Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
176th out of 411 books
—
412 voters
The Golden Spiders (Nero Wolfe #22)
by
Rex Stout,
Linda Barnes (Goodreads Author)
Nero Wolfe was almost as famous for his wealthy clients and extravagant fees as for his genius at detection. So why has he accepted a case for $4.30? And why have the last two people to hire him been ruthlessly murdered? Wolfe suspects the answers may lie in the story of a twelve-year-old boy who turns up at the door of his West Thirty-fifth Street Brownstone. In short ord...more
Paperback, 206 pages
Published
July 1995
by Crimeline
(first published October 26th 1953)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
1,858)
What can I say? I love Rex Stout books. They're my go-to when I need something light, easy to read, but with engaging characters, a realistic plot, and a good mystery. The Golden Spiders fills the bill just as well as other Stout books that I've read. Nero Wolfe is in all his massive glory; the food is as important as ever; Archie Goodwin is his usual irreverent self. But there is one difference from previous books I've read in this series: a scene of violence.
Like with Robert B. Parker, Stout d...more
Like with Robert B. Parker, Stout d...more
i read rex stout books the way others watch late-night reruns of tv shows from one's childhood, for those times when you don't quite want to turn off your brain entirely but you're too tired or too run down to power it up to full capacity. there's something so inviting and warm about rex stout, despite the subject material. to make another analogy: i suppose it's something like the drowsy pleasure one gets from hearing old friends talking together while you lie half asleep on the couch, content...more
I’m not sure why I don’t read more mysteries than I do since when I do pick up one I generally enjoy them. Unlike my normal book reading experience I encounter mystery authors more via television and movies causing me to go back to the source. Mrs. Marple, Lord Peter Wimsey, etc were long my favorites before picking up and enjoying the books even more. Another case in point was the A&E series Nero Wolfe based on Rex Stout’s fictional detective. I just loved everything about that series from...more
Once again, I read and enjoyed a Rex Stout Nero Wolfe mystery. I’m still unsure about whether I like these because of the fantastic job the A&E television series did adapting them OR if I like them because they’re smart and well-written. Either way, they’re a delight and I’m going to be reading more, certainly.
A few thoughts about this particular story:
* I thought one of the big clues was rather obvious, and had been revealed by a question Nero asked pretty early in the proceedings. Oh well...more
A few thoughts about this particular story:
* I thought one of the big clues was rather obvious, and had been revealed by a question Nero asked pretty early in the proceedings. Oh well...more
Mar 24, 2012
Cathy DuPont
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
My favorite bookseller, Vanessa with thanks again!
Seventy-four books! That's 74 books written by Rex Stout and I had never heard of him until recently. Where have I been?
Just to make an easy intro, here's a quote from Wikipedia. Yes, I know you can't believe everything on Wiki but this is probably correct: "The Nero Wolfe corpus was nominated Best Mystery Series of the Century at Bouchercon 2000, the world's largest mystery convention, and Rex Stout was nominated Best Mystery Writer of the Century." And I had never heard of him!
My first book r...more
Just to make an easy intro, here's a quote from Wikipedia. Yes, I know you can't believe everything on Wiki but this is probably correct: "The Nero Wolfe corpus was nominated Best Mystery Series of the Century at Bouchercon 2000, the world's largest mystery convention, and Rex Stout was nominated Best Mystery Writer of the Century." And I had never heard of him!
My first book r...more
Twelve year old Pete Drossos, who lives in Nero Wolfe's neighborhood, saw something strange as he was trying to earn money by washing car windshields at a corner. He brought the information to the great detective. Just a couple days later the boy is run down in the street. While dying in the ambulance the boy tells his mother to take his savings to Wolfe and to ask him to solve the crime. It's only $4.30, but perhaps because the kid ate at Wolfe's table and it is thus a matter of honor, he's wil...more
If you are a true blue Nero Wolfe fan, you will like this book. If you have never read him, I would try another one for a first try.
Taken from the back of the book: "Step into the unassuming 35th Street brownstone, and join the the astounding exploits of Nero Wolfe. Marvel at his daily beer consumption, his unsurpassed appetite, the incredible expanse of his yellow pajamas." "He is also famous for his wealthy clients and extremely high fees. So why has Wolfe accepted a case for $4.30? And why h...more
Taken from the back of the book: "Step into the unassuming 35th Street brownstone, and join the the astounding exploits of Nero Wolfe. Marvel at his daily beer consumption, his unsurpassed appetite, the incredible expanse of his yellow pajamas." "He is also famous for his wealthy clients and extremely high fees. So why has Wolfe accepted a case for $4.30? And why h...more
This is a remarkable murder mystery. Three people are murdered in the same way - a young boy, a man and a wealthy, prominent woman. All are run over by a car. Nero Wolfe, a remarkable and unique private investigator solves murders without leaving his home. His group of operatives do the leg work for him and report the results. In this case, a pair of gold spider earrings, presumably the only pair in the city, is mentioned time and time again. Wolfe is able to determine the murderer from a group...more
One of the best Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin mysteries, but it shouldn't be the first one you read -- too much of the enjoyment of this story depends on being well-acquainted with Wolfe's personality and peculiarities. The supporting cast (Panzer, Durkin, Cather, etc.) is in full force and great form.
(It was developed as an A&E movie before the series. While both seasons of the series are pitch-perfect, the movie has few off notes in casting and tone -- it's merely good, not great. Watch it aft...more
(It was developed as an A&E movie before the series. While both seasons of the series are pitch-perfect, the movie has few off notes in casting and tone -- it's merely good, not great. Watch it aft...more
I invested 4 hours into the audio book. Have no idea if I reached the end. Am guessing not-since it was only 4 hours and it ended in the middle of a chase scene.
Not really a conclusion-but maybe this is how the books end.
Kind of like Choose Your Own Adventure.
I am considering this book to be read.
~I want to know more about orchids and the kinds of people who grow them. Maybe I will grow an orchid. I wonder if I am the kind of person who grows orchids.
Not really a conclusion-but maybe this is how the books end.
Kind of like Choose Your Own Adventure.
I am considering this book to be read.
~I want to know more about orchids and the kinds of people who grow them. Maybe I will grow an orchid. I wonder if I am the kind of person who grows orchids.
I wouldn't say that this is my favorite Nero Wolfe book, but I like it mostly because it puts Wolfe and Archie Goodwin in a situation in which they have the chance to be noble and compassionate, and they are. Wolfe's petulant and arrogant manner generally amuses me, but I like to see him being a good man, too. Plus, this story is longer than most Wolfe stories, and I always like the more involved plot lines.
Nero Wolfe takes on a client for the sum of - $4.30. It starts with a kid in trouble. He wants nothing to do with the cops, but a private eye is a different story. Wolfe isn't saying yes or no, but the next day, the boy's body turns up in a road after a hit and run. Now the big guy is steamed. The only good clue is a pair of earrings shaped like gold spiders.
A fantastic Nero Wolfe book.
As usual, or titular hero solves the case without ever once leaving his house. Instead our actual hero, Archie, must run all over town - and spend most of the day "downtown" with the police, DAs, and other officials while Wolfe is brilliant off-camera.
This was the first story adapted by the brilliant A&E TV series - with good reason!
As usual, or titular hero solves the case without ever once leaving his house. Instead our actual hero, Archie, must run all over town - and spend most of the day "downtown" with the police, DAs, and other officials while Wolfe is brilliant off-camera.
This was the first story adapted by the brilliant A&E TV series - with good reason!
A friend and I agreed back in the early 1980's that if we were to produce a Nero Wolfe movie, we would base it on this book. So, the moment we learned that A&E had turned this book into a made-for-tv movie, we were very excited. It was even better when A&E moved forward with the series ... but sad that it only ran for two seasons.
This one starts off great with the murder of a boy who had, the previous day, enjoyed a snack at Wolfe's table. What begins as a joke by Archie soon involves Wolfe in a convoluted case involving a blackmail racket. The ending gets a little tangled, but that's a minor detail when you have Archie and Wolfe to entertain you.
Fast, funny, wry, addictive – Stout combines two of my favorite genres, the comfy-cozy (Wolfe) and the hardboiled (Archie). This is my first Nero Wolfe. It's not quite honest but it hangs together. It's a nice, tight mystery. I will definitely read more. The motivations of the characters are a bit odd.
Following the last book where deaths occurred after letting someone go from Wolfe's help. This one begins in a similar manner. But in this Wolfe takes charge, tries to warn a second person but they will not listen! In this, Wolfe fights not just murder but a lot of other nasty crooks as well.
Kevin really likes Nero Wolfe mysteries, and I do, too. The preface to this one warned me that it'd be different from others. I enjoyed it, but perhaps reading it right before going to bed wasn't the best idea. There were too many characters for my sleepy head to keep track of!
Proving, not that there was any doubt, that Rex Stout could still spin a golden tale in 1953, starting with Pete Dossos, the boy in the street who dashes out to wipe windshields of passing cars for small change. Wolfe is in fine form and Archie eats the D.A.'s lunch.
Mystery novels are not my favorite flavor of book, but I can see why the Rex Stout novels are classics and enjoyed by many. They are entertaining, witty and generally hold off on the overly dry dust particles that I would otherwise connect with mystery.
See my previous entry about a Nero Wolfe book. I'm still just as gleeful about the series, but have no new insights to share. (actually finished it this past weekend, but am apparently too busy to give LJ the attention it deserves. ;)
Nero Wolfe was almost as famous for his wealthy clients and extravagant fees as for his genius at detection. So why has he accepted a case for $4.30? And why have the last two people to hire him been ruthlessly murdered? Wolfe suspects the answers may lie in the story of a twelve-year-old boy who turns up at the door of his West Thirty-fifth Street Brownstone. In short order, Wolfe finds himself confronted by one of his most perplexing and pressing cases, involving a curious set of earrings shap...more
3/5
O livro já tem mais de 50 anos, portanto os métodos de investigação não incluíam impressões digitais nem adn. As comunicações eram feitas por telefone, a partir de cabines públicas. Parece que a história tem um ritmo lento por isso, mas é interessante. Dá-se mais valor à capacidade de raciocínio para se resolverem os crimes.
Gostei particularmente do Archie Goodwin, o assistente de Nero Wolfe e narrador neste livro. Ele desenrasca-se bem, seja para conseguir uma refeição quando já passa da hor...more
O livro já tem mais de 50 anos, portanto os métodos de investigação não incluíam impressões digitais nem adn. As comunicações eram feitas por telefone, a partir de cabines públicas. Parece que a história tem um ritmo lento por isso, mas é interessante. Dá-se mais valor à capacidade de raciocínio para se resolverem os crimes.
Gostei particularmente do Archie Goodwin, o assistente de Nero Wolfe e narrador neste livro. Ele desenrasca-se bem, seja para conseguir uma refeição quando já passa da hor...more
A 12-year old neighbor boy comes to Wolfe with a story of a women with golden spider earrings who whispered to him from the driver's seat of a car to get the police. He figures there must be money in the story somehow, and he'll split the loot with Wolfe. A few days later the boy is dead - run over by the same car. Then the car is found and there's evidence in it to link the car to the death of another person. Finally, a rich woman is found murdered not long after coming to see Wolfe wearing gol...more
Jan 08, 2012
Curtiss
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mystery,
all-time-favorites
Nero Wolf at his portly & sardonic best, working for a youthful client, with his associate Archie Goodwin doing the leg-work as usual.
Rediscovering an old friend after more than 10 years. I love Wolfe. His pithy turns of phrases are unmatched and unmatchable
Nero Wolfe's intrepid helpers step up in this excellent and, at times, atypical mystery. Great fun.
My favorite Nero Wolfe case. A good place to start out with the series.
Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin do it again. Always a great read.
The orchid growing middle aged detective brings in all the thrills
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
1 trivia question
1 quiz
More quizzes & trivia...
1 quiz
