Plot It Yourself

Readers familiar with Rex Stout's tales of Nero Wolfe and his Associate Archie Goodwin will be gratified to see that the Old Master retained his mastery of the detective story form to the end of his long writing career.
Civilized, articulate, short on explicit violence and long on solid craftsmanship, this late book in the series will give pleasure to long-time readers.
For those, perhaps attracted by the excellent TV series of some years back, this offering should be no disappointment. The narrator, I imagine, has had a longer engagement with these characters than anyone but the late author. His reading reinforces the different characteristics of the two leading characters and offers none of the failed efforts of some to reproduce male and female voices with verisimilitude. He allows the text and subtle variations in intonation to work their magic in the listeners mind.
The plot retains its interest throughout the book without resorting to the complex variations,misplaced psychologizing and ready sex play which bog down the straight ahead story line preferred by the "classic" detective story writers of his era.

I love Michael Pritchard as the narrator of the Nero Wolfe books. This is a good story with interesting characters well drawn and I think Rex Stout got in a few digs about the publishing industry of his time. Well done.

I love the way Stout manages to trick me every time with his false and real clues. Very Satisfactory

The dead body with the kitchen knife in the stomach on the sofa

Usual high standard maintained

The ending

Wish Rex Stout were immortal that way there would always be a new Nero Wolfe novel.

All Nero Wolfe books are great and this is no exception. Rex Stout allows Archie to be a superb teller of the tales.

Nero Wolfe is one step behind a murderer and it challenges his pride so severely that he vows to quit his detective business entirely if he fails to catch the villian. The ending is inspired!

Pretty high in mysteries

Always Archie. He has several facets to him.

The ones in Wolfe's office

No

This was an earlier version of Nero Wolfe than I had read before (thought I'd read them all, but I hadn't read this one). I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to Nero Wolfe fans - not the best Wolfe but very enjoyable.

This is a really good Nero Wolfe novel. I like the cast of characters and the story setup. I found the culmination slightly weaker than the very best of Nero Wolfe, but it was still very well worth the listen. The narration, as usual, was excellent. The story has the expected twists and surprises. Very satisfying..

Nicely voiced, all the side operatives are present. Wolfe even mutinies! A classic Wolfe and Goodwin.

The usual Wolf which we love and are actually plowing through a great swath of his books. This one has a few new twists, Nero making a mistake and musings on writing tells.