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Nero Wolfe #18
Curtains for Three
Three clever murderers challenge Nero Wolfe in cases involving lovers who want to make sure neither is a killer, a stable full of suspects in the search for a killer on horseback, and a murderer stalking Wolfe's brownstone.
Cover Artist: Tom Hallman
Cover Artist: Tom Hallman
222 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1950
About the author
Rex Stout
745 books984 followersRex Todhunter Stout (1886–1975) was an American crime writer, best known as the creator of the larger-than-life fictional detective Nero Wolfe, described by reviewer Will Cuppy as "that Falstaff of detectives." Wolfe's assistant Archie Goodwin recorded the cases of the detective genius from 1934 (Fer-de-Lance) to 1975 (A Family Affair).
The Nero Wolfe corpus was nominated Best Mystery Series of the Century at Bouchercon 2000, the world's largest mystery convention, and Rex Stout was nominated Best Mystery Writer of the Century.
The Nero Wolfe corpus was nominated Best Mystery Series of the Century at Bouchercon 2000, the world's largest mystery convention, and Rex Stout was nominated Best Mystery Writer of the Century.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 142 reviews
March 20, 2020
An entertaining trio of Nero Wolfe novellas. The first two take place in the worlds of opera and industrial design, showing that likely suspects and disagreeable people may be found in every profession, and the last one, "Disguise for Murder" features a murder perpetrated in Nero Wolfe's own office. Each of the three is a completely successful entertainment.
January 29, 2019
Three entertaining novellas first published collectively in 1951. A visit to Nero Wolfe's brownstone on West 35th Street in New York City is always enjoyable.
"The Gun With Wings"(December 1949):
Opera tenor Alberto Mion died four months previously. The police have ruled the death a suicide. He was found in his soundproof studio with his gun next to the body. He had a throat injury that prevented him from performing. Six weeks prior to Mion's death, baritone Gifford James learned from his daughter Clara that Mion had seduced her, and he punched Mion in the neck out of anger. Mion's wife was thinking of leaving him. Now the widow, Peggy Mion, and Frederick Weppler, the music critic for the Gazette, hire Wolfe to investigate Mion's death. They want to start a new life together but need Wolfe to prove neither murdered Mion. For a $5,000 retainer Wolfe agrees to take on the case. The title comes from the fact that the gun keeps moving. There are several potential suspects but they are no match for Nero Wolfe. When the identity of the murderer is revealed it took me by surprise but made perfect sense when Wolfe explained how it was done.
"Bullet for One" (July 1948):
Industrial designer Sigmund Keyes enjoyed horseback riding most mornings. That is until one day his horse emerged from the park with no rider and Keyes' body was found in a thicket near the path. Five people who worked closely with him ... Ferdinand Pohl, Frank Broadyke, Wayne Safford, Audrey Rooney, and Keyes' daughter Dorothy want to hire Wolfe to prove that sales agent Victor Talbott murdered Keyes. Besides they are being harassed by the police and they want it to stop. Wolfe agrees to find the murderer ... regardless of his / her identity. None of the six has an airtight alibi. A reenactment of the crime reveals the identity of the murderer. No real surprise but still an entertaining story.
"Disguise for Murder" (September 1950):
Wolfe has opened his home and the plant rooms for the Manhattan Flower Club and he is in a foul mood. It seems it did not occur to the genius that there are women members. Archie slips downstairs to the office for a break from Wolfe and the Manhattan Flower Club only to be interrupted when a young woman enters after him and identifies herself as Cynthia Brown. She tells him that she is a crook and this is just one of her aliases. She also tells him that five months ago a friend of hers, Doris Hatten, was murdered. She had seen the murderer entering Doris's apartment as she was leaving but didn't realize it at the time. Now she just saw the murderer up in the plant rooms. She wants Wolfe's help. Archie has to go back and help Wolfe in the plant rooms but agrees to have Wolfe see her as soon as the guests leave. As the guests are leaving Archie hears a woman scream. Mrs. Carlisle only wanted to take a peek at Wolfe's office and see the globe. Instead she found the body of Cynthia Brown who had been strangled. Of course the police are called. Wolfe and Inspector Cramer have had battles in the past but this may be the battle royal when Cramer orders Wolfe's office sealed. It is a crime scene. Wolfe believes he knows who the murderer is. He is a genius. He sets a trap and Archie is the bait. The identity of the murderer caught me completely by surprise.
"The Gun With Wings"(December 1949):
Opera tenor Alberto Mion died four months previously. The police have ruled the death a suicide. He was found in his soundproof studio with his gun next to the body. He had a throat injury that prevented him from performing. Six weeks prior to Mion's death, baritone Gifford James learned from his daughter Clara that Mion had seduced her, and he punched Mion in the neck out of anger. Mion's wife was thinking of leaving him. Now the widow, Peggy Mion, and Frederick Weppler, the music critic for the Gazette, hire Wolfe to investigate Mion's death. They want to start a new life together but need Wolfe to prove neither murdered Mion. For a $5,000 retainer Wolfe agrees to take on the case. The title comes from the fact that the gun keeps moving. There are several potential suspects but they are no match for Nero Wolfe. When the identity of the murderer is revealed it took me by surprise but made perfect sense when Wolfe explained how it was done.
"Bullet for One" (July 1948):
Industrial designer Sigmund Keyes enjoyed horseback riding most mornings. That is until one day his horse emerged from the park with no rider and Keyes' body was found in a thicket near the path. Five people who worked closely with him ... Ferdinand Pohl, Frank Broadyke, Wayne Safford, Audrey Rooney, and Keyes' daughter Dorothy want to hire Wolfe to prove that sales agent Victor Talbott murdered Keyes. Besides they are being harassed by the police and they want it to stop. Wolfe agrees to find the murderer ... regardless of his / her identity. None of the six has an airtight alibi. A reenactment of the crime reveals the identity of the murderer. No real surprise but still an entertaining story.
"Disguise for Murder" (September 1950):
Wolfe has opened his home and the plant rooms for the Manhattan Flower Club and he is in a foul mood. It seems it did not occur to the genius that there are women members. Archie slips downstairs to the office for a break from Wolfe and the Manhattan Flower Club only to be interrupted when a young woman enters after him and identifies herself as Cynthia Brown. She tells him that she is a crook and this is just one of her aliases. She also tells him that five months ago a friend of hers, Doris Hatten, was murdered. She had seen the murderer entering Doris's apartment as she was leaving but didn't realize it at the time. Now she just saw the murderer up in the plant rooms. She wants Wolfe's help. Archie has to go back and help Wolfe in the plant rooms but agrees to have Wolfe see her as soon as the guests leave. As the guests are leaving Archie hears a woman scream. Mrs. Carlisle only wanted to take a peek at Wolfe's office and see the globe. Instead she found the body of Cynthia Brown who had been strangled. Of course the police are called. Wolfe and Inspector Cramer have had battles in the past but this may be the battle royal when Cramer orders Wolfe's office sealed. It is a crime scene. Wolfe believes he knows who the murderer is. He is a genius. He sets a trap and Archie is the bait. The identity of the murderer caught me completely by surprise.
December 2, 2021
Questo libro contiene tre romanzi brevi con protagonista l'investigatore privato di New York Nero Wolfe, e sono in ordine: Non credo agli alibi (1948), Nella gola del morto (1949) e Mascherato per uccidere (1950).
Come per Sherlock Holmes, a narrarci le indagini di Wolfe non sarà direttamente il protagonista ma il suo braccio destro, in questo caso il simpatico Archie Goodwin. Scopriamo che Nero Wolfe ha una passione incredibile per le orchidee, infatti nel piano di sopra al suo studio ne colleziona e cura oltre diecimila. Inoltre egli ama la buona cucina (tanto è vero che ha un cuoco personale) e ciò si evince anche dalla sua stazza, visto che ha un peso notevole (sui 12o kg) e non ama molto la folla, tanto è vero che rimane confinato nel suo appartamento e si sposta con l'ascensore.
Nel primo caso, Non credo agli alibi, viene ucciso un industriale mentre passeggiava col suo cavallo in Central Park. Viene subito sospettato il fidanzato di sua figlia, Victor Talbott, ma ha un alibi di ferro. Allora Wolfe viene incaricato da cinque persone di smontare quell'alibi o che scopra chi è il colpevole. Grazie ad alcuni importanti particolari ci riuscirà.
Nel secondo caso, invece, un tenore del teatro Metropolitan di New York si suicida ma la vedova crede invece che si tratti di un omicidio mascherato da suicidio e chiama in aiuto il detective Wolfe, il quale anche lui crede che si tratti di un omicidio ma dovrà provare a spiegare come l'assassino sia riuscito a mascherarlo in suicidio. E c'è una sola spiegazione per trovarlo e incastrarlo.
Nel terzo e ultimo caso, Mascherato per uccidere, viene strangolata una donna nell'ufficio di Wolfe che sta ospitando dei visitatori appartenenti al Manhattan Flower Club. Wolfe, irritato perché l'ispettore Cramer, per ripicca, mette i sigilli nel suo studio, proverà a risolvere il caso da solo tendendo una trappola all'assassino, e il sangue freddo di Archie sarà determinante in questo compito delicato, rischiando la vita.
Nel complesso mi piace lo stile di Rex Stout, che ricorda sicuramente quello di Sherlock Holmes (hanno in comune, i due investigatori, la genialità ma anche il loro isolarsi dal mondo) e poi quasi tutti i casi sono ambientati nell'iconica New York.
Lo consiglio a chi ama le detective stories e i gialli o polizieschi.
Come per Sherlock Holmes, a narrarci le indagini di Wolfe non sarà direttamente il protagonista ma il suo braccio destro, in questo caso il simpatico Archie Goodwin. Scopriamo che Nero Wolfe ha una passione incredibile per le orchidee, infatti nel piano di sopra al suo studio ne colleziona e cura oltre diecimila. Inoltre egli ama la buona cucina (tanto è vero che ha un cuoco personale) e ciò si evince anche dalla sua stazza, visto che ha un peso notevole (sui 12o kg) e non ama molto la folla, tanto è vero che rimane confinato nel suo appartamento e si sposta con l'ascensore.
Nel primo caso, Non credo agli alibi, viene ucciso un industriale mentre passeggiava col suo cavallo in Central Park. Viene subito sospettato il fidanzato di sua figlia, Victor Talbott, ma ha un alibi di ferro. Allora Wolfe viene incaricato da cinque persone di smontare quell'alibi o che scopra chi è il colpevole. Grazie ad alcuni importanti particolari ci riuscirà.
Nel secondo caso, invece, un tenore del teatro Metropolitan di New York si suicida ma la vedova crede invece che si tratti di un omicidio mascherato da suicidio e chiama in aiuto il detective Wolfe, il quale anche lui crede che si tratti di un omicidio ma dovrà provare a spiegare come l'assassino sia riuscito a mascherarlo in suicidio. E c'è una sola spiegazione per trovarlo e incastrarlo.
Nel terzo e ultimo caso, Mascherato per uccidere, viene strangolata una donna nell'ufficio di Wolfe che sta ospitando dei visitatori appartenenti al Manhattan Flower Club. Wolfe, irritato perché l'ispettore Cramer, per ripicca, mette i sigilli nel suo studio, proverà a risolvere il caso da solo tendendo una trappola all'assassino, e il sangue freddo di Archie sarà determinante in questo compito delicato, rischiando la vita.
Nel complesso mi piace lo stile di Rex Stout, che ricorda sicuramente quello di Sherlock Holmes (hanno in comune, i due investigatori, la genialità ma anche il loro isolarsi dal mondo) e poi quasi tutti i casi sono ambientati nell'iconica New York.
Lo consiglio a chi ama le detective stories e i gialli o polizieschi.
August 19, 2019
Вне зависимости от того, понравилась ли мне детективная составляющая, я всегда получаю огромное удовольствие от чтения книг о Ниро Вулфе и Арчи Гудвине!!!! Юмор Rex Stout просто превосходен!!!!!!!!
December 28, 2022
Three short but extremely fun mysteries. The third story is just plain but the other two are mostly enjoyable because of the interplay between the regular cast of characters.
July 31, 2023
The Gun with Wings
A murder masquerading as a suicide? The clients say it's murder and Wolfe agrees with them, but he also knows they're lying about an important piece of evidence.
Bullet for One
A man is shot while riding in Central Park and the suspect with the best motive also has the best alibi.
Disguise for Murder
If Wolfe had known that a young woman would be strangled in his office, he would never had agreed to host 200 members and friends of the Manhattan Flower Club. Wolfe solves this one pretty much by himself, bringing down the murderer by using Archie as the bait.
A murder masquerading as a suicide? The clients say it's murder and Wolfe agrees with them, but he also knows they're lying about an important piece of evidence.
Bullet for One
A man is shot while riding in Central Park and the suspect with the best motive also has the best alibi.
Disguise for Murder
If Wolfe had known that a young woman would be strangled in his office, he would never had agreed to host 200 members and friends of the Manhattan Flower Club. Wolfe solves this one pretty much by himself, bringing down the murderer by using Archie as the bait.
September 20, 2024
One of the several in the series that is a trilogy of stories.
The Gun with Wings
A couple asks Wolfe to find out how a gun was moved. The wife and her now lover discovered the husband's body, which was deemed to be a suicide. But both know there was no gun next to the body, though it was there for the police. Who put it there?
Bullet for One
The head of an industrial design company was murdered. Which of the partners and employees had both motive and opportunity? All of the Wolfe novels are told by his confidential secretary, Archie Goodwin. Goodwin is full of sarcasm - and himself. Typical of him, while describing potential suspects, Not counting me, he was easily the best-looking male in the room
Disguise for Murder
Wolfe has agreed to allow the Manhattan Garden Club up to his orchid rooms. No one has to leave the house to discover a body.
We all have our favorite series, but it's hard for me to understand why a reader wouldn't be happy sitting down with Archie and Nero Wolfe. Is this worth 4-stars? Maybe, maybe not, but there you have it.
The Gun with Wings
A couple asks Wolfe to find out how a gun was moved. The wife and her now lover discovered the husband's body, which was deemed to be a suicide. But both know there was no gun next to the body, though it was there for the police. Who put it there?
Bullet for One
The head of an industrial design company was murdered. Which of the partners and employees had both motive and opportunity? All of the Wolfe novels are told by his confidential secretary, Archie Goodwin. Goodwin is full of sarcasm - and himself. Typical of him, while describing potential suspects, Not counting me, he was easily the best-looking male in the room
Disguise for Murder
Wolfe has agreed to allow the Manhattan Garden Club up to his orchid rooms. No one has to leave the house to discover a body.
We all have our favorite series, but it's hard for me to understand why a reader wouldn't be happy sitting down with Archie and Nero Wolfe. Is this worth 4-stars? Maybe, maybe not, but there you have it.
April 29, 2022
The thing I like most about Rex Stout’s collections of novellas is that you can easily read each story in one sitting. No chance to forget a key detail. You digest the story as you go and hopefully come up with the villain before Nero Wolfe tells you who it is. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t guess the villains this time, but I felt like I should have which is a credit to Stout’s writing.
My favorite of the three was the first in which a woman and her lover find her husband’s body after he’s committed suicide—except, maybe it wasn’t suicide. Maybe one of them did it. And they have to know the truth before they go ahead and marry each other. The problem? The gun that was lying by her husband’s side when they brought the police in wasn’t there when they discovered the body. So, who moved the gun?
What makes this novella so much fun is what happens after Nero Wolfe proves who moved the gun, and of course, his solution to the crime is absolutely outstanding.
The other stories are also a lot of fun, but didn’t stand out to me as strongly as the first.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
My favorite of the three was the first in which a woman and her lover find her husband’s body after he’s committed suicide—except, maybe it wasn’t suicide. Maybe one of them did it. And they have to know the truth before they go ahead and marry each other. The problem? The gun that was lying by her husband’s side when they brought the police in wasn’t there when they discovered the body. So, who moved the gun?
What makes this novella so much fun is what happens after Nero Wolfe proves who moved the gun, and of course, his solution to the crime is absolutely outstanding.
The other stories are also a lot of fun, but didn’t stand out to me as strongly as the first.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
August 2, 2019
The Gun With Wings
Wherein Wolfe proves that a supposed suicide of a well-known tenor was actually murder; the main fact concerns placement - and movement - of the gun which killed him. 4 stars.
Bullet for One
Wherein Wolfe breaks an alibi to determine who killed a Mr. Keyes; Mr. Keyes took a horseback ride in the park (that is, Central Park, naturally) every morning, and was apparently shot during the ride after being seen by the mounted police. 3.5 stars.
Disguise for Murder
Wherein Wolfe throws an Open House for the Manhattan Flower Club to view his orchids; a murderer is in attendance and takes the opportunity to rid him/herself of a con woman who can identify him/her. Cramer makes an epic mistake, sealing the murder scene, aka Wolfe’s office, thus earning Wolfe’s and Archie’s ire and ensuring they will refuse to share. I actually picked up on the pertinent fact that led to the discovery of the murderer’s identity. 4 stars.
Wherein Wolfe proves that a supposed suicide of a well-known tenor was actually murder; the main fact concerns placement - and movement - of the gun which killed him. 4 stars.
Bullet for One
Wherein Wolfe breaks an alibi to determine who killed a Mr. Keyes; Mr. Keyes took a horseback ride in the park (that is, Central Park, naturally) every morning, and was apparently shot during the ride after being seen by the mounted police. 3.5 stars.
Disguise for Murder
Wherein Wolfe throws an Open House for the Manhattan Flower Club to view his orchids; a murderer is in attendance and takes the opportunity to rid him/herself of a con woman who can identify him/her. Cramer makes an epic mistake, sealing the murder scene, aka Wolfe’s office, thus earning Wolfe’s and Archie’s ire and ensuring they will refuse to share. I actually picked up on the pertinent fact that led to the discovery of the murderer’s identity. 4 stars.
November 11, 2019
This is another set of three novellas collected into one book. They are all pretty good. I do claim to have figured out the murderer in the first story, but the other two caught me by surprise.
In each one Archie admits to making mistakes. That is a new behavior and felt frankly a little jarring every time it happened. Of the three the final is my favorite simply because Nero solved a murder mystery in retaliation for spite.
After someone is murdered in Nero's office Inspector Cramer orders Nero's office to be sealed. Nero is infuriated and pokes at Cramer saying that he has a suspicion of the murder based on Archies report of his activities that day (which Cramer had also listened too). Cramer refuses to ask what the clue was and instead leaves with the office door sealed tight. With his favorite chair, globe, bookshelves and desk sealed away from him Nero engages to solve the murder quickly and he proceeds to do saving all the glory for himself and Archie and rubbing the nose of the police in the fact that they failed to solve it.
In each one Archie admits to making mistakes. That is a new behavior and felt frankly a little jarring every time it happened. Of the three the final is my favorite simply because Nero solved a murder mystery in retaliation for spite.
After someone is murdered in Nero's office Inspector Cramer orders Nero's office to be sealed. Nero is infuriated and pokes at Cramer saying that he has a suspicion of the murder based on Archies report of his activities that day (which Cramer had also listened too). Cramer refuses to ask what the clue was and instead leaves with the office door sealed tight. With his favorite chair, globe, bookshelves and desk sealed away from him Nero engages to solve the murder quickly and he proceeds to do saving all the glory for himself and Archie and rubbing the nose of the police in the fact that they failed to solve it.
December 10, 2018
three different stories with all the same people
June 7, 2015
I liked the third story the best even if Archie did get shot in the arm.
March 1, 2023
3.5*
Review pending
Review pending
January 19, 2018
3 racconti dove il pachidermico Nero Wolfe dà il meglio di sé per scovare l'assassino. Soprattutto nel terzo racconto deve darsi da fare in fretta, pena l'impossibilità di accedere al suo studio: infatti l'assassino stavolta ha osato compiere un omicidio proprio nel mitico studio con le poltroncine di pelle gialla e la poltrona rossa.
Scritti con la consueta arguzia, anche i racconti brevi si leggono volentieri.
Scritti con la consueta arguzia, anche i racconti brevi si leggono volentieri.
February 15, 2020
Another good three-fer. The first is very good, the second less so, and the third (with the strangler) is great. One February I am just going to read Nero Wolfe. It will be the best February ever.
December 5, 2022
Found another source for Nero Wolfe audio books. Missed these!!!
June 9, 2024
Three short story mysteries -- the third is the best one.
August 18, 2020
Titolo originale: Curtains for three
Immaginate per un momento che gli standard accettati ovunque e non solo su carta ma anche su Web di precisione, originalità, creatività e genialità siano questi qui, i livelli di scrittura di Nero… Ma quante migliaia di libri in meno ci sarebbero in giro? Certo pure io rimarrei esclusa… però forse l’ambito letterario sarebbe un po’ più pulito, se non altro nel web. Mi sembra impossibile raggiungere questa maestria. Sono sempre stata d’accordo nel dire che tutti quelli che hanno un’idea possono scrivere un libro, quelli con un’idea un po’ più articolata magari ne scrivono tre o quattro e poi ci sono quelli invece che hanno una certa genialità grazie alla quale possono scriverne parecchi. La genialità di Rex Stout è unica perché trovo veramente sorprendente il modo in cui deciso di presentare le storie, dal punto di vista di Archie.
Certo che mi sento anche un po’ in difficoltà nel commentarlo, c’è poco da dire quando è tutto perfetto e anche tutto divertente perché anche se stiamo parlando di omicidi i fatti vengono presentati sempre con sarcasmo, simpatia, ironia e ilarità, tratti unici che caratterizzano Archie che non solo ci intrattiene piacevolmente e perfettamente nell’ambiente newyorkese di quegli anni 60 ma ci delinea con precisione tutti gli altri personaggi principali.
Ma che parlo a fare? Leggete qui che dice Wiki:
Il corpus letterario di Nero Wolfe è stato nominato come Miglior Serie del Mistero del Secolo al convegno Boucheron 2000; Rex Stout è stato nominato come Migliore Scrittore del Mistero del Secolo. Numerosi adattamenti radiofonici, televisivi e cinematografici si sono susseguiti negli anni.
Insomma ho scoperto l’acqua calda ma come si suol dire non è mai troppo tardi per leggere
Ecco dunque i personaggi principali:
🏠
Nero Wolfe, famoso investigatore privato
Archie Goodwin, aiutante
Fritz Brenner cuoco e direttore della casa
Theodore Horstmann maggiordomo e aiutante per le orchidee
🚔
Purley Stebbins sergente della squadra omicidi
Cramer ispettore della squadra omicidi
Skinner, della procura distrettuale, vice procuratore
Rowcliff, tenente
🕵🏻♂️
Saul Panzer, investigatore privato aiutante
Orrie Cather, investigatore privato aiutante
Osservando i miei appunti sembra proprio che già questa raccolta l’avevo letta un paio di anni fa ma non mi ricordavo assolutamente niente! Per quanto curati e scritti in modo chiaro anche questi gialli mi vedono obbligata a prendere appunti soprattutto per fare l’elenco di tutte le persone presenti. Dunque è impossibile che a distanza di due anni mi ricordassi chi era l’assassino. Adoro Nero e il suo universo e ogni volta che lo leggo mi riscopro prendermi nello scoprire quanto sia stato geniale Rex, soprattutto proprio per la scelta di far condurre la narrazione ad Archie con il tuo modo di fare completamente diverso da Nero. Lo scrittore è un genio che ha creato un mondo su cui si è immerso più e più volte e grazie alle sue opere anche noi abbiamo preso parte a tutte le indagini che ha svolto Nero.
Impossibile sollevare una critica a questo modo di scrittura, è tutto perfetto e adoro anche il fatto che le storie siano piuttosto brevi, mai prolisse e per quanto intricate alla fine anche chi non legge solo gialli riesce ad apprezzarli se non altro per le spiritosaggini di Archie. Ogni volta che leggo altri gialli infatti ho sempre paura di non capirci niente, dopo tutto il grado di intrico non determina certo il valore della storia, non che queste storie di Rex siano semplici ma è come quando un professore riesce a farti capire un concetto difficile, il concetto rimane difficile ma tu l’hai capito.
Mi ci vuole sempre un po’ più del dovuto a leggere questi racconti per il semplice fatto che devo prendere appunti come Archie! Mi devo scrivere tutti i nomi altrimenti faccio confusione, se non me le scrivo mi si confondono tutte. Infatti non a caso dico che i gialli non sono il mio genere ed è proprio per questo mio adorare Nero che posso dire che è spettacolare e ogni lettura è interessante e più volte mi trovo “costretta” ad annotarmi tutte quelle battute che trovo indimenticabili.
Dunque per quanto adori commentare i libri direi che qui di commenti se ne possono fare ben pochi e risulterebbero anche piuttosto noiosi forse, di difetti io non ne ho trovati e come potrei! Consiglio questo libro a chiunque anche a chi non ha mai letto i gialli o non li apprezza perché se non fosse solo per l’inizio, in cui mi trovo obbligata a prendere appunti per ricordarmi i nomi di chi compare, direi che tutto scorre in modo eccezionale e dopo aver letto anche quello che dice Wikipedia di Rex direi che veramente un po’ sono anche invidiosa, ma come mai tutti questi geni sono lontani irraggiungibili e spesso anche morti?
Dato che questo libro raccoglie tre vicende ho deciso di annotare di seguito solo gli appunti che riguardano per ognuno dei tre:
Vittima
Clienti
Sospettati
Citazioni
Non sono solita infatti trascrivere parti di libri a meno che non mi abbiano colpito particolarmente invece qui è stato difficile scegliere quali parti scrivere perché l’umorismo di Archie è travolgente e ti viene davvero voglia o anzi ti viene proprio la necessità di averlo come amico e sapere che si trova solo tra le pagine ti fa anche un po’ di rabbia…
Il terzo racconto mi ha strappato anche un wow, eccezionale, un mito che quando leggi queste righe ti viene voglia di scrivere per essere anche solo un po’ lontanamente come era lui: magico, da leggere e rileggere.
---
1. Nero Wolfe non crede agli alibi
Titolo originale: Bullet for one
Vittima
Sigmund Keyes vittima, designer industriale
Clienti
1. Ferdinand Pohl, Aveva fornito il capitale iniziale
2. Frank Broadyke, altro designer industriale
3. Wayne Safford, lo stalliere, innamorato di Audrey
4. Dorothy Keyes figlia della vittima e fidanzata di Vic
5. Audrey Rooney appena licenziata, ex segretaria di Talbott, accusata di aver passato dei progetti a Broadyke
Altri
Vic Talbott ✖️ gli altri lo credono colpevole, si occupava degli affari della vittima, vendeva quello che l’altro creava
Hefferan, poliziotto 👮♂️
Donaldson avvocato
Citazioni:
Pag 13
Nero: In ogni caso posso considerarmi assunto per scoprire i fatti?
Pohl: Certo, i fatti concreti.
Nero: Non ve ne sono di altro genere. Garantisco di non riferire alcun fatto immaginario.
Pag 30
Lo irritava sempre il fatto che qualcuno, al mondo, ignorasse che lui non si muoveva mai di casa per lavoro e raramente per motivi di altro genere.
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2. Nella gola del morto
Titolo originale: The gun with wings
Clienti
Margaret Mion, moglie della vittima
Frederick Weppler, Critico musicale
Vittima
Alberto Mion, marito di Margaret. Tenore
Sospettati
1. Gifford James, baritone, in contrasto con la vittima figlia
2. Clara James, figlia
3. Rupert Grove, agente teatrale della vittima
4. Adele Bosley, Capo ufficio stampa del teatro dell’opera
5. Dottore Lloyd ✖️
6. Henry Arnold, legale di James
Citazioni:
Pagina 58
“Il signor Weppler non voleva venire da voi e ho dovuto convincerlo. Gli uomini sono più prudenti delle donne, vero?“
“Sì“ annuì Wolfe, aggiungendo: “grazie al cielo”
Pagina 71
Visto che arrivando mi aveva lanciato una lunga occhiata, avrei dovuto metterla in guardia contro di lui. Non solo era un tipo di ragazza sofisticata e elegantissima, ma la sua snellezza era di quelle procurate col mangiare poco, e Wolfe non sopporta la gente che mangia poco. Sapevo che si sarebbe lanciato su di lei alla prima occasione.
Pagina 91
Questo fu tutto, per il momento, e durante i pasti Wolfe esclude il lavoro, non solo dalla conversazione, ma anche dall’aria.
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3. Mascherato per uccidere
Titolo originale: Disguise for murder
Vittime
Doris Hatten - di un caso precedente collegato
Cynthia Brown, amica di Doris
Sospettati:
Signora Mimi Orwin
Gene Orwin, figlio
Percy Brown, colonnello e “fratello” della vittima
Homer Carlisle Vice presidente della Nord America foods company
Signora Carlisle ✖️
Bill McNab, Capo servizio della pagina botanica della Gazette
Malcom Vedder, attore
Signora Beauchamp, accompagnata da Malcom
Nicholas Morley, psichiatra
Altri:
Vollmer: dottore
Citazioni:
Pagina 121
“Ma il signor Wolfe deve mangiare, lo sapete bene. Avrei già dovuto mettere l’anatra in forno, a questo ora. Se devo restare a guardia della porta e aggredire chi tenta di uscire, lui che cosa mangerà?”
“Al diavolo“ mormorai, battendogli una mano sulla spalla. “Scusate il mio scatto, Fritz.”
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Stavo per chiudere il libro e metterlo da parte per passare al prossimo quando mi sono accorta che in fondo dopo la conclusione dell’ultimo episodio di Nero ce n’erano di altre di pagine e queste pagine racchiudevano un racconto: “la signora delle storie” di Andrea Franco. Non ho la minima idea di chi sia questo scrittore però mi sento un po’ in dovere di leggerlo se non altro perché la Mondadori l’ha piazzato in fondo. Non lo poteva mettere all’inizio? Certo che dopo aver letto Nero ti propinano un piccolo racconto di uno scrittore poco conosciuto (perlomeno io non so chi diavolo sia) e te lo mettono dopo Rex… Sbaglio o ai concerti il gruppo di apertura lo mettono all’inizio? Immaginatevi un concerto di un super cantante super famoso canta come non mai poi se ne va e mi sapete dire chi rimane ad ascoltare il gruppetto sconosciuto? Infatti non lo mettono alla fine ma lo mettono all’inizio altrimenti a che cosa serve? Contentini? Questo libro che fa parte della collana i gialli Mondadori è uscito a febbraio 2012 quindi ancora Wattpad non esisteva… Altrimenti Andrea Franco avrebbe fatto meglio a scrivere direttamente lì piuttosto che starsene nascosto dietro la mole di Nero. La cosa davvero interessante e che poi il suo piccolo racconto non viene neanche annunciato in copertina ma solo sulla retro copertina scritto piccolo piccolo: all’interno il racconto eccetera eccetera… Mi sto chiedendo se magari sia stato Andrea Franco a pagare la Mondadori per farsi pubblicare in questo modo?
Ok ora ho letto anche il racconto e questo è quello che penso: secondo me ci sono un po’ troppe ripetizioni, la storia in sé è interessante ma i concetti sono ridondanti, si fa un riferimento continuo al fatto che tutti hanno delle storie, tutti e soprattutto le categorie invischiate in questa storia. Ho avuto l’impressione che questo racconto sia stato un po’ troppo costruito, c’è stata un’idea ovvero l’omicidio e chi lo ha compiuto e poi sopra e intorno ci si è costruito un castello di periodi piuttosto inutili. Ad ogni modo questo racconto si poteva tranquillamente mettere all’inizio del libro perché non è che se uno leggeva questa storia poi fuggiva… Almeno dagliela una vero possibilità anche a chi ci prova e qui ci ha provato
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Dopo il racconto nascosto c’è anche l’angolo del direttore. A dir la verità non ho capito a che cosa serve questo ragionamento che fa il direttore, forse quasi a voler dare una giustificazione all’uscita di questa collana di gialli. Comincia a farsi delle domande sul perché ai giovani non piacciono i gialli e comincia a darsi anche delle risposte dicendo che il problema è dovuto al fatto che non c’è un lavoro di squadra e chi fa le indagini è di solito troppo grande (dunque gli investigatori sono vecchi? Cazzate, che palle questa storia dell’età). Il direttore allora comincia a proporre di creare...anzi dice proprio: se uno scrittore di romanzi gialli volesse inventare un investigatore che è il capo di un gruppo di giovani irrequieti… Addirittura Under 20! Ma come fa un investigatore ad essere così giovane? Non mi è piaciuta poi neanche la parola “inventare” perché sono convinta che nel momento in cui uno che scrive si mette ad inventare va sempre a finire che produce qualcosa un po’ tutto macchinoso e dedito solo al mercato. Lo dico anche perché in questo caso il direttore che ovviamente vuole vendere si mette a dire: come faccio a vendere i miei libri anche ai più giovani? Ed ecco che secondo me qui già tutto è sbagliato perché ritorna tutto il discorso del dover scrivere per vendere. Ma così secondo me caro direttore non vendi proprio un cazzo! Ma dove sta scritto che io che ho un’età X devo leggere una storia che ha come protagonista uno che ha la mia stessa età? Poi si mette pure a dire che le giovani lettrici (ovvero le femmine! Mamma mia....) leggono i gialli anche meno dei ragazzi e l’unica investigatrice è la signora in giallo! Caro direttore, che mi dici di Agatha Christie? Certo lei non era un’investigatrice però però però… insomma hai capito? Ma che dici? Stiamo ancora a differenziare uomini e donne? Ma siamo davvero sicuri che i gialli non vanno? Certo questo discorso era stato fatto un po’ di anni fa (2012) e mi sembra anche un po’ maschilista… Il problema dei giovani che non leggono i gialli è dovuto al fatto che a scuola gli propinano tutto tranne che i gialli, tutta roba che fa venir loro voglia di smettere di leggere e se accendi la televisione non è che trovi la pubblicità di un giallo o di un libro ma trovi la pubblicità di cazzate che non tendono certo a farti sviluppare la mente (troppo pericoloso per la società). Caro direttore, secondo me l’idea della squadra che tu proponi potrebbe essere piuttosto caotica se uno scrittore non sa manipolare gestire e rendere dinamica una scena con parecchie persone, secondo il termine che tu hai usato dovrebbe sapersi “inventare” parecchie personalità e se non ha le idee chiare questo scrittore e soprattutto se non ha delle persone chiare nella sua mente potrebbe davvero rischiare di essere veramente patetico. Comunque la squadra c’è sempre in polizia basti guardare CSI, quella squadra funzionava benissimo e da ben prima che tu abbia scritto questo angolo del direttore. Hai detto che i ragazzi si sentono più tranquilli se chiamati a svolgere in gruppo un qualcosa? Forse ti sei scordato di come sono le dinamiche scolastiche, il fatto è che si sentono tranquilli in gruppo è dovuto al fatto che così il lavoro lo fa solo qualcuno e gli altri non fanno proprio niente. Comunque stiamo parlando dei giovani immaginari che fanno le indagini oppure dei giovani che dovrebbero leggere la storia di una squadra che indaga? Inutile dire che se tu mi metti un capo questo deve essere affascinante e sempre guardando come è andata la storia di CSI una volta andato via Grissom la serie è morta quasi subito e Grissom non era un ragazzetto. Certo CSI era un po’ più sul poliziesco ma si trattava sempre e comunque di indagini geniali che hanno avuto un successo strepitoso. Si tratta dello scrittore e non del personaggio, se lo scrittore crede in quello che vede nella sua mente e ce lo vuole far conoscere allora ci piacerà e se uno non sa leggere i gialli probabilmente non sa leggere niente.
versione completa
March 11, 2023
Found it difficult to stay focused with this one. Best story was the third but solution was absurd. Weak entry.
September 24, 2024
There's nothing particularly outstanding about the Curtains for Three short story collection. The focus tends to be more about each plot, mostly hinging on a fairly simple seed. The character highlights are mostly between Wolfe and the police. Archie (as narrator) continues with a streetwise and slightly brash tone, but his voice has been more noteworthy in other of Stout's stories.
"The Gun with Wings": The first half is very dull, filled with legal wrangling and posturing. The story could be half the length and easily manage to be more interesting. The mystery itself is solved before the end, and so the most interesting part of the story focuses on Wolfe's need to satisfy his agreement with his client, which agrees with his own interests: to be entirely clear about the events of a mysterious death. The difficulty is the movement of the murder weapon. Although it is initially explained away as a secondary concern, this is the key to the ingenious mechanic for the murder itself. Someone moves the weapon to disguise a murder as a suicide. Another works to ensure that an ally isn't accused of a murder in the face of an evident suicide.
"Bullet for One": The victim, Sigmund Keyes, is murdered while riding a horse in Central Park. Dorothy Keyes is heir to her father's business, and she is engaged to Victor Talbott. Despite a solid alibi, business colleagues gather to hire Wolfe to prove their suspicions about Vic: "'We came, the four of us, for a definite purpose, to get Nero Wolfe to find proof that Vic killed [Dorthy's] father!'" Stout's plot here focuses on timing: Vic devises an ingenious plot to impersonate Sigmund during his daily exercise on horseback, buying him time to set up his alibi: a room service call occurring shortly after his impersonation succeeded.
"Disguise for Murder":
Cynthia is involved in a confidence game to bilk one of Nero Wolfe's guests out of some money. When Wolfe hosts a party to show off his orchids, Cynthia spots a dangerous acquaintance, and pulls Archie aside to explain she is in grave danger. When she demands to speak further only with Wolfe himself, she falls victim, strangled by a tie carelessly left out in Wolfe's office (a source of embarrassment for him when he has to explain events to his rival, Inspector Cramer, and the police).
Archie explains this plot twist:
As for the style, the humor is less pronounced, but there are a couple of lightly amusing points:
This volume falls into the 'entertaining but not particularly noteworthy' category in the Nero Wolfe series
"The Gun with Wings": The first half is very dull, filled with legal wrangling and posturing. The story could be half the length and easily manage to be more interesting. The mystery itself is solved before the end, and so the most interesting part of the story focuses on Wolfe's need to satisfy his agreement with his client, which agrees with his own interests: to be entirely clear about the events of a mysterious death. The difficulty is the movement of the murder weapon. Although it is initially explained away as a secondary concern, this is the key to the ingenious mechanic for the murder itself. Someone moves the weapon to disguise a murder as a suicide. Another works to ensure that an ally isn't accused of a murder in the face of an evident suicide.
"Bullet for One": The victim, Sigmund Keyes, is murdered while riding a horse in Central Park. Dorothy Keyes is heir to her father's business, and she is engaged to Victor Talbott. Despite a solid alibi, business colleagues gather to hire Wolfe to prove their suspicions about Vic: "'We came, the four of us, for a definite purpose, to get Nero Wolfe to find proof that Vic killed [Dorthy's] father!'" Stout's plot here focuses on timing: Vic devises an ingenious plot to impersonate Sigmund during his daily exercise on horseback, buying him time to set up his alibi: a room service call occurring shortly after his impersonation succeeded.
"Disguise for Murder":
Cynthia is involved in a confidence game to bilk one of Nero Wolfe's guests out of some money. When Wolfe hosts a party to show off his orchids, Cynthia spots a dangerous acquaintance, and pulls Archie aside to explain she is in grave danger. When she demands to speak further only with Wolfe himself, she falls victim, strangled by a tie carelessly left out in Wolfe's office (a source of embarrassment for him when he has to explain events to his rival, Inspector Cramer, and the police).
Archie explains this plot twist:
So if you wanted to learn who strangled Cynthia Brown, first you had to find out who had strangled Doris Hatten, and the cops had already been working on that for five months.
Any precinct dick knows that every question you ask of everybody is aimed at one of the three targets: motive, means, and opportunity. In this case there were no questions to ask because those were already answered.
As for the style, the humor is less pronounced, but there are a couple of lightly amusing points:
[Archie regarding the women at the party] "... it would have been a relief to spot just one who could have made my grin start farther down than the front of my teeth."
He had shoulders and a torso like a heavyweight wrestler, and legs like an underweight jockey.
...
The wrestler-jockey, W-J for short, got up...
This volume falls into the 'entertaining but not particularly noteworthy' category in the Nero Wolfe series
June 19, 2024
I bought *Curtains for Three* at a library sale simply to appease my sister, who really thought I should buy a pink book. It wasn't until after the sale that I realized just how popular of a detective Nero Wolfe was back in his day, which naturally made me more inclined to read it. It's a collection of three short mystery novellas showcasing the brilliance of overweight, orchid-obsessed Nero Wolfe and the competence of his hired sidekick Archie Goodwin. I found them to be good stories that tickled my funny bones without intriguing me or sticking with me all that much after the fact.
The first story, "The Gun with Wings," published circa 1949, is probably my favorite. In it, new clients Margaret "Peggy" Mion and Frederick Weppler would like to marry each other but neither of them are able to to tie the knot while being unsure if the other really was the woman's ex-husband Alberto's killer. The biggest mystery involving Alberto's suicide is that the revolver supposedly used to commit suicide moved from a bust of Enrico Caruso to the floor between Margaret and Frederick discovering his body and the police's arrival. Wolfe brings together a bunch of suspects including a rival singer who had punched Alberto's throat and crushed his larynx shortly before this story, Alberto's surgeon, and the Opera Association's PR manager under the guise of trying to figure out the details of Alberto's will. In reality, he's gathering evidence - evidence that leads him to have .
"The Gun with Wings" does a really good job at setting a moderately large cast and fleshing them out and spinning a somewhat complicated turn of murderous events around them. It's the most memorable story from the book (it's kind of a long shot), and I wish the other novellas could've reached these heights. This was also a good introduction to our main duo, Wolfe and Goodwin - think of the painfully stereotypical Holmes and Watson, only this time the latter is a detective in his own right and under his mentor's payroll. Wolfe also never leaves the house if it's avoidable and uses Goodwin to charm women or deal with the police in ways they can't be dealt with over the phone. It gives Goodwin a nice sense of agency, which helps since he's the stories' point of view.
"Bullet for One" looks at the murder of an industrial designer named Sigmund Keyes. The murder is brought to Wolfe's attention by four of Keyes' employees who believe that Keyes' sales agent Victor Talbott committed the crime and want the police off their back, along Keyes' daughter Dorothy. The situation is as follows: Keyes went on his daily morning horseback ride without Talbott, who'd backed out at the last minute, and was next seen with a bullethole in his chest after his horse returned to the park without him. A policeman stationed in the park swears that he saw Talbott in a timeframe that doesn't make sense when considering the horse's lack of signs of exertion, and the situation is complicated by the witnesses' lack of solid alibis. Goodwin ...
Like the first story, "Buller for One" looks at a large cast of characters in a relatively short amount of time, and it pulls off the effect well with plenty of financial and romantic overtones coloring the suspects' potential motivation that made sense and meshed well together. The interactions between Archie Goodwin and the one cop were particularly amusing and colorful. But at the same time, I had a harder time getting into this one, and I really don't think it will stick with me over time, which regrettably must dampen my reception of it.
Finally, "Disguise for Murder" looks at a crime that takes place at an unthinkable place - Nero Wolfe's own mansion - after the leader of a local botany organization convinced Wolfe to host 300 different Flow Club members in his mansion for the sake of checking out his prize orchids which dominate his nine-to-eleven-am and four-to-six-pm slots of each day. All goes well until a woman tries to get Goodwin to give her a private audience with Wolfe about this man who made her gasp when she glimpsed him amidst the socialization. Archie does try, but the next time he sees her she's been strangled with a silk scarf - just like .
I find this story less interesting as a mystery - there's a smaller cast of suspects, which makes it more manageable and less intriguing at the same time - but more interesting in the way that it depicts Wolfe. First, it lets us in on all the quirks that separate him from other detectives, such as his refusal to leave home and his botanical obsessions, and just how much he relies on Goodwin. On one hand, because it features Archie in actual danger, it is the most tense of the stories presented. I might've been out of it for this read, but I just didn't feel it was... there. Still, a fun and a clever mystery story.
*Curtains for Three* is a good book, and it's definitely got me interested in reading some Nero Wolfe novels. I don't necessarily think Stout's the "master of detection" as the front of my book says (I prefer Doyle, Eric Zencey, and a couple others), but I think he could craft some real good 40s and 50s murder mysteries. Until I have more mystery stories to judge my reviews on, I'm giving this a hearty 7/10. I don't know when the next mystery read will be, but I hope it won't be too long, and that I never find myself embroiled in a plot akin to these....
The first story, "The Gun with Wings," published circa 1949, is probably my favorite. In it, new clients Margaret "Peggy" Mion and Frederick Weppler would like to marry each other but neither of them are able to to tie the knot while being unsure if the other really was the woman's ex-husband Alberto's killer. The biggest mystery involving Alberto's suicide is that the revolver supposedly used to commit suicide moved from a bust of Enrico Caruso to the floor between Margaret and Frederick discovering his body and the police's arrival. Wolfe brings together a bunch of suspects including a rival singer who had punched Alberto's throat and crushed his larynx shortly before this story, Alberto's surgeon, and the Opera Association's PR manager under the guise of trying to figure out the details of Alberto's will. In reality, he's gathering evidence - evidence that leads him to have .
"The Gun with Wings" does a really good job at setting a moderately large cast and fleshing them out and spinning a somewhat complicated turn of murderous events around them. It's the most memorable story from the book (it's kind of a long shot), and I wish the other novellas could've reached these heights. This was also a good introduction to our main duo, Wolfe and Goodwin - think of the painfully stereotypical Holmes and Watson, only this time the latter is a detective in his own right and under his mentor's payroll. Wolfe also never leaves the house if it's avoidable and uses Goodwin to charm women or deal with the police in ways they can't be dealt with over the phone. It gives Goodwin a nice sense of agency, which helps since he's the stories' point of view.
"Bullet for One" looks at the murder of an industrial designer named Sigmund Keyes. The murder is brought to Wolfe's attention by four of Keyes' employees who believe that Keyes' sales agent Victor Talbott committed the crime and want the police off their back, along Keyes' daughter Dorothy. The situation is as follows: Keyes went on his daily morning horseback ride without Talbott, who'd backed out at the last minute, and was next seen with a bullethole in his chest after his horse returned to the park without him. A policeman stationed in the park swears that he saw Talbott in a timeframe that doesn't make sense when considering the horse's lack of signs of exertion, and the situation is complicated by the witnesses' lack of solid alibis. Goodwin ...
Like the first story, "Buller for One" looks at a large cast of characters in a relatively short amount of time, and it pulls off the effect well with plenty of financial and romantic overtones coloring the suspects' potential motivation that made sense and meshed well together. The interactions between Archie Goodwin and the one cop were particularly amusing and colorful. But at the same time, I had a harder time getting into this one, and I really don't think it will stick with me over time, which regrettably must dampen my reception of it.
Finally, "Disguise for Murder" looks at a crime that takes place at an unthinkable place - Nero Wolfe's own mansion - after the leader of a local botany organization convinced Wolfe to host 300 different Flow Club members in his mansion for the sake of checking out his prize orchids which dominate his nine-to-eleven-am and four-to-six-pm slots of each day. All goes well until a woman tries to get Goodwin to give her a private audience with Wolfe about this man who made her gasp when she glimpsed him amidst the socialization. Archie does try, but the next time he sees her she's been strangled with a silk scarf - just like .
I find this story less interesting as a mystery - there's a smaller cast of suspects, which makes it more manageable and less intriguing at the same time - but more interesting in the way that it depicts Wolfe. First, it lets us in on all the quirks that separate him from other detectives, such as his refusal to leave home and his botanical obsessions, and just how much he relies on Goodwin. On one hand, because it features Archie in actual danger, it is the most tense of the stories presented. I might've been out of it for this read, but I just didn't feel it was... there. Still, a fun and a clever mystery story.
*Curtains for Three* is a good book, and it's definitely got me interested in reading some Nero Wolfe novels. I don't necessarily think Stout's the "master of detection" as the front of my book says (I prefer Doyle, Eric Zencey, and a couple others), but I think he could craft some real good 40s and 50s murder mysteries. Until I have more mystery stories to judge my reviews on, I'm giving this a hearty 7/10. I don't know when the next mystery read will be, but I hope it won't be too long, and that I never find myself embroiled in a plot akin to these....
August 15, 2020
One woman doesn’t think her husband’s death was suicide. One is convinced she’s being framed for her boss’s death. And one knows too much about a murder. Three different meetings in Wolfe’s office lead to three very different cases involving New York’s rich and famous.
This is peak vintage Wolfe: the curmudgeonly genius solves the crimes almost without moving from his chair after interrogating the rich citizens and beautiful women of Manhattan, and Archie Goodwin wisecracks from the sidelines. ‘There was nothing about him to command attention except an unusual assortment of facial creases.’ ‘Though it was the middle of August, she was the only one of the six who had a really good tan. Her public relations with the sun were excellent.’
The writing is fabulous and the plots well done. New York circa 1950, where men live in hotels and society dames don’t get up before eleven, is brilliantly evoked, and its social mores lie at the heart of all three mysteries. Wolfe’s relations with Inspector Cramer run the gamut from appreciative co-operation to fizzing with rage when one thinks the other has gone too far. There’s not a lot of food and drink, though Archie does get to taunt Cramer by savouring some of Fritz’s food in front of him. Archie doesn’t get further with any of these ladies than appreciating their looks, but he makes do with a night off in the company of Lily Rowan, where ‘Dinner... was always good. So was the show, and so was the dance band at the Flamingo Club, where we went afterward to get better acquainted, since I had only known her seven years. What with this and that I didn’t get home until after three o’clock...’
I guessed one murderer right along with Wolfe, but he was way ahead of me with the other two. But what can I say, he’s in his prime here.
This is peak vintage Wolfe: the curmudgeonly genius solves the crimes almost without moving from his chair after interrogating the rich citizens and beautiful women of Manhattan, and Archie Goodwin wisecracks from the sidelines. ‘There was nothing about him to command attention except an unusual assortment of facial creases.’ ‘Though it was the middle of August, she was the only one of the six who had a really good tan. Her public relations with the sun were excellent.’
The writing is fabulous and the plots well done. New York circa 1950, where men live in hotels and society dames don’t get up before eleven, is brilliantly evoked, and its social mores lie at the heart of all three mysteries. Wolfe’s relations with Inspector Cramer run the gamut from appreciative co-operation to fizzing with rage when one thinks the other has gone too far. There’s not a lot of food and drink, though Archie does get to taunt Cramer by savouring some of Fritz’s food in front of him. Archie doesn’t get further with any of these ladies than appreciating their looks, but he makes do with a night off in the company of Lily Rowan, where ‘Dinner... was always good. So was the show, and so was the dance band at the Flamingo Club, where we went afterward to get better acquainted, since I had only known her seven years. What with this and that I didn’t get home until after three o’clock...’
I guessed one murderer right along with Wolfe, but he was way ahead of me with the other two. But what can I say, he’s in his prime here.
October 25, 2023
If I had to say one bad thing about the Nero Wolfe series, it's that the stories tend to blend together, making it hard to remember the details of one particular story. Nevertheless, they're still entertaining and I keep getting drawn back to them.
The first entry in this book, "The Gun with Wings", is the best. It's a true puzzle, and if you think long enough about it you may be able to solve it the way Wolfe does. Occasionally, Stout hides clues from his readers (not unlike how Wolfe hides information from Archie), but the solution is actually presented to us with a description of the crime scene and the suspects, and it's a fun read.
"Bullet for One" passes muster without being a slam dunk, and there's an exchange between Archie and a police officer that sort of ruins the twist without actually revealing the identity of the murderer. Nevertheless, good stuff, with a fistfight breaking out in Wolfe's office as the icing on the cake.
"Disguise for Murder" starts off pretty promising, with a murder actually occurring in Wolfe's office while he's entertaining orchid enthusiasts upstairs. As a result, his office is off limits as a crime scene and the portly detective is forced to solve the crime from his dining room chair. This sounds fun, but it's let down by some of Archie's legwork that seems more at home in a Raymond Chandler novel than a Rex Stout mystery. This is why I shaved a star off of my rating.
This one is still recommended for Wolfe fans, as most in the series are; I have yet to find a single stinker among them.
The first entry in this book, "The Gun with Wings", is the best. It's a true puzzle, and if you think long enough about it you may be able to solve it the way Wolfe does. Occasionally, Stout hides clues from his readers (not unlike how Wolfe hides information from Archie), but the solution is actually presented to us with a description of the crime scene and the suspects, and it's a fun read.
"Bullet for One" passes muster without being a slam dunk, and there's an exchange between Archie and a police officer that sort of ruins the twist without actually revealing the identity of the murderer. Nevertheless, good stuff, with a fistfight breaking out in Wolfe's office as the icing on the cake.
"Disguise for Murder" starts off pretty promising, with a murder actually occurring in Wolfe's office while he's entertaining orchid enthusiasts upstairs. As a result, his office is off limits as a crime scene and the portly detective is forced to solve the crime from his dining room chair. This sounds fun, but it's let down by some of Archie's legwork that seems more at home in a Raymond Chandler novel than a Rex Stout mystery. This is why I shaved a star off of my rating.
This one is still recommended for Wolfe fans, as most in the series are; I have yet to find a single stinker among them.
February 15, 2021
I am a loyal and rabid Nero Wolfe fan and have re-read many of his books several times. This was my first encounter with these three short novels and, if I didn’t know they were written by Stout, I would have surmised that someone used Stout’s popular characters and executed three less than engaging stories.
I’d like to pinpoint the source of my dissatisfaction with these mysteries, but I am having trouble doing that. The best way for me to describe my reaction is to say they failed to engage me. . . And, no Nero Wolfe mystery has ever done that before. Even on the third or fourth reading. Somehow, the day-to-day routine in the brownstone lacked vibrancy and detail. It may be as simple as the lack of lavish meals in the dining room, or no banter with Fritz Brenner about which herbs to use. The repartee between Archie and Wolfe also seemed to lack its usual vibrancy.
In general, I prefer the earlier books in the series to the later ones, and it could be that these shorter works interest me less because Archie is not flirting or dancing; there is less “ local color” of Manhattan in the 1940’s: and the plot takes precedence over the characters and setting. I read Nero Wolfe for exposure to Wolfe’s world and we didn’t experience enough of it in these three stories.
I’d like to pinpoint the source of my dissatisfaction with these mysteries, but I am having trouble doing that. The best way for me to describe my reaction is to say they failed to engage me. . . And, no Nero Wolfe mystery has ever done that before. Even on the third or fourth reading. Somehow, the day-to-day routine in the brownstone lacked vibrancy and detail. It may be as simple as the lack of lavish meals in the dining room, or no banter with Fritz Brenner about which herbs to use. The repartee between Archie and Wolfe also seemed to lack its usual vibrancy.
In general, I prefer the earlier books in the series to the later ones, and it could be that these shorter works interest me less because Archie is not flirting or dancing; there is less “ local color” of Manhattan in the 1940’s: and the plot takes precedence over the characters and setting. I read Nero Wolfe for exposure to Wolfe’s world and we didn’t experience enough of it in these three stories.
September 6, 2022
This is the first time I've reviewed Rex Stout's series with Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin. Let's begin with, it's so good that 90 years after he wrote the first mystery (Too Many Cooks), they're still being read and sold. That makes me give it 5 stars.
I'd give it 5 stars as a mystery anyway. The characters are so iconic. Nero Wolfe is fat (1/7 of a ton) but brilliant. He reads every day and remembers everything he reads, including the whole NY Times. He's modeled after Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock Holmes's smarter older brother. Both are extremely lazy and set in their routines. Basically, he only takes cases when he needs money.
Nero's partner is Archie Goodwin, his opposite in every way. He's a ladies' man, a man of action, who can repeat conversations verbatim for Wolfe. He does all the assignments Wolf doesn't want to do. He's a wisecracker whereas Wolfe is serious.
In this mystery, they have an orchid show at their brownstone apartment and someone gets murdered. Worse, the police seal off their office, so their whole routine is disrupted. Of course, the murderer is the last person you suspect.
It was more fun listening to the audiobook, ably narrated by Michael Prichard. Don't miss it!
I'd give it 5 stars as a mystery anyway. The characters are so iconic. Nero Wolfe is fat (1/7 of a ton) but brilliant. He reads every day and remembers everything he reads, including the whole NY Times. He's modeled after Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock Holmes's smarter older brother. Both are extremely lazy and set in their routines. Basically, he only takes cases when he needs money.
Nero's partner is Archie Goodwin, his opposite in every way. He's a ladies' man, a man of action, who can repeat conversations verbatim for Wolfe. He does all the assignments Wolf doesn't want to do. He's a wisecracker whereas Wolfe is serious.
In this mystery, they have an orchid show at their brownstone apartment and someone gets murdered. Worse, the police seal off their office, so their whole routine is disrupted. Of course, the murderer is the last person you suspect.
It was more fun listening to the audiobook, ably narrated by Michael Prichard. Don't miss it!
July 25, 2023
Three excellent short stories by Rex Stout. The first, "The Gun With Wings", is technically a locked room mystery, but it involves far more twists and turns than the usual tale. Archie almost felt like a passive observer here, but Wolfe is rock solid. Honestly, I expected an entirely different person to be the killer and was pleasantly surprised to be wrong.
"Bullet for One" centers on that must unreliable type of evidence, the eyewitness. The victim is not a pleasant man who partners up with an even more unpleasant salesman to make his business successful. The suspect list appears to quickly settle on several individuals and then Stout upends the entire apple cart with an observation that should make even the most jaded reader facepalm themselves. It's that quick.
"Disguise for Murder" was a unlocked room mystery, but chasing down the killer was a lot of fun. Archie puts himself in direct harm because he feels partially responsible for a murder that occurs right in Wolfe's office. An amazing feat by a killer that will surprise anyone, even hardcore fans of Nero and Archie.
A must read for fans of Nero Wolfe and a should read for any fans of detective and mystery tales.
Find it! Buy it! READ IT!
"Bullet for One" centers on that must unreliable type of evidence, the eyewitness. The victim is not a pleasant man who partners up with an even more unpleasant salesman to make his business successful. The suspect list appears to quickly settle on several individuals and then Stout upends the entire apple cart with an observation that should make even the most jaded reader facepalm themselves. It's that quick.
"Disguise for Murder" was a unlocked room mystery, but chasing down the killer was a lot of fun. Archie puts himself in direct harm because he feels partially responsible for a murder that occurs right in Wolfe's office. An amazing feat by a killer that will surprise anyone, even hardcore fans of Nero and Archie.
A must read for fans of Nero Wolfe and a should read for any fans of detective and mystery tales.
Find it! Buy it! READ IT!
May 5, 2019
First tale is about two lovers who wanted Nero Wolfe to prove beyond a shadow of doubt that neither one of them killed her tenor husband whose death was ruled as a suicide anyway but there is a catch (the gun was moved but neither one is admitting to moving it) hence the desire for reassurance from Wolfe... also there is a twist. Second is the death of a successful industrial designer while he was out riding at Central Park and at least four persons wanted one particular individual to be found guilty of doing the deed... instructing Wolfe to make it so. Confound it! Third story is about a strangled female con artist found in Nero Wolfe's office where Archie left her petrified but "safe" (for she recognized one 0f the guests as the one who murdered her friend five months ago) during a house exhibit of Wolfe's prized orchids sponsored by the Manhattan Flower Club with more than 200 guests coming and going... and yes, Wolfe opened his house for selected club members and their guests to be up close and personal with his beloved orchids... Amazing! ...and to cap it all... a strangled corpse in Wolfe's office no less! Oh my!
March 8, 2024
This is a book encapsulating three novellas, The Gun with Wings, Bullet for One and Disguise for Murder. They are collected here together more because of proximity of time and length, and not because there's a theme involved (other than murder).
The Gun with Wings has (in my opinion) a fairly obvious solution, but the puzzle and the characters are drawn well, considering how quickly Rex Stout has to set up the victim, his entourage, and the scenario.
Bullet for One deals with an unusual setup and solution for a murder, involving a victim who rides horseback daily in Central Park, and mounted policemen in a four-legged high-speed chase.
Disguise for Murder shows Wolfe doing something he would never ordinarily do: throw open the doors to his home to welcome the members of a local horticultural society to tour his plant rooms. Trouble, of course, follows. This short story was deemed worthy enough to become an episode in the Nero Wolfe series on A&E, starring Timothy Hutton.
The Gun with Wings has (in my opinion) a fairly obvious solution, but the puzzle and the characters are drawn well, considering how quickly Rex Stout has to set up the victim, his entourage, and the scenario.
Bullet for One deals with an unusual setup and solution for a murder, involving a victim who rides horseback daily in Central Park, and mounted policemen in a four-legged high-speed chase.
Disguise for Murder shows Wolfe doing something he would never ordinarily do: throw open the doors to his home to welcome the members of a local horticultural society to tour his plant rooms. Trouble, of course, follows. This short story was deemed worthy enough to become an episode in the Nero Wolfe series on A&E, starring Timothy Hutton.
December 14, 2018
This is a collection of three novellas - too short to quite satisfy me, otherwise it would have been 5 stars. The three stories are: The Gun with Wings, Bullet for One, and Disguise for Murder.
In the first one, the mystery centers around how the gun got moved and who moved it to make it look like a suicide. In the second, a man is shot while out riding his horse, and Nero Wolfe comes up with a clever way to trap the murderer. The third was most interesting - a woman is strangled in Wolfe's office while he and Archie are entertaining the Manhattan Flower Club in the orchid rooms upstairs. When the police seal his office (mostly out of meanness), Wolfe is obliged to do his thinking in the dining room. Once again, he comes up with a way to trap the murderer, but this time it involves putting Archie in a dangerous situation. All three, although short, are very good and very quick reading.
In the first one, the mystery centers around how the gun got moved and who moved it to make it look like a suicide. In the second, a man is shot while out riding his horse, and Nero Wolfe comes up with a clever way to trap the murderer. The third was most interesting - a woman is strangled in Wolfe's office while he and Archie are entertaining the Manhattan Flower Club in the orchid rooms upstairs. When the police seal his office (mostly out of meanness), Wolfe is obliged to do his thinking in the dining room. Once again, he comes up with a way to trap the murderer, but this time it involves putting Archie in a dangerous situation. All three, although short, are very good and very quick reading.
February 19, 2023
As I continue to work my way through the Nero Wolfe series, I'm finding I'm not the biggest fan of the short story collections. The format isn't the issue; for the most part, Stout seems to save his weaker ideas for these smaller-scale mysteries. Ultimately, these were never intended to be read back-to-back, and the formulaicness really starts to great when you get a triple dose of very similar scenes. (I think in the future, I'll just read one short story at a time between other books.)
The third story, where a murder takes place in Wolfe's office and removes him from his comfort zone, rises above the other two, which mostly hinge on a cheap resolution before Stout immediately slams the door shut. But by the time I got to that one, I just wanted to be done with it.
The third story, where a murder takes place in Wolfe's office and removes him from his comfort zone, rises above the other two, which mostly hinge on a cheap resolution before Stout immediately slams the door shut. But by the time I got to that one, I just wanted to be done with it.
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