“It is always a treat to read a Nero Wolfe mystery. The man has entered our folklore.”—The New York Times Book Review Introduction by David Handler It wasn’t Leonard Dykes’s writing style that offended. But something in his unpublished tome seemed to lead everyone who read it to a very unhappy ending. Now four people are dead, including the unfortunate author himself, and the police think Nero Wolfe is the only man who can close the book on this novel killer. So the genius sleuth directs his sidekick to set a trap . . . and discovers that the truth is far stranger—and far bloodier—than fiction. 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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"Classic Nero Wolfe story, with dead bodies piling up as the pressure mounts. If you like them in general, you'll like this one too. If you don't, this won't change your mind. "
— John (4 out of 5 stars)
" I enjoyed all these Nero Wolfe audiobooks, but I think this has got to be my favorite. Listened to it last fall, and again this past month. The women characters in this book are worth the trip. Lots of angles, lots of twists and lots of memorable characters. "
— Ginny, 6/4/2010" apparently Archie Goodwin is this years go-to fictional character for comfort reading for me (see #49). You just can't go wrong with this series. At least I can't. "
— Maura, 3/15/2010" I adore Archie Goodwin, but wouldn't want to see his opinion of me in print. "
— Sarah, 3/9/2010" Love REx Stout. Too bad after I finish them all there wont be anymore! "
— Sandi, 6/21/2009" Still lovin' Archie's narration. Not my favorite plot, but not bad, either. "
— Jz, 2/23/2009" Stout is as good as I remembered. "
— Craig, 2/2/2009" One of my favorite Nero Wolfe books so far. Archie goes to California and gets cranky with Wolfe. "
— Davina, 11/18/2008" Stout is a classic. This is Nero Wolfe novel. Lots of clues and details. "
— Jessica, 11/3/2008" I love Archie Goodwin. What a masterful combination of characters, Nero and Archie. I'd read them even without the mysteries. "
— Melissa, 9/14/2008" Listening to all of these I can find on audio. "
— Patty, 6/4/2008Rex 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.
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.