The Golden Spiders (Paperback)

~ Rex Stout (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"It is always a treat to [hear] a Nero Wolfe mystery. The man has entered our folklore." -- The New York Times Book Review

"Prichard's hefty voice and condescending tone are perfect for Nero Wolfe, the neurotic orchid-growing gourmand and detective who weigh nearly 300 pounds and never leaves the house...The '50s-era mystery...is worth the six-hour commitment...The listener has the pleasure of trying to sort the red herrings from the real clues. Wolfe's eccentricities and Goodwin's ironic observations lend humor to the otherwise dark and serious tale." -- The San Diego Union-Tribune, October 19, 1997 --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Product Description

Trying to determine why his last two clients were ruthlessly murdered, Nero Wolfe wonders if the answer is linked to a young boy who turns up at his brownstone apartment and finds clues in a gray Cadillac, a mysterious woman, and spider-shaped earrings. Reissue. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Bantam Books (April 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553239953
• ISBN-13: 978-0553239959
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,341,780 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best of the Nero Wolfe series., February 28, 2002

By	David J. Gannon (San Antonio, TX USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Golden Spiders (Nero Wolfe Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

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.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best of the Nero Wolfe series, April 2, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Golden Spiders (Audio Editions) (Audio Cassette)

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

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wolfe Earns His Fees, June 23, 2002

By	George R Dekle "Bob Dekle" (Lake City, FL United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: The Golden Spiders (Nero Wolfe Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

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.