Three Doors to Death: Man Alive; Omit Flowers; Door to Death - Nero Wolfe

Nero Wolfe #16

by Rex Stout

New Bantam mass market ed., 6th printing, Sept., 1980. Big man Nero Wolfe teams with Archie Goodwin to solve 3 mysteries concerning food, flowers and a puzzling suicide-or was it?

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Detective, Short Stories, Ebooks, Mystery Thriller

182 pages, Paperback

First published April 21, 1950

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]

An entertaining collection of three Nero Wolfe novellas: "Man Alive," a high fashion murder case, involving the appearance of a "suicide" in disguise; "Omit Flowers," a restaurant-chain millionaire family murder case Wolfe tackles as a favor to his old friend Marko; and "Door to Death," a greenhouse murder with Wolfe--looking for a temporary replacement for gardener Theodore--present at the scene of the crime.

All in all, a consistent, absorbing trio of entertainments.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three novellas published in 1950.

Man Alive:
A woman wants to hire Wolfe to find her Uncle. Not normally the kind of case Wolfe will take. What makes this case unique is that she believes she saw him at a fashion show where she was a model. The problem? He supposedly committed suicide by jumping into a hot spring at Yellowstone. Her Uncle was a co-owner in the fashion designer business. Shortly after her Uncle's suicide the other co-owner drowned. Wolfe sends Archies to the next fashion show to see if the Uncle shows up. He doesn't but he is found dead later in the fashion designer offices after business hours. The niece just happened be in the office too. There is no ID on the victim and Inspector Cramer wants to know what Wolfe knows when the police follow the niece to his brownstone. The only suspect is Wolfe's client.

Omit Flowers:
Wolfe's friend and restaurateur, Marko Vukcic, asks for Wolfe's help in clearing a former great chef of a murder charge. The chef is now working for the family who own a chain of restaurants. The wife was with the chef. The siblings and spouses were together and alibi each other. The murder weapon was a knife that was one of a set that the chef had brought to the house to show the victim. Then there is an attack on the wife. It couldn't have been the chef because he is in jail.

Door to Death,:

Readers of the series know that Theodore Horstmann is a member of Wolfe's household and takes care of the orchids. In this story Theodore is called away for an indefinite time to take care of his ailing mother. This leaves Wolfe without an orchid nurse. This is so unthinkable that he gets in a car and has Archie drive him to Westchester County where he plans to hire Andy Krasicki. Unfortunately while talking with Andy he finds the body of his fiancée in the greenshouse. Naturally the police suspect Andy and take him to jail. The result is that Wolfe still doesn't have an orchid nurse and he is in Westchester County where he can't eat meals prepared by his chef, Fritz Brenner. If the murderer isn't Andy it must be one of the other members of the family for whom Andy worked. He knows that if he returns home he will never leave. Besides one of the family members had the impertinence to call him Nero.

In additon to the dialogue between Wolfe and Archie there is the nostalgia of Rex Stout's stories. The Nero Wolfe books were published between 1934 and 1975 (there was a posthumous book published in 1985). The golden era was during the 30's, 40's, and 50's. There are payphones, hotels with elevator operators, drug stores with lunch counters. Times were different and when you read one of these stories you get to revisit.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great. Orchids, haute cuisine, NYC pavements and landmarks from the 1940s, excellent characters.

[Gilbert Stack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here are three more novellas by Rex Stout featuring everyone’s favorite detective pair, Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin. Novellas are a good medium for these mysteries because you can read them in a single sitting, maximizing the experience.

In Man Alive, Wolfe is hired to find a man who was supposed to have committed suicide. It looks like a fairly straightforward job until he’s actually found dead and the client is accused of murdering him.

In Omit Flowers, Wolfe is coerced into working for free when pressure is brought to bear by one of his very few genuine friends. I particularly like this one because I figured out who the killer was and even why she had done it—even if I didn’t catch the clue that led to Wolfe solving the case.

Finally, in Door to Death, Wolfe is motivated to protect an orchid grower from a charge of murder. This one has a classic Wolfe trap in it that I found incredibly believable.

All in all, there are three nice mysteries in this collection.

If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.

[♪ Kim N · Rating 3 out of 5]

Man Alive
A young woman hires Wolfe to find her uncle, who she believes is still alive though he was reported to have committed suicide. This is the type of investigation that relies on Wolfe closely questioning the suspects until he finds that small detail that leads him to the truth. The basic plot is similar to When a Man Murders, except there are two men that return from the dead.

Omit Flowers
The owner of a chain of successful restaurants is murdered and his head chef is arrested. A reluctant Wolfe agrees to take the case as a personal favor to his old friend, Marko Vukcic, who is convinced the man is innocent. This time it's Archie who follows his intuition and gets hold of the vital information Wolfe needs to trap the murderer.

Door to Death
When Theodore Horstmann is called away unexpectedly, Wolfe desperately needs a replacement gardener to look after his orchids. Since only the best will do, he decides to steal Andy Krasicki from his current employer and has Archie drive him out to Westchester so they can talk directly. Shortly after arriving, however, the body of a young woman is discovered in the greenhouse and Andy is arrested for the murder. Wolfe would like nothing better than to return to the comfort of his home, but he knows that the only way to secure Andy's services is to go to work at once and solve the case.

[Eric_W · Rating 4 out of 5]

I suppose I could spend some time detailing the plots of these three novellas, but when it comes right down to it they are formulaic, but my, what a formula. I love Rex Stout, although the early novels are probably better than those toward the end of his life. Nevertheless, if you have never read any Nero Wolfe stories, you must. The characters are classic and the word interplay between them is wonderful.

My favorite is the third. Wolfe is desperate as Theodore has left for an extended period of time to care for his sick mother so Wolfe has no one to do the dirty work with the orchids. He thinks he’s found a replacement and has actually left the brownstone to beseech Andy to come work for him. Unfortunately, Andy’s fiance has just been killed and he’s the prime suspect so if Wolfe wants to get his orchids cared for he has to solve the crime quickly. Wolfe actually has to sneak through the woods in the middle of the snow, falling down a couple of times. Now that must have been a sight.

Just go read all those you can get your hands on.

[Stacie Haden · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was three novellas. Rex Stout really knew how to write a short story. I still prefer the full length novels, but I don't mind these a bit.

[Adam Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

It begins with a classic introduction from Archie Goodwin as he wants to avoid any confusion by strangers to the Wolfe genre who might think because Wolfe didn’t get paid in two of the cases that Wolfe makes a practice of solving murder cases pro bono. He also explains the symmetry of the stories. It does a great job setting the tone for what follows:

"Man Alive"

A fashion designer hires Wolfe because she believes she’s seen her Uncle at a fashion show. The problem? Her uncle committed suicide in spectacular fashion jumping into Old Faithful at Yellowstone National Park a few months before his partner does himself in. It turns out she was right about him being alive but not for long. Her uncle is murdered in her office and she becomes a suspect even though the police have no idea who the victim is. Wolfe has to find out who did it. This one is solved with a clever deduction based on the behavior of one of the heirs.

Rating: Very Satisfactory

"Omit Flowers"

As a personal favor to Marko Vukcic, Wolfe undertakes to clear a former great chef of the murder of the boss' husband and his heir apparent as head of a large chain of restaurants. Wolfe has no lead, but Archie makes a lucky guess that leads to startling information that the widow has been stabbed but she won't reveal the identity of the perpetrator.

This is a very well-balanced story that shows Archie's intuitive reasoning in action. That allows him to uncover information another detective would have missed and that Wolfe absolutely needed. The mystery is engaging and the identity of the actual perpetrator provided a solid surprise ending.

Rating: Very Satisfactory

"Door to Death"

Door to Death may be the crown jewel of this collection. When Theodore has to take care of his ailing mother and take an indefinite leave as orchid nurse for Wolfe, Wolfe is left with the full time job taking care of them. This because so intolerable that Wolfe not only leaves the brownstone, but gets in a car and travels to hire away Andy, the gardener of a wealthy family to tend the orchids. However, before Wolfe can get away with the replacement orchid tender, a dead body is discovered and Andy is the prime suspect.

Wolfe’s determination to find an acceptable replacement for Andy was enough to interest him in solving the case. However, when a young woman has the impertinence to call him Nero, Wolfe becomes determined to solve the case even as he’s being ordered out by the local police. Wolfe goes to extreme measures to get back into the house and obtain an opportunity to investigate it.

This was a very satisfying story that showed both Wolfe’s genius and self-awareness as Wolfe insists on staying away from home knowing that if he goes home, he’ll be impossible to get back out. And this is a case Wolfe wants to solve.

Rating: Very Satisfactory

You really can't go wrong with any of the stories. The whole collection is Rex Stout at his best and the best novella collection I've read so far.

Overall Rating: very satisfactory

[Bryan Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK, if you ever want to introduce someone to Nero Wolfe recommend this book. I know, I know. I said that about Trouble in Triplicate (#14) but I repent of that. Use this one instead.

Not only are the characters much more vibrant and interesting in this book, the mysteries are better developed and more intricate. The three stories are grouped together with an "introduction" by Archie Goodwin himself indicating how he picked each story for inclusion in the book. Wolfe is particularly interesting in this book because he is operating out of his normal environment, outside of the brownstone on 35th. Or even worse, he is not getting paid. Or even tragically, he is hungry and missing meals.

An excellent collection, and I highly recommend it.

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

The mysteries in this volume were a little middling but reading about Wolfe losing his temper is always a huge plus and here we get it three times.

[Torteleni · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Their alibi is mutual, but also marital, and therefore worthless."

Three novellas involving Nero Wolfe in unusual circumstances, including one in which he gets dirty out on the job. Super fun.

"If he went to a nudist camp and they lined up men on one side and women on the other, he wouldn't know which was which. With clothes on I suppose he can tell."

[Pamela Shropshire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three Doors to Death

A murder mystery typical of Wolfe and Nero, with helpings of Inspector Cramer and Sergeant Stebbins on the side. A young female clothes designer asks Wolfe to find her uncle who was supposed to have committed suicide a year ago, but turns up dead the next evening. 3.5 stars.

Omit Flowers

As Archie says in the opening paragraph, “In my opinion it was one of Nero Wolfe’s neatest jobs, and he never got a nickel for it.” His oldest friend, Marko Vukcic, restaurateur, asked him to help a former cook, a “sauce man” who has been arrested for murder. 4 stars.

Door to Death

Theodore, the orchid nurse, is called home to Illinois because his mother is ill, so Wolfe has to find a substitute. He finds just the right one, but when he arrives to pick him up, Andy Krasicki finds the body of his fiancée. Since the jurisdiction is Westchester County, Wolfe goes up against Lt. Noonan, Det. Ben Dykes, and DA Cleveland Archer to keep from having to care for 10,000 orchids by himself. 4 stars.

[Robin Banks · Rating 5 out of 5]

My First Nero Wolf mystery; it was wonderful. I picked this up yesterday, and read it in a day. I've been reading a book each in several other classic mysteries, and this is the best so far. The book holds three solid, mysteries, with clues, a detective who uses a different approach, more social psychological than Holmes, but still solid. As for the Watson character, Archie Goodwin, the story teller, Wolf's assistant. He's wonderful too. I might like him better than Watson. First rate.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

While my interest in mystery novels has blossomed in recent years, throughout that time I avoided mystery short stories. Admittedly this was a bias based in part on ignorance, but it also reflected my sense of what I enjoyed the most about them. For me a core appeal of mysteries is the sense of atmosphere they create through the world that they build around the characters. While an excellent mystery can certainly be contained and solved within the confines of such a story, that element which is so appealing to me is harder to find.

Rex Stout is starting to disabuse me of my bias. It helps that the three stories in this collection are all set in the world he has built over the course of a dozen-plus novels, which makes it easier to envision many of the characters and settings he imports into them. The linking motif of doors is a little strained, but that does not detract one bit from the stories themselves, which are varied in their settings. In the first, Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin are called upon to locate someone who supposedly committed suicide over a year ago, while the second is an effort to clear the name of a friend’s mentor accused of murder. The third I found the most interesting of the three, as it’s another example of Wolfe being forced to solve a mystery while outside of his comfort zone. Being on an estate in upstate New York – and facing both hostile law enforcement and a family united against his efforts to acquit their gardener of the murder of which he was charged – forces him to adopt some unusual expedients on short notice. All three are up to Stout’s usual high standards, and have me reconsidering whether I might find similar riches in the short stories of other mystery authors I enjoy.

[Sean O · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two good mysteries. One just ok. I don’t like it when Wolfe leaves the brownstone and neither does he.

I’m starting to see repeating motifs: like the discovered letter that fingers the murderer which elicits a confession, but Wolfe wrote the letter.

Fun fact, Theodore Horstmann never actually speaks dialogue.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrific collection of Nero Wolfe novellas. All three of these are pretty wild and wonderful, but my favorite is “Omit Flowers,” which has the best (wildest? weirdest? worthiest?) plot. A great place to start to see if you like Wolfe.

[Megan]

This collection of murder mysteries was more interesting than I expected. The fact that they were published in 1950 does show through—in the character descriptions, comments on appearances, the "hysterical women," the terms and vocabulary used—but I'll admit they had me chuckling a few times and I was never able to guess the murderers. My dad has passed along a whole collection of Rex Stout/Nero Wolf books and while I'm not sure I'll be jumping at the chance to read them, I'd definitely consider giving one of the longer ones a go.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

three short cases of Nero and Archie/

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of three Nero Wolfe stories, only the last is a good example of Rex Stout at his best.

[Erin L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent group of short stories about Nero Wolfe and his fantastic band of misfits (well, not so much misfits).

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rex Stout's Three Doors to Death is a Nero Wolfe threesome--a collection of three short stories/novellas featuring that armchair detective genius Wolfe and his confidential assistant, secretary, and general Man Friday Archie Goodwin. Regular characters such as Fritz Brenner, Saul Panzer, Inspector Cramer, and Purley Stebbins also make their appearances and the stories run fairly true to the Stout formula. But it is such a successful formula--time after time, Wolfe has Archie gather the suspects for interrogation and comes through at the end with the culprit. These are so well-written that it works every time.

In "Man Alive" Paul Daumery was a successful designer preparing for the Fall fashion shows until the family received word that he had committed suicide. His niece Cynthia doesn't believe it--and Archie is prepared to talk his boss into taking on another case where they have to prove murder when suicide has been accepted. Except that isn't what Cynthia means. She doesn't believe it because she's certain she saw her uncle at last week's show. In disguise--but she's sure it was him and she wants Wolfe to find him. Paul Damery will be found all right. But he won't be alive. And it really is murder. Now Wolfe has to prove to Cramer that his client didn't do it.

"Omit Flowers" is almost more Archie's story than Wolfe's. When Wolfe's friend Marko Vukcic asks him to prove that another chef (Marko's mentor) is innocent of murder, Archie must use his brains and observational skills to find a wedge that will open up the Whitten/Landry clan for investigation. If Virgil Pompa didn't murder Floyd Whitten, then one of that clan did. With the wedge Archie provides, Wolfe is able to bring the crime home to the appropriate villain.

"Door to Death" sees Nero Wolfe making one of his rare excursions away from the brownstone. This time he is in search of a substitute for his absent gardener Theodore. Theodore has been called away to his sick mother and the poor orchids are in need of expert care. Archie and his boss make for the wilds of north Westchester to steal Andy Krasicki from Joseph Pitcairn's greenhouse. But before they can make their get-away, a dead woman is found among the plants and Andy is the prime suspect. Wolfe shows just what he's willing to give up in order to prove Andy innocent and have someone competent caring for his plants. He misses both lunch and dinner at home, treks cross-country, not once, but twice, and falls down repeatedly in the snow and mud. Oh...and he traps a killer as well.

An excellent collection of short stories.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is better than finding an unread title of a Nero Wolfe volume by Rex Stout? It's finding three, all consolidated into one volume entitled Three Doors To Death. The three novellas were published in magazines in the late '40's, but Stout's writing ability and clever plotting is as fresh as ever.

Archie Goodwin remains Nero Wolfe's stenographer, gofer, assistant detective and Man on the Spot for the brilliant detective who hates to leave his home as much as he hates to miss a meal. In his witty style, Archie, the narrator of the Nero Wolfe books, writes a Foreword that pulls the three novellas together, pointing out the details the stories have in common as well as the exceptions to Nero's mystery-solving methods represented in each.

In Omit Flowers, for instance, Wolfe does leave his home to take a meal in the restaurant of a close friend, and then proceeds to take on a case involving a friend of the restauranteur, and winds up solving the case as a favor to his friend(i.e., NOT for money!)...both rare exceptions to Wolfe's usual style. In Door to Death, Wolfe once again leaves his lair to resolve a murder in upstate New York. He makes the exception because he is set on hiring away the gardener of the estate. He may be the only gardener capable of taking care of Wolfe's orchid collection while his own Theodore Horstmann is on emergency family leave, and thus unable to render the tender loving care to Wolfe's orchids that their survival requires. Once at the estate, Wolfe has to stay to absolve the gardener, who discovers the body of his own fiancee' in his greenhouse, and is then unjustly accused of killing her.

In Man Alive, the detectives are hired to find the uncle of the young lady who hires them. He is presumed to have committed suicide, but his niece is sure she has recently seen him. But before they can locate him, he is found dead at the family business. Once again, there is a murder to solve.

Rex Stout is a witty man, incredibly non-"politically correct," and in the process, hilarious, not to mention a gifted creator of mysteries and resolutions to the mysteries that are just as creative.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a collection of three shorter Nero Wolfe stories - Man Alive, Omit Flowers, and Door to Death.

In Man Alive, a young woman who was told her uncle had committed suicide believes that she has seen him a year after he vanished. Before Wolfe and Archie are able to track him down a body is found in a locked building to which only 5 keys are thought to exist, and their client is the one who stumbles across the body. Inspector Cramer, who clearly should know better, interrupts Wolfe's lunch, and nothing could have more effectively spurred Wolfe on to find the killer before the police.

In Omit Flowers it is Nero Wolfe's closest friend, Marko, who calls upon Wolfe to free a former chef who has been arrested for murder. The police seem to have an iron clad case as the wife and step-children of the murdered man close ranks to alibi one another. Everyone refuses to assist Wolfe with inquiries until he uncovers that a second murder attempt has been made.

Door to Death, finds Nero Wolfe in dire need of an orchid assistant since Theodore has had to leave for an unknown period of time. He sets out to steal a gardener from a family in upstate New York. Unfortunately upon arriving to plead with the gifted horticulturalist, a body is found in the greenhouse where he works, and the man is promptly arrested. Wolfe is both desperate to hire the man and convinced of his innocence so he goes to unexpected extremes to find the real killer.

These mysteries were rather tricky with two of them involving seemingly unbreakable alibis, and the other where it seemed unlikely Wolfe would ever get to question the suspects. In two of them Wolfe accepted no payment and one involved a fabulous hike through the forest in the dark in the snow, and it's always fun to see Wolfe behaving out of character. Stout did shorter stories extremely well; the unlikable characters are just as unlikable as in his full-length books.

[Alison C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three Doors to Death, by Rex Stout, is another compilation of three Nero Wolfe novellas, including "Man Alive" (1947), "Omit Flowers" (1948) and "Door to Death" (1949). The first concerns a young fashion designer whose uncle apparently kills himself but then turns up in disguise, only to be murdered; the second is a classic locked-room type mystery centering on a family whose patriarch has been stabbed to death in a house containing only family members and a former serious chef whom, of course, is blamed and who Nero Wolfe is certain did not do it; and the final story has Wolfe out of his comfort zone, having traveled to Westchester County in order to poach a good orchid man from a wealthy businessman - when death intervenes, it is in his own interests to clear the man of the crime. All three are tightly written and to the point; the last one was familiar to me from the "Nero Wolfe" television series, which is fresh enough in my memory that I could compare the filmed version to the original (there was very little variation, which speaks well for the television people). Again, not essential Nero Wolfe, but if you like the detective and/or his sidekick Archie Goodwin, these are good way to while away an afternoon - recommended!

[Tom Donaghey · Rating 5 out of 5]

THREE DOORS TO DEATH (Nero Wolfe #16) by Rex Stout is three short stories written in the late 1940s that are still fun to read today. Archie Goodwin talks us through three tales of murder and Nero Wolfe talks us through the solutions.
We open with MAN ALIVE, set in the New York world of high fashion. A dead man appears to come back to life, only to be murdered.
OMIT FLOWERS takes on the restaurant business. After her husband dies, the new owner and head of a highly successful chain of fine dining establishments decides to marry a slightly shady character and install him as president of the company. Her children, not to mention her head chef, have other ideas.
Finally DOOR TO DEATH presents a clear cut case of murder that could only have be perpetrated by one man. Wolfe has allowed Archie to drive him to the wilds of Westchester in search of a new horticulturist to temporarily replace Wolfe's usual man. That Wolfe has left his home shows how important the new man is to him, so Wolfe knows there is no possible way the fellow could be guilty.
Each is a puzzler and it is nice to sit and actually read a good mystery in the company of old friends. This is yet another winner from the pen of the late Mr. Stout.

[Marlowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nero Wolfe solves three separate mysteries with the help of his assistant, Archie Goodwin. In the first, Man Alive, a fashion designer who supposedly committed suicide has returned only to be murdered. There are only five people alive who could have murdered him and it’s Wolfe’s job to find out which one did it

In the second story, Omit Flowers, a chef is accused of murdering his boss’s husband. Wolfe, suspecting the widow and her “flock” of children, must prove the chef’s innocence by catching the real killer.

In the third story, Door to Death, Wolfe finds the body of a murdered girl while trying to hire a gardener to replace Theodore while the latter is away for a family emergency. The gardener is suspected and Wolfe must prove his innocence if he wants someone to care properly for his orchids!

Of the three Nero Wolfe novels I have read this summer, this has been my favorite. Each story begins with a set up, every detail that is needed to solve the mystery is presented. From there, Wolfe merely needs to piece the puzzle together and solve the mystery. With the exception of Omit Flowers, little new information is added during the course of the stories.

[Marybeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second set of Nero Wolfe short stories I've read, and I have to admit that sometimes short is better. As much as I enjoy the full-length novels, these shorter bites are just as tasty. Stout really knew how to boil down details and condense the action without leaving the reader wanting. In this collection, Door to Death was my favorite because it had Wolfe completely out of his comfort zone and totally determined to solve the case for purely selfish reasons. This is Wolfe at his best, with his back up against the wall. I was hooked from the second paragraph where, after watching Wolfe clumsily stagger around and still remain upright, Archie remarks, "Just like Ray Bolger." If I wasn't already in love with Archie I would have fallen at that very moment. And since this was one of the stories included in the A&E TV series with Timothy Hutton as Archie, I could even follow along with mental images from the show. If you've seen the series, you should read the story. If you've read the story, you should definitely get the series and watch it. I highly recommend both.

[Cheryl Brandt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a past fan of Nero Wolfe books. I have read a number of them in past years and when I ran across this one on sale for $0.99, needless to say, I grabbed it.

As always, Archie's voice tells the tale. As Nero's General factotum and dogsbody, Archie is privilege to most of the action, sometimes instigates, and in general translates Nero to the reader.

As you may have guessed, Archie is one of my favorite characters and it was like welcoming a friend after a long absence.

There are three cases here, engrossing in different ways. The first a missing person cum murder set in the world of high fashion, the second a murder in a restaurant almost-dynasty, and the third a case that actually has Nero trekking up hill and down dale; in nature, even.

The mysteries are well-crafted, the dialog, both internal and external, wonderful to read both for the voices of the characters, but for the irony and humor.

I highly recommend any Nero Wolfe, and this is no exception.

[astaliegurec · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Three Doors to Death" is the 16th book in Rex Stout's "Nero Wolfe" series. Note that it's not a novel. It's three short stories ("Man Alive," "Omit Flowers," and "Door to Death") of about 70 pages each. The book, itself, was first published in 1950, while the short stories were first published in 1947, 1948, and 1949, respectively. Since this is the 16th book in the series, I'll assume you know the drill: the writing is good old Stout/Wolfe writing. No real surprises here. There are a couple of weak points though. In "Omit Flowers," for some reason, it seems as if the police never even bothered to talk to the victim's ex. That doesn't seem likely. And, in "Door to Death," the police arrest, handcuff, and cart away their choice of evil-doer. Yet, they can't even show a likely motive. Again, that seems a bit odd. Anyway, those are fairly minor points and I'm still rating the book at a Very Good 4 stars out of 5.