swarmofbees's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
spiderman15's review against another edition
4.0
The second in Rex Stout's (what a great name!) series of tales about the incomparable Nero Wolfe doesn't fail to deliver the goods.
felicitydisco's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Great plotting in this one, and Archie is such a good narrator.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism
bookclubdropout's review against another edition
5.0
The Nero Wolfe books are excellent whodunits, this one kept me guessing right to the end.
finesilkflower's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this even more than [b:Fer-de-Lance|77604|Fer-de-Lance (Nero Wolfe, #1)|Rex Stout|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347415338s/77604.jpg|2659134]. The Nero Wolfe series continues to alarm me with amazing the writing is. The plot for this one was less contrived than the first, and the climax was extremely suspenseful.
bev_reads_mysteries's review against another edition
4.0
The League of Frightened Gentlemen (1935) is the second of Rex Stout's books featuring the detective duo of Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin. Stout's team--made up of the gargantuan genius Wolfe and his street smart legman Goodwin--always provide good entertainment even early in the series.
Here we have a group of frightened men who are certain that their college friend, Paul Chapin, is set on a path of revenge for a crippling injury he suffered at their hands during a hazing incident. Two of their number have already died and each of them received a poetic message following the deaths. Messages in which Chapin seems to be claiming responsibility for the deaths and which tell the group that they should have killed him when they had the chance. A third member of the group, Andrew Hibbard, approaches Nero Wolfe and asks him to keep Chapin from murdering him--but he doesn't want the man turned over to the police. Wolfe tells him that he can't help him under those conditions.
Not too long after, Hibbard disappears and another note is delivered saying that Chapin has killed him as well. Hibbard's niece comes to Wolfe with more information about the league of men, but he also tells her that he can be of no help--abstracting a list of the men involved from her materials before she leaves. His plan is to approach the group and promise to remove any threat from Paul Chapin, discover who (if anybody) really killed the first two men, and prove what happened to Hibbard. Anyone who knows Wolfe, knows that he'll fulfill his promise (and collect his huge fee in the bargain).
This is going to be a short review--I listened to this one on my way back home for a family get-together. While I enjoy listening to books on tape occasionally (especially on long drives), I find it more difficult to review them. I just sit back and enjoy the show, so to speak, and don't really concentrate on the details. Let me start by saying that Saul Rubinek, who is th itsee reader for this particular version, does an excellent job. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to him and he was excellent in the male parts. Fortunately, there weren't many female speakers--because he had one voice for all of them.
The story itself was a good one--entertaining, finely drawn characters, a nice twist ending, and worth the price of admission just to listen to (or read) the scene where Archie is drugged and then tries to fight his way out of the stupor.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
Here we have a group of frightened men who are certain that their college friend, Paul Chapin, is set on a path of revenge for a crippling injury he suffered at their hands during a hazing incident. Two of their number have already died and each of them received a poetic message following the deaths. Messages in which Chapin seems to be claiming responsibility for the deaths and which tell the group that they should have killed him when they had the chance. A third member of the group, Andrew Hibbard, approaches Nero Wolfe and asks him to keep Chapin from murdering him--but he doesn't want the man turned over to the police. Wolfe tells him that he can't help him under those conditions.
Not too long after, Hibbard disappears and another note is delivered saying that Chapin has killed him as well. Hibbard's niece comes to Wolfe with more information about the league of men, but he also tells her that he can be of no help--abstracting a list of the men involved from her materials before she leaves. His plan is to approach the group and promise to remove any threat from Paul Chapin, discover who (if anybody) really killed the first two men, and prove what happened to Hibbard. Anyone who knows Wolfe, knows that he'll fulfill his promise (and collect his huge fee in the bargain).
This is going to be a short review--I listened to this one on my way back home for a family get-together. While I enjoy listening to books on tape occasionally (especially on long drives), I find it more difficult to review them. I just sit back and enjoy the show, so to speak, and don't really concentrate on the details. Let me start by saying that Saul Rubinek, who is th itsee reader for this particular version, does an excellent job. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to him and he was excellent in the male parts. Fortunately, there weren't many female speakers--because he had one voice for all of them.
The story itself was a good one--entertaining, finely drawn characters, a nice twist ending, and worth the price of admission just to listen to (or read) the scene where Archie is drugged and then tries to fight his way out of the stupor.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
b00kr3vi3ws's review against another edition
4.0
Nero has been procrastinating when it came to taking up cases and funds are running low. Most importantly, the trusted sidekick, Archie is getting impatient. Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin return in this second instalment where their client is not a single person but a group of men who are nicknamed as ‘The League of Frightened Men’ in the course of the book.
This book was a bit different from the first in the sense that this seems to be a very open and shut case. A class reunion that ended badly sent a group of men running scared for their lives. They had been involved in a prank during their days at Harvard that crippled one of their classmates. It seems that now that person is back for revenge and will not be satisfied with anything less than claiming each of their lives. Pretty simple, eh? Well, read the book to find out.
I loved the fact that the plot was presented in a unique way. The detective was hired not to find the killer but just to find proof of the crimes. Nero takes his time with the case as he gets to know the whole group. It was fascinating to read about each interaction and the mystery buff in me kept nudging, it cannot be that simple, can it? And I am delighted to say that the author had almost had me fooled. Nero played it cool and it was a total pleasure to see the whole plot unfold.
I am in love with the author’s language. There is something to be said for an author who uses very specific words and manages to keep his narrative so crisp that there were times I just re-read a few paragraphs immediately after just for the pleasure of it.
I absolutely and wholeheartedly recommend this series to mystery lovers.
This book was a bit different from the first in the sense that this seems to be a very open and shut case. A class reunion that ended badly sent a group of men running scared for their lives. They had been involved in a prank during their days at Harvard that crippled one of their classmates. It seems that now that person is back for revenge and will not be satisfied with anything less than claiming each of their lives. Pretty simple, eh? Well, read the book to find out.
I loved the fact that the plot was presented in a unique way. The detective was hired not to find the killer but just to find proof of the crimes. Nero takes his time with the case as he gets to know the whole group. It was fascinating to read about each interaction and the mystery buff in me kept nudging, it cannot be that simple, can it? And I am delighted to say that the author had almost had me fooled. Nero played it cool and it was a total pleasure to see the whole plot unfold.
I am in love with the author’s language. There is something to be said for an author who uses very specific words and manages to keep his narrative so crisp that there were times I just re-read a few paragraphs immediately after just for the pleasure of it.
I absolutely and wholeheartedly recommend this series to mystery lovers.
stuffandwhatnot's review against another edition
4.0
Great fun. I'm loving Archie and Wolfe's relationship so much.
lizabethstucker's review against another edition
3.0
This second Nero Wolfe book is a psychological study of men tied to each other by a destructive history. Paul Chapin had been severely injured during a hazing incident at Harvard years earlier. Ever since he had been supported by the men responsible, their relationship a strange mixture of guilt, need, and hate. Now fear has entered the mix as members of the League of Atonement begin dying under suspicious circumstances and they receive poems that could come from nobody else but Chapin.
This wouldn't be one of my favorites except for one particular scene that's straight out of a fanfiction story. Archie is drugged, must go to Wolfe's rescue (after he left the brownstone to rescue Archie), and passes out only to rest his head on Wolfe's lap during the drive back home.
I found the characteristics to be a little rough, particularly Inspector Cramer. He was too chatty with Archie and definitely didn't deliver even one Cramer-style growl. This book probably should be read after you are hooked on the series, rather than as the second book. Unless, unlike me, you are inclined to read psychological mysteries.
This wouldn't be one of my favorites except for one particular scene that's straight out of a fanfiction story. Archie is drugged, must go to Wolfe's rescue (after he left the brownstone to rescue Archie), and passes out only to rest his head on Wolfe's lap during the drive back home.
I found the characteristics to be a little rough, particularly Inspector Cramer. He was too chatty with Archie and definitely didn't deliver even one Cramer-style growl. This book probably should be read after you are hooked on the series, rather than as the second book. Unless, unlike me, you are inclined to read psychological mysteries.
widae's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5