Scan barcode
mrflip's review against another edition
5.0
This is the finest Nero Wolfe book. I do love them all, but this is a significant cut above. The scope, the stakes, the action and the prose all crackle.
You might think to jump in with it first, and you can generally read the NW novels in any order because, like Bertie and Jeeves, nearly nothing changes even as the decades do. However, you should absolutely not read this until you have at least Fer-de-lance, Some Buried Caesar, and A Second Confession under you belt first. (And if you're in it for the long haul, perhaps some others of the early books ahead of Caesar.) You'll want to have the back story for this one, but even more importantly you'll need it to understand how extraordinary the events here are in the Wolfe universe.
You might think to jump in with it first, and you can generally read the NW novels in any order because, like Bertie and Jeeves, nearly nothing changes even as the decades do. However, you should absolutely not read this until you have at least Fer-de-lance, Some Buried Caesar, and A Second Confession under you belt first. (And if you're in it for the long haul, perhaps some others of the early books ahead of Caesar.) You'll want to have the back story for this one, but even more importantly you'll need it to understand how extraordinary the events here are in the Wolfe universe.
a_ab's review against another edition
2.0
Since I deeply dislike arch nemesis themes/tropes, I didn't like this book, but I am glad that particular overarching plotline is now dealt with.
donkeykong64's review against another edition
3.5
Comparatively so little Nero Wolfe! But my man Archie shines through an absolute pageturner. The central mystery is all that interesting, and I do wish I had read the previous book involving Zeck prior to this but the details were fleshed out enough to pick up on.
jdcorley's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The last book in the Zeck trilogy, it makes a turn into the more rip roaring pulp hard boiled adventure than was normal for Wolfe. The unexpected nature of the adventure is a delight. Sure as hell it's better than anything Doyle wrote about Moriarty.
stapilus's review against another edition
4.0
The question with the Wolfe books: Is this one distinctive in some major way? Only but so many really were; this is one of them, when Wolfe disappears for an extended period.
michael5000's review against another edition
2.0
Perhaps the dopiest of the very amiable Wolfe books.
gloriaoliver's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Nero Wolfe has gone into hiding!
It's a battle of the fittest as Nero is forced to take steps to deal with Mr. X when their paths cross again. What started out as a simple investigation turned into Archie's worst nightmare when Nero Wolfe runs off in the middle of the night. Not only does Archie not have the faintest idea where Nero is hiding or what his plans are—no one will believe him! Not the police, not his friends, or even his closest allies.
A silent war that will decide who gets to survive is on!
Built up slowly over several books, we now get the face-off of the century between two grand intellects. A twisted and wonderful tale.
It's a battle of the fittest as Nero is forced to take steps to deal with Mr. X when their paths cross again. What started out as a simple investigation turned into Archie's worst nightmare when Nero Wolfe runs off in the middle of the night. Not only does Archie not have the faintest idea where Nero is hiding or what his plans are—no one will believe him! Not the police, not his friends, or even his closest allies.
A silent war that will decide who gets to survive is on!
Built up slowly over several books, we now get the face-off of the century between two grand intellects. A twisted and wonderful tale.
alice_horoshev's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.5
_viscosity_'s review against another edition
4.0
You have to love it when Wolfe spends three or four paragraphs excoriating someone for murdering a dog!