Customer Reviews

The Last Coincidence - a Nero Wolfe Mystery

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Having read all of Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe books - many, many times over, I felt tempted to try a Robert Goldsborough Nero Wolfe mystery. I've never been happy with new authors who've tried to continue writing in the vein of the original author because of losing the original characters' personalities and realism, different writing and plot styles. This was not the case here! What a pleasant surprise! Goldsborough has obviously read Stout's Wolfe books and did a lot of research. He maintained Archie's and Nero Wolfe's personalities and styles of speech, as well as those of Lily Rowan, Fritz, Cramer, Stebbins, etc. Well-thought-out plot, and quite a tricky one. Probably the most difficult to deal with of all of Wolfe's clients. By the time I finished the book, I was more aware of the story and my favorite characters than the identity of the author. True, there can never be another Rex Stout, and there are naturally some very nebulous differences, but not enough to be bothersome or detract from the story. I look forward to the new source of Nero Wolfe reads from Goldborough - hats off to him! If you're a dyed-in-wool Wolfe fan, I think you'll be very pleasantly surprised!

An average mystery featuring a beloved character (and Nero Wolfe as well). Certainly, on its own, this book would not stand the test of time, but as part of the overall series it is fine. It falls in the bottom third of the canon... but it is certainly much better than no book and better than the average mystery.. even if not up to the standards of Rex Stout.

A playboy is murdered after committing a heinous act. If an innocent man hadn't confessed there would be no reason to solve the case. This is the most flawed of the Goldsborough Wolfe series I have read. Archie approaches a situation with no real plan and becomes a temporary red herring. Along with murder, which is the usual fare in these mysteries, another crime which sets the chain of events in motion seems out of place in a Wolfe mystery. Finally there is a murderer whose motive better fits a cop show on television. This book just does not match up well to the Nero Wolfe legacy and it really stands out as something that only gets published because Nero Wolfe is on the cover.

I found this book at work a few years ago, and I eventually set about reading it at my various sittings on the throne. It is the only Nero Wolfe book I've read. I remembered William Conrad playing the role in the early 80's. It was a most entertaining series. Unfortunately this book was a travesty. Don't waste your time with this.