Seven Complete Nero Wolfe Novels

by Rex Stout

1983: by Rex Stout - 745 pages - Published by Avenel Books.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

745 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Rex Todhunter Stout (1886–1975) 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 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.

Reviews

[Ruffin · Rating 3 out of 5]

classic mystery lovers. gambit was my favorite. please pass the guilt was disappointing, mostly because the absurd placement of LSD.

[Mark Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes several titles are put in one book because they are closely related sequential stories, as we find with, say, The Chronicles of Narnia, or the Skeeve and Ahz Mythadventures. Sometimes it is done because there is one famous title and a batch of others that won't sell without riding on the coattails of the one, possibly for good reason. Sometimes a collection is a "best of", someone's chosen favorites. It is difficult for me to say whether this is that last type, as I have only read three other Nero Wolfe mysteries and seen some small number produced for television. These, however, were all very good, and although after reading straight through nine stories (the fourth of the seven included "novels", "3 At Wolfe's Door", is three shorter stories, but it seems Stout does this sometimes, as the ABC Primer I previously read had two stories in the second book) I am not certain I can recall them all in detail.

I am also hesitant to rate a book which was originally published as seven separate books and is now combined. It may well be that as individual books some of these would have rated higher, and in that sense it seems unfair to penalize a good story simply because it is bound together with an adequate one. On the other hand, someone who has read more than a few Nero Wolfe mysteries may well have read one or more of these, and it is unfair to that reader for me to suggest that the book stands superior based on its best story.

These are all decent, and while not exactly spread through the history of the series begin with a couple from the mid 1940s and then draw the rest from the 1960s; the final story has marks of possibly being the last Nero Wolfe case, although it is a bit open ended on that point. (A quick check shows it was the last published but for a posthumous work.) Most of the core characters remain the same throughout, from the detective Wolfe and his assistant Archie Goodwin, to the homicide detectives Cramer, Rowcliffe, and Stebbins, to the household staff of Fritz and Theodore, to the outside contractors Saul, Orrie, and Fred, to the peripheral Doctor Vollmer and reporter Lon Cohen.

Some of the devices were predictable--as with the couple who were fighting to claim guilt because each thought the other was the murderer. Several were quite original, and broke some of the expected "rules" of mysteries. I have read more than my share of Agatha Christie and a smattering of other mystery writers, and this holds up quite well. I sometimes worked out parts of them, but never got the complete answer, and only once thought that Stout had kept a critical piece away from the reader's knowledge (and even Conan Doyle did that in A Study in Scarlet). Overall I was pleased, and will probably read it again in a few years.

[Cashman]

Again, childhood reading for me, re-read during an extended stay in Louisiana. (I forget which exact titles I re-read this time, but know in earlier days I read the whole series.) I enjoy these mysteries for the preposterousness of many of the characters; no post-modern irony here, but each could be in many ways a caricature of him- or her-self. I also read one of the "continuations" of the series: talk about caricatures and precious prose!

I think at this point in my life I like the idea of Nero Wolfe more than I like the books themselves. But that may just be me.

[Chad D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, that was fun.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am reviewing the components of this volume separately. Will mark this "read" when I've read them all.

Have now read four of the seven. “Three at Wolfe’s Door” was so weak I’m going to put Stout down for a while.

7/10/22 -- now have read five. "Gambit" was good (review separately) so I'm going to move on to "Please Pass the Guilt" and hope it's as good.

7/18/22 -- "Please Pass The Guilt" wasn't much good for the final tale in this omnibus volume WAS: "A Family Affair" -- and also apparently was the final Stout-written novel (actually a novella).

I have reviewed all seven separately and now am converting this volume to "READ"

[TJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great stuff, as always. Complex mysteries with wonderful and believable characters. Especially Wolf - just love his vocabulary. I learn at least one new word with each story. This one contains multiple stories (7 it says, actually 10) that span several decades of time, I think - the first one published just after WWII and the last one around Watergate.

[Emily M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rex Stout is a fantastic mystery. His characters are meticulously drawn and brilliantly conceived. Each mystery is fascinating--the reader is bound to learn a great deal about history, trivia, culture, and society all while enjoying the story. I love a book that teaches while it entertains.

[Molly Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rex Stout is always a comfortable read for me, and I've read the entire Nero Wolfe series. I like to take Nero Wolfe with me when I travel, so for me, the more stories the better!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read these separately, but am amalgamating my reviews here.