Scan barcode
A review by thefourthvine
Murder by the Book by David Handler, Rex Stout
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.