Nero Wolfe investigates the murders of Dazy Perrit, an underworld kingpin, Ben Jensen, a well-connected publisher, and Eugene R. Poor, an inventor of novelties. Reissue.
Trouble in Triplicate (Crime Line)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Three Cases with Corpses for Clients,
By
This review is from: Trouble in Triplicate (Crime Line) (Mass Market Paperback)
Trouble in Triplicate tells a trio of tales in which the murder victim comes to Wolfe before being killed. In "Before I Die" a crime boss brings a blackmail case to Wolfe, never expecting to die. But just in case, he makes Wolfe the executor of his estate, thereby making Wolfe and Archie Goodwin the prime suspects in his murder. Wolfe's task: solve the crime boss's murder before he and Archie are erased by the boss's vengeful hit man. In "Help Wanted--Male" Wolfe blows off a prospective client who has received a death threat mere hours before the man's brutal murder. Then Wolfe receives an identical death threat. Wolfe is as concerned about the threat against himself as he was unconcerned about the threat against his prospective client. He goes to remarkable lengths to preserve his skin, makes the biggest blunder of his career, and discovers his mistake just in time by inspecting furniture. "Instead of Evidence" presents a situation where a prospective victim hires Wolfe for $5,000.00 to avenge his impending murder by his business partner. When the man dies horribly, Wolfe has a ready-made suspect but a paucity of evidence. It looks as though the killer will go unpunished, but at the last minute Wolfe gets the picture. At least two of these stories ("Before I Die" and "Help Wanted--Male") have been televised on the A&E series "Nero Wolfe" (long may it run).
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Two would-be clients seeking to avoid murder, one blackmail,
By Michele L. Worley (Kingdom of the Mouse, United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Trouble in Triplicate (Crime Line) (Mass Market Paperback)
One of the 3 short stories herein is set during WWII, after those of _Not Quite Dead Enough_, the others in the 18 months following. Wolfe spent the war working for U.S. Army Intelligence. Archie was in the Army as a major, but couldn't wangle a transfer to a combat assignment; he was assigned to Wolfe, essentially doing his normal job, and General Carpenter said that's where he'd stay. General Carpenter and Wolfe's Intelligence connections appear occasionally after the war, as in _The Silent Speaker_ or "Home to Roost" in _Triple Jeopardy_.To date (the beginning of the 2nd season of Nero Wolfe), A&E has adapted 2 of the 3 stories herein. I've sorted them here by chronological order rather than as they appear in the book. "Help Wanted, Male" - May 1944. Adapted for A&E's 2nd season. Wolfe isn't taking any private cases while working for Army Intelligence (and anyway, Archie is technically in the Army rather than doing legwork for Wolfe in his private capacity). When Ben Jensen (having met them during the court-martial of a man selling Army secrets for political purposes) comes to Wolfe asking for help after receiving anonymous death threats, Wolfe turns him down - although he would anyway, since there is ultimately no protection against a determined assassin. It's material, though, because Wolfe himself receives similar threats after Jensen's murder. (Granted, his first reaction is that Archie provided these last as a gag.) Then when Archie gets to Washington to request a combat assignment yet again, he sees a *very* unusual newspaper advertisement, seeking someone matching Wolfe's description. "Instead of Evidence" a.k.a. "Murder on Tuesday" - October 1945, 1 week after Archie is officially out of the Army. Many attempt to hire Wolfe to keep someone from killing them, but none have ever been accepted - because a sufficiently determined killer can always succeed (and with enough patience, maybe not even be caught). Eugene Poor owns half of Blaney & Poor, manufacturers of novelties, but Blaney is determined to get sole control without paying full value for Poor's half - so Poor says. Mrs. Poor would rather see Eugene sell out for a pittance than run the risk of being murdered. Wolfe, in the end, undertakes only to see that the cops are tipped off properly if Poor is murdered - and the neatly typed list of facts is called for before bedtime by Cramer of Homicide, now that a bomb disguised as a cigar has blown Poor's face off. "Before I Die" - Adapted for A&E's 2nd season. 7-8 October 1946, when Wolfe is desperate for a controlled substance - meat, under post-WWII rationing. Another desperate man - Dazy Perrit, king of the black market - can provide a quid pro quo, if Wolfe can protect his daughter. Even Beulah herself (through a combination of circumstances) doesn't know that Perrit is her father, but some of his underworld associates have been trying to find her, so he hired Angelina Murphy to play the role of daughter. "Violet Perrit", however, has become greedy, blackmailing Perrit by threatening to expose the charade. He's come to Wolfe to get him out from under without endangering Beulah. The title quote is actually from Archie, who's really scared by this case, since they now know far too much of a dangerous man's secrets for comfort.
10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Master of the Short Story,
By
This review is from: Trouble in Triplicate (Crime Line) (Mass Market Paperback)
Two of these - "Help Wanted, Male" and "Before I Die" - were made into an A&E episodes. All three of them, though, were more than strong enough to be adapted successfully.
"Help Wanted, Male" happens during WWII, when Archie is a major, and Wolfe has volunteered to help military intelligence. Archie is assigned to Wolfe, which he does not like, but cannot get General Carpenter to reassign him. A&E really bungled this badly. Rex Stout was a patriot, and, while a libertarian, would not have wanted to depict the military as A&E did. None of the senile, babbling foolishness demonstrated by Gen. Carpenter is depicted in the story itself. The story is strong, innovative and clever, with good character development and imagery. "Before I Die" was also adapted for A&E's 2nd season, to somewhat better effect. Wolfe is more sympathetic to organized crime here than anywhere else, because he believes that he can get fresh meat in deiance of rationing requirements. We are all slaves to our own appetites, and Wolfe is no exception. It's a clever plot line, although the gangland depictions do not ring very true. The characters here, though, are not as well formed; A&E actually beefed them up a little for TV. "Instead of Evidence" - A&E did not try this one, perhaps because of limitations on their special effects budget. Read the story to see why...
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