alice_horoshev's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
judyward's review against another edition
3.0
Four novellas featuring Nero Wolfe and hi wisecracking assistant Archie Goodwin. Three of the novellas feature holidays--Christmas, Easter, and the Fourth of July. The fourth takes place in a courturier's salon where, of course, every day is a holiday. A perfect book for poolside reading.
hotsake's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
This book and each of its four stories was just simply a fun and easy read. I had a good time with each story and was happy with the variety.
jdcorley's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
A collection of four Nero Wolfe short mystery stories - three holiday themed. Certainly Stout is able to get across Archie's charm and Wolfe's irascibility in only a few sentences, which is what, tonally, we all want. But there are enough missteps here that this becomes one of Stout's weaker contributions.
"The Easter Parade", for example, give us a hilarious setup - Wolfe demanding Archie hire one of his shady friends to steal an orchid from a woman's lapel, but the woman turns up dead. But the explanation that the story wants us to swallow is that she was killed by a dart fired from a camera, which seems just wildly implausible given the descriptions in the book. If we don't believe the misdirect then there really is nothing to go on and Wolfe doesn't seem smart when he solves it. It's fun Wolfe and Archie antics but it isn't a mystery, really. "Murder is No Joke" is equally contrived in setup and therefore it doesn't feel very exciting when Wolfe reveals the contrivance was foolish from the start. If you have to invent a Rube Goldberg machine to kill someone, it's disappointing when the solution is "it wasn't a Rube Goldberg machine".
"Fourth of July Picnic", similarly, has a bunch of fun Wolfe and Archie banter and manipulation, but very little in the way of detection or mystery-building. A guy is stabbed, one of five people could have done it, and Wolfe and Archie get one of them to give themselves away. That's it! There isn't much there from a "cleverness" perspective.
Probably the best of the stories from a mystery perspective is "Christmas Party" - the reader and Archie and Wolfe all slowly narrow the window of suspects one by one until a trick (the same one from "Fourth of July Picnic", really) is used to identify the culprit. Although the trick is the same, the way our heroes slowly work out who did what is much more effective. Unfortunately, the story is marred by a miasma of anti-Asian racism that persists even if you swallow hard and tell yourself "Oriental" was the polite term of the time. It's deeper than just a "wrong word". A pity too, because it's a well worked story overall.
"The Easter Parade", for example, give us a hilarious setup - Wolfe demanding Archie hire one of his shady friends to steal an orchid from a woman's lapel, but the woman turns up dead. But the explanation that the story wants us to swallow is that she was killed by a dart fired from a camera, which seems just wildly implausible given the descriptions in the book. If we don't believe the misdirect then there really is nothing to go on and Wolfe doesn't seem smart when he solves it. It's fun Wolfe and Archie antics but it isn't a mystery, really. "Murder is No Joke" is equally contrived in setup and therefore it doesn't feel very exciting when Wolfe reveals the contrivance was foolish from the start. If you have to invent a Rube Goldberg machine to kill someone, it's disappointing when the solution is "it wasn't a Rube Goldberg machine".
"Fourth of July Picnic", similarly, has a bunch of fun Wolfe and Archie banter and manipulation, but very little in the way of detection or mystery-building. A guy is stabbed, one of five people could have done it, and Wolfe and Archie get one of them to give themselves away. That's it! There isn't much there from a "cleverness" perspective.
Probably the best of the stories from a mystery perspective is "Christmas Party" - the reader and Archie and Wolfe all slowly narrow the window of suspects one by one until a trick (the same one from "Fourth of July Picnic", really) is used to identify the culprit. Although the trick is the same, the way our heroes slowly work out who did what is much more effective. Unfortunately, the story is marred by a miasma of anti-Asian racism that persists even if you swallow hard and tell yourself "Oriental" was the polite term of the time. It's deeper than just a "wrong word". A pity too, because it's a well worked story overall.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Racism and Racial slurs
cleheny's review against another edition
2.0
This collection of four short stories is my first experience of Nero Wolfe. Although I like Archie Goodwin's narration, every single one of these stories involved Wolfe trying to cover up some inadvertent connection to the crime and then, at the end, gathering all of the suspects (plus the police) in his study, where he reveals the murderer and somehow avoids revealing whatever he was trying to hide. That pattern gets old. I'll try a novel or two, but I'm not sure I'm going to stick with this author.
sjbanner's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
wordwrestler's review against another edition
Yikes. And I though Agatha Christie was casually racist. (I mean. She is. But this guy too)
bev_reads_mysteries's review against another edition
4.0
And Four to Go by Rex Stout showcases Stout's ability to master that difficulty medium, the mystery short story. Even the best writers sometimes have difficulty creating a successful whodunit in the shortened form. It's a challenge to give enough character development and plot detail to set up the mystery, and it's especially difficult if the author is going to try to play fair with the clues. These four stories show that not only could Stout give the reader brilliant novel-length mysteries, he could do just as well in just a thousand words. Three of the stories revolve around holiday themes....and the fourth could be considered an early, yet deadly April Fool.
"Christmas Party," the first of the collection, was the only story I was familiar with. But it had been long enough since I first read it that Stout was still able to pull the wool over my eyes. Nero Wolfe has a problem...well, several. He hates to leave the comfort of his brownstone, but if he must then he wants Archie at the wheel to take him where he needs to go. And he needs to go see a man about some orchids--one of the few things that will move him from his routine. But--Archie informs him that it's his day off and he already has plans. Firm plans. Wolfe isn't used to taking no for an answer and forces the issue...which causes Archie to play his trump card: a marriage license made out in the name of Archie and his current lady-friend. You see, Archie's getting married and the plans involve an announcement of the happy event at a Christmas Party. Wolfe must let Archie go and heads off to see his orchid man with an "untrustworthy" chauffeur at the wheel. Archie heads to the party where a man will die and it looks like Santa Claus is the culprit.
"Easter Parade": Wolfe and his passion for orchids again take center stage. This time the great detective is lusting after a perfectly pink Vanda orchid. It is rumored that Millard Bynoe has managed what Wolfe has been able to do despite years of hybrid attempts. Bynoe refuses to admit that he has such an orchid, although the rumors say he will be displaying it at the next year's International Flower Show. Wolfe has to be sure about the plant and doesn't want to wait that long. The rumor mill has also said that Bynoe's wife will be wearing a spray from the Vanda on Easter. So, he gets Archie to hire a thief to steal the pink petals and sends Archie along with a camera to capture the orchid on film in case the attempt fails. All is going well--Archie is snapping away and Tabby, his pet thief, his moving in for the snatch when Mrs. Bynoe suddenly collapses at the Easter Parade. Tabby, who doesn't want to give up a hundred dollars, rushes in, grabs the flowers, and he and Archie taxi back to the brownstone. When reports come through that Mrs. Bynoe has died, Wolfe must solve the murder before the police get too interested in the thievery.
"Fourth of July Picnic" once again sees Wolfe venturing out from the brownstone's safe haven. This time he has been flattered and bargained into giving a speech at the United Restaurant Workers of America's annual 4th of July Picnic. Philip Holt, the director, has promised to stop trying to steal Fritz from Wolfe's kitchen if the detective will do the speech. While Wolfe and Archie wait for the detective's moment of glory on stage, someone takes advantage of Holt's sudden bout of illness to stab the man while he rests in a tent. No wonder Wolfe thinks it's unsafe to leave home.
"Murder Is No Joke": Although it's fall in New York, it seems like it must be April Fool's Day when a murderer tries to pull a joke on Nero Wolfe. It starts with Flora Gallant, sister of the fashion designer, Alec Gallant, who wants to hire Wolfe to stop a blackmailer. She's convinced that an unsavory woman has some sort of hold on her brother and she wants Wolfe to find a way to put a stop to it. Before Wolfe can even begin to put his intellect to work on the problem, the alleged blackmailer has been killed--apparently while on the phone with Wolfe and Archie! The detective isn't interested in the murder until a few events make him suspect that a killer is trying on a deadly joke at Wolfe's expense. And we'll have none of that.
All of these short stories are very good and quite enjoyable. I particularly like the way the last two use a bit of the Ellery Queen method of interaction with the reader. There are points in each of them where Archie turns to the reader and says, "There you go...you've got the clues. Can you figure it out?" Just like the challenge to the reader in the older EQ stories. I love that moment....not that I usually can do it, but I think it's a nifty little hook. Four stars for a nice collection.
This review was first posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission to repost any portion. Thanks.
"Christmas Party," the first of the collection, was the only story I was familiar with. But it had been long enough since I first read it that Stout was still able to pull the wool over my eyes. Nero Wolfe has a problem...well, several. He hates to leave the comfort of his brownstone, but if he must then he wants Archie at the wheel to take him where he needs to go. And he needs to go see a man about some orchids--one of the few things that will move him from his routine. But--Archie informs him that it's his day off and he already has plans. Firm plans. Wolfe isn't used to taking no for an answer and forces the issue...which causes Archie to play his trump card: a marriage license made out in the name of Archie and his current lady-friend. You see, Archie's getting married and the plans involve an announcement of the happy event at a Christmas Party. Wolfe must let Archie go and heads off to see his orchid man with an "untrustworthy" chauffeur at the wheel. Archie heads to the party where a man will die and it looks like Santa Claus is the culprit.
"Easter Parade": Wolfe and his passion for orchids again take center stage. This time the great detective is lusting after a perfectly pink Vanda orchid. It is rumored that Millard Bynoe has managed what Wolfe has been able to do despite years of hybrid attempts. Bynoe refuses to admit that he has such an orchid, although the rumors say he will be displaying it at the next year's International Flower Show. Wolfe has to be sure about the plant and doesn't want to wait that long. The rumor mill has also said that Bynoe's wife will be wearing a spray from the Vanda on Easter. So, he gets Archie to hire a thief to steal the pink petals and sends Archie along with a camera to capture the orchid on film in case the attempt fails. All is going well--Archie is snapping away and Tabby, his pet thief, his moving in for the snatch when Mrs. Bynoe suddenly collapses at the Easter Parade. Tabby, who doesn't want to give up a hundred dollars, rushes in, grabs the flowers, and he and Archie taxi back to the brownstone. When reports come through that Mrs. Bynoe has died, Wolfe must solve the murder before the police get too interested in the thievery.
"Fourth of July Picnic" once again sees Wolfe venturing out from the brownstone's safe haven. This time he has been flattered and bargained into giving a speech at the United Restaurant Workers of America's annual 4th of July Picnic. Philip Holt, the director, has promised to stop trying to steal Fritz from Wolfe's kitchen if the detective will do the speech. While Wolfe and Archie wait for the detective's moment of glory on stage, someone takes advantage of Holt's sudden bout of illness to stab the man while he rests in a tent. No wonder Wolfe thinks it's unsafe to leave home.
"Murder Is No Joke": Although it's fall in New York, it seems like it must be April Fool's Day when a murderer tries to pull a joke on Nero Wolfe. It starts with Flora Gallant, sister of the fashion designer, Alec Gallant, who wants to hire Wolfe to stop a blackmailer. She's convinced that an unsavory woman has some sort of hold on her brother and she wants Wolfe to find a way to put a stop to it. Before Wolfe can even begin to put his intellect to work on the problem, the alleged blackmailer has been killed--apparently while on the phone with Wolfe and Archie! The detective isn't interested in the murder until a few events make him suspect that a killer is trying on a deadly joke at Wolfe's expense. And we'll have none of that.
All of these short stories are very good and quite enjoyable. I particularly like the way the last two use a bit of the Ellery Queen method of interaction with the reader. There are points in each of them where Archie turns to the reader and says, "There you go...you've got the clues. Can you figure it out?" Just like the challenge to the reader in the older EQ stories. I love that moment....not that I usually can do it, but I think it's a nifty little hook. Four stars for a nice collection.
This review was first posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission to repost any portion. Thanks.
leigh9's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
ssejig's review against another edition
4.0
This book has four novellas, three of which are centered around a holiday theme.
"Christmas Party" is one of the stories that was transformed wonderfully in the Tim Hutton television series. Archie goes to an office party and one of the bosses ends up dead, apparently killed by Santa Claus. Though Archie should be in the clear, his history with the police makes him somewhat of a suspect. It's up to Nero Wolfe to help solve the case.
"Easter Parade" focuses on Wolfe's orchid obsession. Archie is sent to get a picture of the supposed "flamingo-pink Vanda," a new orchid from Mr. Millard Bynoe. However, while Archie goes to shoot a picture, someone else is there to shoot Mrs. Millard Bynoe with a poisoned needle. Archie and Nero become embroiled when the man Archie hired to snatch Mrs. Millards corsage does it after she's dead.
"Fourth of July Picnic" Nero is a guest speaker at a United Restaurant Workers of America picnic and someone is murdered during his speech. That does not, for a happy Nero, make.
"Murder is No Joke" Flora Gallant is the firm's newest client. Her brother is a famous fashion designer and he's being blackmailed. While Nero has the blackmailer on the line, she's murdered. But who is the killer? And is Flora involved?
"Christmas Party" is one of the stories that was transformed wonderfully in the Tim Hutton television series. Archie goes to an office party and one of the bosses ends up dead, apparently killed by Santa Claus. Though Archie should be in the clear, his history with the police makes him somewhat of a suspect. It's up to Nero Wolfe to help solve the case.
"Easter Parade" focuses on Wolfe's orchid obsession. Archie is sent to get a picture of the supposed "flamingo-pink Vanda," a new orchid from Mr. Millard Bynoe. However, while Archie goes to shoot a picture, someone else is there to shoot Mrs. Millard Bynoe with a poisoned needle. Archie and Nero become embroiled when the man Archie hired to snatch Mrs. Millards corsage does it after she's dead.
"Fourth of July Picnic" Nero is a guest speaker at a United Restaurant Workers of America picnic and someone is murdered during his speech. That does not, for a happy Nero, make.
"Murder is No Joke" Flora Gallant is the firm's newest client. Her brother is a famous fashion designer and he's being blackmailed. While Nero has the blackmailer on the line, she's murdered. But who is the killer? And is Flora involved?