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148th out of 907 books
—
857 voters
And Be a Villain (Nero Wolfe #13)
by
Rex Stout,
Maan Meyers
Radio talk show host Madeline Fraser's worst nightmare comes true when one of her on-air guests collapses at the mike after drinking a glass of the sponsor's beverage.
Paperback, 256 pages
Published
February 1st 1994
by Crimeline
(first published 1948)
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I enjoyed this adventure with Nero Wolfe, the quintessential armchair detective, and his assistant/secretary/accountant/dogsbody Archie Goodwin. Wolfe picks up a case of cyanide poisoning that has the police baffled. The intended victim seems to have been a tipster who was a guest on a popular radio show discussing his racing tips. But everyone at the radio station seem to get along, so no-one is pointing fingers. But as Nero Wolfe questions the parties, and, with Archie's help, digs deeper, all...more
I am in the process of rereading (listening to the perfectly matched Michael Pritchard) many of the Rex Stout Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin mysteries. They hold up very well; in fact, as each novel takes place contemporaneous to its writing, many could be considered period pieces. And be a Villain takes place in 1948 so there are no cell phones, everything is typed, etc. Commercials were done live on the radio, and that features prominently in the mystery as one of the murders is committed on-the-ai...more
A radio talk show guest dies on air after taking a drink of a sponsor's product, Hi Spot Cola. This is a nightmare for the program, the sponsor and for the guests. The police are not making any headway. Archie points out that Nero Wolfe's taxes are due. So Wolfe decides to solve the case to earn a nice, fat fee. Simple, right? Oh, no. So very wrong!
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Here Be Spoilers
First, Yay for the cover art. Very well done!
Alas! Wolfe does not end up solving this...more
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here Be Spoilers
First, Yay for the cover art. Very well done!
Alas! Wolfe does not end up solving this...more
I adore the Nero Wolfe mysteries--and they are terrific audiobooks. Wolfe's and his sidekick Archie Goodwin's obsession with good food and fine flowers actually runs second to their obsession with integrity, logic, and clear-eyed thinking. These are the qualities that make the books such comforts: Wolfe is a person fully in control of his environment -- an increasingly appealing fantasy for me -- but he is also someone who can extract the truth from witnesses simply by the force of his reputatio...more
While this isn't the best Nero Wolfe novel, it's still enjoyable, if only to see Arnold Zeck make an appearance.
Zeck is something like Wolfe's answer to Professor Moriarty, and Wolfe nearly goes up against the crime lord in this one.
While it isn't the greatest, you do get some solid Archie/Wolfe moments, and Archie threatens to quit at least once for some pretty decent chuckles. And seeing how he and Wolfe respond to the NYPD is pretty much worth the price of admission.
The things that don't work...more
Zeck is something like Wolfe's answer to Professor Moriarty, and Wolfe nearly goes up against the crime lord in this one.
While it isn't the greatest, you do get some solid Archie/Wolfe moments, and Archie threatens to quit at least once for some pretty decent chuckles. And seeing how he and Wolfe respond to the NYPD is pretty much worth the price of admission.
The things that don't work...more
First, let me just say that when I was 16 and read this I never even registered that Archie Goodwin is ageist. At 29, his comments about no women over 30 being worth a look gave me a strong desire to give him a good "talking to." Anyway, on to the book. Honestly, And Be a Villian: A Nero Wolfe Novel disappointed me. I will re-read at least one more of Rex Stout's books, but I have a terrible suspicion that the Nero Wolfe series will go on the list of things that didn't hold up for me over time....more
My first Nero Wolfe and I will come back for more. The case involves a man who died on the radio, during a broadcast, when his drink, High Top, a sponsor of the show, is laced with poison and kills him on the air. You can imagine the sensation! Wolfe and his associate Archie Goodwin, are on the case. The criminal is sneaky but you suspect them from the start. The proving is the fun part. I think that Wolfe, a man who rarely leaves his home to do anything, is an interesting hero and Archie has so...more
Not sure if I read this one before or not.
I like the Nero Wolfe stories. And this was no different. Enjoyable.
This edition contained an introduction by Maan Meyers a/k/a Martin & Annette Meyers.
Hard to believe, there was a time when not everyone had a television and folks would gather 'round the radio, just like we gather 'round the TV now (well, maybe we don't gather so much as we used to; but when I was growing up we gathered). This one takes place in 1948 and I know we didn't get a telev...more
I like the Nero Wolfe stories. And this was no different. Enjoyable.
This edition contained an introduction by Maan Meyers a/k/a Martin & Annette Meyers.
Hard to believe, there was a time when not everyone had a television and folks would gather 'round the radio, just like we gather 'round the TV now (well, maybe we don't gather so much as we used to; but when I was growing up we gathered). This one takes place in 1948 and I know we didn't get a telev...more
Wolfe needs money. After all, those orchids don't pay for themselves. So, in a virtually unprecedented move, he actually solicits a job. Well-known radio host Madeline Fraser is in a pickle. During each broadcast of her hugely successful radio show, she and her various guests indulge in a bottle of Hi-Spot (a show sponsor). It's a big hit with the sponsor and the public. Until, that is, radio guest Cyril Orchard winds up drinking a big ol' glass of cyanide . . . on the air. The police are at a l...more
#13 in the Nero Wolfe series. Very enjoyable entry in the saga of the corpulent detective - the murder weapon is a nice touch.
Nero Wolfe series - Radio talk show host Madeline Fraser's worst nightmare comes true when one of her on-air guests collapses after drinking a glass of the sponsor's beverage. A murder before a studio audience means a high-profile case and a $20,000 paycheck, both important to Nero Wolfe. He belittles and deceives to get the truth from a gallery of dishonest suspects.
Nero Wolfe series - Radio talk show host Madeline Fraser's worst nightmare comes true when one of her on-air guests collapses after drinking a glass of the sponsor's beverage. A murder before a studio audience means a high-profile case and a $20,000 paycheck, both important to Nero Wolfe. He belittles and deceives to get the truth from a gallery of dishonest suspects.
First appearance (or at least telephone call) of Wolfe's "Moriarty," Arnold Zeck.
Otherwise, there are some good quips from Archie as usual, but this particular story isn't one of the better ones. I'm not sure I actually followed how Wolfe came to his conclusions or why the murders were committed; however, nothing's more entertaining than watching Archie rile Wolfe into action, which he definitely has to do for this case.
Otherwise, there are some good quips from Archie as usual, but this particular story isn't one of the better ones. I'm not sure I actually followed how Wolfe came to his conclusions or why the murders were committed; however, nothing's more entertaining than watching Archie rile Wolfe into action, which he definitely has to do for this case.
This is what P G Wodehouse thought: "He passes the supreme test of being re-readable. I don't know how many times I have re-read the Wolfe stories, but plenty. I know exactly what is coming and how it is all going to end, but it doesn't matter. That's writing." It certainly is. This is a terrific novel. Clever plot, smart one-liners, and at the heart of it Nero Wolfe, probably the greatest literary detective since Sherlock Holmes; certainly the fattest.
Jul 28, 2011
Dovofthegalilee
added it
Each of these Rex Stout novels regarding Nero Wolfe send me back to an early thought when I first encountered him and that was ' why hadn't I heard of him sooner?!". I love Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie to an extent but the pizzazz of Nero Wolfe is just untouchable. The A&E Channel has even carried some of the books made into TV episodes and they do a splendid job in capturing the characters.
listened to this on cd's in the car. I am a big Nero Wolfe fan, but I have to say listening to one of these books was a big disappointment. The story was fine, and I could picture myself enjoying the read, but listening to it left me cold. My imagination gives me a much more colorful experience than the narration was able to provide.
Any Nero Wolfe book is going to be a good one. In this one they investigate the murder of a guest on the Madeline Fraser radio show. And then in another seemingly unrelated murder of a woman turns Wolfe onto the case. In this one they work with Detective Kramer. Love 'em.
Good fun this one, and without the sag that occurs in many of the Wolfe books as the case gets going, which usually involves Archie running around and not really getting anywhere for a while. On the minus side, the misogyny in this book is at times rather unpleasant.
It was a pleasure to revisit one of the best of the Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin novels. In part I prefer this to some of the others because, for once, Wolfe has to contend with an antagonist that's almost, but not quite, his equal.
This mystery starts out with Wolfe fishing for some work, just a fish to fry and ends up with a school of fish, that changes into a whale... then a slippery eel. Egads. Mr. Zeck makes an appearance here and Archie has to use some muscle to prod Wolfe into "action" to get the entire picture clear so the real criminal can be found.
Low on money, Wolfe once again wedges himself into a current hot murder. The reasons for the murder are clever and difficult to reveal, and the story takes an amusing look at popular packaged foods and advertising post-War.
Not the best of the Nero Wolfe books I've read so far. It's a little slow getting started (like Wolfe is on this case) - but it has a great ending. Plus it seems to introduce a powerful villain that may be recurring. Hinting at being Wolfe's Moriarity.
Since there are millions of Nero Wolfe books and they're all instantly forgettable, I need to remind myself I've read this one so I don't read it again. Doubtless, some others are more entertaining.
A radio broadcast and an on-air poisoning. The perfect venue for Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin to strut their stuff.
Great Nero Wolfe!
Great Nero Wolfe!
Very well done. A good closed room mystery. Well considered evidence and good background work. Wolfe and Archie are definitely on top of their game.
Haven't picked up a Nero Wolfe mystery in years. I was drawn right in and kept there, even though I know I must have read this before at some point. Wolfe is so infuriating and yet so compelling.
Wolfe's bank accounts are getting low, and he proposes to a radio personality to solve a murder she was unfortunately involved in. First he must sort out whether the victim was the intended victim, or whether he was accidentally murdered by someone who wished to kill the popular host of the radio show he was a guest on at the time. And he must work out how, or if, the betting tip sheet published by the victim figures into it.[return][return]I always enjoy Nero Wolfe mysteries - it always feels l...more
I will always be impressed by Stout's ability to hide a mystery within a mystery so to speak.
When the author of a horse race tipsheet drops dead during a live radio broadcast (and what's worse, he was poisoned with the sponsor's product!), Nero Wolfe steps in to investigate the death. Between his formidable brain and his sidekick Archie's footwork, few mysteries stymie Wolfe for long, but he may have met his match in this odd case...
I've had the Nero Wolfe mysteries recommended highly to me, but overall I wasn't completely enthralled with this particular mystery. I did like Wolfe and Ar...more
I've had the Nero Wolfe mysteries recommended highly to me, but overall I wasn't completely enthralled with this particular mystery. I did like Wolfe and Ar...more
Archie, as always, is in it up to his ears. Another mystery for mystery lovers.
Aug 07, 2011
Bev Hankins
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mystery,
vintage-mystery
Classic Nero Wolfe. And I just can't get enough of Archie Goodwin.
One of the twistier and more entertaining Wolfe mysteries.
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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
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