16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best of the Nero Wolfe series., February 28, 2002
This book is a bit of a departure for the Nero Wolfe series. Usually these are character driven books-there can be a distinct lack of action in what is admittedly a more cerebral series than is the norm in this genre. However, this book features a very complex plot with a multitude of characters and lots of actions. And, while character may indeed take a rare second place to plot, the fact is the characters are all nevertheless well developed and intriguing in their own right, so nothing is lost on that score.
Moreover, it is a genuine classic Nero Wolfe story in that the interplay between Wolfe and his intrepid assistant-Archie Goodwin is as good as it gets in the series. The story also makes use of the full ledger of periodic regulars to the series, another plus.
All in all it adds up to a great story and one of the best books in this large series of work.
A great read from a great series. If you like Wolfe, you MUST read this one.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wolfe Earns His Fees, June 23, 2002
A small boy comes to Wolfe with a problem, then dies violently. Wolfe has a few dollars given him by the boy. He determines to spend the money, but no more, seeking the boy's slayer. His efforts bring him another person in need, who gives Wolfe a check for $10,000.00 to help her in a certain matter. She refuses to elucidate exactly what she wants, but says she will explain after making a few inquiries on her own. She also dies violently.
Wolfe doesn't really know what the woman wanted him to do to earn his money, but he decides that she would not be displeased if he used it to solve her murder. He is immediately beset by lawyers seeking the return of the money to the woman's estate.
Wolfe fends off the lawyers and Inspector Cramer as he tries to solve the murders with almost nothing to go on. He does have a similarly executed third murder to consider, a pair of golden spider earrings, and a half-dozen or so unlovely suspects. He makes an assumption, acts on it, "stirs things up" a little, almost gets his confidential assistant Archie Goodwin arrested, gets his ace operative Saul Panzer blackmailed, and gets his operative Fred Durkin tortured. Wolfe's brain can concoct the most Byzantine situations, but Archie's brawn must oftentimes carry them through to fruition. As Fred undergoes torture, Archie steps in and saves the day by delivering a performance worthy of Clint Eastwood's "Dirty Harry."
With Archie's help, Wolfe uncovers a scandal, hands a gang of thugs over to Inspector Cramer, and earns his fee by not only solving the woman's murder but also clearing up the matter she wanted him to handle in the first place. All good fun, and one of the more action-oriented of the Nero Wolfe stories.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best of the Nero Wolfe series, April 2, 1998
By A Customer
The complex plot, the funny dialogs, and the interesting characters make this book, in my opinion, the best of the Nero Wolfe Series.
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