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Nero Wolfe #14
Trouble in Triplicate
They all thought they were about to die . . . and they were right. Dazy Perrit was an underworld kingpin until a hail of bullets sent him into early retirement. Ben Jensen was a well-connected publisher until a determined gunman severed all his connections. Eugene R. Poor made novelties like exploding cigars until one of them blew him to kingdom come. Only the gourmet sleuth, Nero Wolfe, and his sidekick, Archie Goodwin, can solve the deadly equation of murder times three.
240 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 11, 1949
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About the author
Rex Stout
752Ìýbooks999ÌýfollowersRex Todhunter Stout (1886â€�1975) was an American crime writer, best known as the creator of the larger-than-life fictional detective Nero Wolfe, described by reviewer Will Cuppy as "that Falstaff of detectives." Wolfe's assistant Archie Goodwin recorded the cases of the detective genius from 1934 (Fer-de-Lance) to 1975 (A Family Affair).
The Nero Wolfe corpus was nominated Best Mystery Series of the Century at Bouchercon 2000, the world's largest mystery convention, and Rex Stout was nominated Best Mystery Writer of the Century.
The Nero Wolfe corpus was nominated Best Mystery Series of the Century at Bouchercon 2000, the world's largest mystery convention, and Rex Stout was nominated Best Mystery Writer of the Century.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews
March 18, 2020
There are pleasures for the Nero Wolfe addict in this wartime collection of three novellas, but this is far from Rex Stout's best. Highlight: chafing under WW II rationing, Wolfe the gourmet works for a crime boss in order to obtain good black market meat.
April 18, 2024
Review to follow
December 25, 2018
Three novellas circa 1940's New York City. Not one of 's best but still enjoyable. When I read a Nero Wolfe story it is like opening a time capsule. A visit to a bygone era. A visit with old friends. Often times when the identify of the murderer is revealed it is not a great surprise. It is the characters, Nero Wolfe; Archie Goodwin; Saul Panzer; Fritz Brenner; Inspector Cramer, and how they interact and life at Wolfe's brownstone on West 35th Street that makes the stories so enjoyable.
Before I Die: a New York gangster, Dazy Perrit, wants to hire Wolfe to help with a personal problem. Archie wants nothing to do with him or his problem. Doesn't even want him in Wolfe's brownstone. However there is a severe meat shortage in the United States and man cannot live by spaghetti alone. At least Nero Wolfe can't so he agrees to see Dazy in exchange for help with getting some beef, pork, lamb chops, etc. It seems that Dazy has a daughter and because of the business he is in and the people he associates with he doesn't want anyone to know it. So he hired a woman to pretend to be his daughter. His real daughter is safe from discovery but the fake daughter is blackmailing Dazy. Of course it isn't long before blackmail turns to murder.
Help Wanted, Male: A man who Wolfe had previously had an association with comes to him for help. He has received a death threat and wants Wolfe to help protect him. Wolfe refuses telling him it is either a hoax or if the threat is real he should go to the police for protection. When the man is murdered and Wolfe receives an identical threat he takes it more seriously and hires someone to impersonate him. This was a somewhat humorous story. Wolfe rarely leaves his home but is reduced to hiring someone to sit in his custom chair in his office. How long can that go on and how will Wolfe find out who the murderer is if he stays in his bedroom?
Instead of Evidence: A businessman comes to Wolfe for help claiming his partner is going to murder him. The pair own a successful novelty company. This time the client doesn't want Wolfe to prevent the murder. He has accepted that if his partner wants him dead he can't prevent it but he wants Wolfe to prove that his partner did it. That night the new client is killed by an exploding cigar. It is now up to Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin to bring the murderer to justice.
Some noir, some humor, each a quick read. Overall three enjoyable stories.
Before I Die: a New York gangster, Dazy Perrit, wants to hire Wolfe to help with a personal problem. Archie wants nothing to do with him or his problem. Doesn't even want him in Wolfe's brownstone. However there is a severe meat shortage in the United States and man cannot live by spaghetti alone. At least Nero Wolfe can't so he agrees to see Dazy in exchange for help with getting some beef, pork, lamb chops, etc. It seems that Dazy has a daughter and because of the business he is in and the people he associates with he doesn't want anyone to know it. So he hired a woman to pretend to be his daughter. His real daughter is safe from discovery but the fake daughter is blackmailing Dazy. Of course it isn't long before blackmail turns to murder.
Help Wanted, Male: A man who Wolfe had previously had an association with comes to him for help. He has received a death threat and wants Wolfe to help protect him. Wolfe refuses telling him it is either a hoax or if the threat is real he should go to the police for protection. When the man is murdered and Wolfe receives an identical threat he takes it more seriously and hires someone to impersonate him. This was a somewhat humorous story. Wolfe rarely leaves his home but is reduced to hiring someone to sit in his custom chair in his office. How long can that go on and how will Wolfe find out who the murderer is if he stays in his bedroom?
Instead of Evidence: A businessman comes to Wolfe for help claiming his partner is going to murder him. The pair own a successful novelty company. This time the client doesn't want Wolfe to prevent the murder. He has accepted that if his partner wants him dead he can't prevent it but he wants Wolfe to prove that his partner did it. That night the new client is killed by an exploding cigar. It is now up to Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin to bring the murderer to justice.
Some noir, some humor, each a quick read. Overall three enjoyable stories.
January 24, 2022
Every once in a while, Stout treats Nero Wolfe fans to a group of novellae—stories that are a little bit simpler than his full-length novels but every bit as good. In Before I Die, Wolfe gets one of those problems that I wouldn’t even begin to know how to approach. A gangster has tried to protect his real daughter by hiring a woman to play the role and that woman is now blackmailing him. Wolfe has to call her off without endangering the real daughter. And then of course, everything is complicated by s violent death. (I don’t know why someone has to die in every Nero Wolfe story. The original problem was fascinating without the murder.)
In Help Wanted, Male, someone is out to kill Nero Wolfe and he, quite naturally, wants to prevent that from happening. This is a fun little novella and not only because I figured out the bad guy and his motivation. What’s really best about it is that Nero Wolfe makes an embarrassing mistake which is, as readers of the series know, highly unusual.
In Instead of Evidence, Wolfe is maneuvered into figuring out who is responsible for killing a man with an exploding cigar. Yes, you read that correctly. The murder weapon is a lethal version of a novelty prank item and the suspects all work for a company that designs such pranks. As one would expect from Stout, it’s another very clever mystery.
If you liked this review, you can find more at .
In Help Wanted, Male, someone is out to kill Nero Wolfe and he, quite naturally, wants to prevent that from happening. This is a fun little novella and not only because I figured out the bad guy and his motivation. What’s really best about it is that Nero Wolfe makes an embarrassing mistake which is, as readers of the series know, highly unusual.
In Instead of Evidence, Wolfe is maneuvered into figuring out who is responsible for killing a man with an exploding cigar. Yes, you read that correctly. The murder weapon is a lethal version of a novelty prank item and the suspects all work for a company that designs such pranks. As one would expect from Stout, it’s another very clever mystery.
If you liked this review, you can find more at .
December 22, 2022
All three of the stories were fun but far too short, each of the mini-mysteries were filled with plenty of humor.
October 18, 2019
This is a set of three different stories that were all published originally in the New Yorker Magazine. Like the previous books with several stories I enjoy it, but prefer the longer form books.
However, if you had to introduce someone to Nero Wolf this would be a good one to do it with. We see all his aspects, the romantic idealist, the grumpy eccentric, and a brilliant strategist. Through all of these glimpses of the great man we get the consistency of Archie, smart in his own right, and thousands of times more personable.
Also, I never knew we had something called the Great Meat Shortage. But after WWII when meat was no longer rationed, the pent up demand for red meat was enormous causing prices to rise. President Truman in an election year stunt put a price cap on red meat. The effect of that was for the ranchers and cattlemen of the nation to refuse to sell their animals causing a huge scarcity of red meat again. This is background, and an important part of the motivations in one of the stories.
However, if you had to introduce someone to Nero Wolf this would be a good one to do it with. We see all his aspects, the romantic idealist, the grumpy eccentric, and a brilliant strategist. Through all of these glimpses of the great man we get the consistency of Archie, smart in his own right, and thousands of times more personable.
Also, I never knew we had something called the Great Meat Shortage. But after WWII when meat was no longer rationed, the pent up demand for red meat was enormous causing prices to rise. President Truman in an election year stunt put a price cap on red meat. The effect of that was for the ranchers and cattlemen of the nation to refuse to sell their animals causing a huge scarcity of red meat again. This is background, and an important part of the motivations in one of the stories.
March 1, 2023
I enjoyed each of the 3 novellas in this volume. Details to come...
January 31, 2025
I am beginning to suspect Rex Stout is an inverse Arthur Conan Doyle.
In the Holmes stories, Holmes is fascinating, while Watson is about as interesting as a lump of dried plaster. In the abstract, or by the bullet point, Nero Wolfe is even more interesting. He’s at least as brilliant as Holmes, even more eccentric, and does it all without ever leaving his house. In actual practice, Wolfe is barely a character at all, and his lackey, our POV character is the interesting one.
Conan Doyle was a master of the short story, who couldn’t write an interesting novel to save his life. With the exception of Hound of the Baskervilles, the Holmes novels suck.
I think you can figure out where I’m going from here.
There are 50-ish Nero Wolfe books, 30-something of which are novels, the remainder being collections of mostly novella length stories. Having greatly enjoyed the Nero Wolfe novel I read a few months ago, , and the novella being something of a Goldilocks format for me, I next dove into one of the novella collections “Trouble in Triplicate� which I had in an ebook collection of a bunch of Stout’s Wolfe books I’d gotten for a dollar.
The three stories in this volume are:
“Before I Die�
“Help Wanted, Male�
“Instead of Evidence�
And while the ends of this sandwich were considerably more tasty than the filling, all of them were considerably less entertaining than Over My Dead Body. So much so that it took me two months to get around to finishing the collection.
Admittedly, one novel and one collection is a slim sampling to be drawing conclusions from, but if I’m to point out what I suspect the problem is, it would be that too large a portion of the novellas takes place in Wolfe’s office and Wolfe is not particularly interesting. Archie is much more entertaining “off-leash�, as it were.
When next I visit with Archie, I shall make a point of selecting one of the novels and we’ll see if I need to update my assessment.
In the Holmes stories, Holmes is fascinating, while Watson is about as interesting as a lump of dried plaster. In the abstract, or by the bullet point, Nero Wolfe is even more interesting. He’s at least as brilliant as Holmes, even more eccentric, and does it all without ever leaving his house. In actual practice, Wolfe is barely a character at all, and his lackey, our POV character is the interesting one.
Conan Doyle was a master of the short story, who couldn’t write an interesting novel to save his life. With the exception of Hound of the Baskervilles, the Holmes novels suck.
I think you can figure out where I’m going from here.
There are 50-ish Nero Wolfe books, 30-something of which are novels, the remainder being collections of mostly novella length stories. Having greatly enjoyed the Nero Wolfe novel I read a few months ago, , and the novella being something of a Goldilocks format for me, I next dove into one of the novella collections “Trouble in Triplicate� which I had in an ebook collection of a bunch of Stout’s Wolfe books I’d gotten for a dollar.
The three stories in this volume are:
“Before I Die�
“Help Wanted, Male�
“Instead of Evidence�
And while the ends of this sandwich were considerably more tasty than the filling, all of them were considerably less entertaining than Over My Dead Body. So much so that it took me two months to get around to finishing the collection.
Admittedly, one novel and one collection is a slim sampling to be drawing conclusions from, but if I’m to point out what I suspect the problem is, it would be that too large a portion of the novellas takes place in Wolfe’s office and Wolfe is not particularly interesting. Archie is much more entertaining “off-leash�, as it were.
When next I visit with Archie, I shall make a point of selecting one of the novels and we’ll see if I need to update my assessment.
October 22, 2019
This book is one of Stout’s collections of three novellas. The first story is called Before I Die, and is quite a romp.
A well-known gangster named Dazy Perritt hires Wolfe to do two things: protect his real daughter, and stop his fake daughter from blackmailing him. To protect her, Perritt has never acknowledged his biological daughter. Recently however, he learns another crook has learned about his daughter, so he finds a young woman wanted for criminal acts and hires her to masquerade as his daughter.
The fake daughter turns on Perritt and begins blackmailing him. Thus Perritt hires Wolfe. With the involvement of the criminal element, Archie is quite nervous, and with good reason. He narrowly misses being shot, not just once, but twice. Fortunately, Wolfe solves the murder, Archie isn’t killed, and Wolfe receives his fee.
*
Help Wanted, Male
The second novella is written during wartime (WW2). A Mr. Jensen visits Wolfe after having received an anonymous death threat, the prototypical newspaper cutouts glued onto paper. Wolfe, holding the opinion:
declines to accept the commission. Next morning Archie’s breakfast newspaper is headlined by the shooting death of Mr. Jensen and his hired bodyguard. When Inspector Cramer arrives to question Wolfe, the big man says, “Not interested, not involved, not curious.� This attitude is short-lived because Wolfe receives anonymous threat nearly identical to the one Jensen had.
This one has a pretty ingenious solution.
*
Instead of Evidence
A man named Eugene Poor tells Wolfe that his business partner, Conroy Blaney, is going to murder him. He wants to hire Wolfe � not to protect him from death, but to ensure Blaney doesn’t get away with it. Wolfe finally agrees that he will pass to the police all the information Poor gave him on Blaney if he dies within one year, for the sum of $5000.
Later that evening, Inspector Cramer calls Wolfe and informs him Poor was killed in an explosion. An explosive device was found in each cigar in a box of 25 (24 remaining). Cramer tells Wolfe he thinks he is going to charge Mrs. Poor with the murder. Spoiler alert:
It turns out Cramer was 100% correct, but for the wrong reasons.
A solid collection of Wolfe stories.
A well-known gangster named Dazy Perritt hires Wolfe to do two things: protect his real daughter, and stop his fake daughter from blackmailing him. To protect her, Perritt has never acknowledged his biological daughter. Recently however, he learns another crook has learned about his daughter, so he finds a young woman wanted for criminal acts and hires her to masquerade as his daughter.
The fake daughter turns on Perritt and begins blackmailing him. Thus Perritt hires Wolfe. With the involvement of the criminal element, Archie is quite nervous, and with good reason. He narrowly misses being shot, not just once, but twice. Fortunately, Wolfe solves the murder, Archie isn’t killed, and Wolfe receives his fee.
*
Help Wanted, Male
The second novella is written during wartime (WW2). A Mr. Jensen visits Wolfe after having received an anonymous death threat, the prototypical newspaper cutouts glued onto paper. Wolfe, holding the opinion:
A man whose life is threatened anonymously is either in no danger at all, or his danger is so acute and so ubiquitous that his position is hopeless.
declines to accept the commission. Next morning Archie’s breakfast newspaper is headlined by the shooting death of Mr. Jensen and his hired bodyguard. When Inspector Cramer arrives to question Wolfe, the big man says, “Not interested, not involved, not curious.� This attitude is short-lived because Wolfe receives anonymous threat nearly identical to the one Jensen had.
This one has a pretty ingenious solution.
*
Instead of Evidence
A man named Eugene Poor tells Wolfe that his business partner, Conroy Blaney, is going to murder him. He wants to hire Wolfe � not to protect him from death, but to ensure Blaney doesn’t get away with it. Wolfe finally agrees that he will pass to the police all the information Poor gave him on Blaney if he dies within one year, for the sum of $5000.
Later that evening, Inspector Cramer calls Wolfe and informs him Poor was killed in an explosion. An explosive device was found in each cigar in a box of 25 (24 remaining). Cramer tells Wolfe he thinks he is going to charge Mrs. Poor with the murder. Spoiler alert:
It turns out Cramer was 100% correct, but for the wrong reasons.
A solid collection of Wolfe stories.
January 30, 2017
I've only read the first story in this volume (so far), which is 'Before I Die'. Enjoyed it, but not terribly mad about the Nero Wolfe mysteries like my mom and one of my best friends are. :P
August 13, 2018
always love the adventures of Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin.
September 4, 2018
This one was three short stories, but they were all good. There was nothing about the nemesis, so whoever said you had to read 13-15 in order, was incorrect.
February 20, 2021
Nice immediately-post-war trio of novellas. Best for me is the one with the substitute Nero Wolfe, but you may prefer the one with the gangster that hires Wolfe about his fake and real daughters, or the one about the novelty shop owner who says his partner will kill him.
January 26, 2019
3.5 stars
April 27, 2025
The fourteenth entry in Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe series follows the model of his ninth book, , in that it offers not a single book-length mystery but three novellas combined into a single volume. Though the collection was published in 1949, all three date back to the war and its immediate aftermath, which can make the references to Archie Goodwin’s service in Army intelligence or the references to rationing and shortages � the latter of these a secondary plot point in “Before I Die,� the first story in the collection � a little disorienting. In this respect, it’s best read as a follow-up to , even though the war is more of a background event rather than one central to the plot. Nevertheless, while none of trio represent the best of Stout’s work, they are offer entertaining tales of Wolfe and Goodwin in action, and can be recommended to anyone who needs a quick fix between the more elaborate mysteries.
August 22, 2022
This 1949 book collects three short novellas that were previously published in The New Yorker magazine. As a result, the Nero Wolfe timeline steps slightly backwards, to the end of World War II. There are a few interesting aspects from a historical perspective. Wolfe accept a job from a notorious gangster in order to get around wartime meat rationing. He continues to complain about confiscatory Federal taxes of over 90%. One of the clients pays Wolfe $5000 in cash in the expectation that it is better than writing him a check for $50,000.
Also, Wolfe again concocts a scheme to kill the perp, rather than have them face trial. This is the third time he has done so in the first 14 books in the series. Inspector Cramer acidly points out that this spares Wolfe having to leave the house to testify, which seems like a rather bloody way to indulge his agoraphobia. Otherwise, the mysteries are good, but not exceptional.
Also, Wolfe again concocts a scheme to kill the perp, rather than have them face trial. This is the third time he has done so in the first 14 books in the series. Inspector Cramer acidly points out that this spares Wolfe having to leave the house to testify, which seems like a rather bloody way to indulge his agoraphobia. Otherwise, the mysteries are good, but not exceptional.
September 7, 2024
Quick and fun, this is a great read. This is a collection of three short stories in the Nero Wolfe universe, and this collection makes me think I prefer the shorter versions of these stories. One of these books I read earlier this year had something like 30 or 40 potential suspects, each with name, backstory and manner of speaking. These, on the other hand, are quick and to the point. No muss, no fuss!
May 12, 2024
Another classic collection of Nero Wolfe novelletes. I enjoyed re-reading this time from my 1949 first edition hardback. Containing 'Before I Die', 'Help Wanted, Male', and 'Instead of Evidence', the first in this collection is the best of the bunch while the middle novelette is more forgettable -- however, they all contain the wonderful witty repartee which I love so much between Wolfe, Archive, Fritz, Cramer, and the rest that always have me returning to and re-reading Stout's novels.
August 18, 2020
4.5: I am consistently amused by so many parts of these books. So good. Only piece that annoys me is, like with Sherlock Holmes, the conclusions are sometimes out of nowhere.
April 16, 2023
I recommend the Nero Wolfe books to fans of The Thin Man and anyone looking for some light detective fiction with a touch of comedy. What makes the books so much fun is the voice of the narrator, Archie Goodwin, Wolfe's assistant. Goodwin pulls no punches, verbally or physically. This omnibus volume of 3 separate but similar cases is a good place to start.
August 3, 2018
I love the way Rex Stout writes about Nero, Archie, and the household. Not my first Stout story but one that I did miss somehow- and it gave me a delightful evening of light reading.
June 26, 2014
Trouble in triplicate
I just can't stop reading the Nero Wolfe books by Rec Stout. this is another winner. The pairing of Wolfe and Goodwin is excellent. but I have to say Saul Panzer and Fritz give the books a tie that keeps you wanting to see more and more of them. in my minds eye I see the characters acted out by actors who played a few years ago. Even if you didn't see the few episodes that were made. I think you will enjoy getting to know the characters. stout is an excellent story teller.
I just can't stop reading the Nero Wolfe books by Rec Stout. this is another winner. The pairing of Wolfe and Goodwin is excellent. but I have to say Saul Panzer and Fritz give the books a tie that keeps you wanting to see more and more of them. in my minds eye I see the characters acted out by actors who played a few years ago. Even if you didn't see the few episodes that were made. I think you will enjoy getting to know the characters. stout is an excellent story teller.
September 19, 2018
Rather enjoyable collection comprising of three novellas, all of which were utterly preposterous in terms of credibility, but were highly enjoyable.
In "Before I Die" Wolfe takes a case on behalf of a Mob Boss, to protect his daughter and her lawful inheritance. The story was so "made up" that I felt like reading a Bollywood movie.
"Help Wanted, Male" has Wolfe fearing for his life, and trying to take protection by hiring a double. But then...
"Instead of Evidence" was silly, predictable, and huge fun.
So, you get three delightful reads between two covers.
In "Before I Die" Wolfe takes a case on behalf of a Mob Boss, to protect his daughter and her lawful inheritance. The story was so "made up" that I felt like reading a Bollywood movie.
"Help Wanted, Male" has Wolfe fearing for his life, and trying to take protection by hiring a double. But then...
"Instead of Evidence" was silly, predictable, and huge fun.
So, you get three delightful reads between two covers.
May 26, 2023
A decent set of short stories, but none of them really stood out from each other or the other Nero Wolfe tales I have read previously. The first of the three had Archie scared down to his socks, but the black marketeer didn't seem anymore ruthless or effective than the other villains he and Wolfe have faced previously or since.
Still, a good set of tales and a solid book to read over an afternoon or two. Stout's descriptions of his characters are always interesting and paint an interesting picture of NYC in 1945 through 1947.
Find it. Buy it. Read it!
Still, a good set of tales and a solid book to read over an afternoon or two. Stout's descriptions of his characters are always interesting and paint an interesting picture of NYC in 1945 through 1947.
Find it. Buy it. Read it!
July 31, 2024
How Stout loved writing novellas! Three good ones are collected in this book. First there's "Before I Die," in which Wolfe--tired of the meat shortage--gets involved with gangsters; the classic "Help Wanted, Male" which features a threat to Wolfe's life, and last the memorable "Instead of Evidence," another story of a threatened man. What can one say?--Archie, Fritz and Theodore are all in the house on West 35th Street, and for a while the reader is back in the mid 1940's.
June 22, 2022
Trouble In Triplicate (1949) (Nero Wolfe #14) by Rex Stout. Here are three short stories of murder. Each is a gem in itself.
The first is Before I Die. This is a rather complicated matter of a major dealer in the blackmarket wanting to have a pesky blackmailer stopped. He can’t do it himself, or have it done for him because the blackmailer is his “daughter�. Afraid of having his real but estranged daughter being the victim of violence as a lever on him he went out west and found a woman near enough to his daughter’s age and set her up in his penthouse. She was being paid a hundred a month but got greedy. Then she got greedier until he couldn’t take it anymore, so he turned to Wolfe to fix the situation.
Wolfe gets the girl to come talk with him and he informs her that he is blackmailing her now. Pay up most of what you get from your “daddy� and Wolfe will stay mum. Don’t and he has no qualms about contacting the police out west and sending back to serve her due time. He gives her time to think it over and sends Archie to see her home.
She is gunned down by a passing car on her doorstep with Archie as witness.
After several hours with the cops he returns to the Wolfe’s brownstone only to be met by “daddy� and his heavy muscle. Those two are in turn mown down by bullets from a passing car, just missing Archie.
There is more but that’s enough of the puzzle for now. To find out more, read the book.
Next is Help Wanted. Male. A death threat is sent to a man Wolfe had been working with during the war and the man is soon thereafter murdered. The next day Wolfe receives the same threat. Archie has to go to Washington on military matters (he rose to the rank of Major during the war and they still insist they have control over his actions) and is gone a few days. When he returns he finds an imposter sitting in Wolfe’s chair.
The fill-n is part of Wolfe’s plan to lure the killer out and capturing him. All goes well until there is a pistol fired during a visit by the son of the other man who was killed, and a young woman who is involved in the situation. Seems the shot was fired from the front room, not in Wolfe’s office, and they were the only two possible as having fired the shot. Wolfe himself was busy getting set up to spy on the coming conference in the office and Archie had just left the pair in the front room and had only begun to speak with Wolfe. The sacrificial lamb had his eyes closed when the shot was fired, thus not seeing who did it. Blood on his ear and a hole in the headrest of his chair told the story of the angle of the shot, but not who pulled the trigger.
It is up to Wolfe to figure out exactly who tried to kill him.
The last is titled Instead of Evidence. Mr. and Mrs. Poor come to see Wolfe. He is the executive side of a two man partnership in the novelty gag business. He says his partner is going to kill him to gain complete control of the business. The partner has offered to buy him out at about 10% of what his half should be valued at and Mr. Poor said no. Reluctantly Wolfe takes the job of finding the killer and proving it in the off chance that Mr. Poor is killed within the year.
Later that day the police are all over the Poor’s apartment after the husband is found dead due to a trick exploding cigar.
This is a nice collection showing that Mr. Stout was just as adept in the short form as in the long. It makes for a nice day’s reading at the beach or on the train. Well worth finding in the used book aisles.
The first is Before I Die. This is a rather complicated matter of a major dealer in the blackmarket wanting to have a pesky blackmailer stopped. He can’t do it himself, or have it done for him because the blackmailer is his “daughter�. Afraid of having his real but estranged daughter being the victim of violence as a lever on him he went out west and found a woman near enough to his daughter’s age and set her up in his penthouse. She was being paid a hundred a month but got greedy. Then she got greedier until he couldn’t take it anymore, so he turned to Wolfe to fix the situation.
Wolfe gets the girl to come talk with him and he informs her that he is blackmailing her now. Pay up most of what you get from your “daddy� and Wolfe will stay mum. Don’t and he has no qualms about contacting the police out west and sending back to serve her due time. He gives her time to think it over and sends Archie to see her home.
She is gunned down by a passing car on her doorstep with Archie as witness.
After several hours with the cops he returns to the Wolfe’s brownstone only to be met by “daddy� and his heavy muscle. Those two are in turn mown down by bullets from a passing car, just missing Archie.
There is more but that’s enough of the puzzle for now. To find out more, read the book.
Next is Help Wanted. Male. A death threat is sent to a man Wolfe had been working with during the war and the man is soon thereafter murdered. The next day Wolfe receives the same threat. Archie has to go to Washington on military matters (he rose to the rank of Major during the war and they still insist they have control over his actions) and is gone a few days. When he returns he finds an imposter sitting in Wolfe’s chair.
The fill-n is part of Wolfe’s plan to lure the killer out and capturing him. All goes well until there is a pistol fired during a visit by the son of the other man who was killed, and a young woman who is involved in the situation. Seems the shot was fired from the front room, not in Wolfe’s office, and they were the only two possible as having fired the shot. Wolfe himself was busy getting set up to spy on the coming conference in the office and Archie had just left the pair in the front room and had only begun to speak with Wolfe. The sacrificial lamb had his eyes closed when the shot was fired, thus not seeing who did it. Blood on his ear and a hole in the headrest of his chair told the story of the angle of the shot, but not who pulled the trigger.
It is up to Wolfe to figure out exactly who tried to kill him.
The last is titled Instead of Evidence. Mr. and Mrs. Poor come to see Wolfe. He is the executive side of a two man partnership in the novelty gag business. He says his partner is going to kill him to gain complete control of the business. The partner has offered to buy him out at about 10% of what his half should be valued at and Mr. Poor said no. Reluctantly Wolfe takes the job of finding the killer and proving it in the off chance that Mr. Poor is killed within the year.
Later that day the police are all over the Poor’s apartment after the husband is found dead due to a trick exploding cigar.
This is a nice collection showing that Mr. Stout was just as adept in the short form as in the long. It makes for a nice day’s reading at the beach or on the train. Well worth finding in the used book aisles.
March 22, 2017
This collection of three novellas has a theme: people who are afraid they are about to be murdered. In two of the novellas, the people who are afraid they are about to be murdered are clients, and they're right. In one, it's Wolfe who's afraid, and he survives. (Spoiler. But not really.)
In "Before I Die", a client has two daughters, a real one and a fake one. (He's part of the mob, and he's afraid the real one will be murdered by rivals, so he's set up a fake one as cover.) He initially hires Wolfe to deal with his blackmailing fake!daughter, but ends up making Wolfe his real!daughter's guardian in case he's murdered (and then is promptly murdered, on Wolfe's stoop no less!) Wolfe has to earn his fee by finding out who killed his client.
In "Help Wanted, Male", someone involved in a previous Wolfe case comes to Wolfe frightened because he's received a death threat. Wolfe won't take the case (either it's a hoax, in which case the potential client doesn't need Wolfe, or else it's not, and it's almost impossible to defend against unless you're the President or someone else with an unlimited security budget). The potential client promptly ends up murdered - and then Wolfe receives an identical death threat... This is definitely one of the more idiosyncratic Wolfe stories and the way Wolfe evades his own murder is a lot of fun to read about.
Finally, in "Instead of Evidence", a man and his wife come to Wolfe to get his help because they're afraid that the man will be murdered by his evil business partner. The man doesn't want Wolfe to try to stop it - he's aware that that'll be futile. He wants to engage Wolfe in advance, so that if he is indeed murdered, Wolfe will then catch the killer. When the man is indeed murdered that very same day (by a novelty exploding cigar), Wolfe and Archie have to spring into action.
I think this is one of the stronger themes of the novella collections, and it makes for interesting reading, because superficially there are lots of similarities between the stories. There's also some fun character work - in "Before I Die," Cramer is positively nice to them at times (because he thinks Wolfe and Archie are about to be murdered by the mob), and in "Help Wanted, Male", both Wolfe and Archie are under extreme stress and in an unparalleled domestic situation.
In "Before I Die", a client has two daughters, a real one and a fake one. (He's part of the mob, and he's afraid the real one will be murdered by rivals, so he's set up a fake one as cover.) He initially hires Wolfe to deal with his blackmailing fake!daughter, but ends up making Wolfe his real!daughter's guardian in case he's murdered (and then is promptly murdered, on Wolfe's stoop no less!) Wolfe has to earn his fee by finding out who killed his client.
In "Help Wanted, Male", someone involved in a previous Wolfe case comes to Wolfe frightened because he's received a death threat. Wolfe won't take the case (either it's a hoax, in which case the potential client doesn't need Wolfe, or else it's not, and it's almost impossible to defend against unless you're the President or someone else with an unlimited security budget). The potential client promptly ends up murdered - and then Wolfe receives an identical death threat... This is definitely one of the more idiosyncratic Wolfe stories and the way Wolfe evades his own murder is a lot of fun to read about.
Finally, in "Instead of Evidence", a man and his wife come to Wolfe to get his help because they're afraid that the man will be murdered by his evil business partner. The man doesn't want Wolfe to try to stop it - he's aware that that'll be futile. He wants to engage Wolfe in advance, so that if he is indeed murdered, Wolfe will then catch the killer. When the man is indeed murdered that very same day (by a novelty exploding cigar), Wolfe and Archie have to spring into action.
I think this is one of the stronger themes of the novella collections, and it makes for interesting reading, because superficially there are lots of similarities between the stories. There's also some fun character work - in "Before I Die," Cramer is positively nice to them at times (because he thinks Wolfe and Archie are about to be murdered by the mob), and in "Help Wanted, Male", both Wolfe and Archie are under extreme stress and in an unparalleled domestic situation.
February 20, 2023
El famoso detective de salón Nero Wolf se enfrenta a tres casos con perfil similar: un hombre angustiado acude a él porque, de una manera o de otra, piensa que lo van a matar. Nero Wolfe, un hombre que jamás sale de su casa ni cambia sus rutinas, rehúsa protegerlo. Su consultante es asesinado y ahora hay que descubrir a un asesino.
- El primer problema nos presenta a Ben Jensen, una persona que colaboró con Wolfe en cierto momento del pasado y que ha recibido un anónimo de amenaza. Tras su muerte, el propio Wolfe recibe otro idéntico. Ahora es personal, supongo.
- En el segundo conocemos a Eugene R. Poor, un hombre empeñado en que su socio en el negocio de la fabricación de artÃculos de broma pretende asesinarlo. Esa misma noche, se enciende un puro y un potente explosivo le vuela la cabeza. Este me ha parecido el más redondo de los tres, con un toque muy Christie.
- El tercer problema gira en torno a un gangster que tiene un doble problema: tiene una hija (que no sabe que es su padre) y, para esconderla de sus enemigos, ha contratado a una actriz para que se haga pasar por ella (actriz que ahora le está chantajeando). El asunto acabará pronto como el rosario de la aurora.
Ha sido mi primera aproximación a Nero Wolfe y, la verdad, me ha parecido interesante. El narrador y protagonista, a pesar de ser un Watson o un Hastings, no es un patán pasivo, sino que tiene una relación tirante con Wolfe, tiene ideas que a veces resultan ser correctas y toma decisiones relevantes. Las historias son inteligentes y tienen todo lo que cabrÃa esperar.
Habrá que leer más de Rex Strout.
- El primer problema nos presenta a Ben Jensen, una persona que colaboró con Wolfe en cierto momento del pasado y que ha recibido un anónimo de amenaza. Tras su muerte, el propio Wolfe recibe otro idéntico. Ahora es personal, supongo.
- En el segundo conocemos a Eugene R. Poor, un hombre empeñado en que su socio en el negocio de la fabricación de artÃculos de broma pretende asesinarlo. Esa misma noche, se enciende un puro y un potente explosivo le vuela la cabeza. Este me ha parecido el más redondo de los tres, con un toque muy Christie.
- El tercer problema gira en torno a un gangster que tiene un doble problema: tiene una hija (que no sabe que es su padre) y, para esconderla de sus enemigos, ha contratado a una actriz para que se haga pasar por ella (actriz que ahora le está chantajeando). El asunto acabará pronto como el rosario de la aurora.
Ha sido mi primera aproximación a Nero Wolfe y, la verdad, me ha parecido interesante. El narrador y protagonista, a pesar de ser un Watson o un Hastings, no es un patán pasivo, sino que tiene una relación tirante con Wolfe, tiene ideas que a veces resultan ser correctas y toma decisiones relevantes. Las historias son inteligentes y tienen todo lo que cabrÃa esperar.
Habrá que leer más de Rex Strout.
April 28, 2019
3 stories here. First is about a black market crime lord being blackmailed by his pretend daughter and he paid all her demands up to the point when she wanted $50,000.00. That was when he sought Reno Wolfe's help to stop the blackmail and hold her record against her (her criminal past acted as a persuasion for the masquerade but Perrit can not use the same to expose the blackmail because his deception would be exposed, thus his true daughter's identity known). Wolfe took the case much to Archie's disgust since they do not take clients of Perrit's sort but on account of the the meat shortage that had Wolfe climbing the walls like an addict whose gourmet appetites must at all costs be appeased otherwise their household would be stirred crazy...
Second. Ben Jensen received a threatening letter styled as a ransom note with cut~out letters and went to Nero Wolfe owing to his admiration of the latter's abilities on a previous case where they were both involved in but Wolfe turned him down. Then Wolfe himself got the same threat in like manner and then Jensen got gunned down together with his bodyguard that Wolfe cavalierly suggested for him to employ even furnishing him the name of the agency from which to procure such a protector...
Third. Involves another "femme fatale" according to Archie's account as surmised by this reader since Wolfe is totally immune to the sexual pheromones and as usual with such kind of women... the results are deadly.
Second. Ben Jensen received a threatening letter styled as a ransom note with cut~out letters and went to Nero Wolfe owing to his admiration of the latter's abilities on a previous case where they were both involved in but Wolfe turned him down. Then Wolfe himself got the same threat in like manner and then Jensen got gunned down together with his bodyguard that Wolfe cavalierly suggested for him to employ even furnishing him the name of the agency from which to procure such a protector...
Third. Involves another "femme fatale" according to Archie's account as surmised by this reader since Wolfe is totally immune to the sexual pheromones and as usual with such kind of women... the results are deadly.
July 27, 2022
Just fine for what it is, three short and punchy pulp detective stories.
Are they great? Not really. Most of the red herrings are fished out of this trio, the characters are mere sketches, and the resolutions are forced a bit, all to meet the shorter page count. What we do get are glimpses of Nero and Archie in wartime, and immediately after. Just as in the Holmes cycle that Stout loved to model his novels upon, there are repeated mentions of Wolfe's service to his country (obviously invaluable but vaguely described). Wolfe's Watson, however, is denied his chance to prove himself in glorious battle. Archie's time in uniform is generally spent... not in uniform. Commissioned an Army major, his critical role is doing exactly what he did before the war. The only time his itch to be on the front and general discontent with being Wolfe's legman is mentioned though is when it is necessary from him to be out of town to advance a plot point.
If there is a critique to be made of this particular collection it would be that these tales are more plot-driven and less finished than the longer form stories. Even so they are a treat to read.
Are they great? Not really. Most of the red herrings are fished out of this trio, the characters are mere sketches, and the resolutions are forced a bit, all to meet the shorter page count. What we do get are glimpses of Nero and Archie in wartime, and immediately after. Just as in the Holmes cycle that Stout loved to model his novels upon, there are repeated mentions of Wolfe's service to his country (obviously invaluable but vaguely described). Wolfe's Watson, however, is denied his chance to prove himself in glorious battle. Archie's time in uniform is generally spent... not in uniform. Commissioned an Army major, his critical role is doing exactly what he did before the war. The only time his itch to be on the front and general discontent with being Wolfe's legman is mentioned though is when it is necessary from him to be out of town to advance a plot point.
If there is a critique to be made of this particular collection it would be that these tales are more plot-driven and less finished than the longer form stories. Even so they are a treat to read.
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