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ginpomelo 's review for:

Fer-de-Lance by Rex Stout
1.5
lighthearted mysterious reflective medium-paced
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

This is an odd mixture of Golden Age and hardboiled, and it didn't quite manage to be a convincing specimen of either. I enjoy Archie Goodwin as the narrator (I mean, outside the hilarious sexist condescension and xenophobia), but imperious Gentlemen Detectives intuiting things without raising a finger do get tedious. Every time the plot returns to Nero Wolfe's apartment I end up sighing.

Interesting but not compelling, and too long for the kind of story it is.