Rex Stout is one of those classic authors of detective fiction that's worth revisiting in modern times. Starting with this book in 1934, the morbidly obese genius Nero Wolfe solves crimes from his parlor, while his man Archie dashes around New York in a high performance roadster, interviewing witnesses and collecting evidence. Come for dazzling plot twists and leaps of intuition, stay for the word-play and sarcastic relationship between Wolfe and Archie.