And Be a Villain

This has got to be my favorite of all the Nero Wolfe books. The interplay between Archie and Wolfe, Wolfe's rants about sub-par mass produced foodstuffs, to the dated slang used by teenager Nancylee, are all perfect representations of the best of Rex Stout. It all comes together in a truly delightful tale that had me smiling from start to finish.

A guest on a radio talk show drops dead after taking a drink of the sponsor's beverage. Everyone involved lies through their teeth. Most lie to protect the host's embarassing secret, but one lies to escape the gallows. Nero Wolfe, who usually avoids cases, uncharacteristically seeks employment. He undertakes to solve the case on a contingent fee basis--no solution, no pay. Of course, he solves the case and earns his fee, but manages to please nobody in the process.Wolfe is his usual gruff, eccentric, mercenary self. He is easy to dislike, but his powers are hard to disrespect. Archie Goodwin and the ensemble of regulars help to cushion Wolfe's rough edges.In this book we first meet Wolfe's nemesis, Arnold Zeck. Zeck is a shadowy figure of immense wealth, untold political power, and criminal bent. One might say he is New York's "Napoleon of Crime." He plays only a small part in this book, but he comes into homicidal conflict with Wolfe in two later books, "The Second Confession" and "In the Best of Families."

Someone gets killed on-air during a radio show. Wolfe is broke and he sees an opportunity to make a buck so he sends Archie with a proposition. He'll solve the murder for $20,000. Only it proves to be a bit more difficult than Wolfe thought initially. Plus, he gets lazy and tries to get the police to do his work for him.As Wolfe books go, this one's not bad. It's not the best Stout has ever written but it holds your interest. The plot is pleasantly convoluted but it hangs together well enough that if you're smart you can stay one step ahead of Wolfe -- or at least one step ahead of Archie, the narrator of the books and Wolfe's right-hand man.

Is it just me, or did you also like the way wolfe bullied that irritating little girl in this story? nevertheless, true-blue wolfe fans will agree that this is one of the best in the wolfe series. once again,you will marvel at how wolfe can summon murder suspects to his house, manipulate members of the police force, and push his lips in and out to come up with the murderer. an added bonus: read how wolfe rejects a fat fee from a client because its name is "Sweeties!"

In my opinion the best of the Wolfe opus. Plot, dialogue and that magical relationship between Nero and Archie are absolutely first rate. If you haven't yet read it I envy you!