and some of the 'talking heads' scenes do go on a bit and get boring but if you persevere you will be rewarded with being introduced to two of the most unique characters in American mystery.
Quote of the Book:He (Wolfe) cursed. I hated to hear him curse. It got on my nerves. The reason for that, he told me once, was that whereas in most cases cursing was merely a vocal explosion, with him is was a considered expression of a profound desire.
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