Customer Reviews

THREE WITNESSES [Nero Wolfe]

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Nero Wolfe may be enjoyed through the media of print, audio, and video--in print courtesy of Bantam Books; on audio courtesy of Durkin Hayes, Radio Spirits, and Books on Tape; and on video courtesy of A&E Network. It's hard to say which way gives the most pleasure. As much as I like the A&E shows, and as much as I like Durkin Hayes' editions of the CBC radio shows, I think the best way to enjoy Nero Wolfe is in print. And the best way to enjoy him in print is in Rex Stout's novelettes. The novels are good, but the novelettes are tauter, faster-paced, and funnier. "Three Witnesses" serves up three very good novelettes. In "The Next Witness" Wolfe sits uncomfortably in a crowded courtroom, under subpoena, and waiting to give truthful testimony which he expects will materially contribute to the conviction for murder of an innocent man. What to do, what to do? Flee the courtroom, dodge the arrest warrant issued for contempt of court, and bring the real murderer to justice before the judge can bang his gavel down on a sentence of imprisonment for contempt. That sounds easy enough, doesn't it? In "When a Man Murders", a millionaire returns from the dead to retrieve the fortune which was divided among his heirs and reclaim the "widow" who has entered into a much happier second marriage. The "widow" comes to Wolfe for his assistance in obtaining a divorce from her recently resurrected spouse. Not to worry, he almost immediately dies again, but the widow's new husband is arrested for murder. Wolfe must penetrate a web of lies to determine who among the heirs had the most to gain from the millionaire's second death. In "Die Like a Dog" an improbable chain of coincidences brings Nero Wolfe together with Nero the Labrador Retriever. Together they unravel a murder mystery, reunite a couple, and retrieve Archie Goodwin's raincoat. "Die Like a Dog" and "The Next Witness" have both been televised on the A&E series.

To date (beginning of season 2), 2 of the 3 stories herein have been adapted by A&E with Maury Chaykin as Wolfe; the TV series is extremely faithful to the original stories.

"The Next Witness" - (Adapted for _Nero Wolfe_'s 2nd season.) Wolfe makes a point of never leaving home on business, but alas, subpoenas are an occupational hazard for private investigators, and even Wolfe can't always shuffle them off onto Archie, even when the defendant never made it to the status of client.

Wolfe didn't deliver Leonard Ashe to the law; he rejected Ashe as a client because he won't touch marital squabbles. Ashe is being tried for the murder of one of the operators of his telephone answering service, apparently after a failed attempt to bribe her to tap his wife's calls. Wolfe, after hearing the testimony of preceding witnesses, skips out on the subpoena, taking Archie along, having become convinced that Ashe is innocent, though he doesn't at first explain why. See if you can deduce his reasons before the grand finale.

When Wolfe finally does take the stand quite a while later (now, of course, facing contempt of court), he has a diabolically clever plan to get his new evidence before the jury. Enjoy.

When a Man Murders... - Sydney Karnow had wealth, a sardonic sense of humor, a nice wife, and a pack of sponging relatives. A year after his marriage, he volunteered for army service in the Korean War, and was reported dead within a year, leaving his fortune divided between his wife (50%) and the spongers (50% divided 3 ways), so all were well provided for if not filthy rich.

Now, 3 years later, he's come back *alive* - two years after Caroline's remarriage to Paul Aubry. They used her inheritance to start an automobile agency, but the money didn't bring them to Wolfe - their problem is that their marriage is now invalid. (They're willing to concede anything about the money in exchange for a simple divorce.) Paul can't bring himself to speak with Karnow directly, and Karnow's lawyer won't get involved, so they're approaching Wolfe to act as intermediary.

Ordinarily Wolfe won't touch any case related to marital squabbles, but he's willing in this instance. Unfortunately, when Archie enters Karnow's hotel room at the Churchill, he's dead again, this time for keeps. Did Paul or Caroline try to hire Wolfe as a bluff? Or did one of the spongers (some of whom haven't *got* the money to repay the estate anymore) panic? Or was it something they don't know about yet?

"Die Like a Dog" - This has always been a favourite of mine, and I was very pleasantly surprised when A&E adapted it for _Nero Wolfe_'s 2nd season. A black Labrador literally follows Archie home, and not only retrieves his windblown hat, but turns out to be named 'Nero' (part of a much longer kennel-club name on his collar, but how could Archie resist?)

Unfortunately, the unannounced (even if temporary) introduction of a dog into the hallowed halls of the brownstone backfires in a totally unexpected manner, which you'll have to read/see to believe. :) The *dog* turns out to be a possible witness in a murder investigation, but how the heck can anybody learn anything from him?

Nero Wolfe has many eccentricities, his orchids, his rigid schedule, his obsessive reading to name a few. Very prominent on this list is that Wolfe rarely leaves the house, NEVER handles divorce cases, and is opposed to animals in his house. In this collection of three novellas all of the above and more occur.

THE NEXT WITNESS is the first story. Nero Wolfe has been summoned to court as a witness in a murder trial. This has necessitated him to abandon his routine, travel in a car, sit in court (next to a woman wearing perfume!) and just when the end of this torment is in sight Wolfe walks out of court. Now a fugitive himself he, and Archie set out to solve the case in a more satifactory manner so Nero can return home. This is hilarious, Wolfe becomes involved in many unusual (for him) situations that he reacts to as only Nero Wolfe could or would.

WHEN A MAN MURDERS.... finds Nero and Archie confronted with a low bank balance and two eager clients which Wolfe would prefer to dismss since the case involves divorce. Still the details are intriguing enough to look into and soon this simple matter becomes one of death and deception.

The final work - DIE LIKE A DOG begins with Archie out on a simple errand. A would be client has taken Archie's raincoat by mistake so Archie go the man's apartment and retrieve his coat. When he arrives at the address he discovers that the situation has been complicated by the man's murder, he leaves in order to avoid dealing with the police but discovers that he has been followed home, by a dog. Archie then decides to have a little fun at Wolfe's expense before locating the dog's owner. Soon however the trio - Archie, Nero and the dog find themselves deeply involved in the case and with no client.

These are particularly funny entries into this long running series. Wolfe is thrust into many situations that he would very much prefer to avoid. Fans are treated to many juicy little tidbits about life in the brownstone and even a fleeting glimpse into Wolfe's mysterious past. The mysteries themselves, although somewhat secondary to the cozy/comic elements in these stories, are very clever, fairly laid out and challenge to reader to solve them before Nero reveals all.

This book consists of three Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin mysteries. The stories are well written but do not keep the reader's attention as do the novels.

I love the mystery novels written during the 30's to the 60's. There is a certain style to Chandler, Hammet and Rex Stout which creates an interesting and fast paced story. Rex Stout is a master at giving the reader just enough detail to allow the reader to visualize his/her own images without going into the painful details some modern writers give. The books which are a collection of short stories are the best ones to me. They are written without tedious back-story and come to a speedy conclusion. Three Witnesses is a great example of this. Three stories linked in a theme that entertain. My favorite is the last story about the dog. It shows a different side of Nero Wolfe. Worth reading.

These are great stories, but the most memorable one is "Die Like A Dog." A dog's owner is killed and, because Archie accidentally swapped coats with him, the dog literally follows Archie home. The A&E adaptation of this story is great.

The Wolfe Pack, though, has raised a continuity concern: the dog's owner was dead, Wolfe was obviously very fond of the dog, and yet, without explanation, the dog disappears.

"The Next Witness" has Wolfe testifying in court. The A&E adaption is also a good one, but I was disappointed in the depiction of the judge and his demeanor - it was not how the book has it at all.

And "When a Man Murders..." would have been an outstanding addition to the A&E catalog. Wolfe avoids marital work (a staple of the private detective business), but takes on this one because of some unusual facts and because he's low on cash. The characters in this one are great; you could see the A&E ensemble having a ball with this one.