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Target Practice
Collects, for the first time, seventeen of the author's best early short stories, including his first crime story "Secrets" and "Justice Ends at Home," which features a prototype of his famous creation, detective Nero Wolfe. Original.
342 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 14, 1997
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About the author
Rex Stout
827 books1,024 followersRex 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 28, 2020
Love The Nero Wolfe series but these short stories aren’t up to that standard.
September 20, 2015
Engaging set of short stories written by Rex Stout. Enjoyable and quick reads, although to my disappointment none were about Nero and Archie. Particularly enjoyed Warner & Wife, Sanetomo, Justice Ends At Home, and An Officer and a Lady.
February 4, 2019
This is a very very strange jumble of bitter drama, mystery, comedy, romance, and odd morality. Sometimes it sounds like Stout is trying to be O. Henry or somebody like that, and at other times he is grinding out throw-away newspaper romances. “Target Practice” has a parade of lawyers, some soldiers, lots of New Yorkers, small-town types from Ohio, vacationers in Colorado, and random others.
The worthwhile entries include a cute small town “boxing” story, called “It's Science that Counts”, a lawyer sleuth thing, called “Secrets”, and a delightful novella about a useless lawyer aided in defending an innocent man by his young assistant, that being “Justice Ends at Home”.
There is outrageous garbage, like “If He Be Married”, which, I'm forced to admit, is so totally alien to modern human relations that I could derive no point at all from it. The weirdly racial and frustrating “Sanetomo”, which involves a Japanese man-servant and a deeply annoying white married couple. There's also a beastly little romance called “Baba” which very nearly had me quit this book halfway through.
This is my first time reading Stout, so I don't know how any of it compares or relates with the Nero Wolfe stuff. One does get the impression that the author does have a handful of themes he liked to come back to time and again.
“The Rope Dance” involves a guy from Arizona being drugged and robbed in New York City, and then having to find a way to get his money back. That one is maybe a little like “Coogan's Bluff”. The title story involves the French military in WW1 and conflicting loyalties, and it's pretty solid. “Warner & Wife” really should have been better, but I couldn't hang with the old theme of a man getting his confidence back and taking his wife down a peg or two in the process. “An Officer and a Lady” is a funny one involving a burglar's encounter with a little girl.
“Target Practice” is a highly uneven and often disappointing collection (the 2nd half is easily superior to the first), but “Justice Ends at Home” was well worth it. That one has the right sized dose of humor and cuteness, offset by a nice take on the courtroom thriller, murder, conspiracy, and some underdogs beating the odds.
The worthwhile entries include a cute small town “boxing” story, called “It's Science that Counts”, a lawyer sleuth thing, called “Secrets”, and a delightful novella about a useless lawyer aided in defending an innocent man by his young assistant, that being “Justice Ends at Home”.
There is outrageous garbage, like “If He Be Married”, which, I'm forced to admit, is so totally alien to modern human relations that I could derive no point at all from it. The weirdly racial and frustrating “Sanetomo”, which involves a Japanese man-servant and a deeply annoying white married couple. There's also a beastly little romance called “Baba” which very nearly had me quit this book halfway through.
This is my first time reading Stout, so I don't know how any of it compares or relates with the Nero Wolfe stuff. One does get the impression that the author does have a handful of themes he liked to come back to time and again.
“The Rope Dance” involves a guy from Arizona being drugged and robbed in New York City, and then having to find a way to get his money back. That one is maybe a little like “Coogan's Bluff”. The title story involves the French military in WW1 and conflicting loyalties, and it's pretty solid. “Warner & Wife” really should have been better, but I couldn't hang with the old theme of a man getting his confidence back and taking his wife down a peg or two in the process. “An Officer and a Lady” is a funny one involving a burglar's encounter with a little girl.
“Target Practice” is a highly uneven and often disappointing collection (the 2nd half is easily superior to the first), but “Justice Ends at Home” was well worth it. That one has the right sized dose of humor and cuteness, offset by a nice take on the courtroom thriller, murder, conspiracy, and some underdogs beating the odds.
April 23, 2022
If I weren't a Rex Stout fan, I would have given it one star and set this collection aside after the first few stories. I gave it three instead. Viewing Stout flounder with the elements of his genius was fascinating.
His prose is clear, no wordiness, vivid and to the point. There's life in his characters. The stories have some humor, although there are only hints of Archie Goodwin's wit that that zings through the Nero Wolfe stories.
The stories almost all have weak endings that don't meet the expectations built by the preceding action. The set resolution, solving the mystery, to mystery stories is a boon to authors. Stout clearly benefited when he settled down to write mysteries.
The two stories I liked best, "Justice Ends at Home" and "Heels of Fate" both fit in the mystery genre. Both divide labor between Holmes and Watson characters. "Heels" even has a bit of Wolfe in the ratiocinative livery stable owner who devises a Wolfian fate for the villain.
I was disappointed that the publisher did not include the original publication dates in the edition I read. I wanted to place these stories on a timeline that included Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, and a few others to place Stout's efforts in context.
His prose is clear, no wordiness, vivid and to the point. There's life in his characters. The stories have some humor, although there are only hints of Archie Goodwin's wit that that zings through the Nero Wolfe stories.
The stories almost all have weak endings that don't meet the expectations built by the preceding action. The set resolution, solving the mystery, to mystery stories is a boon to authors. Stout clearly benefited when he settled down to write mysteries.
The two stories I liked best, "Justice Ends at Home" and "Heels of Fate" both fit in the mystery genre. Both divide labor between Holmes and Watson characters. "Heels" even has a bit of Wolfe in the ratiocinative livery stable owner who devises a Wolfian fate for the villain.
I was disappointed that the publisher did not include the original publication dates in the edition I read. I wanted to place these stories on a timeline that included Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, and a few others to place Stout's efforts in context.
June 9, 2019
A compilation of Rex Stout's short stories during the early years of his career when he was writing for magazines as well as contributing to pulp fiction. Most of these stories deal with the study of human nature some are very real and very relatable, some will challenge the reader's moral values and other values beside, one or two deal with some aspects of love that may fit some people and may offend others and yet such relationships do exist and do work... whatever these stories are, they will surely make the reader think on the vicissitudes of human nature and get at least a reaction. This will also take the reader to the multi~layers of the author's writing personality in a journey with him as he goes through several phases as a grubbingstake prospector in those lonely Ohio hills with small nuggets or veins of gold as yet to be dug having such a knack knowing where to look... and so was the case with this beloved author until he found his Wolfe and his cub... who later on became ours, too. This book is my introduction to some parts of who Rex Stout was and with heartfelt appreciation and gratefulness... I am truly glad for the moments to be part of his world.
July 27, 2023
As much as I don’t usually like short stories, I couldn’t resist one by my favorite author, Rex Stout. If I died and could come back as anyone I would want to be Archie Goodwin. (Even though I am a woman)
I wondered about the first few stories and then I realized they were written for a magazine. That explains the cadence and possibly the odd writing symmetry.
The stories later in the book are, to me, more his normal writing.
Looove Nero Wolfe books. I have replaced them with hard covers and reread them every few years.
I wondered about the first few stories and then I realized they were written for a magazine. That explains the cadence and possibly the odd writing symmetry.
The stories later in the book are, to me, more his normal writing.
Looove Nero Wolfe books. I have replaced them with hard covers and reread them every few years.
February 3, 2024
I didn’t actually finish this book, because I couldn’t bear reading it anymore. I got it from the library, thinking it was a Nero Wolfe story, which I remember enjoying years ago, but it turned out to be short stories. Not only were they very dated, but they were all very similar - I felt like I was reading the same thing over and over again. And they all had cryptic endings, with an implication that you knew what was going on, or what was going to happen next, except most of the time I didn’t. Very unsatisfying. I gave up half way through.
March 26, 2021
I Book-$1.99.
July 30, 2024
Good short stories, well written. Not Nero Wolfe stories, so something I didn't really expect from Stout.
September 15, 2024
sixty/40
I liked many of the stories, some very enjoyable. But some were really silly…though enjoyable with in that parameter. But others were very dark…not to my liking.
I liked many of the stories, some very enjoyable. But some were really silly…though enjoyable with in that parameter. But others were very dark…not to my liking.
September 1, 2010
It was a fun group of short stories...but I really like Rex Stout!
February 16, 2015
I loved all of these short stories, but my favorite is "An Officer and a Lady" because a nine year old bests a middle-aged man! This story is so fun! I laughed out loud several times.
April 15, 2017
16 short stories to enjoy.. from Great, Good to OK.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews