A Family Affair

Nero Wolfe #46

by Rex Stout

When a bomb kills his favorite waiter from his favorite restaurant, sedentary sleuth and gourmand Nero Wolfe is determined to go to any length to find the killer.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Detective, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Ebooks

208 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1975

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

[Bill Kerwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This last Nero Wolfe is one of the best, a tribute to the professionalism and stamina of the eighty-seven year old man who wrote it. And, although I don't think Stout ever intended it as an official end to the series, it is a surprisingly moving and uncharacteristically melancholy work.

A waiter from Rusterman's is blown up inside Wolfe's brownstone, and Wolfe, outraged at the violation of his home, becomes his own client, determined to bring the murderer to justice. He does so, but not before he and Archie have to handle a difficult and disturbing matter that hits even closer to home than the murder itself.

Considering that this is the last Wolfe, I found the final words of the novel--unusual in themselves--extremely eerie. After the difficult matter has been dealt with, Wolfe says: "Will you bring brandy, Archie? And two glasses. If Fritz is up, bring him and three glasses. We will try to get some sleep."

[Jill H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my third read of this amazing book. I sneaked it in as my bedtime read since it is very short and is one of my favorite mysteries. Besides, I love Mr. Wolfe and Archie and all the continuing characters. It never gets old and I stand by my original review as noted below.

Original review

I have read all the books in the Nero Wolfe corpus but saved this one until last. As other reviewers noted,this is desirable since the reader needs to be familiar with the continuing characters in the series to understand the reactions of Mr. Wolfe, Archie and the others when the murderer is revealed. This, the last Wolfe book written by Rex Stout (and in my opinion, only books written by Stout are worth considering) is a bitter tale and leaves you with a feeling of sorrow for the main characters who are blind-sided in this "family affair".

The framing story is not one of Stout's best but the denouement certainly is. It's a shocker for the long time fan

[Sharon Barrow Wilfong · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the last novel Stout wrote. He wrote around seventy novels and short stories all starring Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin. Stout died around six months after A Family Affair was published.

Plot: Pierre, a waiter at the restaurant Rusterman's has come to Nero Wolfe's Brownstone at night. Pierre is familiar to the Wolfe household because Rusterman's is not only a favorite restaurant, Wolfe is a trustee.

Archie Goodwin, Wolfe's leg man answers the door (for those of you unfamiliar with the story, Nero Wolfe rarely leaves his home, yet has the uncanny ability to be on top of information and solve mysteries. Suspects are brought to the Brownstone to be questioned). Pierre begs to be let in because he needs to talk to Wolfe. He refuses to divulge any information to Archie except that his life is threatened.

Wolfe has already gone to bed and as fans of our portly detective know, Wolfe does not have a flexible schedule. His bedtime, dinner times, and time spent on the roof in his green house with his orchids are not flexible. In fact, there is practically nothing about Wolfe that is flexible .

So Pierre cannot talk to Wolfe that night and he won't talk to Archie but refuses to leave because he fears for his life. Archie puts him in a free room, opposite his own.

After seeing Pierre to the room, Archie crosses the hall to his own room and proceeds to undress and go to bed. Before he half way gets his trousers off an explosion shakes the entire Brownstone. Archie, re-adjusts his pants and runs back across the hall.

The windows have been blasted out, but from the inside. Pierre is lying down, quite dead, and with no face. A little investigating reveals that Pierre was opening a small tube containing a cigar which detonated the bomb.

Who did this and why? That is what the rest of the book will tell you. Wolfe is livid this happened in his own house and takes it personally.

This book was written in 1975 which is about forty years after the first Wolfe mystery was written. However, the characters have not aged, which makes it difficult to imagine them since I still see them dressed for the 1930s.

There are a few differences, some of them not positive. Trying to be relevant and current (I suppose) Stout entangles the current crisis of the day, Watergate, into the story. So as Archie imparts his discoveries to us, we are to wonder, as he does, if the murder is in anyway connected to the national scandal.

I don't want to spoil the mystery in case anyone has not read the story, but I found one aspect of the conclusion unsatisfying and I don't know how to say without giving the culprit away, so I won't say anything, only to say, I disagree with authors employing this method.

Something else occurred to me as I read this story. Murders must be interesting on every level. Not only must finding the guilty party be interesting, but the murder has to be committed for an interesting reason. A number of mysteries, even by my favorite authors often fail at this end.

Whether anyone out there will find the motive for the murder to be interesting or not will be a matter of opinion.

Now a couple of things I liked was how, while keeping the witty banter that bounces back and forth between the main characters, Stout has added in a streak of darkness. Wolfe is not so arrogant or omniscient as previous stories have him; he shows vulnerability. The police are shown greater respect, this is a great improvement from the almost Keystone Cop cartoons, especially Inspector Cramer, in his earlier stories.

There is an overtone of sadness as though things were coming to an end. Perhaps Stout knew that this would be his last story and he would be telling Nero Wolfe, Archie Goodwin, their detectives Saul Panzer, Fred Derkin, Orrie Cather, and Inspecter Cramer good bye.

Luckily, we don't have to since they stay alive between the pages of our books.

[thefourthvine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of the few Wolfe books I’ve read only once (well, twice now), and there’s a good reason for that. Actually, there’s a bunch.

Part of why I don’t like this book is that it is pretty clearly Stout’s farewell. He does things here he’s never done before, and I don’t just mean the solution to the mystery. He ends this book with Archie and Wolfe without detective licenses, and while that’s a solvable problem, it’s unprecedented. It’s Stout’s lament for the end of his own era, and that’s sad.

I also am not a huge fan of the language of the book. Stout was obviously responding to the changing publishing mores here. Previously, he rarely including swear words, even though they were clearly spoken by the characters, but in this one, there’s a fair number. And that part is great! It fits in very naturally. I do not, however, at all like the joke Archie makes about raping one of the witnesses, and if Stout relaxing his language leads to that, well, I’m glad he was constrained for most of his writing career.

Also, while I understand completely (oh, how painfully completely now — much more than I when I first read this book) why Stout was Big Mad about Nixon, I did not need this amount of Nixon-related therapy worked out on the page. It’s completely irrelevant.

And, finally, I love this series because of the interaction between the characters. In this book, most of the characters are avoiding talking to each other, or they’re extremely hurt and betrayed. It doesn’t make for a lot of fun repartee.

Basically, this is a bummer final entry in the series. I’ve been dreading it in my reread, and it turns out I was right to.

[Wealhtheow · Rating 1 out of 5]

A favorite waiter surprises Archie one night and says he fears he'll be killed. Archie leaves him in a guest bedroom to sleep until the great detective, Nero Wolfe, wakes up. But only minutes after Archie goes to bed himself, the house is shaken. A bomb has gone off, and the waiter is dead.

So begins another mystery, set in 1970s New York and focusing on the sedentary gastronomer and genius, Nero Wolfe, and his bff and right hand man, Archie Goodwin. The mystery is solved through unbelievably circumstantial clues, there's very little motive for the murders, and there's a completely unnecessary red herring that takes up a good half of the book. The other half is taken up by Stout's repetitive stock phrases: men are constantly sending their eyes round the room, palming the arms of their chair, walking exactly three streps into the room...Stout tells every single motion in absurd detail, none of which has anything whatsoever to do with the mystery or even much to do with character development. Between the unsatisfactory mystery, the stock phrases and unnecessary details padding out the slender plot, and Archie's unbearable sexism (he makes a joke at one point that the only way to get a feminist to listen is to rape her--which she'd like, btw), I really hated this book by the end.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're at all inclined to read/listen to the Nero Wolfe mysteries, read A Family Affair last. For the most part, it doesn't really matter in which order you read them, but this one is most definitely the end, or at least will permanently alter your perception of a character who plays a key role in lots of other books. Furthermore, as the title hints, this book isn't a typical Wolfe whodunit; this one hits close to home and by the time you get to this case, you'll be more drawn in and more emotionally charged about the events if you're already family to Wolfe and his team--Archie, Fritz, Saul, Fred, and Orrie. This was the last Wolfe novel Rex Stout ever published, but there have been lots who have kept the characters alive. Some of those have even gotten reviews that say if you didn't know better, you'd think they were the real thing, so it'll be interesting to see how and if any of them acknowledge the aftermath of the events in A Family Affair.

[Pamela Shropshire · Rating 5 out of 5]

2/13/2020. I know I just read this one a few months ago, but on rereading it, I am even more impressed at what a remarkably well-written piece of detective fiction it is. Rex Stout’s narrator, Archie Goodwin, has very straightforward and matter-of-fact voice, and yet somehow, into that forthright narration and dialogue, Stout folds genuine humanity into his characters. We come to know them by Archie’s humorous asides and perceptive observations. Not every book of the series is as good as this one, but on the whole, this series is a remarkable body of work, an absolutely stellar example of genre fiction.

************

Very often in a long-running book series of whatever genre, the latter books taper off in quality so that the series goes out “not with a bang, but with a whimper.” That is most emphatically NOT true of the Nero Wolfe series. The title, too, is supremely apt; but no more on that because #spoilers.

The entire series is well-written, and this one is as good as, and maybe better than, any other book therein. The scene where Cramer comes to see Wolfe and gives the “not as Inspector Cramer” speech gave me chills and nearly brought me to tears.

Cramer turned his head to look at me, but he didn’t see me. He turned back to Wolfe and leaned over to flatten his palms on the desk. ‘I came here with a stenographer,’ he said, ‘because I trust you too, up to a point. I want to say something not as Inspector Cramer or Mr. Cramer to a private investigator or Mr. Wolfe, but just as Cramer to Wolfe. Man to man. If you don’t let go, you’re sunk. Done. Let me bring him in and talk to me. Now.’

Wolfe shook his head. ‘I appreciate this. I do. But even as Wolfe to Cramer, no.’

Cramer straightened up and turned and went.

I just now went back and reread my review of Fer-de-lance, and was struck by the fact that the resolution of both books, the bookends of the series, so to speak, are so similar. I know A Family Affair was published very shortly before Stout’s death at age 88, and I wonder if he knew as he was plotting and writing it that it would be the last Wolfe & Archie adventure. One of the newspaper articles about Stout’s death (found here) states: “. . . Nero Wolfe joins Sherlock Holmes as a great fictional character for whom time is of little importance. Holmes will always exist in a foggy 19th Century London of the mind, and Wolfe will continue his eccentric ways in a 20th Century New York of the mind.”

Most definitely 5 stars.

[Hobart · Rating 5 out of 5]

and so my little Wolfe-a-week project ends, where Stout himself ended things. A fitting end to a great series. Unlike most of the series, I'd only read this one once--I think I was in junior high school, and figured that was enough. I honestly don't think I picked up on half of what really happened in it then, but I caught enough of it. I still understand the decision, and debated whether I should read it this year.

I'm glad I did. And not just because I got so much of what I didn't get before. This was Stout at nearly his best (there's a conversation towards the end between Archie and Saul that's almost impossible to truly track due to pronoun confusion), certainly not ready to stop. But it's impossible to read this without wondering if he knew it was his last.

The plot certainly makes it seem that way. And I know I'm not the first (and won't be the last) to note that. There's no doubt about it, this is the most emotional Wolfe novel. Moreso than even In the Best Families or The Black Mountain.

The shadow of Watergate looms over this -- and not in an entirely beneficial way -- but it's forgivable.

It could end no other way than it did. The climax ends quickly, almost too quickly to take in properly, but that's just how Stout works. These books are about the thinking, about the order of Wolfe's office, not action, blood, guts, or any of the other hallmarks of American Detective fiction.

Great way for a great man--no, great men, to go out.

[CatBookMom · Rating 4 out of 5]

2019 - Part of the current Nero Wolfe binge. This was the last full-length book that Rex Stout wrote. Apparently a short story/novella was then found, and that was published as part of a trilogy, with two older stories included.

2015 - Sometimes the adversarial relationship between Nero/Archie and Cramer/DA's office gets so much in the middle of the story.
From the distance of 2015 it's difficult for me to understand why the threat of or actually arresting a detective is going to make him more willing to tell what he knows. In this particular story, it's critical that Nero, Archie, Saul, Fred and Orrie refuse to speak. But I've recently been reading a lot of these, and the threat has become annoying as a plot device.

[Cherie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put it down and actually listened to most of the audio twice. Stout's last book?
I will be on a hunt for the others that are not available on audio on Overdrive. I would love to be able to hear them all. Michael Pritchard's reading is such a wonderful part of the stories for me now. Regardless, I am determined to enjoy them all, even if I have to read them.

[Bryan Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

After a bomb kills his favorite waiter, in his own home Nero is deeply offended and decides that this is a family affair and he'll deal with it his own way. He sets out gathering clues while refusing to share any with the police department. Soon it's discovered that this murder is connected to a previous murder and after a while even a third murder.

Nero figures out the killer early on, but refuses to tell anyone his conclusions and also refuses to set up his usual parlor meeting to expose the murderer. Archie and the rest of the crew are frustrated and irritated, and not until all of them are arrested for criminal conspiracy and Nero and Archie have there licenses suspended, does Archie figure out what is going on.

This is a very good Nero Wolfe story, with a keen insight into how people work. The clues are all presented for the reader and you could solve the murder as quickly as Nero does, but most of us will only solve it as quickly as Archie does.

This was the last Nero Wolfe novel that Stout wrote before his death, and it's set in the early 70's. That timeframe is a little unsettling for me because I want these to be old time mysteries and not modern (where modern is defined by times when I am alive). Only one other Nero Wolfe book was published after that, a collection of novellas, including one that was thought lost forever. But that is another review.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Family Affair is Rex Stout's last entry into the Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin mystery series. A word of warning...if you haven't read the other Stout books, you should save this one for last. Most of the stories it really doesn't matter what order you read them in. This one it does. There are several events that will absolutely change how you read the previous novels and perceive some of the characters in them if this book is read out of order. Given the final scenes, you might even think that Stout had a premonition that it would be his final novel.

This book starts...and ends...with a bang. Literally. The beginning finds Archie Goodwin approached by one of the brownstone's occupants' favorite waiters late one evening. Wolfe is already in bed, but the waiter from Rusterman's Restaurant insists that he must talk to the great detective because someone is going to kill. Archie refuses to wake Wolfe, but offers the man a bed and the protection of the house for the night. Shortly after Archie installs the waiter in one of the spare bedrooms, the brownstone is rocked by an explosion....the man has been killed by a bomb planted in his coat pocket. Wolfe is outraged that someone has dared commit a murder under his roof and takes up the investigation without a client--other than himself. But this isn't business. It's personal--a family affair.

In true Wolfe form, he refuses to share any but the most basic knowledge with Inspector Cramer and the D. A.'s office. There will be two more murders and Wolfe and his entire detective force will be arrested for withholding information, before the solution is revealed. And, in a rare event, Archie reveals the culprit to us--there is no final gathering of the suspects and a wrap-up scene in the office.

This is a fitting, if unusual ending to the Stout-written novels. All the regular characters are brought in and there are many of the expected mannerisms and standard Wolfe phrases. The twist and the shock that come at the end are...well...shocking. I certainly didn't see it coming. And I should have. As should Archie--long before he did. Nicely done. Four stars.

[Eric_W · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is no question that Rex Stout was a master. I have read most of them and listened to the rest, all ably read by one of my favorite readers, Michael Pritchard.

This was Stout’s last novel, released in 1975. Some reviewers have suggested it’s not up to his earlier work. I disagree, although it’s a little jarring to find Richard Nixon as a central figure and tape recorders and Watergate. It’s clear Stout thought Nixon as head of state had perpetrated a great flummery on the people. I wonder if most of the remarks will be totally lost on anyone born after 1970. Lots of aspersions regarding the people and actions of the events surrounding Watergate.

Nothing outrages Wolfe more than when a murder is committed under his nose. Worse yet when it’s in his house. A waiter from his favorite restaurant is blown up in the guest room. Soon Wolfe is up to his neck in Watergate related characters. Stout’s disdain for the players is obvious. Stout, by this time, was in his eighties, and any political commentary was quite unusual for his characters. But the usual banter is present and it’s hard not to love a character who hates people dropping quotations, especially when they quote from Sir Thomas More, since Wolfe always maintained that More had slandered Richard III.

Several Amazon reviewers suggested this book was not up to his usual high quality. I beg to differ. It has the wonderfully precise use of language; Archie is still the wisecracking sidekick, and this final book really puts Wolfe to the test. Wolfe, Archie, Saul, Fred and Orrie all wind up in jail for the weekend (for obstruction of justice, paralleling the five Nixon characters,) Wolfe leaves his house more than he ever had, and there are complexities enough to keep Wolfe fans happy.

Given the ending, I would not be surprised if Stout had a premonition this might be his last book.

[Jon Adcock · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the final Nero Wolfe novel by Rex Stout and it was published in 1975, six months before Stout died at the age of 88. Starting in 1934, Stout wrote over 70 novels and stories involving his corpulent, misanthropic detective, Nero Wolfe, and his wise-cracking assistant, Archie Goodwin. In some series, the characters age and their situation changes as time passes (James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux books, for example). Not so much with the Nero Wolfe books. If you read one of the earlier books and this book, you'll find the same cast of characters who, apparently, did not age even though 40 years have gone by. All of Stout's mysteries are formulaic, with only a few exceptions to the tried and true formula. This last book remands true to the formula: a murder has been committed and Wolfe stays in his New York City Brownstone while his trusty assistant, Archie Goodwin, does all the leg work. Suspects are identified, questioned, and, eventually, the murderer is revealed. Nothing earth shattering here, but it's a fun read. Reading a Nero Wolfe book is like going to a very good chain restaurant. You know what you're going to get when you walk in the door.

[cool breeze · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the last Nero Wolfe novel in the 47-book series before Rex Stout died at 89. I have been reading the series in order and the previous two had been well below the usual standards. This led me to wonder whether Stout was losing his abilities in his 80s.

It turns out that he had the makings of one good novel left in him, although the execution is something of a mixed bag. The high point by far is that Stout creates one of his best plots and plot twists ever. He also deploys it skillfully, dropping enough early clues that it doesn’t seem unfair and unveiling it soon enough that the ending doesn’t seem rushed or formulaic. He also skillfully imbues the story with an unusual sad, wistful tone. In terms of plot and character, this is one of Stout’s best books and a solid four-star mystery.

Unfortunately, this was published in 1975 and Stout, like one of the characters in the book, is monomaniacally obsessed with Nixon, although he resigned a year earlier. The first half of the book is filled with dozens of irrelevant nasty remarks about him. Do they have anything to do with the crime or the mystery? They absolutely do not. They are just superfluous smears, at best lame red herrings.

Watergate and wiretapping, bugging, and secret tape recording are referenced ad nauseum. Wolfe’s sanctimonious outrage about Nixon using this technology is all the more hypocritical since he has been frequently doing the same thing for decades. He never said a peep about Kennedy doing it many years earlier. Once the twist is revealed, it is clear that Nixon had nothing to do with the case and the vituperation diminishes, but the first half was bad enough and it was tedious to wade through.

Like most Nero Wolfe novels, this one contains some interesting observations on contemporary life. Men’s hats are going from ubiquitous to unfashionable; Archie will no longer wear one before Thanksgiving. Off Track Betting is a new thing and is roping in habitual gamblers with a state-sponsored version of the illegal bookie racket. Arafat is the corrupt, self-defeating leader of the PLO, and the Arab oil embargo has forced Wolfe to lower his thermostat four degrees to save oil. Inflation is a growing concern for the second book in a row. What Stout calls “Women’s Lib” is also mentioned for the second time, although Wolfe still dismisses it as mostly a “herd” phenomenon. Small homemade bombs also figure into the plot for the second book in a row.

In the end, Wolfe and company take the law into their own hands and engineer the death of the culprit for the seventh time in the series. There is a lot of blood on those pampered fat hands, although the reader is always told that the Wolfe’s victims were guilty, notwithstanding the lack of a trial or enough evidence to convict them. I did not imagine when I started the series that the sedentary, epicurean Wolfe would turn out to be one of literature’s most bloodthirsty detectives.

This could easily have been a four-star mystery, but the tiresome, gratuitous and irrelevant Nixon hate fest caused me to reduce my rating to around 3.5 stars, rounded down.

[hotsake (André Troesch) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the best or most fun of the series but it does feel like a fitting end to the series.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

OMG! While most books in this series can be read in any order, this one needs to be read last. And although Archie makes his familiar claim that the reader may have figured out the culprit already, I had not and was shocked by the revelation of who it was.

[Jerry B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite some inconsistencies, last Rex Stout Nero Wolfe an outstanding pleaser !

We read the entire (and considerable) collection of Nero Wolfe stories nearly forty years ago, some contemporaneous with their original publication. "Family Affair", released in 1975, turned out to be Rex Stout's last novel, even though his estate paid Robert Goldsborough to do a credible job of writing seven more entries in the Wolfe series. Stout was in his early 80's as of this writing, but his plot and vocabulary were as excellent as ever, with quite a surprising twist and sense of justice at the close of the story. During our recent re-read, we were a little surprised to see political commentary about Watergate and (then President) Nixon - obviously the author was upset at the scandalous turn of events, and uses Wolfe's dialogue to register his severe chagrin.

This book reminds us of several things. One - it's amazing how much fun, mystery, and suspense some of the classic writers of fifty years ago could pack into a 150-200 page volume. Few words were wasted, and no filler or irrelevant subplots were deployed to compile the 400-700 page tomes we so often get today. Two - it occurs to us, that characters were revealed ever so slowly over the course of multiple stories. So one can't just pick up this novel and even begin to understand the complexities of our genius detective and his affable sidekick; it takes reading several entries in the set to really get to know these guys in a way that eventually seals their place in our hearts and minds as "best friends!" Lastly, there is a certain predictability we come to enjoy - not from guessing the outcome (difficult!) but rather just enjoying the eccentricities and habits of the familiar people and places: Wolfe's bottle caps, his globe, Cramer's cigars, the old brownstone, etc.

In the story, a waiter is bombed to death (!) in Wolfe's guest bedroom, causing both he and Archie a sense of outrage so strong they commit to finding the killer on their own with no client in sight. They soon deduce the police will never figure it out, and somewhat uncharacteristically refuse completely to cooperate with the police. Wolfe leaves the house (amazing!) to speed along the investigation, and even spends a night in jail - incredible! While these seeming inconsistencies irk some of Stout's fans, we found them acceptable in terms of the unusual nature of this plot, which we don't intend to spoil an iota with further commentary.

We found ourselves as pleased as ever with Wolfe and Stout. We were partially moved by nostalgia, but that had nothing to do with the sheer enjoyment and entertainment value found in this fine conclusion to the tales of one of the greatest detectives in modern fiction.

[Vicki Cline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the last Nero Wolfe novel, written 41 years after the first one. What I like about this series (aside from the engaging characters and clever plots) is that each book is independent of all the others - the characters don't change and you learn everything you need to know about the situation at Wolfe's brownstone in NYC in each book, so you can read them in any order. It seems as though Stout meant this to be the last one because something rather terrible happens to one of Wolfe's extended "family," the people he relies on. I can't say more for fear of ruining the plot. Wolfe's favorite waiter from Rusterman's comes to tell Archie he thinks he's going to be killed, so Archie lets him stay in the house. But just after the waiter is left in the guest bedroom, he's blown up by something he brought with him. Tracking down the murderer is more tricky than usual, but Archie and Wolfe manage. The conclusion was pretty shocking.

[FP · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fue mala idea comenzar los libros de Nero Wolfe con éste, que es el último de la serie. El giro al final, que pretende darle un golpe a los lectores familiarizados con los personajes, no me afectó mayormente producto de ello. Tampoco disfruté mucho que se metiera todo el asunto de Watergate en el tema.
La serie es excelente, para aquellos que disfrutan la ficción de detectives, pero este libro hay que dejarlo para mucho después, no de los primeros.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final Nero Wolfe is shocking—for some, too atypically so. But it makes a lot of sense, and shows no major drop in quality. The actual detection is a little subpar, but Lily Rowan’s presence is always a plus. And the rants against Nixon are diverting. Can you imagine what Wolfe would think of Donald Trump? Pfui!

[Tricia Culp · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last Nero Wolfe mystery, and a really good one. But you won’t appreciate it unless you’ve read many others.

[Googoogjoob · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the last Nero Wolfe novel Rex Stout wrote (he passed away not long after it was published, aged 88). It's maybe the least characteristic. I think it's evident throughout that Stout- a stolid center-left liberal with a strong commitment to the ideals of American government- felt deeply betrayed and upset by the Watergate scandal. The book is littered with references to Watergate, it's hinted that the central mystery might be related to the scandal, and Wolfe expresses disgust bordering on outright hatred for Nixon and his cronies (whose names are rattled off a few times). (Also curious: the 1974 elections come up; Archie mentions he voted for Hugh Carey, the Democratic nominee for governor- who won- but did not vote for Ramsey Clark, the Democratic nominee for Senator.)

Both Wolfe the character and Stout the author seem shaken by Watergate (Stout directly, Wolfe via Stout, obviously). The mystery kicks off with a betrayal: a man is murdered in Wolfe's home while Wolfe sleeps; Wolfe is depicted behaving intensely and sometimes even irrationally in response, even to the extent of getting his detective's license suspended (and it isn't restored by the end of the book!); his movements are repeatedly noted as being out of joint with his (previously sacrosanct) routines, and he voluntarily leaves the house multiple times, while Archie notes that Wolfe has "regressed" to wagging his finger at interlocutors he disapproves of. Maybe the most overt evidence of Stout's upset is the use of explicit language that would never have appeared in a Nero Wolfe novel previously: "bullshit," "ass," a crude rape joke from Archie(!). It's not hard to read the plot as a treatment of Watergate, either: the initial murder is literally "close to home," and the culprit ends up being a long-running recurring character who is pressured into suicide as expiation for his crimes- a shocking, jarring thing to happen in a series as dedicated to the status quo as Nero Wolfe was. The overall feeling is one of rupture and dislocation from the norm, which makes for an effective novel, but which leaves this kind of an uneasy place to end the series.

[Ronald Wise · Rating 4 out of 5]

When this book popped to the top of my reading list I saw that it was the 46th of a serious to which I had not been previously exposed. I decided to not read through the series first and to use this one as a sample. I enjoyed it as a stand-alone mystery, though my lack of familiarity with the characters probably detracted significantly from my appreciation of their dilemma in this case. There were three or four pages that I had to re-read at least twice to figure out what had just occurred.

The case in this book is flavored by the tensions surrounding the Watergate scandal, and I just happened to read it as the House is about to vote on the impeachment of Donald Trump. And while Nixon cast a darkness over the moods of the characters herein, it felt that this story cast an even darker gloom over today, obviating the contrast between now and a time where both political parties were concerned with the integrity of the president and the constitutional mandate of congressional oversight.

In the “About the Author” article at the end of the book, I learned that this was Nero Wolfe’s last case, published just one month before the author’s death. If another from this series comes to the top of my reading list, I’ll read through the series and hopefully get back to this one during my lifetime.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last of the Nero Wolfe books, written when the author was in his late 80's. Archie must carry most of the burden since Wolfe is incapacitated by the invasion of his personal space when a murder is committed in his brownstone apartment. And worse: the man killed was a favorite waiter at his favorite restaurant. And worse: he gradually comes to suspect that the murderer is even closer to him. It's a melancholy end to the series, but it is among the best. The title turns out to be very appropriate.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great ending to the series!

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Family Affair (The Rex Stout Library)

A Family Affair (The Rex Stout Library)
by Rex Stout

5.0 out of 5 stars The last but NOT the least, August 17, 2013



This review is from: A Family Affair (The Rex Stout Library)

"A Family Affair" kept me riveted to my seat throughout. A favorite waiter from Rusterman's Restaurant comes to the Brownstone for refuge but from what and from who? Archie provides a room to stay in for the night. Then a bit later an explosion. When all is revealed a death in that room inside the Brownstone.

This was indeed the best Nero Wolfe entry to date and sorry to say the last Nero Wolfe by Rex Stout. Please remember when you do read this marvelous story try not to compare all the other N.W. books to it. It is incomparable in my opinion.

I listened to A Family Affair on CD narrated/performed brilliantly by Michael Pritchett.
BTW...I've read and continue to read several Nero Wolfe entries by Robert Goldsborough who does an admirable job.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last of the Nero Wolfe books, published after Rex Stout's death. Although the mystery itself is not compelling, lacking as we are a client to outwit, it is a suitable book to go out on, ending something, but also including a statement of continuance. It also shines a pleasing spotlight on Archie and Lily Rowan's relationship.

Stout deliberately did not age his characters, and apparently wished that they can go on forever - a nice change from the Reichenbach Falls solution! - and "A Family Affair" sends them onward settled in their own time zone.

Absolutely not a book to start reading Wolfe - it requires a good grounding in Wolfe's world to have any measure of appreciation for what happens in this volume.

[Mary Holm]

Rex Stout wrote 46 Nero Wolfe books in his lifetime and I have read them all--except for this one. This is the last book of the series and though it's sitting right here on my bookshelf, I can't yet bring myself to read it. I have loved all of the books. I've read some of them more than once. I've even listened to a good many of them on tape or CD. But I know when I do read this last one, it will mean there are no more Nero Wolfe mysteries left to read. I pass this book on my shelf whenever I get up from my computer to go to the bathroom, and I sometimes I think about picking it up and reading it. One day I will. But it isn't time yet. Soon. But not yet.

[Rinnerl · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, I’m a big fan of Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe books.


SPOILER! SPOILER! SPOILER!


„A family affair“ is a story I wanted to read for a very long time but couldn’t get hold of the book. Finally I managed it (thanks a*azon :) and I have to say, I wasn’t disappointed.

Orrie Cather, often hired to help in investigations and seen as a friend, became the murderer of three people. And not only that, one of the victims was murdered right under Nero Wolfes nose, at his home.

Even though I knew whodunnit before I started reading, it was a great story and I really liked the „solution“ how to punish a man who betrayed them all in the worst way possible.

A must read.