• In the Best Families

  • By: Rex Stout
  • Narrated by: Michael Prichard
  • Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (551 ratings)

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In the Best Families  By  cover art

In the Best Families

By: Rex Stout
Narrated by: Michael Prichard
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Publisher's summary

The aging millionairess has a problem: where is her young playboy husband getting all his money? To help find the answer, Archie infiltrates a party at her palatial estate. But her late-night murder ruins the festive mood...and a letter bomb from a powerful crime boss makes Nero Wolfe do the unthinkable - run for his life. Suddenly Archie finds himself on his own, trying to find a killer without the help of his old mentor. For to all appearances, Wolfe has vanished. The career of the world’s most famous detective has ended in cowardice and disgrace...or has it?

Introduction by Patricia Sprinkle

“It is always a treat to read a Nero Wolfe mystery. The man has entered our folklore.” (The New York Times Book Review)

A grand master of the form, Rex Stout is one of America’s greatest mystery writers, and his literary creation Nero Wolfe is one of the greatest fictional detectives of all time. Together, Stout and Wolfe have entertained - and puzzled - millions of mystery fans around the world. Now, with his perambulatory man-about-town, Archie Goodwin, the arrogant, gourmandizing, sedentary sleuth is back in the original 73 cases of crime and detection written by the inimitable master himself, Rex Stout.

Stout fellow: listen to all of our Nero Wolfe mysteries, including classic radio programs!
©1950 Rex Stout (P)1995 Books on Tape Inc.

Critic reviews

"It's always a treat to read a Nero Wolfe mystery. The man has entered our folklore." (The New York Times)
"What's not to like about a Nero Wolfe mystery? The mysteries are short, cleverly plotted, well paced, and, if you're an audiobook listener, wonderfully read by Michael Prichard....Prichard has read nearly 20 books in Stout's series and has mastered Wolfe's deep, meditative voice and Archie's spry, chipper voice, as well as those of a host of other characters we recognize from one recording to the next." (AudioFile)

What listeners say about In the Best Families

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

My least favorite Nero Wolfe

This story follows a powerful criminal character introduced in And Be a Villain leading to a somewhat anticlimactic showdown with Nero Wolfe. I really like almost every Nero Wolfe novel, and even the ones I don’t particularly like, I don’t dislike them. This is the one I really did not like. I found the powerful criminal and conflict too derivative of Holmes and Moriarty. I don’t want to spoil any of the surprising bits for anyone, but I did not find them interesting or compelling. This is the only book of the series I actually wish I had not read, as the off characterizations here very subtly degraded my relationships with the series characters. I very highly recommend the series, but I would skip this and even And Be a Villain if I had it to do over again.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    out of 5 stars

Nero Wolfe never fails

Great story. Love the voice work.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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loved it!

favorite nero wolfe (so far). many unusual and unexpected events. the twists in the story kept me engaged until the very end.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Among My Favorites SPOILER ALERT

In The Best Families

SPOILER ALERT

I own every Prichard narrated Nero Wolfe mystery available at Amazon

This is among my favorites

Wolfe’s most persistent nemesis and dastardly foe forces Nero to abandon all his normal rules

Forsaking and emptying The Brownstone and offering it for sale, abandoning all of his crew and team, performing incredible austerity in order to transform his visage, necking with Archie’s Girl...

‘Nuff said

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent nail biter

I was really worried about my heroes but as usual, good triumphed over evil. This might be one of Reed's best woven plots!

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Another one of the best.

I notice that there are many “one of the best”s and I agree. Each novel is a cut above, and so far - as I work thru the collection on audible - the competition for the best is very stiff. I listened to this out of sequence but doubt if it lessened the pleasure significantly. On to the next one!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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I love Nero Wolf Mysteries.

Although this book is years after most of the series, both in publish date and period written about, it was still wonderful. The who-done-it of the murder was too easily solved, but the book still had fresh suspense! I learn about HOW to write more and more, the more I read Rex Stout. I truly wish there were more.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Always great-- where are the rest?

This lived up to every expectation of Michael Pritchard reading Nero Wolfe. Only wish Audible would acquire the rest of the collection.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Love all Nero wolfe Stories!

There are so many stories about Archie and Nero. I wonder why Audible doesn't get them?
Please try.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Satisfactory

Michael Pritchard is Wolfe and Archie as no one else will EVER be. So enjoyable. The final Zeck story it lives up to every expectation. I’ve read this before but I’m always surprised by something that I missed in previous readings. A must read for all NW fans!!!

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