The Doorbell Rang (Nero Wolfe, #41)

The Doorbell Rang (Nero Wolfe #41)

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4.16 of 5 stars 4.16  ·  rating details  ·  1,676 ratings  ·  85 reviews
Hired to help society widow Rachel Bruner foil bothersome Feds, Nero Wolfe and his able assistant Archie get in over their heads with highly trained G-men who are adept at bugs, tails, and threats.
Paperback, 192 pages
Published June 1st 1992 by Bantam (first published January 1st 1965)
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157th out of 437 books — 508 voters


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Community Reviews

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David Monroe
Rex Stout was born in Noblesville, IN and grew up in Kansas. Though never active himself, he was raised by Quaker parents. He was a brilliant child - he read by the time he was four and won a state spelling Bee when he was 13. He must have been somewhat influenced by his families' Quaker activism: He served on the original board of the American Civil Liberties Union and helped start the magazine The New Masses. At the time of the Depression, he was an enthusiastic supporter of the New Deal. Duri...more
Tony
THE DOORBELL RANG. (1963). Rex Stout. **.
This is a very pedestrian novel by Stout featuring his heroes Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin. It almost seems to me as if this book was written to satisfy a book contract. The story starts with the appearance of Mrs. Rachel Bruner at Wolfe’s office. She explains that she and her family, and some associates, are being followed by men she believes to be operatives of the FBI. She is a very wealthy woman, having many income generating properties in mid-town M...more
Mysterious Ed
#41 in the Nero Wolfe series. A fitting end to 2012, to finish a 5 star rated book on New Year's Eve. In a book which adds social commentary to the expected mystery, Rex Stout tackles the FBI. At a time when the FBI was making headlines by diverting its crime fighting resources to such aims as squabbling with Robert Kennedy and investigating Martin Luthor King, Jr., Stout (and his portly detective) aim their literary guns against the domestic espionage of the FBI and director, J. Edgar Hoover. C...more
Stephen
This one is my absolute favorite of the entire Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin series. And let me tell you, that is saying something! Because I love every one of these books. I never get tired of reading them and rereading them. Both in text form, and listening to them as audiobooks read by the superb Michael Prichard.

But as I said, this one stands out for me. In a way, it's like one, big, shaggy dog story. With a punchline at the end. It doesn't give any spoilers to tell you that the title IS the...more
Nancy
Oct 27, 2009 Nancy rated it 3 of 5 stars
Recommended to Nancy by: Kristen Edinger and Darlene Allred
I hate this rating system. I don't know how to rate my books properly by stars. I feel like I can only give a five to my favorite books of all time, but maybe I should give them more freely because that makes fours my standard for a good book that I really enjoyed and would recommend, but what about books that I had fun reading but don't know that everyone would like them? I guess they get threes, but threes sound so mediocre when I thought this was a fun book. Hmmm.

Anyway, my niece and sister-i...more
Kate
I was supposed to hold off on reading and save this book for an upcoming car trip, but I obviously failed to do so, which is to be expected because I don't see how anyone could have a Rex Stout novel at hand and not read it, unless perhaps they were already reading another one.

I'd heard good things about this one--the toughest villain in the series, an excellent mystery and so forth--so I was really looking forward to it--and it did not disappoint! It was hard to imagine anything could top the M...more
Nan Silvernail
Rich Mrs. Bruner has irritated someone in a very high place. She has sent 10,000 copies of the expose' book, "The FBI Nobody Knows" out to anyone whom she thinks should read it. Supreme Court judges to chiefs of police and teachers. Now she is being followed and annoyed by FBI men and she takes this problem to Nero Wolfe. Wolfe pronounces the case impossible. But for an astronomical fee, that would keep him idle for 7-9 months, can Wolfe pull off the impossible and solve a murder that has stumpe...more
Gayle Francis Moffet
My copy of The Doorbell Rang came with an introduction that informed me that the book came about because Rex Stout was offended by what the FBI had become under Hoover and had read a book titled The FBI Nobody Knows. While I knew The FBI Nobody Knows featured prominently in The Doorbell Rang, I had assumed it was a fake book, created by Stout for the purposes of his story. Finding it was not only deepened my appreciation for Stout's storytelling. Yes, his personal politics were on display in the...more
Becky
Aug 10, 2012 Becky rated it 3 of 5 stars
Shelves: 2012
As much as I love reading mysteries, I don't particularly like reviewing them. I don't really like knowing anything about a mystery before I pick it up myself. With one or two exceptions, for example, who is the author, who is the detective, and where is it set? In the case of The Doorbell Ring, this is what you should know: It stars Archie Goodwin and Nero Wolfe. Those two would make almost any book worth reading. I love them both so much. Of course, if you've never read one of Rex Stout's Nero...more
John Carter
My mother was horrified when, early in my career as a reader of mysteries, she learned I’d never heard of Archie Goodwin. (I have no idea how the conversation had turned so that it was Archie’s name that came up instead of Wolfe’s.) She immediately went off and fetched one, and as she handed it to me she said of Stout, “He writes such a great story; it’s such a shame he’s a Communist.” In those days it wasn’t just my parents who saw Communism as The Supreme Source Of Evil In The World, and I kne...more
John
Jan 12, 2012 John rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Any Nero Wolfe fan, but not anyone new to the series
Easily in my top five Nero Wolfe stories -- It's funny, clever, and interesting from front to back. The story is snappy and well-plotted, and the mystery works well. It's got a slew of the old favorite characters, and it pits Wolfe against an adversary even bigger than himself: the FBI. (Don't worry, they have it coming) To take on an opponent like that, all kinds of rules get broken: Wolfe leaves the house. He turns on a television. He skips his time in the orchid room. And Inspector Cramer eve...more
Tim
Ran across two Nero Wolfe books among a goodly number left behind by the former tenants of the house we moved into a month or so ago. Always did like Mr. Wolfe, a rotund, orchid-raising detective, with his assistant, detective Archie Goodwin, who is the narrator of all these mysteries. This one concerns a woman who engages Mr. Wolfe to intervene to stop the FBI from harassing her because she distributed some thousands of a (real) book "The FBI Nobody Knows," to a good number of prominent and inf...more
Vitor Frazão
Se precisarem de queimar duas ou três horas e não encontrarem outro livro, aproveitem, pois dar-vos-á um entretenimento mediano, mas tirando essas circunstâncias não recomendo. As discrições estão boas, porém, o “mistério” (e uso o termo no sentido mais lato possível) é muito fraco e as personagens insonsas.

É um daqueles livros flatline, que praticamente não provoca qualquer reacção, positiva ou negativa. O único feedback patente de ser confundido com emoção humana que senti, foi tédio perante...more
Patrick
I'm going to re-read as many Nero Wolfes as possible this summer.

I never need an excuse to pick up a Rex Stout, but I got some of the A&E TV shows and decided to go back to the source.

Incidentally, the TV shows have some problems, mainly in the property department. ONe of them has Archie Goodwin wearing spectator shoes throughout a multi-day period. Archie might wear spectators for a night dancing at the Flamingo, or to Lily Rowan's Westchester place for a summer weekend, but not for detect...more
Vanessa Arredondo
The colors used in this book are very relaxing. The illustration shows a mother with her two children trying to enjoy the cookies that she made. They all seem very happy. The text is at the top of the page which makes it easy to enjoy the image. It is a good story that shows kids how to divide and share among each other. It is easy to understand because they use cookies. This book is in a horizontal landscape. Everything is focused on the right page as the story progresses. The image on the left...more
George
Enjoyed this book. A very fast mystery read. I have read many of the Rex Stout novels featuring Nero Wolfe. I have also read all of the Stuart Kaminsky novels, so when I saw that Mr. Kaminsky was involved with this book, I had to read it. It was very well done following the themes and interactions of Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin. I am not sure if Mr. Kaminsky wrote the book, finished the book or collaborated on the book. Any way, it is a great example of Rex Stout. I am disappointed that both o...more
Alexis Neal
It is 1965, and J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI are hot topics in the public mind. Investigative journalist Fred J. Cook has just published The FBI Nobody Knows, and reader (and wealthy widow) Rachel Bruner is so incensed at its accounts of the Bureau's flagrant overreaching and abuses that she sends 10,000 copies of the controversial book to powerful people across the country. Of course, it's not long before Ms. Bruner notices that she has company everywhere she goes--federal company. The FBI is af...more
Rick
A very wealthy widow, Rachel Bruner, comes to Wolfe with an impossible request: get the FBI off her back. She read a book detailing the unconstitutional activities of the organization and was so impressed that she bought 10,000 copies and sent them to friends, industry leaders, Congressmen, and judges, and in retaliation J. Edgar Hoover has his men following her around, tapping her phones, and bugging her office. Wolfe refuses the job, which not only cannot be accomplished but also will earn Wol...more
Nikki
Nero and Archie take on the FBI. This book was written back when people were just beginning to realize the awfulness of J. Edgar Hoover. A wealthy woman has purchased and distributed a thousand copies of The FBI Nobody Knows (a real book) and now believes she and her associates are being tailed by FBI agents. Wolfe's investigation leads to some puzzling information about a murder that may or may not be connected to the Bureau. Wolfe and Archie also find themselves secretly allied with Inspector...more
Mary
Wolfe takes on a client with a complicated problem--J. Edgar Hoover's FBI is bothering her and she wants them stopped. Of course, Wolfe solves the problem to the client's satisfaction, and along the way solves a murder that the FBI and local police force both have an interest in.

I did enjoy this, except for the fact that some darling of a reader had underlined in the book every time the phrase "the doorbell rang" appeared. Lovely. Nice of them to help me out with that.....
Samantha
This has got to be the very best Nero Wolfe novel ever written. From the quirky client to the nefarious FBI to Wolfe's brilliant scheme to Cramer buying Archie milk, this book is a masterpiece. If you've ever read a Nero Wolfe, The Doorbell Rang should be next on your list. And if you haven't ever stepped into the brownstone to watch Wolfe's seventh of a ton breed orchids, eat extravagant dinners, and (occasionally) solve mysteries, then you are seriously missing out.
Cindy
A very wealthy client has made it to the FBI watch list. She wants Wolfe to get them to back off. Impossible, he says at first. Then he sees the retainer - $100,000, plus expenses, plus more, if he succeeds. If not, he still keeps the first check. Nice.

But J. Edgar Hoover is not easily dissuaded. It's going to take some fast work for Wolfe and his sidekick Archie Goodwin to pull this one off.

This was a fun story, but nothing special.
elizabetht
Dan loves the Nero Wolfe mysteries and is constantly re-reading them. I was in a panic since the books that were recommended to finish out my last-minute run to get my 52nd book read, so I asked him to pick his favorite so I could read it today. It was fun and quick and definitely surprising. I don't read detective mysteries too often, but these are definitely good ones.
Lynn Pribus
A dated little Nero Wolfe mystery with Archie occasionally searching for a phone to make a call. A dispassionate just-the-facts telling of the tale. All plot, little characterization and not nearly as complex as most of today's mysteries. OK for a beach read, but must admit I dozed off and had to keep going back on my iPod.

Definitely suffers by being read at the same time as ONE HUNDRED NAMES FOR LOVE.
Sarah
In order to save a wealthy widow from the FBI’s meddling, the indolent, corpulent, orchid-cultivating Nero Wolfe engages in some stunningly devious intellectual acrobatics. It is a rather unusual detective story. For one thing, it takes a serious effort for his wise-cracking right hand man, Archie Goodwin, to scrounge up a murder to investigate. For another, Wolfe actually manages to prove a negative. The lack of peril makes this a less riveting read. However, Stout’s idiosyncratic characters, e...more
John
It's Nero Wolfe. Always entertaining. I wished that while he was still alive Raymond Burr had been cast in the role for a movie/tv series. I read the Bantam release of this book back in 1978 and reread it and other Nero Wolfe stories when there's nothing new that grabs my interest.
BLACK CAT
NOT MYSTERIOUS ENOUGH!! THE MAIN CHARACTER IS ARCHIE, NOT NERO. ARCHIE DOES ALL THE WORK AND NERO BARELY LEAVES HIS HOUSE. ------- NO lo suficientemente misterioso! El personaje principal es Archie no, NERO. ARCHIE hace todo el trabajo Y NERO APENAS sale de su casa.
Cullen Gallagher
I abandoned the book halfway through. As it is part of a larger series, perhaps I am just uninitiated to the "Nero Wolfe" series, but this book definitely does not stand on its own two feet. No introduction to characters, no reason to be remotely interested or intrigued by them. Moreover, the plot is of the sort that I tend to avoid: meticulously detailed so as to remove any sense of spontaneity or humanity, as if the narrative is but an automaton. Furthermore, the whole premise of two lone dete...more
Amelia
I would have given this book 4 stars if the language was a little cleaner. I really liked this book. Fast moving, well written, captured me from the very beginning. I love a good little mystery, but again the language was a disappointment.
doug bowman
Another great Nero Wolfe mystery in which he and his sidekick, Archie Goodwin decide to take on the FBI. The book was written in mid-1960's and actually motivated enough paranoia in J Edgar Hoover to cause him to open one his infamous "files".
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The Doorbell Rang (Hardcover)
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The Doorbell Rang (Hardcover)
The Doorbell Rang (Paperback)
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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
More about Rex Stout...
Fer-de-Lance (Nero Wolfe, #1) Too Many Cooks (Nero Wolfe, #5) Some Buried Caesar (Nero Wolfe, #6) Black Orchids (Nero Wolfe, #9) The League of Frightened Men (Nero Wolfe, #2)

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