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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
Good ol’ Nero Wolfe, always Johnny-in-the-Brownstone when death comes a’ callin. The Rubber Band stands with the other Rex Stout novels as a fine entry in the adventures of the most armchair of detectives and his hop-to-it man, Archie Goodwin. The case begins with a stolen lot of $20,000 and quickly escalates to long-lost royal heirs, a secret pact from long ago, a lovely dame in trouble, and murder. And let’s not forget Inspector Cramer chompin’ on his cigar and fuming at the injustice of it all. It’s all classic Wolfe. A few quick thoughts about this particular tale:
- There was a bit too much overlapping coincidence in this novel for my taste. I prefer my stories a bit more purposeful.
- I liked the antagonism between Archie and one of the free-lancers that Wolfe employs occasionally – Archie resented that the man wanted Archie’s job, but in the end Goodwin’s wit and quick thinking reaffirm his utility to Wolfe.
- The title for the novel comes out early and has a close connection to the tale, unlike some of the other stories I’ve read.
Like your favorite pizza, Nero Wolfe stories are good each time you read them but not particularly noteworthy from one to the next. But you sure enjoy it while you’re eating.
- There was a bit too much overlapping coincidence in this novel for my taste. I prefer my stories a bit more purposeful.
- I liked the antagonism between Archie and one of the free-lancers that Wolfe employs occasionally – Archie resented that the man wanted Archie’s job, but in the end Goodwin’s wit and quick thinking reaffirm his utility to Wolfe.
- The title for the novel comes out early and has a close connection to the tale, unlike some of the other stories I’ve read.
Like your favorite pizza, Nero Wolfe stories are good each time you read them but not particularly noteworthy from one to the next. But you sure enjoy it while you’re eating.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence
Moderate: Sexual harassment, War
Minor: Death of parent
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Another cleverly plotted piece from Rex Stout. Mainly the narrator of the audio version is outstanding--improves the text quite a bit, I think.
Reread 2023: There is an unfortunate number of racial slurs in this book which I found to be quite distasteful--apparently I didn't notice last time; I at least failed to comment. I'm not sure the story holds up enough to deal with that. This time it's other characters who exhibit the bigotry, rather than Archie himself, but still....
Reread 2023: There is an unfortunate number of racial slurs in this book which I found to be quite distasteful--apparently I didn't notice last time; I at least failed to comment. I'm not sure the story holds up enough to deal with that. This time it's other characters who exhibit the bigotry, rather than Archie himself, but still....
A very good mystery with memorable characters (which can be a weak point for Stout.) it seems that the brownstone is real, and Wolfe is in fine fettle.
You could do a lot worse than this story.
You could do a lot worse than this story.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This one got a little convoluted in the middle, but I've gotten hooked on Nero and Archie's adventures.