Scan barcode
jbleyle63's review against another edition
4.0
What's most notable about this volume containing two novellas ["Not Quite Dead Enough" & "Booby Trap"] is the World War II setting in which Archie and Nero find ways to serve their country.
rouver's review against another edition
3.0
I love the Nero Wolf books, the writing, the dialogue...but I have to say this was my least favorite so far. WWII has changed the characters, which is reasonable, but perhaps changed them too much for my taste. You weren't led through the whole story, but are apparently thrown in halfway through an investigation. If you're a fan of Rex Stout, don't skip it...but if you're looking into reading this series, don't start with this one.
sergei_ter_tumasov's review against another edition
4.0
[a:Rex Stout|41112|Rex Stout|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1201136975p2/41112.jpg] очень талантливый писатель! Нужно будет обязательно почитать какую-нибудь его недетективную книжку. А что касается этой, то здесь на первом плане не столько расследование преступлений (как минимум в первой части), а взаимоотношения Ниро Вульфа и Арчи Гудвина и его (Арчи) неподражаемый юмор! А вторая часть книги откровенно скучна.
shanaqui's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Not my thing. I originally compared it to John Dickson Carr, but not quite. Still, very opaque detective, difficult to figure out for yourself.
stuffandwhatnot's review against another edition
3.0
Two WWII-era novellas. Always delightful, and I was wondering how the war would figure into the stories. The first has Wolfe voluntarily giving up rich food and going outside for exercise! And Archie's a major??! The second has the wonderful Sergeant Dorothy Bruce.
ssejig's review against another edition
3.0
I borrowed this book on a whim and was surprised to find out it was actually two longer novellas. When the first story wrapped up halfway through, I really thought it was a red herring.
Both stories are set during WWII with the first having Archie return to the brownstone as a major in the army. It seems that Intelligence is in need of Nero Wolfe's skills and he is ignoring their requests. Archie is confident that he can change Wolfe's mind. On his way back to New York, Lily Rowan sits next to him on the plane having figured out his schedule. She wants help for her friend Ann Amory and can't get Wolfe to agree.
The reason that Wolfe didn't agree is because he is "training" in order to join the war. He is working hard to lose weight and get fit so that he can shoot Germans. Archie is shocked to see the great detective so deflated and even further shocked to figure out he can't change Wolfe's mind. So when Ann Amory is murdered, Archie frames himself in order to induce Wolfe to refocus on solving crimes. I didn't exactly get the end but it was an interesting story.
The second story is shortly afterward because Wolfe is now helping the war effort by working with Army Intelligence. He is even (gasp) leaving the brownstone and going to their offices. While there, he has Archie return the prototype of a new kind of grenade that Archie had had in their house. Wolfe, rather understandably, doesn't want it there. And it turns out that he is probably right to be worried since the grenade goes off in the army offices the next day, killing Archie's boss. There is a woman involved who Wolfe actually meets with an almost respects but otherwise it is a book about industrial espionage happening while the war is going on.
Both stories are set during WWII with the first having Archie return to the brownstone as a major in the army. It seems that Intelligence is in need of Nero Wolfe's skills and he is ignoring their requests. Archie is confident that he can change Wolfe's mind. On his way back to New York, Lily Rowan sits next to him on the plane having figured out his schedule. She wants help for her friend Ann Amory and can't get Wolfe to agree.
The reason that Wolfe didn't agree is because he is "training" in order to join the war. He is working hard to lose weight and get fit so that he can shoot Germans. Archie is shocked to see the great detective so deflated and even further shocked to figure out he can't change Wolfe's mind. So when Ann Amory is murdered, Archie frames himself in order to induce Wolfe to refocus on solving crimes. I didn't exactly get the end but it was an interesting story.
The second story is shortly afterward because Wolfe is now helping the war effort by working with Army Intelligence. He is even (gasp) leaving the brownstone and going to their offices. While there, he has Archie return the prototype of a new kind of grenade that Archie had had in their house. Wolfe, rather understandably, doesn't want it there. And it turns out that he is probably right to be worried since the grenade goes off in the army offices the next day, killing Archie's boss. There is a woman involved who Wolfe actually meets with an almost respects but otherwise it is a book about industrial espionage happening while the war is going on.
muffmacguff's review against another edition
2.0
This was my first Nero Wolfe mystery and I was not that impressed! Both the mysteries in the book are solved by getting all the suspects in a room and waiting for someone to slip up - no clues throughout the book to pick up on. Also Nero Wolfe is gross volcel. I may read other books in this series some day - I started this when I was helping a friend move and wanted something simple for reading during downtime - but probably not in the near future. I bet a lot of people ship Archie/Nero.
jonjeffryes's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting to see Archie and Wolfe in war time. The two novellas are linked in a satisfying way. I found the first installment quite clever. The end of part two was surprisingly dark. Still like the full novels better, but this set was a more enjoyable read than Black Orchids (for me).
jandals's review against another edition
3.0
An enjoyable, interesting and quick read. This is one of the last Nero Wolfe stories to be written and I think it is atypical in both style and portrayal of the characters. May not have been the best introduction to the series.