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In the Best Families Audiobook
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(4.00) - 1,193 listener ratings
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The aging millionairess has a problem: where is her young playboy husband getting all his money? To help find the answer, Archie infiltrates a party at her palatial estate. But her late-night murder ruins the festive mood . . . and a letter bomb from a powerful crime boss makes Nero Wolfe do the unthinkable—run for his life. Suddenly Archie finds himself on his own, trying to find a killer without the help of his old mentor. For to all appearances, Wolfe has vanished. The career of the world’s most famous detective has ended in cowardice and disgrace . . . or has it? Introduction by Patricia Sprinkle “It is always a treat to read a Nero Wolfe mystery. The man has entered our folklore.”—The New York Times Book Review A grand master of the form, Rex Stout is one of America’s greatest mystery writers, and his literary creation Nero Wolfe is one of the greatest fictional detectives of all time. Together, Stout and Wolfe have entertained—and puzzled—millions of mystery fans around the world. Now, with his perambulatory man-about-town, Archie Goodwin, the arrogant, gourmandizing, sedentary sleuth is back in the original seventy-three cases of crime and detection written by the inimitable master himself, Rex Stout.
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"I love Rex Stout/Nero Wolfe books, I've read all that I can get my hands on a number of times. These are easy to read, the action pulls you through. I also find that I don't get sickened if I read one after the other as I have done with some other authors. I love the characters of Nero and Archie, the book being written in Archie's voice. This is a particularly good one, part of a series when Nero has to deal with his Nemesis, who cannot be named..."
— Keren (5 out of 5 stars)
In the Best Families Listener Reviews
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rac, 5/6/2017
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" Good. This one kills off Wolfe's Moriarity. There is a complex sub-plot but the main mystery is honest. I figured it out 2/3 of the way through. The story was rather Holmesian. "
— Lee, 2/12/2014 -
" For now I'm only adding a couple of Nero Wolfe books. This one is my top favorite, and one of the few books I can read over and over. I just love it. "
— Elizabeth, 1/15/2014 -
" A really great change of pace for a Wolfe mystery. In this book we can see that Rex Stout could have easily joined the spy writers in the 50s and 60s if he wished. "
— William, 1/3/2014 -
" A compulsive reading experience, In the Best Families has two main strengths: the question of how Wolfe will win over Zeck, and the reaction of Archie to early events in the book. "
— Andrea, 1/2/2014 -
" By far my favorite Nero Wolf book. Mainly b/c Wolf goes into hiding & it's all Archie for a good chunk of the book. "
— Wiliam, 12/27/2013 -
" This is Rex Stout at his best. Nero Wolfe goes underground--leaving Archie in the dark--in this final confrontation with master criminal Arnold Zeck. "
— Bill, 12/23/2013 -
" I am still loving all the Nero Wolfe (Stout) books--and there are enough of them to keep me happy in between other books! Now I've discovered the A&E TV series... "
— Ginny, 12/20/2013 -
" See my comments on "Full House" for review. "
— Jill, 11/27/2013 -
" It's a funny and witty book, nice flow of events, too. The lower rating is only due to me not taking to detectives too well... I am more of a novel reading girl. "
— Victoria, 11/26/2013 -
" I thought this was one of the better Nero Wolfe novels. I adore Archie Goodwin and love reading his clever witticisms! "
— Shelly, 11/24/2013 -
" Aging millionairess Mrs. Rackham asks Nero Wolfe to find out where her penniless husband has suddenly been obtaining mysteriously large sums of money, a request that leads to murder and to threats against the master detective himself. "
— Eddy, 10/26/2013 -
" The denouement may be a bit too little too late after all the build up, but any book that has Archie spending more than half of it without Wolfe is at least an intriguing set up. I think the biggest issue is the lack of motive for the killer, but overall, still a fun read. "
— earthy, 8/3/2013 -
" Great finish to his nemesis. "
— Eric, 3/20/2012 -
" I love Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe books... this one's good and a bit crazy (Wolfe leaves home!). "
— Rachel, 3/5/2012 -
" This was one of my least favorite books. I did not like having Wolf absent for a majority of the book. The book ended up like a normal Nero Wolf mystery, but....well, it just wasn't my favorite. "
— Colleen, 3/4/2012 -
" I love Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe series. This one got a little slow, but was lovely, as usual. Archie kept me cracking up. "
— Saralyn, 2/12/2012 -
" Possibly my favorite Nero Wolfe mystery. Certainly the funniest. Archie's finest hour. And Wolfe's final speech would please any animal lover. "
— Valerie, 7/15/2011 -
" kind of a cheat with add-in suspect but rest was logical in hindsight "
— Helen, 3/31/2011 -
" Brilliant deduction as always as Nero goes undercover... "
— Doris, 9/29/2010 -
" See my comments on "Full House" for review. "
— Jill, 2/13/2010 -
" One of the great ones. This one is particularly interesting for Nero Wolfe fans; Wolfe is only a peripheral character, Archie is the star. "
— Cynthia, 11/9/2009 -
" Good. This one kills off Wolfe's Moriarity. There is a complex sub-plot but the main mystery is honest. I figured it out 2/3 of the way through. The story was rather Holmesian. "
— Lee, 6/24/2009 -
" By far my favorite Nero Wolf book. Mainly b/c Wolf goes into hiding & it's all Archie for a good chunk of the book. "
— Wiliam, 1/12/2009 -
" I love Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe series. This one got a little slow, but was lovely, as usual. Archie kept me cracking up. "
— Saralyn, 5/19/2008 -
" Normally, I love these books, but this one is in the bottom 3. "
— Heather, 3/24/2008 -
" For now I'm only adding a couple of Nero Wolfe books. This one is my top favorite, and one of the few books I can read over and over. I just love it. "
— Bizzyd, 1/8/2008 -
" This is a very good Nero Wolfe mystery. <br/>Nero must face his archenemy Arnold Zeck. And, faced with certain death, Wolfe flees and leaves Archie in the lurch! <br/>Can this be the end for Nero? <br/>Thoroughly enjoyable book. <br/> "
— Claudia, 9/24/2007 -
" I am still loving all the Nero Wolfe (Stout) books--and there are enough of them to keep me happy in between other books! Now I've discovered the A&E TV series... "
— Ginny, 7/29/2007 -
" <br/>This is Rex Stout at his best. Nero Wolfe goes underground--leaving Archie in the dark--in this final confrontation with master criminal Arnold Zeck. "
— Bill, 5/21/2007 -
" I love Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe books... this one's good and a bit crazy (Wolfe leaves home!). "
— Rachel, 5/21/2007
About Rex Stout
Rex Stout (1886–1975), inimitable master of detective fiction, wrote seventy-three mysteries and numerous novels and short stories. He is best known as the creator of the fictional detective Nero Wolfe. He was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America and received the Crime Writers Association’s Silver Dagger Award.
About Michael Prichard
Michael Prichard is a Los Angeles-based actor who has played several thousand characters during his career, over one hundred of them in theater and film. He is primarily heard as an audiobook narrator, having recorded well over five hundred full-length books. His numerous awards and accolades include an Audie Award for Tears in the Darkness by Michael Norman and Elizabeth M. Norman and six AudioFile Earphones Awards. He was named a Top Ten Golden Voice by SmartMoney magazine. He holds an MFA in theater from the University of Southern California.