Why did the late multimillionaire Noel Hawthorne leave his sisters, April, May, and June, a peach, a pear, and an apple? Why did he will the bulk of his considerable estate to a woman who was most definitely not his wife? Now Nero Wolfe, able, astute, and unscrupulous detective that he is, must get to the bottom of a will that’s left a whirlpool of menace . . . and a legacy of murder that’s about … about to be fulfilled.
Introduction by Dean R. Koontz
“It is always a treat to read a Nero Wolfe mystery. The man has entered our folklore.”—The New York Times Book Review
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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a great read
If you like Nero Wolfe, this is a good one, very faithful!
Stout’s characters are both predictable and engaging at once. Wolfe is brilliant, but stubborn, opinionated and sedentary. Archie is impatient yet the near-perfect amanuensis. Cramer is the hot-tempered bulldog career cop. Saul the perfect chameleon. Et cetera.
I’ve read Rex Stout for many years. Most of his books I have are paper back so I’m very pleased to finally be able to get those “oldies but goodies” on kindle.
I’m a great fan of Rex Stout’s Nero Wolf series. Excellent read.
Another great story staring Archie and crew. Nero Wolfe took his time getting engaged, but the story moves fast with a surprise ending.
I like all the Nero Wolfe books
Maybe best of this series.
Great read
Just a chance to reread about my favorite detective. Classic.
A great read. Highly recommended.
This is an early book in Rex Stout’s long-running Nero Wolfe detective series, and as such feels a bit atypical: Wolfe leaves his house at the summons of the husband of one of his clients which he rarely if ever does (admittedly the husband is the US Secretary of State, but later Wolfe would stonewall J. Edgar Hoover himself!); Archie sounds more hard-boiled and less engaging than he does later on; and the mystery is a lot of talking to people with a second dead body tossed into the middle of things. Still, even early Nero Wolfe is a lot better than most of what’s out there, and this is absolutely worth reading….
Now and again I read a mystery by an old master. Where There’s a Will was written by Rex Stout, an old master of mysteries. If you haven’t read his Nero Wolfe character, here’s a book for your first one or one more if you have read him before. Nero Wolfe is the opposite of nearly all detectives. He is very overweight, eats too much, raises orchids, and almost never leaves his office. Nero Wolfe stories are told by his assistant, Archie Goodwin, the detective who pounds the pavement for Wolfe, is the storyteller. This one has a collection of unusual characters. If you like character-driven stories, as I do, you’ll enjoy Where There’s a Will, a Nero Wolfe mystery by past master, Rex Stout.
It’s Rex Stout — and Nero Wolfe. What more do you need to know?
I have been reading Rex Stout since the lateb1940’s and I never tire of Nero and Archie.
Another great Nero Wolfe
As usual, a dandy of a story.
Enjoy all Nero Wolfe books. Rex Stout had a vocabulary which much like Poe sent me to the dictionary.
The usual excellent Nero Wolfe tale told from Archie’s sarcastic POV. This case did not seem to generate as much cleverness from His Largeness.
The Rex Stout books may be dated but they are wonderful reads and timeless.