jjares reviewed on 8/27/2020 + 3413 more book reviews

After Rex Stout died, his estate approved Robert Goldsborough's request to continue the series with himself as the author. Goldsborough came with significant bonafides; he's an established journalist and writer. He also seemed to be an authority of all things 'Rex Stout.' This book is the thirteenth book of fifteen in the Goldsborough series.

This book is just too talky; there wasn't enough action -- just talking. Granted, Nero Wolfe parked himself at his desk most of the time for Rex Stout and was the resident genius. Still, in this book, Archie spent most of his time on the telephone, not on doing much investigating. I thought it bizarre that Archie deduced that the Lester Pierce death had anything to do with the death of a small-time mobster (mentioned in a late page of the paper days after Pierce's death). It just didn't seem realistic.

Archie chats on the phone to Lily Rowan and Saul Panzer instead of going out to find out the info. This seemed to drain the excitement from whatever they shared. It was just he said, she said. Boring. Generally, the characters were two-dimensional.

Nero Wolfe Mystery
continued from the original series by Rex Stout
-- skipped several --
11. Stop the Presses! (2016)
12. Murder, Stage Left (2017)
** 13. The Battered Badge(2018)
14. Death of an Art Collector (2019)
15. Archie Goes Home (2020)

Back to all reviews by this member
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details