Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A woman wanders into the house and says that she is a Montenegran. She demands to talk to Wolfe, wanting help for her friend. Archie leaves her alone in the office for a bit and she hides a piece of paper in his office saying that the bearer is the wife of the current prince. Oh, and also, she says she's Wolfe's daughter. And Wolfe doesn't deny that it's a possibility.
However, what starts as an accusation of theft ends up with two murders. There are the usual twists and turns that come in a Wolfe case, including at the end.
However, what starts as an accusation of theft ends up with two murders. There are the usual twists and turns that come in a Wolfe case, including at the end.
International intrigue and the introduction of wolfe’s adopted daughter. It was aight.
3 1/2 stars.
Boy, we find out a lot about Wolfe's background in this one! The mystery was kind of confusing and seemed a bit pulled out of a hat, but the writing was enjoyable, as always.
Boy, we find out a lot about Wolfe's background in this one! The mystery was kind of confusing and seemed a bit pulled out of a hat, but the writing was enjoyable, as always.
I liked this book, it had a cool twist at the end. There were also some timely international references which might point to how closely the world was watching certain countries in 1938 and I found that interesting.
The mystery itself is just so-so, but you get some interesting insights into Wolfe's past.
This is the first book from the series that was used as an episode in the television show. It was quite fun to compare the two and try and decide why the parts left out were left out.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I can't really say I got the all plot and murderer and motives, BUT I loved Nero Wolfe (my first) and I adored Archie Goodwin (totally), so that's a pretty good read! ❤️
They should have just called this one "Archie Goodwin Punches Nazis."
Rex Stout is one of my favorite authors, so it’s sad to be disappointed in a Nero Wolfe novel.
Two female fencing instructors from the old country (!) become embroiled in a double murder.
There’s some vague international subterfuge which doesn’t really have to make sense.
The weakness here is a large group of characters introduced, and nobody has any distinguishing characteristics.
Then it piddles around until the solution.
Archie makes two pretty successful tricks, and Wolfe doesn’t have any big tricks up his sleeve. We do learn that Fritz is terrified of women, which explains why he stays with Wolfe for decades.
It was good, but pretty forgettable, which is why I’m going into detail in my review. There’s nothing worse than reading a book and then, years later, forgetting what it was about.
Two female fencing instructors from the old country (!) become embroiled in a double murder.
There’s some vague international subterfuge which doesn’t really have to make sense.
The weakness here is a large group of characters introduced, and nobody has any distinguishing characteristics.
Then it piddles around until the solution.
Archie makes two pretty successful tricks, and Wolfe doesn’t have any big tricks up his sleeve. We do learn that Fritz is terrified of women, which explains why he stays with Wolfe for decades.
It was good, but pretty forgettable, which is why I’m going into detail in my review. There’s nothing worse than reading a book and then, years later, forgetting what it was about.