Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
262nd out of 535 books
—
552 voters
The Silent Speaker (Nero Wolfe #11)
When a powerful government official,scheduled to speak to a group of millionaires, turns up dead, it is an event worthy of the notice of the great Nero Wolfe. Balancing on the edge of financial ruin, the orchid-loving detective grudgingly accepts the case. Soon a second victim is found bludgeoned to death, a missing stenographer's tape causes an uproar, and the dead man sp...more
Paperback, 271 pages
Published
January 1st 1994
by Crimeline
(first published 1946)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
1,400)
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I hadn't planned on getting into Nero Wolfe novels that had been adapted to TV until after finishing the novels that weren't adapted (except for A Family Affair) and the novella collections. However, the Silent Speaker was included in the library edition of Black Orchids, so I thought to go ahead and enjoy the bonus.
The Silent Speaker starts is set in the aftermath of the World War II. The head of the federal Bureau of Price Regulation was bludgeoned to death just before he was scheduled to addr...more
The Silent Speaker starts is set in the aftermath of the World War II. The head of the federal Bureau of Price Regulation was bludgeoned to death just before he was scheduled to addr...more
The National Industrial Association (NIA) and the Bureau of Price Regulation (BPR) hate each other to a man. But when the director of the BPR is asked to make a speech at and is murdered backstage at a NIA dinner things might have gone too far. A missing Stenophone cylinder may crack the case but the case it is supposed to be in doesn't have it. It's button, button, whose got the button in a case costing enough money in man power to drive Archie frantic. Maybe this time the wit of a clever secre...more
The feud between the Bureau of Price Regulation and the National Industrial Association has been long and bitter, but few thought it would end in murder. At a large public dinner, however, that's just what happened. Nero Wolfe takes the NIA as a client and agrees to find out who murdered BPR president Cheney Boone. With Archie Goodwin providing the legwork and goading his boss into action, the case moves along until a second murder changes everything.
I have enjoyed Nero Wolfe mysteries for a lon...more
I have enjoyed Nero Wolfe mysteries for a lon...more
One of the best Nero Wolfe mysteries I've read. A thoroughly enjoyable page-turner.
Like The Doorbell Rang, in which Wolfe tangles with J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI, this book has political undercurrents of the day. It was published just after World War II, and key plot elements reflect the lingering effects of the war: housing shortages and restrictions on consumer goods, including government regulation of prices, featuring the conflict between a federal price regulatory body and a national busin...more
Like The Doorbell Rang, in which Wolfe tangles with J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI, this book has political undercurrents of the day. It was published just after World War II, and key plot elements reflect the lingering effects of the war: housing shortages and restrictions on consumer goods, including government regulation of prices, featuring the conflict between a federal price regulatory body and a national busin...more
I have not read that many of Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe mysteries. This one, from 1946, is actually the one I have enjoyed most so far. Wolfe is more of a Mycroft then a Sherlock -- he does not like to leave his office/house much, leaving it to his staff to do the running around. Like Sherlock & his brother though, Wolfe's mystery solving is based on his mental powers rather than his ability to run down the bad guys. If you haven't read him (or many 1930s-50s mysteries), this can be a bit odd at...more
Set in the aftermath of WWII when the government was micromanaging the country, "The Silent Speaker" has at its heart the friction between government regulators and manufacturers. The FDR was out to stop prices from rising which is pretty hilarious when you consider that in his first term he wouldn't allow people to cut their prices. Anyway, Stout's sympathies are all for the government when the head of the regulators is murdered at a manufacturers' convention. There are over a 1,000 suspects wi...more
Oct 21, 2011
Eric_W
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
humor,
mysteries-and-thrillers
Classic Rex Stout. The dialogue is scintillating and in this one Archie may have met his female match. Part of its charm today is the anachronistic flavor with 3-cent stamps, dime phone calls from real phone booths and the battle between wartime price regulators and industry shills. Some of the dialogue is LOL funny. If you haven’t read any Nero Wolfe I urge you to do so. For audiobook fans, my favorite reader is Michael Pritchard who perfectly captures Archie’s sardonic wit.
After several subpar Wolfe stories this book shows a return to form by Stout. Wolfe’s actions are no longer impeded by the realities of war for either him or those reading about him. Stout does lay it on a little thick when describing the behaviour of the New York Police authorities but the case itself is both straightforward and yet rewarding since the reasons for Wolfe not jumping immediately on the indications of guilt are built into the logic of the case.
A full length mystery here, in this story Wolfe brings a job in for the money, what he gets is a lot of headache but... he does get the murderer! A great display of description and flair from Archie (the narrator) and some wonderful plotting that keeps you guessing. It's also is a great story about battle between government trying to keep businesses' honest.
Page turner, so if you start, make sure you have time to just dive-in whole hog.
Page turner, so if you start, make sure you have time to just dive-in whole hog.
Another interesting read with the Nero Wolfe detective character. Not the most readable of the series. There were too many characters and not enough interaction, almost felt like the answer was pulled out of the air. Most of the Wolfe mysteries tie everything up very neatly with all the threads visible once you know where to look. This one doesn't have that feel.
It's surely been thirty years since I've cracked open a Nero Wolfe story. My youngest daughter's just started into this series, and I couldn't hold out for long. I'm having a ball re-reading this. Rex Stout is a master, creating this vivid and memorable world. Why have I deprived myself of Archie Goodwin's wisecracks for all the years? I'm glad to be back.
Archie Goodwin literally forces Nero Wolfe to take a case as the bank account of famous detective is practically empty. So, that is the most suitable case? The most talked-about at the moment, of cause. A government official is killed just before he was about to give a speech in front of a millionaire group. Before the detectives know it, they have another dead body literally on their hands.
This book is notable for a very funny scene. At one point Nero Wolfe has to simulate a mental breakdown....more
This book is notable for a very funny scene. At one point Nero Wolfe has to simulate a mental breakdown....more
What is not to love about Archie Goodwin? Intelligent, witty, necessarily tough on Nero Wolfe and dutifully flattering of Fritz, these are such wonderful books with stand-out quality in terms of the first person narrator. This is probably my favourite, though Death of a Doxy comes close.
An entertaining mystery from the American master of the genre. Archie Goodwin is a compelling and funny narrator. Nero Wolfe is a masterpiece of character. The mystery is suspenseful and delicious. Where, apart from Sherlock Holmes, are such things found? The answer is nowhere.
I can read the Nero Wolfe mysteries over and over again, and I have done so. This one, with the intro by Walter Mosley, is a gem for a number of reasons but esp. for Mosley's love song to Archie Goodwin- the reason he re-reads the books and the reason I do too.
So much fun! The more Nero Wolfe I read, the more I enjoy it! This story nearly stumps Wolfe, with the answers staring him in the face all along! There’s even an insanity scene that is simply wonderful.
A Nero Wolfe book in which he actually leaves his house. It's an interesting murder mystery, with a range of possible murderes, and Archie working away in the middle. An enjoyable book.
Wolfe needs money, so he levers an opening into the biggest case of the moment, and proceeds to drive his collective clients batty.
A very nice moment with Cramer in this one.
A very nice moment with Cramer in this one.
Even a bad Nero Wolfe novel is still pretty good. but this is one of the best Nero Wolfe novels there is. A highly enjoyable, escapist read!
I enjoyed this one; there were some great descriptive nuggets. Wish I had paid better attention at the beginning to have figured it out sooner!
This is a fairly predictable Nero Wolfe mystery but it sure was fun to read--rather like a trip back in time.
Archie just gets to me in this one, even more than elsewhere.
One of the better Nero Wolfe mysteries, if you had to pick.
Three and a half stars. Very witty -- a stellar example of one of the best voices in mystery fiction.
When a powerful government official,scheduled to speak to a group of millionaires, turns up dead, it is an event worthy of the notice of the great Nero Wolfe. Balancing on the edge of financial ruin, the orchid-loving detective grudgingly accepts the case. Soon a second victim is found bludgeoned to death, a missing stenographer's tape causes an uproar, and the dead man speaks, after a fashion. While the Business world clamors for a solution, Nero Wolfe patiently lays a trap that wil net him a k...more
( O cadáver que não se calou )
soporific, possibly his worst
Great read.
Ooo-this one had lots of drama and angst! It was so fun. The dichotomy of WOlfe and Goodwin is a masterpiece of psychology and wit!
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Rex Todhunter Stout (December 1, 1886 – October 27, 1975) was an American crime writer, best known as the creator of the larger-than-life fictional detective Nero Wolfe, described by reviewer Will Cuppy as "that Falstaff of detectives." Wolfe's assistant Archie Goodwin recorded the cases of the detective genius from 1934 (Fer-de-Lance) to 1975 (A Family Affair).
The Nero Wolfe corpus was nominated...more
More about Rex Stout...
The Nero Wolfe corpus was nominated...more
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“Frankly, I wish I could make my heart quit doing an extra thump when Wolfe says satisfactory, Archie. It's childish.”
—
4 people liked it
“Fritz was standing there, four feet back from the door to the office, which was standing open, staring wide-eyed at me. When he saw I was looking at him he beckoned me to come, and the thought popped into my mind that, with guests present and Wolfe making an oration, that was precisely how Fritz would act if the house was on fire.”
—
2 people liked it
More quotes…
Feb 24, 2013 03:06pm