Rex Stout

A newspaper article in his possession suggests that there’s a connection between his death and the recent death of Peter Barstow, President of Holland University. Barstow was golfing when he suddenly died, apparently from a stroke. It soon becomes apparent, though, that he was poisoned.

Wolfe never leaves his New York brownstone, so it’s mostly Archie Goodwin who interviews Barstow’s friends, business acquaintances and relations to find out why he was killed. Goodwin soon runs into a hurdle when it turns out that there was no motive for killing Barstow. He was well-liked and a good person. Although hardly perfect, he hadn’t made any enemies. It takes Wolfe’s deductive powers, Goodwin’s ability to find, talk to and learn from witnesses, and some interesting clues to get to the truth about the two murders.

In many ways, it’s a classic Golden Age whodunit. There’s a group of suspects, an intellectual puzzle and sleuths who put those pieces together. There’s also an interesting plot twist of the kind made famous during that era. And yet, this novel also has an element of a psychological mystery, too. When we find out who the killer is, and what the killer’s motive is for murdering, we discover that it’s a psychological motive. From an historical perspective, it’s an interesting “bridge” between more intellectual novels of that time, and the psychological novels of more recent years.Another very important aspect of this novel is the unique character of Nero Wolfe. He’s a brilliant detective, but he is a very, very eccentric person. He is devoted to the cultivation of orchids and is an expert on the topic. In fact, his orchids are so important to Wolfe that he allows no-one to disturb him between nine and eleven in the morning, and between four and six in the afternoon, because he spends that time in his plant rooms. Even Goodwin knows better than to speak to Wolfe at those times unless it’s an utter emergency. Wolfe is a gourmand, and not in the best of physical shape, but his mind moves at lightning speed. He’s sometimes subject to depression that Goodwin (from whose point of view the novel is told) refers to as a relapse: “I had never really understood Wolfe’s relapses. Sometimes it seemed plain that it was ordinary discouragement and funk…but other times there was no accounting for it at all.” During those times, Wolfe says little and takes no interest at all in sleuthing. He’s cerebral and sometimes scathing in his remarks, but can be compassionate. He is definitely one of the more offbeat and interesting sleuths in crime fiction.

We also get a sense of the relationship between Wolfe and Goodwin in this story. Goodwin is more action-oriented and less intellectual than his boss is, although he’s by no means stupid. The two have quite a mutually dependent relationship, although they certainly don’t revere each other. Goodwin gets irritated sometimes at Wolfe’s rigid schedule and other eccentricities. For his part, Wolfe gets annoyed when Goodwin doesn’t notice details that Wolfe regards as important. This makes both characters more realistic. They are quite different, so it makes sense that they might annoy each other at times. And yet, the two do have a great deal of respect for each other, although they don’t always admit it. Wolfe depends on Goodwin as his “eyes and ears,” and does respect Goodwin’s ability to get information and talk to witnesses, as well as his ability to get witnesses to come to the brownstone so that Wolfe can interview them. Goodwin admires Wolfe’s deductive powers and the way he can draw conclusions far before others can.

Another element that runs through this novel is a real picture of New York City and the surrounding area. The novel was published in 1934, so today’s New York is quite different. But the novel captures the city as it was: “I went to a restaurant on Park Avenue to look at a telephone book, and then went back to the car and stepped on the starter and started along Sixty-Ninth Street, and at Fifth Avenue turned downtown. At Forty-First Street I headed east... I had to go nearly to Third Avenue to find a space where I could edge the roadster in.” It’s obvious throughout the story that Goodwin knows New York City and can navigate it almost as well as a cabdriver can.

The mystery itself, the characters, especially those of Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin, and the vivid New York background tie this story together and add layers to it. 

Review by Margot Kinberg, Confessions of a Mystery Writer