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Rating: 
Summary: One of Stout's best.
Review: All the elements of a great Nero Wolfe novel are to be found in The Silent Speaker. Great verbal sparring between Archie and Wolfe: "I dislike commotion," Wolfe said peevishly. "I didn't tell you to hit him." "He tried to kick me. He did kick me. Next time, you do it." Wolfe shuddered. A solid mystery, more challenging than the average Wolfe novel, and Wolfe pulling off one of his greatest stunts (it involves a lot of time in his yellow silk pajamas) add up to one of the best books in the series.
Rating: 
Summary: Wolfe leaves you wondering what he's doing too long
Review: I lost interest during this complicated story, mainly because the reader is left too much in the dark. Only in the last couple of pages does Archie figure out how Wolfe was figuring out the mystery all along. There were a lot of details to attempt to follow, and they weren't interesting enough for me to care. As usual, the dialog between Wolfe and Goodwin is the high point of the book, but I want Archie to be more involved in the solution.
Rating:
Summary: Wolfe leaves you wondering what he's doing too long
Review: I lost interest during this complicated story, mainly because the reader is left too much in the dark. Only in the last couple of pages does Archie figure out how Wolfe was figuring out the mystery all along. There were a lot of details to attempt to follow, and they weren't interesting enough for me to care. As usual, the dialog between Wolfe and Goodwin is the high point of the book, but I want Archie to be more involved in the solution.
Rating:
Summary: AN EXUBERANT READING
Review: Nero Wolfe is surely one of the most beloved and fully imagined fictional detectives to be found. So, it is with great enthusiasm that I can now turn to a favorite story in audio book form. Michael Prichard, who was named one of Smart Money's Top Ten Golden Voices, gives an exuberant reading, adding another dimension to Archie Goodwin, Wolfe's aide. Fans will remember that with "The Silent Speaker" Wolfe is, to say the least, in need of cash. Therefore, when a government honcho doesn't show up for a scheduled speech but instead shows up dead Wolfe is soon on the prowl. With the sometimes able assistance of the fey Archie the pair uncover a feud and a murderer. How they do it is a reminder of the narrative skills of Rex Stout. - Gail Cooke
Rating:
Summary: AN EXUBERANT READING
Review: Nero Wolfe is surely one of the most beloved and fully imagined fictional detectives to be found. So, it is with great enthusiasm that I can now turn to a favorite story in audio book form. Michael Prichard, who was named one of Smart Money's Top Ten Golden Voices, gives an exuberant reading, adding another dimension to Archie Goodwin, Wolfe's aide. Fans will remember that with "The Silent Speaker" Wolfe is, to say the least, in need of cash. Therefore, when a government honcho doesn't show up for a scheduled speech but instead shows up dead Wolfe is soon on the prowl. With the sometimes able assistance of the fey Archie the pair uncover a feud and a murderer. How they do it is a reminder of the narrative skills of Rex Stout. - Gail Cooke
Rating:
Summary: Wolfe on high horse
Review: Stories of conflict between big business and public interest are common enough. What makes this book unforgettable is the series of murders which have been woven so smoothly into the plot as to make the behind the scenes looks this book provides into the world of big business and its murky politics register almost unnoticed. And old followers of Nero Wolfe who might be forgiven for occasionally getting satiated with the irrepressible Archie Goodwin will be delighted to meet Phoebe Gunther the one female who manages to bring Goodwin under complete control (In past stories he always manages to hold his own where the ladies in the plot are concerned.); he does escape of course finally but the way that happens will probably linger in the reader's memory. I think that in Phoebe Gunther, Rex Stout has created an image not easily forgotten and one whom today's career girls might well wish to emulate. Even if you are not a Nero/Archie fan this is one book you will probably enjoy and wish to keep.
Rating: 
Summary: A little darker mystery
Review: While I am a Rex Stout fan, this book is a little darker in tone for my first choice, a little too reminiscent of the mccarthy hearings era. If you love Nero Wolfe, you will like this book. But I wouldn't recommend it to someone who hasn't read some of this lighter books first (Some Buried Caesar, is a good example).
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