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268th out of 2,542 books
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Some Buried Caesar (Nero Wolfe #6)
by
Rex Stout
A prize bull, a restaurateur's tacky publicity stunt, a family feud (among the bull's owners), and the death of a family scion pit Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin against a special breed of killer.
Mass Market Paperback, 288 pages
Published
September 8th 2010
by Crimeline
(first published January 1939)
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While Archie Goodwin is driving Nero Wolfe to exhibit his orchids against a rival out in the country the usually faithful car blows a tire and fetches up against a tree. One of Wolfe's worse nightmares has come to life. Now, they must walk in the country to seek aid. Cutting across a pasture, they encounter a prize winning bull on the loose! Can a man weighing 1/7th of a ton escape? This bull, bought for $45,000 is scheduled to be pit roasted as a pricey publicity stunt for his owner's restauran...more
Just adding to my list of excellent books by Rex Stout. This one opens with a hilarious scene--Nero Wolfe uncharacteristically out of his brownstone in Manhattan, standing on a bale of hay in the middle of a field to escape from a bull. I also learned a new word on the very first page--plerophory--which I had to look up in the OED, since it wasn't in my unabridged. It is a belief held so strongly that the believer regards it as an experienced fact. Seems like a very useful word in today's Americ...more
Stout, Rex. SOME BURIED CAESAR. (1938). ***. When the organizers of this year’s Bouchercon (the mystery convention), to be held in Indianapolis in October, sent on a copy of this Nero Wolfe mystery, I thought I had already read it years ago. Turns out that I hadn’t, but with Stout’s well-endowed list of 73 Wolfe titles it’s easy to get confused. This one features Wolfe and his sidekick Archie, but with a difference. In this mystery, the two sleuths are not in Wolfe’s apartment in New York...more
This is my third Nero Wolfe mystery and I have yet to be disappointed. I love the premise of these books--that the reader sees Wolfe through Archie's eyes--and I love the contrast between the precise, brilliant Wolfe and the wise-cracking Archie Goodwin. I love Archie's irreverent view of the world, his subtly smutty comments, and how, underneath his tough exterior, he respects and admires Wolfe. The mystery in Some Buried Caesar is appropriately convoluted, but I especially appreciate that this...more
A great, fast-paced story of the master detective Nero Wolfe and his side-kick Archie, always wise-cracking and doing all the work as Wolfe prefers the brain-work and doesn't like to leave his specially-made huge chair or his orchids on the top floor of their brownstone home/office. Wolfe is from somewhere in central Europe, an oversized genius who takes on detective work apparently for the mental stimulation. I read most of the stories. Wolfe is often found reading esoteric books that I've read...more
What stands out most about this book is the way in which nothing stands out in this book. The second world war is brewing -- yet this book is set in a never never land . Stout having set up a "set in stone" routine for Wolfe has now departed from it in three books running. It appears that as an author he had written himself into a corner and was attempting to provide and endless number of exceptions to the very routines and eccentricities that made Wofe stand out. Looking one sees he d...more
Yes, probably the greatest in Detective folklore, Nero Wolfe rarely leaves his Manhattan brownstone. When his automobile, of course driven by sidekick Archie Goodwin, is disabled in upstate New York the obtuse investigator gets stuck-in the middle of a murder mystery. A prize steer is found kicking at the remains of wealthy resident and all chaos breaks loose. Aside from the mastery of Rex Stout (I had the pleasure of addressing his society this past Christmas)this novel is hilarious! Archie G...more
This is one of those mysteries which are "simple if only I'd thought about it". Wolfe repeatedly points out that a few logical deductions led him directly to an obvious suspect, and there is indeed a straightforward path to follow. The story is solid and satisfying (though I feel a little sad for the family of one of the victims) and it's a good example of how Wolfe's dismissal of the female half of the species does not prevent him from acknowledging any admirable actions or traits, ...more
I love the Nero Wolfe books as a series, of course. Generally, though, I don't like it when Wolfe leaves the brownstone any more than he does. In this story he is off in the New York countryside somewhere, going to a flower show, when he and Archie are in an accident and end up staying at a nearby farm house, and find themselves in the middle of a furor over a prize-winning who has been scheduled for slaughter and the barbeque pit by its new owner, who also owns a chain of steak restaurants. ...more
Had to move from a four to a five stars because this book contained all the elements of a great book, mystery or no.
It had a wonderfully entertaining storylines, great characters, side stories; it was fast paced and sprinkled with humor throughout. Hard not to love a book with all those attributes and it was written in 1939! Survived through all these years because it's just a damn good book! Will definately read again in the future.
It had a wonderfully entertaining storylines, great characters, side stories; it was fast paced and sprinkled with humor throughout. Hard not to love a book with all those attributes and it was written in 1939! Survived through all these years because it's just a damn good book! Will definately read again in the future.
This book was sent to me as part of the "group read" for the upcoming Bouchercon World Mystery Convention. The organizers sent the book to all registrants so we could have a common topic of conversation next week and do something most mystery fans can't do: discuss the ending!
I liked this book! It takes place in the 1930s so I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was very funny in places and I enjoyed my introduction to Rex Stout's characters Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin....more
I liked this book! It takes place in the 1930s so I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was very funny in places and I enjoyed my introduction to Rex Stout's characters Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin....more
Ever wonder where Archie met Lily Rowan? Here it is! I really enjoyed this story, in which Wolfe is totally out of his "brownstone" element and stuck in a rural setting (albeit a wealthy one). The characters are real characters, and you can guess where this one is going if you think a little. I liked the dialogue, setting and characters here. And it is always fun to read between the lines of Archie's narrative...
I just finished reading Rex Stout's SOME BURIED CAESAR, the sixth in the Nero Wolfe series, and the "all conference reads" book for the Bouchercon mystery conference. I gave it 3 stars as an average mystery. My overall impression is that all the characters were very rude to each other. Maybe it's just because most of them were posturing males in the 1930s.
--
Beth Groundwater, http://bethgroundwater.com/
A REAL BASKET CASE, Five Star, 3/2007, Best First Novel Agatha Nom...more
--
Beth Groundwater, http://bethgroundwater.com/
A REAL BASKET CASE, Five Star, 3/2007, Best First Novel Agatha Nom...more
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Well, this was recommended highly by my brother-in-law and by my sister-in-law and I am trying to get through it. It is very wordy and although I usually like mysteries I am not sure this is one I would recommend. Perhaps you have to give it time. I am about half way through it and struggling to continue. I will finish it but don't know that I will ever read another one.
I actually really liked it in the end. I guessed the murderer before the end but it was interesting to see how...more
I actually really liked it in the end. I guessed the murderer before the end but it was interesting to see how...more
I'm obviously in the minority here when I say that this book wasn't very good. I know it's a beloved favorite mystery of so many people, but I didn't find either the characters or the mystery compelling. Since it's the classic mystery novel to be discussed at an upcoming mystery convention, perhaps someone will enlighten me about what I'm missing!
What I learned from this book is that I have no need to read any more Nero Wolf mysteries. Oh, and apparently all men in the 30s were pompous asses who could only communicate by yelling and belittling. But, much like saying "Bless his heart" now means you can insult anyone freely, apparently showing your palms took away the meanness in the 30s.
I always feel like I should like Rex Stout more than I do. I try every couple of years, but ultimately just can't love these books. I don't like a detective who feels like it's an imposition to solve a crime. The writing is great and I love Archie, but I want to strangle Nero Wolfe and that ruins my enjoying the books.
A car breakdown strands Stouts fat detective, Nero Wolfe, and his assistant Archie, in the middle of a private pasture, and a family fued over a prize bull. Hardly seems the stuff of great detective fiction, until the bull, Hickory Caesar Grindon is found pawing the dead body of the family scion
A classic.
A classic.
This was read for the Indianapolis Bouchercon. As much as understand this book is a classic, I did not enjoy it. Stout was a good writer, however, my taste is more towards the British golden age writers. I doubt, it I would ever read another Nero Wolf book.
For me Wolfe is entirely entertaining as a character. Goodwin I find a bit annoying in too large a dose.
The mystery is perfect, however - one that you can't quite figure out but realize you should have when all is revealed.
The mystery is perfect, however - one that you can't quite figure out but realize you should have when all is revealed.
Archie crashes Wolfe's car, leading to an encounter with a $45,000 bull and, of course, a murder. Some great snark and the first appearance of Lily Rowan make this worth a read, but other Wolfe stories are more engaging.
Probably the best Nero Wolfe mystery, because it has all of the author's qualities (irony, realism, wit) and very few of his vices (more of the time than his: conventional views on women and social classes)
I've read every nero wolfe, all of them several times. they are my fave mysteries and some of my fave books ever. I always read a couple when I go back home and this is one that I reread this past trip.
I may be one of the many who are reading this for Bouchercon in October. I love Archie for both his sense of humor and for his yin to Wolfe's yang - if Nero didn't have such a gritty, human, assistant, I don't know how the rest of us could stand him. The mystery was okay, not the best I've ever known, and the "proof" Wolfe provided to solve the crime had to be the flimsiest I've ever seen. All that said, it was a fun, quick read. As I had just finished The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, ...more
Nero Wolfe out of New York. Nero Wolfe racing to climb a hay bale to avoid bulls in a pasture. Nero Wolfe stepping around cow paddies at the state fair. What's not to like?
I'm swimming upstream on this one, since most fans consider it one of Wolfe's best adventures and I don't. It just feels a bit contrived. Or maybe I just prefer Wolfe to stay in the old brownstone...
I love the Nero Wolfe mysteries but this one holds a special place on my bookshelf. Why? Because it is in this book that we - and Archie - meet Lily Rowan. Love, love, love!
One of my favorites of the Nero Wolfe books, as Wolfe is dragged away from his comfy home to discover who murdered a prize bull.
Plus, the first book where we meet the lovely Lilly Rowan, who goes on to become a regular in the series.
Plus, the first book where we meet the lovely Lilly Rowan, who goes on to become a regular in the series.
Maybe the best one I have read to date of Nero Wolfe. An intriguing storyline, chock full of of interesting side stories. And an interest for Archie. Highly recommended
A favorite new mystery writer (also thanks to Karen) - entertaining, super evocative of 1930s NYC, great characters, quick reads.
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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).
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