Rating: 
Summary: Wolfe out of his depth
Review: This is the second Wolfe, and Stout is supposed to have considered it his best. I can't agree. Although Chapin is certainly a deeper character study than these books normally attempt, the psychology is unconvincing. The pure mystery part of the plot is very weak. An interesting curiousity for fans, but out-of-step with the core appeal of the series.
Rating: 
Summary: Typical Nero Wolfe Mystery, well written!
Review: This second adventure of Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin, while not as compelling as the first, is nonetheless an excellent mystery with a rather sly twist at the end. While the the chief suspect, Paul, was the victim of a prank so many years before, he is not a sympathetic character at all and appears to be very bitter through his mask of friendship towards all. Paul's wife also seems to have few good qualities and does, in fact, seem to have quite a bizarre personality. Stout's stories are all well written and contribute to fast paced adventures that usually end with one character very unhappy, in this case Paul appears to be both unamused and unimpressed by Nero Wolfe's solution of the case. I storngly recommend this story to all Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin stories.
Rating:
Summary: Typical Nero Wolfe Mystery, well written!
Review: This second adventure of Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin, while not as compelling as the first, is nonetheless an excellent mystery with a rather sly twist at the end. While the the chief suspect, Paul, was the victim of a prank so many years before, he is not a sympathetic character at all and appears to be very bitter through his mask of friendship towards all. Paul's wife also seems to have few good qualities and does, in fact, seem to have quite a bizarre personality. Stout's stories are all well written and contribute to fast paced adventures that usually end with one character very unhappy, in this case Paul appears to be both unamused and unimpressed by Nero Wolfe's solution of the case. I storngly recommend this story to all Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin stories.
Rating:
Summary: Overlong, boring -- avoid if not a Wolfe junkie
Review: This was a disappointment. I'm a Wolfe fanatic and the author of a comprehensive webpage devoted to Wolfe, of as enormous size as Wolfe himself (see www.avenarius.sk/stout ), but compared to the masterpiece published only a year earlier than _The League_, I mean the very first Wolfe novel, _Fer-de-Lance_ (1934) -- compared to that first novel _The League_ is a "wash-out", to use Archie's term: tedious, overlong, and trite. I agree with the assessment of a previous Amazon reviewer (of August 1999).In _Fer-de-Lance_, it didn't really matter that the characters were all-new, created from scratch. You could feel the excitement of their being created, or having just been created, in Stout's prose; it was more careful and less unnecessarily verbose than in _The League_. Wolfe himself says in _The League_ that the art of writing is to leave out as much as possible without detriment to the substance: well, if _The League_ had only been 100 pages long instead of 200, it might have been entertaining! Wolfe talks too much, and Archie describes and theorizes and worries and rejoices too much in this novel. Inspector Cramer appears for the first time in this book, but he's not really himself yet. He smokes a pipe (!) instead of chewing an unlit cigar to tatters. Neither does he talk or otherwise behave like the later Cramer we love to hate. There's no red leather chair in the office yet, neither are yellow chairs there. No one-way glass panel at the door. As to the mystery angle in this book (a weak point in all of Rex Stout's books): the solution to the murder(s) is disappointing and can be guessed with many pages left to go. Hardly any suspense, certainly not to be compared with the likes of Agatha Christie. But, I've never cared for the mystery angle in Stout; it's the humorous interaction between Wolfe and Archie that makes Stout unique: Wolfe's and Archie's visions of life and the world. Neither Wolfe nor Archie are at their best in _The League_; the supporting cast (victims and suspects) are, equally, not nearly as interestingly portrayed as in _Fer-de-Lance_. _Fer-de-Lance_ is also much funnier to read; _The League_ leads us to smile, at most, every now and then -- but don't expect any Goodwinian belly-laughs. For the best in Wolfe and Archie, therefore, instead of _The League_ turn to masterpieces like _Fer-de-Lance_, _The Silent Speaker_, _In the Best Families_, _Too Many Cooks_, and _Plot It Yourself_.
Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly enjoyable
Review: This was my first Wolfe mystery, and I enjoyed it completely. It's a period piece, and the author created a definite sense of time and place, which added texture to the story. The story itself was unusual -- not your typical mystery fare. I agree that Paul Chapin was a fascinating character. His wife made me uncomfortable. Her character was unpleasant and I didn't ever grasp what motivated her to do as she did. Still, this was a lot of fun and I look forward to continuing with the series.
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