Archie Meets Nero Wolfe: A Prequel To Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe Mysteries (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
In the Super Clever Detectives genre, Sherlock Holmes stands out as the man who can observe the scene and pick up all kinds of information that no one else has seen. But we also have Nero Wolfe, who is a recluse, staying home and sending out a team of detectives to pick up bits and pieces of the facts. Nero analyzes all the info others have collected, then, at the appropriate time, he gathers the interested parties, including police, suspects and detectives, and resolves the mystery.Another similarity these outstanding sleuths share is such popularity with fans that the books keep coming even after the deaths of authors, Arthur Conan Doyle and Rex Stout, respectively.And that brings us to this delightful escapade penned by Robert Goldsborough. He is thoroughly familiar with Rex Stout's style and the recurring characters in the Nero Wolfe series, so he has written a prequel in which we learn how Archie Meets Nero Wolfe.Archie Goodwin is the narrator of all the stories and serves as Wolfe's personal secretary in addition to doing detective work on Wolfe's cases. But in this book he is a nineteen year old young man who has come from Ohio to New York City to earn a living and experience the adventure that might elude a young man in Ohio. The only job he can find is night security at the docks.He proves to be an efficient guard by spotting two thugs who are intent on theft. When challenged, they pull guns, but they are not as true a shot as Archie, who kills them both. He has eliminated two well known thugs and saved the property that would have been stolen, but his reward is getting fired and saddled with a reputation of being trigger-happy at the same time!So he winds up going to work, more or less, for a seasoned detective, Del Bascomb, who is a little down on his luck himself. He takes Archie on, on contingency, that is, until his detective work results in a pay off from a satisfied client. As it happens, Del is one of the detectives that Nero Wolfe calls in from time to time, and this time there is a role for Archie to play. Archie's wise-cracking ways are already well honed, but he must prove himself among these more seasoned men. His ingenuity, not to mention his skill at remembering conversations verbatim, proves a valuable asset, and it is not long before Nero Wolfe has even more for him to do.Goldsborough has acquitted himself admirably in recreating these much loved players in the ongoing saga that is the collection of Rex Stout's inimitable Nero Wolfe mystery series. I enjoyed it and will be on the lookout for more from Mysterious Press. This is a nicely done prequel to the Nero Wolfe mysteries. Rex Stout originally never wrote a start point for the series, and, when Robert Goldsborough took over, he followed the same pattern. The series is, by and large, episodic, and one of the few that can largely be read as you find them. Order isn't hugely important. There are a few minor exceptions, but overall the series isn't as sequential as, say, JD Robb's In Death or Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files.That said, this is a very enjoyable account of Archie Goodwin's first meeting with Nero Wolfe and many other supporting characters that appear throughout the series. If you're a fan of the series, I strongly recommend this book. If you're not, but enjoy mysteries, this really isn't at all a bad place to start a new series that's very entertaining. There are no spoilers for the later books in this, and strictly speaking you don't have to read this to enjoy the series, but it's very nicely done.Mr. Goldsborough captures Rex Stout's voice perfectly, and I really liked both authors' books in the series.
What do You think about Archie Meets Nero Wolfe: A Prequel To Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe Mysteries (2012)?
Wonderfully faithful. I didn't think it could be done. A perfect introduction to Wolfe.
—wasabcm23
Was quite believable as a Nero Wolfe story, quite enjoyed it.
—AshWal616
Very nice. A good addition to the Nero Wolfe series.
—mp75158
