What do You think about Curtains For Three (1995)?
Another enjoyable entry in the Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin legacy (it will be difficult to find one we don't like, I'm sure). The three short adventures for me got successively less enjoyable, but that doesn't mean they weren't good. The first story, "The Gun with Wings," was very enjoyable and one of the more detective-engaging stories. By this I mean sometimes as the reader we aren't all that interested in the resolution to the mystery or murder or whatever the issue is - our main interest is time with Wolfe and Archie and seeing how they wrap it up, regardless of how it wraps up. This story, though, with the murder weapon's ability to change places multiple times, is so refreshingly different as a problem that Wolfe needs to be solved and we really want to know the answer - especially when we think we get the answer but, like Archie in the book, become incredulous when Wolfe says we are only halfway to the solution! It was a very good story."Bullet for One" was less enjoyable, but perhaps that's only because of how engaging the first story was, not because it is a dud itself. It has its irritating moments, especially when some nobody cop takes umbrage with Archie: even with their "hijinks," you'd think the police force would appreciate Archie and Wolfe by now - it's almost as irritating as Gotham policeman never trusting Batman (or Hogwarts kids not believing Harry from like the third book on), but it doesn't drag out at least. It was a decent story, I suppose."Disguise for Murder" has always perplexed me, and finally reading it hasn't alleviated any of that perplexion. The main twist, which I shan't mention here, never seems all that believable to me, which hinders my enjoyment of this story. The resolution scene, likewise seems rather bizarre and far-fetched and ... bizarre. Here's a dangerous murderer, who has killed two people, almost kills a third, comes close to killing Archie, but with a snap of the fingers the murderer is stopped and overcome and ba-ba-boo it's all over. Shrug. The Hutton/Chaykin version of this is somewhat different, connecting as it does to another story in the series, but some of those differences are improvements, especially the "For the police there will be no sandwiches!" line, one of my favorites, which is not in the book version. Still, it's a Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin story. It's worth it.
—Christopher Rush
My enjoyment of these wonderful old mysteries continue. This one has three tales. The first is "The Gun With Wings". A young couple deeply in love comes to seek Nero Wolfe's help because the young woman's husband has died. She believes he was murdered but because of her affair is afraid to go to the police. The mystery clue seems to concern the movement of the murder weapon. It takes much persuasion by Wolfe to get the young man to admit that he moved the gun, placing it next to the body. Both he and she were afraid that that the other had committed the crime. Would Wolfe help them uncover the truth? He consents and begins to interview all who may have a motive to kill the husband, a famous singer. The second story, "Bullet for One", finds the daughter of a murdered man in Nero Wolfe's office requesting help because she believes that several of her father's acquaintances intend to frame her for her father's death. As Wolfe investigates the death he finds that each individual has a motive that could result in murder. His task is to determine which individual committed the deed. "Disguise for Murder" finds Nero Wolfe having a gardening group and their guests visiting his orchid collection. During the event, a young woman confides in Archie that she has recognized one of the guests as having killed a good friend whose murder has gone unsolved. She gives him no more details and Archie is called to assist with the guests. While he is gone someone murders the young woman. Wolfe has little to go on to discover who murdered the young woman. His only clue is that it had to have been a guest and he believes that the murderer did not leave the scene of the crime.
—Rusty
I'm a sucker for Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin. This one has three stories: the first is about a dead guy whose death is ruled a suicide because the gun was right there next to him and he was shot the way a suicide would do it. But the widow and her boyfriend tell Wolfe that when they found the body, the gun wasn't there. Who moved the gun and who killed him? Who cares> It's the reading that's fun.The second story is about a mean rich guy who gets killed while riding his horse through central park. The people in his life have decided who did it, but Wolf and Archie decide otherwise.The third story is about Wolfe's orchid party, in which he invites 200 people from some flower club to come and look at his orchids. During the viewing, a woman sees the person who murdered her friend a few months before, but before she can tell Wolfe whodunit, she's murdered in Wolfe's office while everybody is upstairs.
—Barbara
