Please Pass the Guilt

By: Rex Stout

Narrated by: Michael Prichard

Length: 5 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

A brilliant Rex Stout murder mystery featuring Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin

A bomb explodes in the desk drawer of a top TV executive. Was it intended for him or the man who opened the drawer? They each had enemies enough to die a dozen times over. Was it the jealous wife or the ambitious partner? The secretary who got passed around like an inter-office memo? Or the man who couldn’t wash the blood off his hands?

Nero Wolfe didn’t want any part of it - but he was up to his neck in the toughest case of his career!

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

Stout fellow: listen to all of our Nero Wolfe mysteries, including classic radio programs!

©1973 Rex Stout (P)1999 Books on Tape Inc.

Critic reviews

"Rex Stout and Nero Wolfe make a combination that is hard to beat." (The New York Times)

Light mystery with substance

An enjoyable listen to a masters craft as Rex Stout weaves enjoyable characters, dialouge & plot.

Decent Nero

Well done Nero. This is for fans of Nero Wolf who like variations on a theme, a very good theme. Listeners like us. We would read (listen to) all of them if we could find them on Audible. This one has an exceptionally satisfying ending

More complex than average

This took a second listening. It is a complicated tale but it is a pleasure to hear Michael Prichard bring the characters to life!

Love

love how M.P. narrates! Great story as they usually are, just wish the ending went further! It's always hard to end a good book, but the ending was more blunt than I'm used to.

Keeps you guessing

A solid Wolfe story. Lots of suspense packed in a short time. I've listened to all his stories and I would highly recommend this one.

great dialogue!

loved it. at times I laughed and other times I rewound it so I could hear again because the plot was so intricate. a real page-turner inaudible parlance

One of a really enjoyable Nero stories.

The ability to turn pages quickly or be able to take time to listen to an intriguing reader is what you experience with this story. Drawn in by a " New field of Psychiatric Care and Consideration" Wolfe agrees to speak to a man who has " blood on his hands". At a request of a friend he acquiescence to listen for insanity or is it a ruse to cover up murder?. Then the bomb explodes!

Classic Nero Wolfe

Would you consider the audio edition of Please Pass the Guilt to be better than the print version?

I always listen to Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe novels instead of reading them with my eyes. I just enjoy the experience of listening and Michael Prichard does all the voices perfectly. I can see each character clearly in my mind. My plan is to eventually listen to the whole series.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I adore Archie. He's smart and handsome and is perfect for keeping neurotic Nero Wolfe honest.

Which scene was your favorite?

There's a great scene where Archie is interviewing the victim's wife but she's engrossed in the middle of a baseball game on tv. The questions and answers come in between plays and you feel like you are sitting there watching the game with them.

Love Rex Stout

No matter how long Rex Stout has been gone, his stories from the perspective of Archie Goodwin live on. No matter if it’s a book written in the 1930s, during WWII in the late 1940s or late 1960s, you can follow the stories and advance,ents in time from telephone tech to the various cars in Nero Wolff’s garage.

This story is a classic, and fun because Nero Wolff pulls no punches and is quite abrupt. “Shut up!” One of his classic bellows halts a blowhard mid-sentence every time! This is one of the few books that ends abruptly, too. “Archie, get him.” Still leaves me chuckling even though I’ve read the book more than once.

Rex Stout’s Nero Wolff novels are highly recommended. Allow yourself to experience some great history written in the times by a fine author. I know we won’t receive more audible versions of Rex Stout’s books because he died in the 1970s. Enjoy the authors of yester-year for as long as possible.

All the elements of a compelling Wolfe mystery

Though the ending was a bit abrupt and could have had a bit more time spent on the wrap up, this installment has all the hallmarks of an intriguing Wolfe read and fits the canon well, including a few unexpected twists and turns.