Customer Reviews

The Golden Spiders

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

The complex plot, the funny dialogs, and the interesting characters make this book, in my opinion, the best of the Nero Wolfe Series.

I love Rex Stout, and have been supplementing my ink-and-paper copies of his books with Kindle versions this spring. I therefore picked up several Nero Wolfe books on Kindle at once, including this one for $5.99 and Some Buried Caesar for $7.99. Tonight I finished the latter novel, only to discover that The Golden Spiders is included in the Kindle edition of Some Buried Caesar, even though that fact isn't mentioned in the product description. Save yourself some money and just pick up Some Buried Caesar.

The Golden Spiders starts out a bit unusually for a Nero Wolfe mystery. A young boy comes to Wolfe's office to tell him that he saw a woman wearing earrings that looked like golden spiders ask for the police while cleaning her windshield. Normally, a child would never even be admitted to Wolfe's presence but due to a bit of sniping between Archie and Wolfe, things are allowed to proceed. As is usually the case when someone comes to see Nero, a death ensues. In this case, the boy dies and two more people involved in the case quickly follow him to the great beyond. Wolfe puts Archie on the case as well as his entire cast of freelance detectives.

The Golden Spiders is one of the shorter Nero Wolfe novels but it didn't feel that way to me. Somehow it felt much more like a paint-by-the-numbers formula Nero Wolfe novel and it is the first I've read that felt lifeless and wooden. The humor that is such a mainstay of the series is lacking to the point that I only chuckled once or twice where I would usually find quite a lot to laugh at. The mystery also plods along after the unusual setup and none of the suspects is particularly interesting or lively. I have certainly read worse novels than The Golden Spiders but if you're looking for a good Nero Wolfe novel I would say that you could do far far better. Some Buried Caesar and Over My Dead Body are just two that come to mind that are much more entertaining.

In every Nero Wolfe book you get some exposition to Nero's moral code. Here, since a young boy ate at his table, Nero feels compelled to investigate his death.

It leads to a great story. On the morality point, though, Inspector Cramer gets something of a last word in: Of all the homicides Cramer has to investigate, the victim's class, status or dining at Wolfe's table plays no role. In so many stories, Cramer is intently curious about who Wolfe's client is; when he hears these circumstances, he gets even more angry than usual.

Which seems backwards, in a way: Wolfe appears to be acting altruistically, and Cramer gets mad at him for it. But, actually, Cramer's right: his job involves seeing a constant parade of injustice and depravity, and he does not have the luxury of picking his cases.

You gotta love Inspector Cramer for that...

One of the most enjoyable and relaxing events in life is to take a break from everything and fall into a Nero Wolfe mystery (only Agatha Christie beats it for sheer pleasure). They are not overly complicated as to be challenging with just enough twists and turns as to be diverting and no more. The humour is always a delight without overwhelming the slender plot. Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin are delightful creations and their relationship is both quite odd and yet quite enjoyable in its uniqueness. The Golden Spiders is, perhaps, not the best Nero Wolfe mystery but this very quick and easy read will do the job. A little bubble bath for the mind.

Not as brilliant and fast paced as the very best of the Wolfe's, but once it gets rolling there's plenty to enjoy.

The action begins in the brownstone, (where else?) Nero has just thrown a tantrum over his meal and Archie has decided to teach him yet another lesson. We are treated to Nero coping with both a child and a grieving mother as he solves the case. All the familiar characters come out to play: Fritz and Theodore; Cramer and Stebbins; Saul, Orrie and Fred. Is this great literature to ponder? - absolutely not! This is strictly for fun, yet another entry in a long running series. A perfect way to spend an lazy afternoon escaping to New York of the 1950's, getting a few peeks into life at the brownstone and enjoying the on going battles between Nero and the world.

Archie Goodwin and Nero Wolfe are back at it again in The Golden Spiders. Tired and somewhat exasperated at Wolfe's lack of professional activity - the great, (big), detective only interrupts his culinary and horticultural habits to detect when he needs money - Archie encounters a young sleuth, a boy actually, on the streets of mid-town Manhattan and brings him in to meet his boss to discuss a case. Soon after the youth becomes the victim of a hit and run "accident".

When a second client, again escorted into Wolfe's brownstone by Archie, also dies mysteriously, the case(s) get Wolfe's full attention - His professional honor now on the line and his enormous ego pricked with two dead clients. Before it's all over Wolfe has managed to aggravate the police, a set of attorneys, and the press - nothing new - but also true to form - he also solves the crimes.

Another very good Archie Goodwin/ Nero Wolfe whodunit - originally published in 1953.