A brilliant Rex Stout murder mystery featuring Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin A bomb explodes in the desk drawer of a top TV executive. Was it intended for him or the man who opened the drawer? They each had enemies enough to die a dozen times over. Was it the jealous wife or the ambitious partner? The secretary who got passed around like an inter-office memo? Or the man who couldn’t wash the blood off his hands? Nero Wolfe didn’t want any part of it—but he was up to his neck in the toughest case of his career! “It is always a treat to read a Nero Wolfe mystery. The man has entered our folklore.”—The New York Times Book Review
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"Three to four stars; I guess I'll give this one the benefit of the doubt. The mystery and denouement itself are pretty much standard, but the interplay between Nero, Archie, and the gang can be really rich and delicious. "
— Chazz (4 out of 5 stars)
" typical Nero Wolf, medium good "
— Helen, 3/31/2011" a lot of fun, good solid plot from a master still at his prime. Loved the fact that a certain recurring character got his comeuppance. Another one I don't understand why I don't read more often. "
— Hobart, 11/3/2010" One of the titles in my Rex Stout book of 7 novels. I've had this for years, but didn't get all of the books read. Shame on me! "
— Sallie, 10/27/2010" I have always liked Rex Stout books but I enjoy them even more since A&E's Nero Wolfe series. Timothy Hutton IS Archie for me now and that increases my pleasure exponentially. <br/> <br/>3.5 "
— Barbara, 6/23/2010" You can definitely tell this is a later mystery in the series; there is a play on the word 'prick' which leads into some pretty suggestive territory for a Nero Wolfe novel! "
— Mary, 6/28/2009" another one I've read before but I needed a little nero wolfe. good as always and I didn't remember who did it as I was reading it "
— Courtney, 5/24/2009" Wolfe felt less involved and less interesting in this novel. Archie drove the plot, but Wolfe didn't object as much as I expected he would. Decent entertainment but nothing to recommend. "
— Ferret, 4/21/2009" I love the Nero Wolfe novels. Stout is a classic mystery writer--something I appreciate. "
— Jessica, 11/3/2008" Reread this--am rereading all of my Nero Wolfe--this is a late one, not one of his best, but has a great 30 last pages. The PG Wodehouse of mystery novelists. "
— Dave, 3/11/2008" This is one of the best Rex Stout Mysteries I ever read. Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin are at their finest. I love the wit and the natural way the plot unfolds. "
— Pamela, 2/10/2008Rex 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.