As any herpetologist will tell you, the fer-de-lance is among the most dreaded snakes known to man. When someone makes a present of one to Nero Wolfe, Archie Goodwin knows he’s getting dreadully close to solving the devilishly clever murders of an immigrant and a college president. As for Wolfe, he’s playing snake charmer in a case with more twists than an anaconda — whistling a seductive tune … tune he hopes will catch a killer who’s still got poison in his heart.
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Rex Stout has long been one of my favorite authors. His characters are well drawn, and he never fails to provide a satisfying twist.
I have never read one of his books before and I really enjoyed the characters, the setting and the plot. I will definitely be back.
As always Rex Stout does it again.
Like these mysteries as the murders are not graphically detailed.
Love RRex Stout’s books!
The very first in a long series featuring detectives Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin. Story is told from Goodwin’s perspective, which is of a stereotypical tough, rough gumshoe saddled with a grouchy, unpredictable, infuriating partner. Plenty of twists and turns in the plot make it a great read for anyone who wants a thoughtful mystery.
I still love it after all these years. Nero and Archie are the best.
Always a great detective story, with rich characters and involved plot. Many a late night with these and this no exception!
I just really like Archie Goodwin and Nero Wolf.
This book may have been written long ago, but intelligent mysteries never get old. If you haven’t read Rex Stout, you haven’t read the best!
This is the first in a long series of murder mysteries starring Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin. When a young woman asks Wolfe to investigate the disappearance of her brother, it doesn’t seem likely to lead to the rest of the story. But the brother is found murdered, and he has cut out a newspaper story about the death of a university president on …
This is the book where Wolfe is uncharacteristically chatty and self-explanatory — sensible, for the first book of a series. Aside from that, this reads like a normal Archie-and-Wolfe novel — it is set 7 years into their partnership, so there’s no awkward first-date intro stuff. I love reading Stout’s Wolfe novels — he is such a …
The Nero Wolfe series is a joy to read. The mysteries aren’t overly complicated but the solutions are brilliant. The banter of Nero and Archie are a treat to read.
The Rex Stout characters are great. Nero Wolfe is a private detective who is an overweight genius who never leaves his home for business.
Wonderful title but not as good as later novels
By Charles van Buren on March 13, 2018
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
This, the first of Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe mysteries, is not the best. If you are trying the series for the first time, I recommend choosing a different book. This is not a series which has to be read in order to make …
Rex Stout in this first outing of Nero Wolf and Archie Goodwin achieves a large payday in the midst of the depression with Wolf’s characteristic grasp of the fundamentals of a mystery. It is not only a who done it but also a how done it. Highly recommended.