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cmbohn's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Update: On rereading this one, I feel I was a little harsh with my previous rating. It still strikes me as an average Nero Wolfe, but average is 3 stars, not 2. So I'm raising my rating.
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Cramer seeks Wolfe's help in a homicide, but Wolfe can't come up with a case that just might tie in. Although the action starts around an unpublished manuscript, the real mystery revolves around a law firm.
Archie gets to fly to California and meet the woman of his dreams, ply ladies with orchids, and Nero Wolfe actually leaves the house, but just to have dinner with a friend.
I liked this one, but I didn't feel like it was anything special. Stout wrote so many books that were very similar. This one didn't really stand out in any way. It was a fun read, but ultimately forgettable.
*****************
Cramer seeks Wolfe's help in a homicide, but Wolfe can't come up with a case that just might tie in. Although the action starts around an unpublished manuscript, the real mystery revolves around a law firm.
Archie gets to fly to California and meet the woman of his dreams, ply ladies with orchids, and Nero Wolfe actually leaves the house, but just to have dinner with a friend.
I liked this one, but I didn't feel like it was anything special. Stout wrote so many books that were very similar. This one didn't really stand out in any way. It was a fun read, but ultimately forgettable.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Murder, Death, Violence, and Gun violence
bel017's review against another edition
I got a bit confused with who was who, and I was terribly sad for the parents, but I enjoyed the rest of it.
ssejig's review against another edition
3.0
Not my favorite Nero Wolfe. Everyone who's been in contact with a particular manuscript is turning up dead. It's a mystery that only Nero can solve.
Can' place my finger on why it took so long to read this one. Just not as good as some of Stout's others.
Can' place my finger on why it took so long to read this one. Just not as good as some of Stout's others.
abpetitex11's review against another edition
5.0
I was a huge fan of the television series "Nero Wolfe" and with novels like this for material, it is not surprising.
mburnamfink's review against another edition
3.0
Murder by the Book is one of the later, and better loved Nero Wolfe mysteries. I thought it was just alright, as Nero and Archie stumble through a leadless case, where three murders are linked only by a pseudonymous manuscript and its unknown contents. With little to go on, our heroes badger the staff of a small law-firm that employed the first victim, setting an elaborate trap to flush out the murder. The climax, which hinges on a confession that contradicts the confessor's prior actions, is quite moving, but the rest is Archie bumping around New York and a rainy and placeless Los Angeles.
therewithal's review
4.0
Hadn't read any of the Nero Wolfe books before, but I had seen the A&E TV series adaptation, which seems to be spot on with the casting - I could hear their voices as I was reading. Anyway, Wolfe and Archie Goodwin are great characters and the case in this one was interesting. I'll definitely keep reading them.
thefourthvine's review
4.0
This was a reread, a palate cleanser after the rush of Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom, because:
1. There is never a bad time for Nero Wolfe, and
2. It's the rainy season in Los Angeles (January 18-28, roughly)
This book is one of my favorites in the series. It's sharp, it's got the usual moments of humor, it's got great Wolfe-Archie interplay (and for the Archie/Saul shipper in me, there's a terrific moment when Archie explains that Saul would totally be the best US President ever if you just upgraded his wardrobe), it's got a loathesome and intelligent villain, and it has one of my favorite female characters in the series. (Yes, I...I have a list.)
That female character is the redoubtable Mrs. Potter, a woman Archie admires for her brain and her sense of humor. She's great, and she never misses a trick. And she lives in Los Angeles. (And I guess Stout visited in January, because when Archie goes to LA to talk to Mrs. Potter, it's pouring.)
This is definitely one of the books on the Wolfe short list, and it wouldn't be the worst place to start with the series, either.
1. There is never a bad time for Nero Wolfe, and
2. It's the rainy season in Los Angeles (January 18-28, roughly)
This book is one of my favorites in the series. It's sharp, it's got the usual moments of humor, it's got great Wolfe-Archie interplay (and for the Archie/Saul shipper in me, there's a terrific moment when Archie explains that Saul would totally be the best US President ever if you just upgraded his wardrobe), it's got a loathesome and intelligent villain, and it has one of my favorite female characters in the series. (Yes, I...I have a list.)
That female character is the redoubtable Mrs. Potter, a woman Archie admires for her brain and her sense of humor. She's great, and she never misses a trick. And she lives in Los Angeles. (And I guess Stout visited in January, because when Archie goes to LA to talk to Mrs. Potter, it's pouring.)
This is definitely one of the books on the Wolfe short list, and it wouldn't be the worst place to start with the series, either.
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