Customer Reviews

The Rubber Band (A Nero Wolfe Mystery)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

An early Wolfe, very strong plot and fun read. If not quite up to the next 10 or so efforts it is smoother than Fer-de-Lance and Stout begins to humanize Wolfe's character. I think Inspector Cramer makes his first appearance,too.

This is one of his first. I've read them all, several times each. Even tho this is not his best, Rex Stout still writes far better than most writers today. His books are very funny and the plots entertaining. Closest I've come to finding his successor is Deadly Diamonds, by Pamela Troutman.

The older the better on these Rex Stout mysteries, and the elegant turn of phrase just can't be beat. Nero Wolfe apologizing to a lady caller tells her that it's "bulk not boorishness" that keeps him seated as she enters the room. His assistant Archie directs a visitor to a place where he can park "the back of his lap," a concept that stops the gentleman dead in his tracks.

The narrator is great, the plot engaging, and, as opposed to his later more convoluted stories, there's just enough information to make your own stab at solving the case. A great yarn!

Clara Fox is at the center of two mysteries: 1) one of her employers accuses her of stealing $30,000 of company monies and 2) she asks Wolfe to help find an associate of her deceased father and recover monies promised when he was a member of the Rubber Band.

The Rubber Band was a group of 6 men who, 40 years previously, helped an Englishman escape the law in Silver City, NV in return for possible rewards if he inherited a part of his family's wealth in the future. Time has passed. Clara has found two survivors of the band and the daughter of another. Together, the four have located the Englishman who is now a peer and extremely wealthy. They ask Wolfe to help them prevail upon the Englishman to fulfill his promise.

Before long, two men are murdered and the lives of two women, including Clara, are threatened. The two cases appear related and people are not what they seem.

This is an early Nero Wolfe, but it has all the classic ingredients. Wolfe stays in his office/home and directs Archie, his assistant, and a group of hourly wage PI's. He never misses a meal or his two daily sessions with his prize-winning orchids in the greenhouse on the roof. The police and district attorney come to his office to threaten and cajole. But Wolfe sits and thinks and solves the cases.

This is a great mystery (as are all Nero Wolfe mysteries). It is well constructed--events are carefully interwoven and characters are unique. It relies on interrogation, deduction, and intellectual prowess not DNA, forensic evidence and violence. You can follow along and see if you can find the killer.

Rubber Coleman got his nickname by always seeming to bounce back after being knocked down in a fight. [Why did this remind me of Bill Clinton??]

Rex Stout bounced back from The League of Frightened Gentlemen with this one - the first of a few of his which jumped off Manhattan Island and recounted a tall tale of the old West. The League scared some of his early readers, I think: it was too ethereal and high-concept.

The Rubber Band shoots from the hip, by sharp contrast. Since Rex had traveled the whole United States by this time, and had spent considerable time in the West, his background should at least lend credence to the accuracy of this story.

However, like some of the reviews below assert, its actual credibility is really thin. I won't say more, since the book is enjoyable despite its flaws, but don't expect Fer de Lance, and...

...you won't be disappointed.

In this, the third book in the Nero Wolfe series, we are introduced to Clara Fox, who is hiding from the police, and we get to see the Wolfe household through a woman's eyes. She loves the food, the cleanliness, the routine, and declares that she will marry Nero and find a woman for Archie, too. We are also introduced to Lieutenant Rowcliff of the NYPD. By this time, the characters are developed into who they will be throughout the series. Wolfe throws darts for "exercise." Archie looks in on Wolfe and finds the fat man's lips moving silently -- a sure sign that Wolfe is thinking hard, so Archie doesn't disturb him. Full of wit, humanity, and intelligence.

this cd is as usual for Rex, great. the narrator is perfect and you will enjoy the cd as much as any of the series you have ever listened to or read.

The book was in even better condition than expected and it was shipped immediately. Great customer service.

I READ THIS BOOK MANY YEARS AGO. MY COPY HAD DETORIATED AND I WANTED TO READ IT AGAIN. I WAS VERY PLEASED THAT AMAZON HAD THE BOOK.

I love the Rex Stout, Nero Wolfe mysteries. Michael Prichard, the reader of the Wolfe mysteries on tape (cd) does a great job bringing the books to life. I love listening to these when I am in the kitchen cooking the evening meal. The Rubber Band proved to be a great kitchen companion. If you like mysteries and have never read or listened to a Nero Wolfe mystery, you are missing a great treat.