And Be a Villain

Rating:
Summary: Classic Rex Stout
Review: This has got to be my favorite of all the Nero Wolfe books. The interplay between Archie and Wolfe, Wolfe's rants about sub-par mass produced foodstuffs, to the dated slang used by teenager Nancylee, are all perfect representations of the best of Rex Stout. It all comes together in a truly delightful tale that had me smiling from start to finish.

Rating:
Summary: Delightful and quaint
Review: This outing is set in a time long ago, when radio stars were national celebrities on a par with today's TV talk show hosts, and people actually clamoured to be in the audience. The Oprah of her day serves her guests the sponsor's carbonated drink on air, and one drops dead ... right there on live radio. Wolfe naturally figures out the killer's identity -- with a huge assist from Archie, just as naturally. Unfortunately, Wolfe doesn't do it in time to stop a trio of other murders from happening. He seems to feel genuinely remorseful about this, as if he were angry at himself. This isn't something we've seen often in Wolfe, and I found it appealing. Also, reading this was like getting a valentine from a long-ago era. While it may not have taken place that many years ago, today's world is far different from the one described here. Radio is not the prevalent broadcast media. Trains move at too leisurely a pace to be our primary mode of transportation anymore. And most of all, our criminals today are far more efficient and sophisticated. I kept waiting for Wolfe to send Archie to the soda bottling plant to investigate, but it never happened. And then I realized it: no one even considered mass product tampering back in the day. It actually made me kind of wistful for those more innocent times.

Rating:
Summary: death on the airwaves
Review: Wolfe investigates a murder committed during a radio broadcast. He discovers an underworld of blackmail and treachery from the infamous Mr Z. In the end, he assembles all suspects for the grand finale in his office, as usual. A typical, but not spectacular Wolfe book.

Rating:
Summary: death on the airwaves
Review: Wolfe investigates a murder committed during a radio broadcast. He discovers an underworld of blackmail and treachery from the infamous Mr Z. In the end, he assembles all suspects for the grand finale in his office, as usual. A typical, but not spectacular Wolfe book.