Rating: 
Summary: This Book Started It All
Review: As a mystery author with my first novel in initial release, I must admit to admiring the work of Rex Stout. His Nero Wolfe series shows us all how a master works. FER-DE-LANCE was the first book in Stout's lengthy series, and he had all the elements of his series in place when he wrote this excellent mystery. He combined the softer classic tradition, personified by Nero Wolfe, with the tougher hardboiled tradition, personified by Archie Goodwin. They work together in this novel to solve this homicide, as they will in dozens of future novels. His famous list of suspects with their lists of peculiarities are introduced in this novel as are the tensions between Wolfe and Goodwin that will play out for decades. FER-DE-LANCE is a classic of American mystery fiction.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic American Mystery
Review: As a voracious reader in my youth I devoured books at an alarming rate, with never a backward glance. As I aged I began to spend more time selecting books and less time reading them, becoming more selective about how I spend my hard won reading time. One of the great joys in life is reading a really good book, but even the heftiest novels are all too fleetingly enjoyed, and all too soon their passing mourned. Rex Stout is the antidote for this 'readers remorse' in that he has created a world that rarely changes. His Nero Wolfe series is truly a literary time capsule. FER-DE-LANCE was the first book in Stout's lengthy series, and he had all the elements of his series in place when he wrote this excellent mystery. He deliberately mentions prior cases to establish their world as a constant presence. We aren't there for the beginning of the Archie/Nero relationship, if indeed there ever was one, but we are invited to stop by and visit whenever we wish. Having established the comfortable and familiar brownstone background against which all of his cases will play out, Mr. Stout then combined the softer classic deductive reasoning tradition, embodied in Nero Wolfe, with the tougher hardboiled action tradition, embodied in Archie Goodwin. They work together in this novel and dozens to follow, solving the homicide in a style all their own. His famous list of suspects with their lists of peculiarities are introduced in this novel as are, with the noted exception of Inspector Cramer, their comrades in arms. The characters ebb and flow throughout the series, but never seem to age or tire. This creates a span of thousands of well written pages to share with our new friends. FER-DE-LANCE is a unique and timeless classic of American mystery fiction.
Rating: 
Summary: A half-baked and little plausible story
Review: In Rex Stout`s first Nero-Wolfe story the ample private investigator is asked by a friend of his legman Fred Durkin to find her brother Carlo Maffei, who has disappeared. Shortly afterwards the latter is found murdered. Wolfe`s inquiries reveal a connection with the sudden death of university president Barstow on the links, which turns out to be a murder. Barstow's widow then offers a reward for identifying the perpetrator and Wolfe undertakes to collect the money. Eventually, a ball boy from the golf course provides the crucial hint that leads to the killer, who attempts to silence Wolfe by means of a highly poisonous snake called fer-de-lance yet fails.
How the suspects respond to the questions they are asked, is being noticed in psychological detail. Wolfe's conclusions are immediately revealed to the reader and not withheld until the end as in so many other Wolfe-stories. However, the end is utterly disappointing. Wolfe stage-manages a mugging to obtain evidence. Instead of handing it over to the D.A., he sends the evidence to the killer, anticipating that the same will commit another murder and flee from justice. Moreover, he thus deceives the D.A. who paid $ 10.000 to him for being handed over the culprit. This behavior is not at all like Wolfe, who is a stickler for the rules and never acts outside the law. In real life he would certainly end up in the dock if he behaved like this.
Also, there is a discrepancy between Stouts lengthy descriptions of routine interviews and his silence when it comes to explaining the background: the motive and the particulars of the murders remain in the dark and Stout fails to explain why the killer saddles himself with lots of difficulties and risks to have a sophisticated murder weapon constructed instead of simply firing a shot from a hidden place. All in all, this crime story leaves mixed impressions and is certainly one of Stout's worse ones.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: One of the best Rex Stout ever wrote. Very ingenious plot and interesting characters. A pleasure.
Rating:
Summary: Stout is a master
Review: Rex Stout is one of my favorite authors of all time. If you're new to his works, beware, you'll become addicted. But that isn't such a bad thing, he was a prolific writer and you'll not soon run out of material. Fer-De-Lance is the first Stout published about the now famous team of inspiring, albeit grumpy and slighly neurotic, genius detective Nero Wolfe and charming legman Archie Goodwin, who frequently purposely ruffles Nero's feathers. This book is definitely worth reading. Highly entertaining, with one caveat: if you have never read Wolfe before, begin with a different one as your very first. Try Some buried Caesar, or The Silent Speaker first to help you develop a feel for this incredible duo....then I think you'll appreciate Fer-De-Lance more. (You can also find Nero Wolfe on cable TV... a serious treat for any Wolfe fan) Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: Great beginning for an outstanding series
Review: The Nero Wolfe series is absolutely outstanding, and this book serves as a good introduction for it. The plot concerns an Italian immigrant and a university president who have just been killed. Although there seems to be no link between the two, Wolfe discovers it and exploits it to expose a killer.
Don't expect an Agatha Christie or Sherlock Holmes plot for this novel--Stout wrote good mysteries, but his gems are in his characters. Wolfe, the overweight, orchid-loving, car-fearing gourmand, and his sidekick Archie, the epitome of the 1930's fast-talking, sarcastic detective, are lovable right from the beginning. Although Stout still has a few details to work out, the set-up is the same in this book as it is in the last. That isn't to say Stout didn't improve it--he didn't have to; it was perfect from the start. He achieved the rare find in the world of mystery--FOUR-dimensional characters in a plausible setting with a credible mystery.
Bottom Line: Serves as a good introduction, but don't expect a great mystery, just exemplary characters!! Make certain you get the Bantam Crime Line edition--it comes with an introduction and trivia about Nero Wolfe at the end of the novel--great for either the beginning reader or the long-time fan.
Rating:
Summary: Great beginning for an outstanding series
Review: The Nero Wolfe series is absolutely outstanding, and this book serves as a good introduction for it. The plot concerns an Italian immigrant and a university president who have just been killed. Although there seems to be no link between the two, Wolfe discovers it and exploits it to expose a killer.
Don't expect an Agatha Christie or Sherlock Holmes plot for this novel--Stout wrote good mysteries, but his gems are in his characters. Wolfe, the overweight, orchid-loving, car-fearing gourmand, and his sidekick Archie, the epitome of the 1930's fast-talking, sarcastic detective, are lovable right from the beginning. Although Stout still has a few details to work out, the set-up is the same in this book as it is in the last. That isn't to say Stout didn't improve it--he didn't have to; it was perfect from the start. He achieved the rare find in the world of mystery--FOUR-dimensional characters in a plausible setting with a credible mystery.
Bottom Line: Serves as a good introduction, but don't expect a great mystery, just exemplary characters!! Make certain you get the Bantam Crime Line edition--it comes with an introduction and trivia about Nero Wolfe at the end of the novel--great for either the beginning reader or the long-time fan.
Rating:
Summary: Rex , Nero and Archie at the beginning, also at their best
Review: The quality of Rex Stout's writing is unique in its blend of mystery and detective techiques whereas some mystery/detective authors use only one method. The stories of Nero Wolfe are entertaining, well written, and full of colorful, eccentric characters. This story is well written with the small details and descriptions fleshed out nicely. The story is about two murders, initially unconnected until Nero Wolfe sniffs out the truth. Read several of the Nero Wolfe stories and you will feel right at home in the Brownstone on 35th Street. Fer-De-Lance might be the first of the Nero Wolfe series, but it is a wonderful first book. The rotund Nero Wolfe does the thinking and Archie Goodwin does the 'legwork' with a sweet, sarcastic nature. I strongly recommend this story and many others in the Nero Wolfe series to all mystery and detective story lovers.
Rating:
Summary: Rex , Nero and Archie at the beginning, also at their best
Review: The quality of Rex Stout's writing is unique in its blend of mystery and detective techiques whereas some mystery/detective authors use only one method. The stories of Nero Wolfe are entertaining, well written, and full of colorful, eccentric characters. This story is well written with the small details and descriptions fleshed out nicely. The story is about two murders, initially unconnected until Nero Wolfe sniffs out the truth. Read several of the Nero Wolfe stories and you will feel right at home in the Brownstone on 35th Street. Fer-De-Lance might be the first of the Nero Wolfe series, but it is a wonderful first book. The rotund Nero Wolfe does the thinking and Archie Goodwin does the 'legwork' with a sweet, sarcastic nature. I strongly recommend this story and many others in the Nero Wolfe series to all mystery and detective story lovers.
Rating: 
Summary: Wolfe doesn't get snakebit
Review: This is the first of the Wolfe series, and my second (I started with The Second Confession). I love the snappy banter between Wolfe and Goodwin, and Wolfe's eccentricities. Goodwin enjoys jabbing at his boss at every turn, and I can just picture the fat, lazy genius who refuses to get out of his chair when a lady comes to his presence. Wolfe scores a zinger early as he figures out the method with which Barstow is killed. The latter part of the book was dissappointing. We figure out the killer way too early, and the "suspense" ends up trying to figure out Wolfe's plan for the finale. Once we got there, I was stunned - surely Wolfe could have planned something better than that! Yes, the killer pays, but I expected Wolfe to come up with a cleaner way of disposing of the case.
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