Pretty Amy Denovo wants to find the father she has never seen, but she can't afford Nero Wolfe's outlandish fees . . . or can she? Suddenly she's knocking on the oversized detective's door with a parcel full of bills in hand—and a quarter of a million hidden in her closet. It's all part of a nest egg left by her unknown father. But when Wolfe and his able assistant, Archie Goodwin, begin to trace the money to the man, they make a startling discovery: Amy's father murdered her mother—and now he may be after her. This is one of 73 mysteries written by one of America's greatest writers about one of its most interesting characters. You can't call yourself a mystery fan if you haven't read Rex Stout. "It is always a treat to read a Nero Wolfe mystery. The man has entered our folklore."—New York Times Book Review
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"A fun take on a detective novel. Loved the dry humor and sarcastic side comments. Subtly-devine. Wished there was more character development (though I suspect more emerges over the Nero Wolfe series of books), but found Archie's characteristics carried me through this quaint story. Good job Rex." — Sami (4 out of 5 stars)
"A fun take on a detective novel. Loved the dry humor and sarcastic side comments. Subtly-devine. Wished there was more character development (though I suspect more emerges over the Nero Wolfe series of books), but found Archie's characteristics carried me through this quaint story. Good job Rex."
" Very unsatisfactory. Too many unresolved questions at the end. Also, the cover depicts Nero Wolfe as having a beard. Pfui. "
" Hired to locate Amy Denovo's long-lost father, Nero Wolfe and his assistant, Archie Goodwin, discover that the missing man has a deadly and dangerous secret to hide. "
" This one was pretty good. Not as fine as the first two Nero Wolfe books I read, but enough to send me directly on to another one. "
" Archie Goodwin and Nero Wolfe up to their usual satisfying ways. A nice thing about rereading this book in the age of the Internet is being able to easily look up pictures of Nero Wolfe's orchids. "
" It was ok, something to listen to on the way to work. Obviously, it was good enough for me to listen to all 5 cds. "
" This is not one of my favorite Rex Stout books, but it's always fun to read. "
" There's nothing better than spending an afternoon in the library with Archie and Nero. This one is particularly delightful. Lily Rowan (always a favorite) plays a big role, and Saul Panzer appears too. When I'm in the brownstone, life is good. "
" A difficult mystery for Wolfe and Archie but after great effort that find the "father." Though in the end, the client may have been happier to have never known. Again strong characters, and in this story, some really nasty ones. "
" This time, a young woman tries to hire Archie, not Nero Wolfe, to find her father. It is a difficult case with difficult suspects who don't tell the whole truth, resulting in confusion. As usual, an easy and fun read. "
" Audiobook... and kind of condescendingly read. The style of the book was old-time whodunit, with a decided 50's flavor. "
" The interplay between Archie and Nero was great as usual (which is why I love this book series as much as I do) but this particular mystery was not my favorite. The ending was a bit meh! (two stars) Archie and Nero (four stars) - so I averaged it out. "
" I wish I knew how long it had been since I'd read this one (if you'd asked me a few weeks ago, I'd have said it wasn't long at all). Years. Maybe High School. Huge mistake on my part. This was a blast. I won't wait so long before returning. "
" The age of this one showed. These days we've got DNA tests for this sort of thing. Not the most engaging mystery ever, though maybe I shouldn't have started with this book in the series—perhaps if I'd already known the characters I would have enjoyed it more. "
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.
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.
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