Fer-de-Lance

pick

While Ive been in airports and on planes this has been an easy, propulsive read. Thanks @Ruthiella for mentioning its connection to The Tainted Cup. I have copied the wikipedia entry as it mentions Stout uses the archetype of the Genius Detective & the Hard Boiled Sleuth. It was fun to have these two tropes/stereotypes mixing and clashing. Published 1934 it has the slang & attitudes of the era - racism, sexism etc - but still interesting to read

Centique @Ruthiella I love your comment on Goodreads “he inexplicably drinks a lot of milk” 😂😂😂 And I also agree that its the foibles and traits of the detective that help a mystery series remain interesting over time - I‘d go back to this one entirely for the Nero Wolfe character and to understand him better. 3w

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Ruthiella

Fer-de-Lance | Rex Stout

pick

The first book in Stout‘s long running Nero Wolfe mystery series. It was a wee bit long-winded but generally satisfying as a whodunnit. What makes it special are the characters: Wolfe tends his orchids and never leaves his brownstone while Archie Goodwin acts as legman and amanuensis (and the Watson to Wolfe‘s Sherlock).

I was curious about the series because Robert Jackson Bennett based his detective team in The Tainted Cup on Wolfe/Goodwin.

LeahBergen I‘ve never read a Nero Wolfe mystery. 🫢 3mo

Ruthiella @LeahBergen It was interesting to read a mystery set and published in the Depression Era. It is fascinating how books are time capsules like that. 3mo

DrSabrinaMoldenReads This sounds great! Thanks for sharing 3mo

Ruthiella @DrSabrinaMoldenReads Thanks. 😊 3mo

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Nebklvr

Fer-de-Lance | Rex Stout

so-so

This was the first in the Nero Wolfe series and not the best showing of the characters or pacing.

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Jen2

Fer-de-Lance | Rex Stout

pick

Enjoyed it.

Crazeedi Every Nero Wolfe book was a blast!! Love love love ❤ 2y

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swynn

Fer-de-Lance | Rex Stout

pick

(1934) The first entry in Stout's long running series featuring Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin involves a university president who drops dead on the golf course -- apparently the victim of an ingenious poisoning plot.

It's my first Nero Wolfe mystery, and I get the appeal of the character dynamic and the punchy prose. I'll read more.

Also, this wraps #20in4 for February. Thanks to the extra day, I met all goals. Thanks @Andrew65 !

bthegood I loved the series many years ago - I think on PBS - and my husband loved the books so it is time I started reading them 🙂- thanks for posting - I've added it to my reading list. 4y

Andrew65 That‘s brilliant 👏👏👏🙌🥳🍾🥂😍 Thanks for playing along. 4y

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Leftcoastzen

Fer-de-Lance | Rex Stout

pick

I was kinda impressed!Written in 1934, the first Nero Wolfe. I never watched the TV shows, didn‘t know what to expect, it has that snappy 30s dialogue,it had the country club set & the working class set .Archie Goodwin does most of the legwork while Nero hangs out in his brownstone, with his orchids & his chef while analyzing the case.It‘s murder alright but is there a mix up?If I had what Nero has , I wouldn‘t leave home much either.🍺

Elizabeth2 Rex Stout has been one of my brother‘s favorite authors for a long time. He read the Nero mysteries when he was in high school, I think. ❤️📚 5y

Leftcoastzen @Elizabeth2 an antiquarian bookseller I know said he loved them too. He had a couple 1st editions that were lovely & $$$$ . I think I had read one I picked up at a yard sale , written by others who continued the series.He suggested I try a real Stout & I wasn‘t disappointed. 5y

LeahBergen Oh, good to hear. 👍🏻 I‘ll have to give him a try now. 5y

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Leftcoastzen

Fer-de-Lance | Rex Stout

Another wild #caturday night! Loving the snappy 1930s dialogue in Fer-De-Lance

LeahBergen I‘ve never read a Nero Wolfe mystery. 5y

Leftcoastzen @LeahBergen I had a conversation w/ a local bookseller who loved them when he was young.I read one,but he reminded me various authors kept writing the series, I‘m thinking I read one of those .decided to start at the beginning with a real Rex Stout. 5y

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r2wend2

Fer-de-Lance | Rex Stout

so-so

A fun read, but it definitely does that it v was written in the 1930s

Sweettartlaura

Fer-de-Lance | Rex Stout

pick

Calling this a Pick. If I didn‘t have Timothy Hutton in my head as Archie Goodwin, it might be a So-so.

I‘m reading #2 in this series for a challenge, so I figured I‘d start with #1. I fell in love with these characters when they were on A&E, so I was happy to revisit them. And while it turns out that TV series was faithful in spirit & tone, it may have surpassed the books in merit. This was fine, but a bit lengthy. Not sure I‘ll go past #2.

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HardcoverHearts

Fer-de-Lance | Rex Stout

Sigh- now that I have caught up with the Louise Penny books, having just devoured her latest (thanks, Library Hold Gods), I am hunting for a good series. I found this in the public library audiobook files. I‘m familiar with the character on TV but haven‘t ever read the books. So I figured I would take a listen. I know it won‘t have the deep insights/resonance that the Chief Inspector Gamache books have but I am enjoying the hunt for a new series.

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