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Nero Wolfe #1
Fer-de-Lance
As any herpetologist will tell you, the fer-de-lance is among the most dreaded snakes known to man. When someone makes a present of one to Nero Wolfe, Archie Goodwin knows he's getting dreadully close to solving the devilishly clever murders of an immigrant and a college president. As for Wolfe, he's playing snake charmer in a case with more twists than an anaconda -- whistling a seductive tune he hopes will catch a killer who's still got poison in his heart.
Paperback
First published October 1, 1934
About the author
Rex Stout
753 books984 followersRex Todhunter Stout (1886–1975) was an American crime writer, best known as the creator of the larger-than-life fictional detective Nero Wolfe, described by reviewer Will Cuppy as "that Falstaff of detectives." Wolfe's assistant Archie Goodwin recorded the cases of the detective genius from 1934 (Fer-de-Lance) to 1975 (A Family Affair).
The Nero Wolfe corpus was nominated Best Mystery Series of the Century at Bouchercon 2000, the world's largest mystery convention, and Rex Stout was nominated Best Mystery Writer of the Century.
The Nero Wolfe corpus was nominated Best Mystery Series of the Century at Bouchercon 2000, the world's largest mystery convention, and Rex Stout was nominated Best Mystery Writer of the Century.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,158 reviews
July 28, 2022
Eh. Not as good as I'd hoped.
If I squint, however, I can see the bones of a really cool detective series. So this may be a case of the first book doing a setup for future better books.
Fingers crossed.
The mystery itself was ass.
It was equal parts dull and confusing for a good bit, but I liked the way it ended.
A rich dude dies of a bee sting, Wolfe claims it's murder, turns out he's right, and they are going to get a big payday if they figure out whodunnit.
Except there's more to it.
The characters, though? Archie and Nero and the rest of the household were cool.
Nero is a big fat dude who hates to leave his house and loves his flowers. I thought it was interesting that Nero had bouts of depression that caused him to focus solely on what the cook fixed for dinner, while completely ignoring everything else. This means Archie, who drinks milk like most hard-boiled detectives drink booze, is the legs of their detective operation.
He's the one telling the story and I really liked his voice.
This isn't the greatest (yet!) but with such a long list of books in the series, I'm assuming they get better and better.
PS - I've been on a Christie Mystery binge but (unbelievably) I'm starting to run out of new stories to read. I'm digging these older crime/mystery stories and if anyone has any suggestions or recommendations, I'd love to hear them.
Anything along the lines of Sherlock Holmes, Arsène Lupin, or Poirot would be much appreciated.
If I squint, however, I can see the bones of a really cool detective series. So this may be a case of the first book doing a setup for future better books.
Fingers crossed.
The mystery itself was ass.
It was equal parts dull and confusing for a good bit, but I liked the way it ended.
A rich dude dies of a bee sting, Wolfe claims it's murder, turns out he's right, and they are going to get a big payday if they figure out whodunnit.
Except there's more to it.
The characters, though? Archie and Nero and the rest of the household were cool.
Nero is a big fat dude who hates to leave his house and loves his flowers. I thought it was interesting that Nero had bouts of depression that caused him to focus solely on what the cook fixed for dinner, while completely ignoring everything else. This means Archie, who drinks milk like most hard-boiled detectives drink booze, is the legs of their detective operation.
He's the one telling the story and I really liked his voice.
This isn't the greatest (yet!) but with such a long list of books in the series, I'm assuming they get better and better.
PS - I've been on a Christie Mystery binge but (unbelievably) I'm starting to run out of new stories to read. I'm digging these older crime/mystery stories and if anyone has any suggestions or recommendations, I'd love to hear them.
Anything along the lines of Sherlock Holmes, Arsène Lupin, or Poirot would be much appreciated.
August 7, 2022
He disfrutado mucho esta lectura. El personaje de Nero Wolfe es excéntrico, pero, aún así, puedes llegar a comprenderlo y no se hace antipático (aunque algunas veces es odioso). Es un personaje original y eso tiene mérito.
El joven Archie Goodwin, su ayudante y narrador de la historia, es un tipo genial. No está dotado del genio de su jefe, Nero Wolfe, pero tiene muchas otras virtudes.
El elenco de personajes de la novela está bien conseguido y la trama está a una altura brillante.
El final no llega al culmen de la tensión que es esperable en este tipo de novelas, aunque sospecho que no era la intención de su autor.
Una saga interesante.
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I really enjoyed this reading. The character of Nero Wolfe is eccentric, but, even so, you can get to understand him and he doesn't become unpleasant (although sometimes he's obnoxious). He is an original character and that has merit.
Young Archie Goodwin, his assistant and narrator of the story, is a great guy. He is not endowed with the genius of his boss, Nero Wolfe, but he has many other virtues.
The novel's cast of characters is well achieved and the plot is at a brilliant height.
The ending does not quite reach the pinnacle of tension that is to be expected in this type of novel, though I suspect that was not the author's intention.
An interesting saga.
El joven Archie Goodwin, su ayudante y narrador de la historia, es un tipo genial. No está dotado del genio de su jefe, Nero Wolfe, pero tiene muchas otras virtudes.
El elenco de personajes de la novela está bien conseguido y la trama está a una altura brillante.
El final no llega al culmen de la tensión que es esperable en este tipo de novelas, aunque sospecho que no era la intención de su autor.
Una saga interesante.
-----------------------
I really enjoyed this reading. The character of Nero Wolfe is eccentric, but, even so, you can get to understand him and he doesn't become unpleasant (although sometimes he's obnoxious). He is an original character and that has merit.
Young Archie Goodwin, his assistant and narrator of the story, is a great guy. He is not endowed with the genius of his boss, Nero Wolfe, but he has many other virtues.
The novel's cast of characters is well achieved and the plot is at a brilliant height.
The ending does not quite reach the pinnacle of tension that is to be expected in this type of novel, though I suspect that was not the author's intention.
An interesting saga.
May 2, 2019
Back with a couple of old friends! I may not remember which of the Nero Wolfe mysteries I read *mumble* around thirty five years ago, but I remember Archie's cheeky insouciance and Nero's eccentricities. There is real affection in their relationship;
But there is never any doubt who is boss!. Archie may give a bit of lip, but he does what he is told. And his love of glasses of milk is there from the beginning - as are Nero's weight problems.
I love the way this series just dives into their lives - no tedious back story.
Bright and breezy tale about two murders. It does drag a little in the middle, but I know there is better to come. Dated slang,( my kindle dictionaries came in handy here!) including one racist term I have never heard before.
I didn't know what a roadster was! If this isn't the car Archie drove around in, please don't shatter my illusions!
He always thought he had a handkerchief in the breast pocket of his coat, but rarely did, so I went to the drawer where I kept a stack for him and got one and handed it to him.
But there is never any doubt who is boss!. Archie may give a bit of lip, but he does what he is told. And his love of glasses of milk is there from the beginning - as are Nero's weight problems.
He began the accustomed preparations for rising from his chair.
I love the way this series just dives into their lives - no tedious back story.
Bright and breezy tale about two murders. It does drag a little in the middle, but I know there is better to come. Dated slang,( my kindle dictionaries came in handy here!) including one racist term I have never heard before.
I didn't know what a roadster was! If this isn't the car Archie drove around in, please don't shatter my illusions!
August 14, 2020
*** 3.75 ***
We have to start with the indisputable fact - this book was written in 1934! Depression era United States. If you, like me, are a fan of that era's black and white mystery movies and radio serials, you know exactly what you are in for. This is a very typical example of the times. Think Holmes and Dr. Watson but in New York. Also, our Holmes, Nero Wolf, is a very heavy, mostly homebound, eccentric gentleman who has a passion for Lilies, and our Watson, Archie, is not a doctor at all, but a scrappy young man, who is the quintessential American of his time, brash, brassy, and despite his humble circumstances, able to feel like a consequential person with good self esteem and always up for a challenge. Archie is the eyes and legs for Wolf, doing all of the field work and gathering evidence, while Nero is the brains of the operation. They seem to have figured out how to work in perfect harmony, and we are introduced to them when a lady from Italian descent comes to them and ask for help to locate her brother. Nero takes the case and soon discovers it is more complicated than it looks.
I read the book with some friends, and I was not surprised that some of the socially acceptable jargon of the time, and some of the mores, were off-putting to some of them... I totally understand and agree, that this casual bigotry toward Italians or those of Latin origins, is not acceptable now, nor was it ever OK. But I didn't feel like the author promoted the attitude, and also I think it is easy for us to judge from our position in 2020, while for him it was not an affectation, but the time he lived in. No matter how much we wish things in history could have been the way we wish them to have been, they were what they were... Overall, I didn't find it offensive personally, but just a heads up. I had fun reading it, and some of the choices the author took were totally different from what I thought would happen in my head, so this made me excited to read even more of the series. Looking forward to it 🐱
We have to start with the indisputable fact - this book was written in 1934! Depression era United States. If you, like me, are a fan of that era's black and white mystery movies and radio serials, you know exactly what you are in for. This is a very typical example of the times. Think Holmes and Dr. Watson but in New York. Also, our Holmes, Nero Wolf, is a very heavy, mostly homebound, eccentric gentleman who has a passion for Lilies, and our Watson, Archie, is not a doctor at all, but a scrappy young man, who is the quintessential American of his time, brash, brassy, and despite his humble circumstances, able to feel like a consequential person with good self esteem and always up for a challenge. Archie is the eyes and legs for Wolf, doing all of the field work and gathering evidence, while Nero is the brains of the operation. They seem to have figured out how to work in perfect harmony, and we are introduced to them when a lady from Italian descent comes to them and ask for help to locate her brother. Nero takes the case and soon discovers it is more complicated than it looks.
I read the book with some friends, and I was not surprised that some of the socially acceptable jargon of the time, and some of the mores, were off-putting to some of them... I totally understand and agree, that this casual bigotry toward Italians or those of Latin origins, is not acceptable now, nor was it ever OK. But I didn't feel like the author promoted the attitude, and also I think it is easy for us to judge from our position in 2020, while for him it was not an affectation, but the time he lived in. No matter how much we wish things in history could have been the way we wish them to have been, they were what they were... Overall, I didn't find it offensive personally, but just a heads up. I had fun reading it, and some of the choices the author took were totally different from what I thought would happen in my head, so this made me excited to read even more of the series. Looking forward to it 🐱
February 11, 2021
Okay. Yes. So. I should have loved this book. I really should have. Only I didn’t (as my rating might or might not indicate). I should have loved this book because I’m a slightly very huge fan of books and movies from the 1930s and 1940s. And I should have loved this book because I’m a slightly very huge fan of classic mysteries. But I didn’t and I didn’t, so I didn’t.
Fer-de-Lance wasn’t too bad at first. Somewhat sleep-inducing and with a pace that would please a lethargic barnacle, but well, you know, not too bad and stuff. Then the mystery kicked in, the story picked up speed, and stuff started getting moderately interesting. And that’s when the racist crap kicked in.
Yes, I know, overt xenophobic views were not uncommon in literature when the book was written, but this fact shouldn’t be used as an excuse for leniency. Especially not in this case. The thing is, the character voicing racist views (Archie, one of the MCs) isn’t the problem here—some characters will have shitty beliefs—it’s the fact that his opinion remains unchallenged throughout the book that is. No opposing perspectives are offered and there is nothing in the story that comes to contradict the character’s despicably bigoted attitude. (Quite the contrary, really, since part of the reason why a particular man is suspected of foul play is because he looks like a “foreigner” and has a “foreign” name. Then again, he is naught but a “dirty spiggoty,” so of course that makes him instantly suspicious 🙄🙄.) This gives the impression that his beliefs are facts, rather than a personal judgment, and should be accepted as such. And if the author didn’t deem it necessary to challenge all the crap that comes out of his character’s mouth, what does it say about hisshitty beliefs? Nothing good, if you ask me. Nothing bloody shrimping good at all.
But hey, it’s not ALL bad. Of course it’s not. I mean, the characters are not just racist as fish. Oh, no. They condone gratuitous violence, too. Especially towardsforeign women. And half-breed little kids. Because they’re principled like that. Yeah yeah, I know, I have been known to condone violence, too. But even though my moral compass is slightly fished up, I do have personal ethics. Sometimes. And (weirdly enough) said personal ethics tell me it’s somewhat bloody very wrong to Ah, such an endearing duo these guys make.
➽ Nefarious Last Words (NLW™): you might be a tiny little bit kind of moderately surprised to hear I’m still considering giving book two in this series a try.Because I’m masochistic like that. Because my very many evil nemeses friends who 💕lurve💕 Nero Wolfe might very well unleash their homicidal minions on me if I don’t read at least half of a quarter of an installment right. So please pray for my nefarious soul and stuff.
[Pre-review nonsense]
*expects her friends list to shrink somewhat ferociously when her soon-to-be-former-friends see her rating for this most beloved mystery classic of theirs*
Meh stuff + racist crap + MCs with shitty morals (not to be mistaken with scrumptious MCs with deliciously fished-up morals) =
Well no comment for now anyway. Because full review to come and stuff. (If the Fluffy Siberian Bunnies—FSB™—don't get me first, that is.)
P.S. Yeah yeah yeah, I know, I read it wrong.
Fer-de-Lance wasn’t too bad at first. Somewhat sleep-inducing and with a pace that would please a lethargic barnacle, but well, you know, not too bad and stuff. Then the mystery kicked in, the story picked up speed, and stuff started getting moderately interesting. And that’s when the racist crap kicked in.
Yes, I know, overt xenophobic views were not uncommon in literature when the book was written, but this fact shouldn’t be used as an excuse for leniency. Especially not in this case. The thing is, the character voicing racist views (Archie, one of the MCs) isn’t the problem here—some characters will have shitty beliefs—it’s the fact that his opinion remains unchallenged throughout the book that is. No opposing perspectives are offered and there is nothing in the story that comes to contradict the character’s despicably bigoted attitude. (Quite the contrary, really, since part of the reason why a particular man is suspected of foul play is because he looks like a “foreigner” and has a “foreign” name. Then again, he is naught but a “dirty spiggoty,” so of course that makes him instantly suspicious 🙄🙄.) This gives the impression that his beliefs are facts, rather than a personal judgment, and should be accepted as such. And if the author didn’t deem it necessary to challenge all the crap that comes out of his character’s mouth, what does it say about his
But hey, it’s not ALL bad. Of course it’s not. I mean, the characters are not just racist as fish. Oh, no. They condone gratuitous violence, too. Especially towards
➽ Nefarious Last Words (NLW™): you might be a tiny little bit kind of moderately surprised to hear I’m still considering giving book two in this series a try.
[Pre-review nonsense]
*expects her friends list to shrink somewhat ferociously when her soon-to-be-former-friends see her rating for this most beloved mystery classic of theirs*
Meh stuff + racist crap + MCs with shitty morals (not to be mistaken with scrumptious MCs with deliciously fished-up morals) =
Well no comment for now anyway. Because full review to come and stuff. (If the Fluffy Siberian Bunnies—FSB™—don't get me first, that is.)
P.S. Yeah yeah yeah, I know, I read it wrong.
August 29, 2024
5 Stars. What a character Stout created! This is our first encounter with Nero Wolfe - even more eccentric than Christie's Poirot. He drinks 5 quarts of beer a day, is an expert on orchids which he tends faithfully, has no patience for interruptions, charges outrageous fees, can barely move because of his obesity, and remembers all slights from years past. More importantly, he's a detecting genius. We follow the story through the eyes of his competent but extremely opinionated assistant Archie Goodwin. It all starts when the wife of a friend of his is referred to Wolfe - her brother has disappeared. Coincidentally, a much respected university president has died from an apparent heart attack while playing golf. Wolfe ties them together and challenges the arrogant District Attorney, Fletcher Anderson, to a $10,000 bet, remember this is 1934, that if the man is disinterred, it will be found that he was murdered. The fer-de-lance, one of South America's most dangerous snakes, enters later but that entry is a vivid one! I don't believe Stout ever did a prequel to #1, but wouldn't you enjoy knowing how Wolfe became Wolfe? (Fe2018)
April 18, 2021
I was a bit let-down given the popularity of the Nero Wolfe series. Well-written, well-crafted mystery. I don't want to spend one more minute with Archie, the narrator. If the story was told in the third-person, I'd probably read a few more over the years. As it is, the 1930’s slang of a less-educated sidekick was not an appealing place to live for the week or so it took me to read this.
November 9, 2019
The mystery itself is solid, but this lumbers along at a slow pace, and has more pages than are probably needed to tell this story, so that took some of the enjoyment out of it for me. This is my first Nero Wolfe novel, and Nero's character is not fully understandable to me based on just reading this novel. I understand he is a obese genius, but I am not sure if he is just lazy (refusing to ever leave his home and making Archie do all the legwork) or if he has a mental disorder that leaves him incapable of leaving his house. Nero had a "relapse" and stays in his room eating for a weekend, but what the "relapse" is from is never explained. Everyone says the series gets better, and Stout's timing and pace improves as the series progresses, so later I will try another one.
March 13, 2015
Entertaining, but Slightly Unbelievable, Mystery/Crime Novel
Maybe it has to do with the year the book takes place, 1933.
But let's just say that certain things that happened in the book (I won't reveal them because they are spoilers) would not have been possible today.
Maybe they were in 1933.
After all, Prohibition had just been repealed, so the atmosphere was kind of rough-and-ready.
I also found it slightly mind-blowing that the author flat out tells us who the murderer is half way through the book. I'm not sure why he did that. It took a little bit of the wind out of the sails. Not much, but a little.
Still, the cast of characters is fascinating, and the novel is full of action and humor.
The two main characters, of course, are Nero Wolfe, and Archie Goodwin, the narrator.
Wolfe is an obese alcoholic. He is moody, lazy, and self-indulgent. His cook, Fritz, and his assistant, Archie, take care of all of his needs. He refuses to diverge from his iron-clad routines (rise at 8, take care of his orchids from 4 to 6 every day, etc.) for any reason. He is so fat and lazy that he rarely leaves his house. He is arrogant. Archie describes him as being "elegant" with women, nevertheless. He is also a genius at solving crimes. He has great instincts. He lives in a brownstone on Thirty-Fifth Street in New York City.
Archie Goodwin is Wolfe's assistant, and his opposite in every respect. He is a man of action. He is tough. He is relatively uneducated. He enjoys going here and there and being out in the world. He goes out and interviews suspects and collects facts for Nero. Archie is much younger than Wolfe and he is a ladies' man. He drinks milk, and wisecracks a mile-a-minute.
Peter Barstow, a well-to-do college President, dies of an apparent heart attack on the golf course in Westchester County, where he has a country home.
Carlo Maffei, an Italian metal artisan, disappears. Maria, his sister, contacts Nero Wolfe, as she is concerned about the fate of her brother.
The colorful cast of characters includes Bartstow's family members, including his mentally unstable wife Ellen and his son and daughter; Barstow family friends, the Kimballs; Anna Fiore, the house cleaner at the Sullivan Street boarding house where Carlo Maffei lived; various freelance detectives employed by Nero Wolfe, and the usual assortment of cops, detectives, other employees at the District Attorney's office in White Plains, including the D.A. himself, Anderson.
As usual in this type of novel, the cops and district attorneys are bumblers, and need the assistance of private detectives (in this case Nero Wolfe and his employees) to solve the crime.
There is quite a bit of humor. One example---Archie, frustrated at one point with Nero's mysterious methods, and their apparent lack of progress in finding the right suspect, says, "It's murder by eeny-meeny-miny-mo".
I'm a lifelong New Yorker who grew up in Westchester County, so it was great fun to read about NY City and Westchester in 1933. Westchester County was "the country" then (ha! now it's full of housing developements and malls) and White Plains was so slow it bores Archie to tears. It seems the speed limits were lower on the Parkways then, too.
There are some anti-immigrant slurs (especially against Italians and South Americans), but again, one has to place these in context of the times. Archie is just a product of the times he lives in.
Michael Prichard, the audio reader, has a nice old-timey-radio voice that works for this material.
This is a fun read, but a bit on the fluffy side.
Maybe it has to do with the year the book takes place, 1933.
But let's just say that certain things that happened in the book (I won't reveal them because they are spoilers) would not have been possible today.
Maybe they were in 1933.
After all, Prohibition had just been repealed, so the atmosphere was kind of rough-and-ready.
I also found it slightly mind-blowing that the author flat out tells us who the murderer is half way through the book. I'm not sure why he did that. It took a little bit of the wind out of the sails. Not much, but a little.
Still, the cast of characters is fascinating, and the novel is full of action and humor.
The two main characters, of course, are Nero Wolfe, and Archie Goodwin, the narrator.
Wolfe is an obese alcoholic. He is moody, lazy, and self-indulgent. His cook, Fritz, and his assistant, Archie, take care of all of his needs. He refuses to diverge from his iron-clad routines (rise at 8, take care of his orchids from 4 to 6 every day, etc.) for any reason. He is so fat and lazy that he rarely leaves his house. He is arrogant. Archie describes him as being "elegant" with women, nevertheless. He is also a genius at solving crimes. He has great instincts. He lives in a brownstone on Thirty-Fifth Street in New York City.
Archie Goodwin is Wolfe's assistant, and his opposite in every respect. He is a man of action. He is tough. He is relatively uneducated. He enjoys going here and there and being out in the world. He goes out and interviews suspects and collects facts for Nero. Archie is much younger than Wolfe and he is a ladies' man. He drinks milk, and wisecracks a mile-a-minute.
Peter Barstow, a well-to-do college President, dies of an apparent heart attack on the golf course in Westchester County, where he has a country home.
Carlo Maffei, an Italian metal artisan, disappears. Maria, his sister, contacts Nero Wolfe, as she is concerned about the fate of her brother.
The colorful cast of characters includes Bartstow's family members, including his mentally unstable wife Ellen and his son and daughter; Barstow family friends, the Kimballs; Anna Fiore, the house cleaner at the Sullivan Street boarding house where Carlo Maffei lived; various freelance detectives employed by Nero Wolfe, and the usual assortment of cops, detectives, other employees at the District Attorney's office in White Plains, including the D.A. himself, Anderson.
As usual in this type of novel, the cops and district attorneys are bumblers, and need the assistance of private detectives (in this case Nero Wolfe and his employees) to solve the crime.
There is quite a bit of humor. One example---Archie, frustrated at one point with Nero's mysterious methods, and their apparent lack of progress in finding the right suspect, says, "It's murder by eeny-meeny-miny-mo".
I'm a lifelong New Yorker who grew up in Westchester County, so it was great fun to read about NY City and Westchester in 1933. Westchester County was "the country" then (ha! now it's full of housing developements and malls) and White Plains was so slow it bores Archie to tears. It seems the speed limits were lower on the Parkways then, too.
There are some anti-immigrant slurs (especially against Italians and South Americans), but again, one has to place these in context of the times. Archie is just a product of the times he lives in.
Michael Prichard, the audio reader, has a nice old-timey-radio voice that works for this material.
This is a fun read, but a bit on the fluffy side.
July 15, 2020
I'm givin' this sucka three stars, seeee?! Ya wanna make somethin' of it, tough guy?...Yeah, that's what I thought.
Actually, Fre-de-Lance by Rex Stout is more cerebral than "tough guy" as far as detective fiction goes. Oh sure, there's some strong-arm scenes and a line like "Don't try no funny stuff, ya got me pal-y?" wouldn't be out of place here. However, as many of those kinds of phrases as you find, you'll discover just as many classical allusions and erudite quote-ables. This is due to the eccentric genius Nero Wolfe, who owns and operates the detective agency. He's Sherlock-smart and never shies away from letting others know it.
However, Nero is too corpulent and immobile to be the true hero of the story. That mantle rests upon the able shoulders of regular all-around good guy Archie Goodwin, the man on the street, the guy who gets the job done. Archie narrates the story and his witty one-liners and occasional snark are a great joy to read.
One of the early ones in the detective genre, Fer-de-Lance leaves the reader guessing who killed who and why. Very solid red herrings and perplexing twists abound. This book will satiate the mystery lover.
So then, why only three stars? Well, as one of the longer books in the Wolfe series, Fer-de-Lance lumbers along at a slower pace than necessary, adding more pages than are probably needed to tell this tale. But hey, this was back when Stout was just starting out and it's common for new writers to go on too long. Plus, this being one of the early detective stories, he was busy inventing the bebop-beat and double-time swinging pace that hardboiled detective fiction would eventually be known for.
Definitely worth giving it a shot!
Actually, Fre-de-Lance by Rex Stout is more cerebral than "tough guy" as far as detective fiction goes. Oh sure, there's some strong-arm scenes and a line like "Don't try no funny stuff, ya got me pal-y?" wouldn't be out of place here. However, as many of those kinds of phrases as you find, you'll discover just as many classical allusions and erudite quote-ables. This is due to the eccentric genius Nero Wolfe, who owns and operates the detective agency. He's Sherlock-smart and never shies away from letting others know it.
However, Nero is too corpulent and immobile to be the true hero of the story. That mantle rests upon the able shoulders of regular all-around good guy Archie Goodwin, the man on the street, the guy who gets the job done. Archie narrates the story and his witty one-liners and occasional snark are a great joy to read.
One of the early ones in the detective genre, Fer-de-Lance leaves the reader guessing who killed who and why. Very solid red herrings and perplexing twists abound. This book will satiate the mystery lover.
So then, why only three stars? Well, as one of the longer books in the Wolfe series, Fer-de-Lance lumbers along at a slower pace than necessary, adding more pages than are probably needed to tell this tale. But hey, this was back when Stout was just starting out and it's common for new writers to go on too long. Plus, this being one of the early detective stories, he was busy inventing the bebop-beat and double-time swinging pace that hardboiled detective fiction would eventually be known for.
Definitely worth giving it a shot!
August 9, 2023
Fer-De-Lance introduces master detective Nero Wolfe and his right-hand man, Archie Goodwin. As author Loren Estleman, (Amos Walker series), points out in the introduction, the reader meets the two protagonists as fully developed characters and seven years into their "partnership". Wolfe - cantankerous, agoraphobic and massive - is fully entrenched in his twice daily greenhouse visits to his beloved orchids - never to be interrupted - as well as pursuing his insatiable culinary habits. Goodwin, Wolfe's legman as well as his eyes and ears out in the real world, does most of the sleuthing, while not so gently prodding his boss into action - which is thinking - for when Wolfe applies himself - he is a genius.
In this adventure Wolfe takes on the case of a missing person which quickly intersects with the seemingly unrelated death - presumably of natural causes - of a college president on a golf course. Our weighty hero adds up 2 + 2 and comes up with seven, declaring said golfing university head was murdered - This out of the blue claim subsequently proven, much to the chagrin of the local authorities. And it's then off to the proverbial investigative races as our two heroes work to follow the clues, find the murderer and collect a hefty fee.
Although Fer-De-Lance sets the pattern for the many Wolfe/Goodwin books to follow, there are a few subtle, yet fascinating differences. The author, through Wolfe's admissions and Goodwin's observations, provides the reader with a peek into the inner psyche of the master detective as he goes about his business. Also the solution and the identification of the culprit occur outside of the confines of Wolfe's office - the usual locale where Wolfe pieces together the puzzle.
Great book - Great series.
In this adventure Wolfe takes on the case of a missing person which quickly intersects with the seemingly unrelated death - presumably of natural causes - of a college president on a golf course. Our weighty hero adds up 2 + 2 and comes up with seven, declaring said golfing university head was murdered - This out of the blue claim subsequently proven, much to the chagrin of the local authorities. And it's then off to the proverbial investigative races as our two heroes work to follow the clues, find the murderer and collect a hefty fee.
Although Fer-De-Lance sets the pattern for the many Wolfe/Goodwin books to follow, there are a few subtle, yet fascinating differences. The author, through Wolfe's admissions and Goodwin's observations, provides the reader with a peek into the inner psyche of the master detective as he goes about his business. Also the solution and the identification of the culprit occur outside of the confines of Wolfe's office - the usual locale where Wolfe pieces together the puzzle.
Great book - Great series.
December 22, 2015
Generally I bump up the first book in a good series by 1 star, but I won't in this case. I'm glad I didn't start with it since it was at least 1/3 too long. The other stories I've listened to didn't seem nearly as bloated. Still, it was a good mystery & I really liked the way Stout made it feel as if it was more in the middle of the series. Archie has worked for Wolfe for 7 years & many other details added to the feel.
One downside to this was that although I downloaded it from the library as electronic files, I was continually instructed to flip the cassette & continue on the other side or go to the next one. Seriously? They couldn't spend a few minutes editing that & the duplicated lines out? That's just cheap.
One downside to this was that although I downloaded it from the library as electronic files, I was continually instructed to flip the cassette & continue on the other side or go to the next one. Seriously? They couldn't spend a few minutes editing that & the duplicated lines out? That's just cheap.
August 5, 2020
American answer to Golden Age British mysteries, Fer-de-Lance shows why I think American crime fiction is inherently better than their British counterparts. They have got a certain flamboyance and style that the English lack. Their prose and characters are usually more interesting though the Brits probably do plots better. Stout combines the tropes of golden age detective stories (genius crime solver, ridiculous methods of murder) with the hard-boiled archetypes (smart Alec narrator) that had started to redefine the crime fiction landscape while he wrote this.
Nero Wolfe is a morbidly obese, lazy, eloquent, moody genius and can drink up to six quarts of beer (1 quart = 950 ml) a day. He has bouts with depression and is a bit misanthropic who can be charming if it gets him what he wants. I am fat, lazy, eccentric, intelligent, can drink up to four quarts of beer a day, feel the blues every now and then, don't really care a lot about social niceties but can be interesting company if I feel like it. So I can be Nero Wolfe if I continue developing at my present rate. I know that if I was born in a country where writing crime fiction in English could be a viable career, I would have taken a stab at that. But this is the first book that made me feel I could have also tried my luck at playing detective. 😂
Putting self depreciating humor/ myriad frustrations at not making it either as a detective or detective fiction writer aside, Wolfe is good. He is quirky and quotable. Stout actually captures the voice of a slightly loony genius, you can't be sure if he is mocking you or deadly serious when he pronounces gems such as The destruction of money is the only authentic sacrilege left us to abhor
If Wolfe was the narrator I would recommend the series a lot more wholeheartedly. Though in Stout's defense Wolfe would not be as entertaining if he had to be carry the whole book. But the narration and legwork is being done by his man Friday Archie Goodwin. Goodwin is more working class, less suave and unfortunately a bit corny when read hundred years later after he was created. He is the regurgitation of every hard boiled cliche - bad ass, fast talking womanizer, and the rest. Stout makes the two voices feel completely distinct but Goodwin drags. I developed a tendency to rush through his parts, ominous signs when I just started the series.
The mystery is mediocre. A metal worker is missing and it is soon evident that he made a murderous contraption used to kill a seemingly universally loved educator. The murderer is revealed too soon with too little effort expended. The title spoils too much and the book is way too long. 1/3 rd of the book can probably be dropped, it would have worked better as a novella. I loved Wolfe so I might be back however the overall result is pretty mixed so it won't be a priority. Rating - 3/5
More Wolfe Quotes:Remember that those of us who are both civilized and prudent commit our murders only under the complicated rules which permit us to avoid personal responsibility.
The advantage of being a pessimist; a pessimist gets nothing but pleasant surprises, an optimist nothing but unpleasant
Nero Wolfe is a morbidly obese, lazy, eloquent, moody genius and can drink up to six quarts of beer (1 quart = 950 ml) a day. He has bouts with depression and is a bit misanthropic who can be charming if it gets him what he wants. I am fat, lazy, eccentric, intelligent, can drink up to four quarts of beer a day, feel the blues every now and then, don't really care a lot about social niceties but can be interesting company if I feel like it. So I can be Nero Wolfe if I continue developing at my present rate. I know that if I was born in a country where writing crime fiction in English could be a viable career, I would have taken a stab at that. But this is the first book that made me feel I could have also tried my luck at playing detective. 😂
Putting self depreciating humor/ myriad frustrations at not making it either as a detective or detective fiction writer aside, Wolfe is good. He is quirky and quotable. Stout actually captures the voice of a slightly loony genius, you can't be sure if he is mocking you or deadly serious when he pronounces gems such as The destruction of money is the only authentic sacrilege left us to abhor
If Wolfe was the narrator I would recommend the series a lot more wholeheartedly. Though in Stout's defense Wolfe would not be as entertaining if he had to be carry the whole book. But the narration and legwork is being done by his man Friday Archie Goodwin. Goodwin is more working class, less suave and unfortunately a bit corny when read hundred years later after he was created. He is the regurgitation of every hard boiled cliche - bad ass, fast talking womanizer, and the rest. Stout makes the two voices feel completely distinct but Goodwin drags. I developed a tendency to rush through his parts, ominous signs when I just started the series.
The mystery is mediocre. A metal worker is missing and it is soon evident that he made a murderous contraption used to kill a seemingly universally loved educator. The murderer is revealed too soon with too little effort expended. The title spoils too much and the book is way too long. 1/3 rd of the book can probably be dropped, it would have worked better as a novella. I loved Wolfe so I might be back however the overall result is pretty mixed so it won't be a priority. Rating - 3/5
More Wolfe Quotes:Remember that those of us who are both civilized and prudent commit our murders only under the complicated rules which permit us to avoid personal responsibility.
The advantage of being a pessimist; a pessimist gets nothing but pleasant surprises, an optimist nothing but unpleasant
January 6, 2023
There’s nothing quite like an old-time detective novel. I had first heard about Rex Stout from a user’s comment in a subreddit on Reddit. The commentators’ praise for Rex Stout seemed to garner only approval & praise from every other user in the comment section so, I thought, what could it hurt; a 1934 detective procedural that lead the genre to hold the reputation it does today, seemed like something that would be worth a shot.
In this first instalment of Stout’s vast array of books within this series, the reader is introduced to two polar-opposing characters: Nero Wolfe & Archie Goodwin. Our two protagonists race around New York State with the intention of solving a crime of which Wolfe’s distinguished abilities have rendered him as being the desired investigator.
I know that this genre of book & the time in which they were written will not be everyone’s cup of tea. I admit that the sheer number of times our beloved Archie is written as taking large gulps of his never-ending supply of milk did make my stomach feel somewhat unsettled. However, if you can look past the dated dialogue, unearthly reliance on dairy, & the long drives every which way around the State; you’ll be able to enjoy a story that is truly written in good fun.
If I had to pinpoint what it was about this book that I enjoyed so much I would admit to having trouble stating just one thing. Nero Wolfe & Archie Goodwin work so well together as characters, I didn’t have any trouble immersing myself in the story.
The plot itself wasn’t one that lead me to seek to discover the murderer—it’s pretty straightforward. Once Archie had set his sights on who it might be, things pretty well fell into place after that. Nevertheless, the entire story was enjoyable to the point that I didn’t encounter my usual drawl when nearing the end of a book. It felt as though I had been able to sufficiently suspend my disbelief, walk into the world that these characters inhabited & follow them on their tasks without needing a great deal of information.
I admit that being in the proper mindset for such a book is necessary. This is not a story that is filled with car chases & incredible mystique; it’s a straightforward crime novel. If you are ready to read 286 pages of that, then I highly suggest you give this book a shot.
I appreciated the bits of humour scattered throughout the story & felt that irrespective of the fact that the material wasn’t written with a huge level of terror & dread, I was able to appreciate it for everything it was worth.
In this first instalment of Stout’s vast array of books within this series, the reader is introduced to two polar-opposing characters: Nero Wolfe & Archie Goodwin. Our two protagonists race around New York State with the intention of solving a crime of which Wolfe’s distinguished abilities have rendered him as being the desired investigator.
I know that this genre of book & the time in which they were written will not be everyone’s cup of tea. I admit that the sheer number of times our beloved Archie is written as taking large gulps of his never-ending supply of milk did make my stomach feel somewhat unsettled. However, if you can look past the dated dialogue, unearthly reliance on dairy, & the long drives every which way around the State; you’ll be able to enjoy a story that is truly written in good fun.
If I had to pinpoint what it was about this book that I enjoyed so much I would admit to having trouble stating just one thing. Nero Wolfe & Archie Goodwin work so well together as characters, I didn’t have any trouble immersing myself in the story.
The plot itself wasn’t one that lead me to seek to discover the murderer—it’s pretty straightforward. Once Archie had set his sights on who it might be, things pretty well fell into place after that. Nevertheless, the entire story was enjoyable to the point that I didn’t encounter my usual drawl when nearing the end of a book. It felt as though I had been able to sufficiently suspend my disbelief, walk into the world that these characters inhabited & follow them on their tasks without needing a great deal of information.
I admit that being in the proper mindset for such a book is necessary. This is not a story that is filled with car chases & incredible mystique; it’s a straightforward crime novel. If you are ready to read 286 pages of that, then I highly suggest you give this book a shot.
I appreciated the bits of humour scattered throughout the story & felt that irrespective of the fact that the material wasn’t written with a huge level of terror & dread, I was able to appreciate it for everything it was worth.
July 2, 2016
The book that started the Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin series. Probably 4.5 stars primarily because some of series regulars don't appear in this one. No Inspector Cramer, no Lily Rowan. The banter between Nero and Archie hasn't reached the full vintage it would in later books. Still all in all, a must read for lovers of classic mystery novels. Before there was TV's Monk with his bag of phobias and eccentric behavior there was Nero Wolfe.
July 2, 2016
3.5 Stars
This is the first novel in the Nero Wolfe series and was originally published in 1934. For those who are not familiar with the series a brief introduction... Nero Wolfe is an eccentric genius who lives in a brownstone on 35th Street in New York. He rarely leaves his home where he eats gourmet meals prepared by his personal chef and tends his orchids. Archie Goodwin is Wolfe's assistant and legman. Where Wolfe is urbane and cultured Goodwin is witty and more the hard boiled detective you expect from this era. It is the relationship between Wolfe and Goodwin that is part of the appeal of the series. Archie is the narrator in all the stories.
In this debut novel the plot involves the murders of an Italian immigrant and a college professor. The murders appear to have been committed by the same person. This story is not really a "whodunnit". Early in the story Wolfe and Goodwin are confident they know who is responsible. The story is more of how is Wolfe going to prove it? This is 1934 and times are tough and the only way Wolfe is going to earn his fee is to prove the identity of the murderer. This will not be easy because the murderer, while not a genius, is very intelligent and a careful planner. It is a battle of wits. In some ways this story reminded me of the old "Columbo" TV movies starring Peter Falk where they showed you who did it. It is just a matter of setting the trap and getting the murderer to trip it.
Having read most of the books in the series, if not all, I am probably rereading this with some bias. There are some minor changes in later books. Changes is probably not accurate. The characters develop as the series grows. There is no Inspector Cramer. Purley Stebbins is mentioned but it is probably only a sentence or two. But there is that relationship between Wolfe and Goodwin. This is not Holmes and Watson or Poirot and Hastings. And then there are Wolfe's eccentricities to add some comic relief. I was first introduced to Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin when I was a teenager. I won't say how long ago that was but I still enjoy going back and reading these stories from time to time. They never get old.
This is the first novel in the Nero Wolfe series and was originally published in 1934. For those who are not familiar with the series a brief introduction... Nero Wolfe is an eccentric genius who lives in a brownstone on 35th Street in New York. He rarely leaves his home where he eats gourmet meals prepared by his personal chef and tends his orchids. Archie Goodwin is Wolfe's assistant and legman. Where Wolfe is urbane and cultured Goodwin is witty and more the hard boiled detective you expect from this era. It is the relationship between Wolfe and Goodwin that is part of the appeal of the series. Archie is the narrator in all the stories.
In this debut novel the plot involves the murders of an Italian immigrant and a college professor. The murders appear to have been committed by the same person. This story is not really a "whodunnit". Early in the story Wolfe and Goodwin are confident they know who is responsible. The story is more of how is Wolfe going to prove it? This is 1934 and times are tough and the only way Wolfe is going to earn his fee is to prove the identity of the murderer. This will not be easy because the murderer, while not a genius, is very intelligent and a careful planner. It is a battle of wits. In some ways this story reminded me of the old "Columbo" TV movies starring Peter Falk where they showed you who did it. It is just a matter of setting the trap and getting the murderer to trip it.
Having read most of the books in the series, if not all, I am probably rereading this with some bias. There are some minor changes in later books. Changes is probably not accurate. The characters develop as the series grows. There is no Inspector Cramer. Purley Stebbins is mentioned but it is probably only a sentence or two. But there is that relationship between Wolfe and Goodwin. This is not Holmes and Watson or Poirot and Hastings. And then there are Wolfe's eccentricities to add some comic relief. I was first introduced to Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin when I was a teenager. I won't say how long ago that was but I still enjoy going back and reading these stories from time to time. They never get old.
October 1, 2023
In 1934 when Stout published his first Nero Wolfe/ Archie Goodwin novel, he likely did not anticipate that he would continue writing this series for another forty years until the mid-1970’s with some 47 books in total. Fee-de-Lance is the first of the lot and it offers Wolfe as a cloistered rotund genius who lives in a giant brownstone in New York and, in fact, never leaves it. His sidekick, his Watson to his Sherlock or his Robin to his Batman, Archie does all the legwork, cajoling the poor witnesses to tramp over to the Brownstone where Wolfe relentlessly badgers them in his search for the truth. Archie is also the narrator of the story which we readers see through his eyes. Although he has a mind of his own, he is destined to always play second fiddle to the Great and Powerful Wolfe of the Brownstone.
An acquaintance brings a friend whose brother has disappeared from his rooming house. Based on little in the way of clues, Wolfe zeroes in on a maid who overheard one side of a phone call. Missing pieces of a newspaper then lead Wolfe to a college president who seemingly had a heart attack on a golf course. You don’t play chess with people like Wolfe let alone poker and only Wolfe can sort through the nonsense and determine there’s been two murders and that they are connected.
There is little in the way of action and no romance. Nevertheless, it is a fascinating, though at times plodding, journey through Wolfe’s powers of deduction.
An acquaintance brings a friend whose brother has disappeared from his rooming house. Based on little in the way of clues, Wolfe zeroes in on a maid who overheard one side of a phone call. Missing pieces of a newspaper then lead Wolfe to a college president who seemingly had a heart attack on a golf course. You don’t play chess with people like Wolfe let alone poker and only Wolfe can sort through the nonsense and determine there’s been two murders and that they are connected.
There is little in the way of action and no romance. Nevertheless, it is a fascinating, though at times plodding, journey through Wolfe’s powers of deduction.
July 12, 2019
This is the book that started Nero Wolfe on his career. See my comments on "Full House" for review.
_______________________
I decided to take a break and do a re-read of the first book of the Nero Wolfe corpus....the book that started my obsession with that character. It may not be the best of the 40+ books, of which I have read all but four, but it is the beginning sketch of the Wolfe and Archie relationship, one of fiction's greatest duos. It also shows how the household on W35th Street changed over the years with Archie becoming a little more polished and Wolfe mellowing just a bit. What fun!
_______________________
I decided to take a break and do a re-read of the first book of the Nero Wolfe corpus....the book that started my obsession with that character. It may not be the best of the 40+ books, of which I have read all but four, but it is the beginning sketch of the Wolfe and Archie relationship, one of fiction's greatest duos. It also shows how the household on W35th Street changed over the years with Archie becoming a little more polished and Wolfe mellowing just a bit. What fun!
August 1, 2015
Having been a lover of mysteries most of my life, there are some characters that crop up again and again. Nero Wolfe is one of them and yet, for some reason, I had never tried any books featuring this classic fictional investigator and decided to give the series a try. “Fer-De-Lance,” is the first book in the series; although the characters seem quite settled, even at this stage, and there are references to past events which means that you feel you are already in a settled series.
Published in 1934, America is in the grip of a depression and Nero Wolfe is obviously keen to make money. He needs it, as the corpulent investigator has an extremely expensive lifestyle. Not only does he live in a large brownstone – complete with lift – but he has a cook, a full time assistant in sidekick Archie Goodwin (the narrator of the story) and a full time gardener to care for his beloved orchids. Wolfe is very much like the spider in the centre of a web – he makes deductions, sends Archie – and sometimes a group of other men he uses – to complete his legwork and is generally seen by all as a maverick genius.
The actual crime investigated in this first novel involves the missing brother of Maria Maffei; a housekeeper on Park Avenue. Carlo had lost his job and was living off his sister, before suddenly declaring that he had enough money and could return all he borrowed, before disappearing. What seems a simple missing person case turns into a complicated and involved murder investigation involving the sudden death, on a golf course, of a revered and respected Professor. The plot is involved, complicated and involves a great deal of investigation by Archie – including him having to continually bring witnesses to Wolfe’s lair for interviews and interrogation.
This was a good start to a series which seems to be more about characters than the actual plot. If you like the interplay between Wolfe and Archie Goodwin, then you will certainly enjoy this. The actual crime itself was a little long winded and overly complicated at times, but I certainly enjoyed the characters and would be happy to re-visit Nero Wolfe again and will continue reading the series.
Rated 3.5
Published in 1934, America is in the grip of a depression and Nero Wolfe is obviously keen to make money. He needs it, as the corpulent investigator has an extremely expensive lifestyle. Not only does he live in a large brownstone – complete with lift – but he has a cook, a full time assistant in sidekick Archie Goodwin (the narrator of the story) and a full time gardener to care for his beloved orchids. Wolfe is very much like the spider in the centre of a web – he makes deductions, sends Archie – and sometimes a group of other men he uses – to complete his legwork and is generally seen by all as a maverick genius.
The actual crime investigated in this first novel involves the missing brother of Maria Maffei; a housekeeper on Park Avenue. Carlo had lost his job and was living off his sister, before suddenly declaring that he had enough money and could return all he borrowed, before disappearing. What seems a simple missing person case turns into a complicated and involved murder investigation involving the sudden death, on a golf course, of a revered and respected Professor. The plot is involved, complicated and involves a great deal of investigation by Archie – including him having to continually bring witnesses to Wolfe’s lair for interviews and interrogation.
This was a good start to a series which seems to be more about characters than the actual plot. If you like the interplay between Wolfe and Archie Goodwin, then you will certainly enjoy this. The actual crime itself was a little long winded and overly complicated at times, but I certainly enjoyed the characters and would be happy to re-visit Nero Wolfe again and will continue reading the series.
Rated 3.5
February 6, 2024
The Wolfe Begins
Review of the Crimeline Kindle eBook edition (February 2018) of the Farrar & Rinehart, Inc. hardcover original (October 24, 1934)
I never really took to the un-moveable detective character of Nero Wolfe, who stays in his New York brownstone and has his assistant Archie Goodwin do all the legwork on his investigations. In my transfer of my pre-GR database into GR back in 2010, I see that I had only read a few of those novels by Rex Stout. Having recent read the very early Rex Stout serialization Her Forbidden Knight (1913) I was curious to take a look at the first Nero Wolfe novel as well.
Nero Wolfe and his assistant Archie Goodwin prepare to fight off the venomous snake of the title in an illustration by Fred Ludekens for an abridgement which appeared in the November 1934 issue of The American Magazine. Image sourced from Wikipedia.
The case is a bit of a bait and switch as it turns out that one of the murder victims was actually an accidental casualty. The true intended victim and the culprit become apparent early on, so it is only a case of attempting to find proof. The venom of the title snake is the murder method and at one point the villain makes a murder attempt on Wolfe himself by sending the reptile in a parcel.
The cover of the first edition hardcover published by Farrar & Rinehart, Inc. in 1934. Image sourced from Goodreads.
Wolfe makes a lot of pronouncements and Goodwin does a considerable amount of running around in his roadster to assemble witnesses and testimonies. The team has already been in place for several years at this point, and occasional references are made to earlier cases, so this is not an origin story. Everything is set in place for the series with Wolfe often seeming more concerned with his meals and drink and his orchids than the actual investigation. Despite the quirkiness. it does not make for a very endearing character.
On the Berengaria Ease of Solving Scale® I would rate this as a 1 out of 10, i.e. "an easy solve", as the culprit is identified very early due to the limited field of suspects.
Trivia and Links
Fer-De-Lance was adapted as the film Meet Nero Wolfe (1936) directed by Herbert J. Biberman and starring Edward Arnold as Nero Wolfe. You can see the entire film on YouTube here. The film includes an early appearance by Rita Hayworth (then Rita Cansino) (1918-1987) in the role of Maria (see at 9'14" onwards). The film makes several changes from the source material.
Review of the Crimeline Kindle eBook edition (February 2018) of the Farrar & Rinehart, Inc. hardcover original (October 24, 1934)
It is always wiser, where there is a choice, to trust to inertia. It is the greatest force in the world.
I never really took to the un-moveable detective character of Nero Wolfe, who stays in his New York brownstone and has his assistant Archie Goodwin do all the legwork on his investigations. In my transfer of my pre-GR database into GR back in 2010, I see that I had only read a few of those novels by Rex Stout. Having recent read the very early Rex Stout serialization Her Forbidden Knight (1913) I was curious to take a look at the first Nero Wolfe novel as well.
Nero Wolfe and his assistant Archie Goodwin prepare to fight off the venomous snake of the title in an illustration by Fred Ludekens for an abridgement which appeared in the November 1934 issue of The American Magazine. Image sourced from Wikipedia.
The case is a bit of a bait and switch as it turns out that one of the murder victims was actually an accidental casualty. The true intended victim and the culprit become apparent early on, so it is only a case of attempting to find proof. The venom of the title snake is the murder method and at one point the villain makes a murder attempt on Wolfe himself by sending the reptile in a parcel.
The cover of the first edition hardcover published by Farrar & Rinehart, Inc. in 1934. Image sourced from Goodreads.
Wolfe makes a lot of pronouncements and Goodwin does a considerable amount of running around in his roadster to assemble witnesses and testimonies. The team has already been in place for several years at this point, and occasional references are made to earlier cases, so this is not an origin story. Everything is set in place for the series with Wolfe often seeming more concerned with his meals and drink and his orchids than the actual investigation. Despite the quirkiness. it does not make for a very endearing character.
On the Berengaria Ease of Solving Scale® I would rate this as a 1 out of 10, i.e. "an easy solve", as the culprit is identified very early due to the limited field of suspects.
Trivia and Links
Fer-De-Lance was adapted as the film Meet Nero Wolfe (1936) directed by Herbert J. Biberman and starring Edward Arnold as Nero Wolfe. You can see the entire film on YouTube here. The film includes an early appearance by Rita Hayworth (then Rita Cansino) (1918-1987) in the role of Maria (see at 9'14" onwards). The film makes several changes from the source material.
June 25, 2011
I bought this book several years ago when I was trying to expand my mystery novel reading beyond Agatha Christie. I remember reading the first few pages before becoming bored and tossing it aside in favor of a more contemporary work. I picked it up about a week ago, expecting a quick, fun read, but was sorely disappointed.
I found myself disliking nearly every character in the book, including the corpulent, agoraphobic Nero Wolfe and his closest employee, the wise-cracking, milk-drinking Archie Goodwin. Rex Stout attempted to give a backstory to both of the characters, seeing as how this was this first book in a series of 73 novels(!), but it was woefully inadequate.
The plot jumped around way too much for me to follow it well, and I consider myself a sharp, observant reader. Characters popped in and out of the book, and events happened either too quickly or off the page for me to comprehend. The titular snake, the fer-de-lance, doesn't make an appearance until the last 100 pages of the book, and is disposed of entirely too quickly and anti-climactically.
The thing I disliked most about the novel, however, was the blatant racism and sexism rampant throughout. I know this book and its characters were products of their time, but Archie and his compatriots spouted so much hateful talk it was hard to believe it didn't signify something deeper.
Also, I was disturbed throughout by Wolfe's blase attitude toward justice; he seems to prefer tending his massive orchid collection, eating gourmet food, and guzzling gallons of beer. He won't rouse himself to go out of the house, or to even rise in courtesy. He doesn't seem to care about finding the culprit, he only does so to satisfy his ego and acquire money. When compared with other sleuths' motives like Holmes' zeal for the "game" or Poirot's compassion and adherence to justice, Wolfe's fall sadly short.
In the end, reading this book became a chore, and I had to push myself to finish. It's safe to say I won't be continuing to read the adventures of Goodwin and Wolfe.
I found myself disliking nearly every character in the book, including the corpulent, agoraphobic Nero Wolfe and his closest employee, the wise-cracking, milk-drinking Archie Goodwin. Rex Stout attempted to give a backstory to both of the characters, seeing as how this was this first book in a series of 73 novels(!), but it was woefully inadequate.
The plot jumped around way too much for me to follow it well, and I consider myself a sharp, observant reader. Characters popped in and out of the book, and events happened either too quickly or off the page for me to comprehend. The titular snake, the fer-de-lance, doesn't make an appearance until the last 100 pages of the book, and is disposed of entirely too quickly and anti-climactically.
The thing I disliked most about the novel, however, was the blatant racism and sexism rampant throughout. I know this book and its characters were products of their time, but Archie and his compatriots spouted so much hateful talk it was hard to believe it didn't signify something deeper.
Also, I was disturbed throughout by Wolfe's blase attitude toward justice; he seems to prefer tending his massive orchid collection, eating gourmet food, and guzzling gallons of beer. He won't rouse himself to go out of the house, or to even rise in courtesy. He doesn't seem to care about finding the culprit, he only does so to satisfy his ego and acquire money. When compared with other sleuths' motives like Holmes' zeal for the "game" or Poirot's compassion and adherence to justice, Wolfe's fall sadly short.
In the end, reading this book became a chore, and I had to push myself to finish. It's safe to say I won't be continuing to read the adventures of Goodwin and Wolfe.
December 28, 2020
"... And the purpose of the inset? Since everything in life must have a purpose except the culture of Orchidaceae."
If Fer-de-Lance weren't a first book, I probably would have rated it three stars. But you know how that first-book magic works. You get to know the characters, you learn to love them--and surplus stars happen.
Nero Wolfe became one of my favourite fictional sleuths a mere couple of minutes after his introduction. He is a sui generis aesthete, a lover of beauty for beauty's sake (especially if beauty comes in the form of his much-cherished and admittedly pampered orchids) and a seeker of truth by vocation. He is a mercenary self-proclaimed artist who practices his art primarily in the service of his bank account, but not out of greed: merely to make sure that he can support his floricultural hobby and keep affording his own personal Swiss chef. Not only is he probably the most eccentric detective I've met to date (and I love that), I also sympathize with his reluctance to leave his comfortable house. Thus, he has his formidable sidekick, Archie Goodwin, do all his legwork and various errands for him.
Fer-de-Lance has its slow moments (I recall reading somewhere that it's the longest of the Wolfe books; I don't know whether that's true, but if it is, it definitely bodes well), and I think that the fact that method and murderer are revealed quite early detracts somewhat from the novel's ability to effectively engage the reader's attention, and for these reasons I'd say that, in itself, the plot would deserve three, maybe three and a half stars. Although we have no actual denouement (the typical final scene in which the investigator gathers all the suspects together and dramatically reveals the culprit), the last chapter of the book is no less of a kick in the chest, and it reveals a great deal about Wolfe's sense of ethics, and I thought this was an excellent device.
All in all, Fer-de-Lance was more than good enough to persuade me that, with time and patience and profound enjoyment, I will eventually work my way through the whole Wolfe corpus.
If Fer-de-Lance weren't a first book, I probably would have rated it three stars. But you know how that first-book magic works. You get to know the characters, you learn to love them--and surplus stars happen.
Nero Wolfe became one of my favourite fictional sleuths a mere couple of minutes after his introduction. He is a sui generis aesthete, a lover of beauty for beauty's sake (especially if beauty comes in the form of his much-cherished and admittedly pampered orchids) and a seeker of truth by vocation. He is a mercenary self-proclaimed artist who practices his art primarily in the service of his bank account, but not out of greed: merely to make sure that he can support his floricultural hobby and keep affording his own personal Swiss chef. Not only is he probably the most eccentric detective I've met to date (and I love that), I also sympathize with his reluctance to leave his comfortable house. Thus, he has his formidable sidekick, Archie Goodwin, do all his legwork and various errands for him.
Fer-de-Lance has its slow moments (I recall reading somewhere that it's the longest of the Wolfe books; I don't know whether that's true, but if it is, it definitely bodes well), and I think that the fact that method and murderer are revealed quite early detracts somewhat from the novel's ability to effectively engage the reader's attention, and for these reasons I'd say that, in itself, the plot would deserve three, maybe three and a half stars. Although we have no actual denouement (the typical final scene in which the investigator gathers all the suspects together and dramatically reveals the culprit), the last chapter of the book is no less of a kick in the chest, and it reveals a great deal about Wolfe's sense of ethics, and I thought this was an excellent device.
All in all, Fer-de-Lance was more than good enough to persuade me that, with time and patience and profound enjoyment, I will eventually work my way through the whole Wolfe corpus.
December 16, 2020
I like to think I'm relatively familiar with most popular detective fiction but somehow I never heard of Nero Wolfe before stumbling on the name in The Wolfe Widow. This feels particularly astonishing considering the series boasts no less than 47 titles.
But for better or worse, I've finally come face to face with this overweight, alcoholic, pseudo-Sherlock Holmes.
I enjoyed the book more than I expected. Not enough to run out and find the sequel--but enough that I can understand why he is considered a classic in detective fiction. A quick skim of reviews shows that other books get better with plotting. Personally, I found Fer-de-Lance somewhat predictable and the ending lackluster. But a few features shine through for future possibility, so perhaps I will keep my eye out for more.
But for better or worse, I've finally come face to face with this overweight, alcoholic, pseudo-Sherlock Holmes.
I enjoyed the book more than I expected. Not enough to run out and find the sequel--but enough that I can understand why he is considered a classic in detective fiction. A quick skim of reviews shows that other books get better with plotting. Personally, I found Fer-de-Lance somewhat predictable and the ending lackluster. But a few features shine through for future possibility, so perhaps I will keep my eye out for more.
February 2, 2022
Continuing my survey of great detective and mystery fiction series, I turn now to Nero Wolfe and his intrepid associate, Archie Goodwin. This is the very first novel in the series, originally published in 1934, a series which is often described as America’s answer to Sherlock Holmes. Even though this is the first book in the series, it reads like one somewhere in the middle, with several references to past cases and adventures. I understand they are all like that, and that it doesn’t really matter in which order they are read, although there are some characters who are introduced later and become regulars.
The case here involves the murders of an Italian immigrant and a college professor. It appears that they may well have been committed by the same person. I enjoyed the story, especially the relationship between Wolfe and Archie. This is not Sherlock and Watson or any other similar duo but rather unique in my experience. Their banter is often amusing even when one is castigating the other. Archie tells the story from his first-person perspective and really can almost be considered the primary protagonist. Wolfe is the eccentric genius who remains forever in their brownstone and demands witnesses, police, private investigators, etc. visit him there. The mystery itself was fairly straightforward with Wolfe and Archie gaining a primary suspect fairly early. However, the focus was more on finding the proof and this process was very interesting.
I look forward to sampling more from this series from time to time.
The case here involves the murders of an Italian immigrant and a college professor. It appears that they may well have been committed by the same person. I enjoyed the story, especially the relationship between Wolfe and Archie. This is not Sherlock and Watson or any other similar duo but rather unique in my experience. Their banter is often amusing even when one is castigating the other. Archie tells the story from his first-person perspective and really can almost be considered the primary protagonist. Wolfe is the eccentric genius who remains forever in their brownstone and demands witnesses, police, private investigators, etc. visit him there. The mystery itself was fairly straightforward with Wolfe and Archie gaining a primary suspect fairly early. However, the focus was more on finding the proof and this process was very interesting.
I look forward to sampling more from this series from time to time.
March 19, 2009
I am not a fan of mysteries or detective novels. Garrison Keilor admires Rex Stout, so I thought I'd give one a try. "Fer-de-Lance" is the first in a series of about 50 novels and novellas, and I am now into my tenth book.
These novels are not so plot-driven as your typical who-dunnit, although that obviously is part of the appeal. I enjoy them enormously because of the quirky characters, sarcastic humor, and clever word-play.
There are two heroes: Nero Wolfe is a morbidly obese genius who never leaves his house, spends his days tending orchids and solving murders from pieces of evidence brought to him by his minions. Wolfe ocassionally goes into manic states where he drops all detective work, and spends weeks in the kitchen with his chef designing exotic gourmet dishes.
Wolfe's sidekick and chief man-of-action is Archie Leach, a wise-cracking and resourceful guy who compliments his intellectual boss. He's kind of a ladies' man, but I say "kind of" because he does more admiring and flirting than actual endulging.
The comedy often revolves around the love-hate relationship between Archie and Nero Wolfe.
I'd recommend these books to anyone who thinks they wouldn't like a detective novel. They are breezy rather than dark, and it is fun to engross yourself in New York City of the 1930's.
These novels are not so plot-driven as your typical who-dunnit, although that obviously is part of the appeal. I enjoy them enormously because of the quirky characters, sarcastic humor, and clever word-play.
There are two heroes: Nero Wolfe is a morbidly obese genius who never leaves his house, spends his days tending orchids and solving murders from pieces of evidence brought to him by his minions. Wolfe ocassionally goes into manic states where he drops all detective work, and spends weeks in the kitchen with his chef designing exotic gourmet dishes.
Wolfe's sidekick and chief man-of-action is Archie Leach, a wise-cracking and resourceful guy who compliments his intellectual boss. He's kind of a ladies' man, but I say "kind of" because he does more admiring and flirting than actual endulging.
The comedy often revolves around the love-hate relationship between Archie and Nero Wolfe.
I'd recommend these books to anyone who thinks they wouldn't like a detective novel. They are breezy rather than dark, and it is fun to engross yourself in New York City of the 1930's.
May 4, 2010
First Sentence: There was no reason why I shouldn’t have been sent for the beer that day, for the last ends of the Fairmont National Bank case had been gathered in the week before and there was nothing for me to do but errands, and Wolfe never hesitated about running me down to Murray Street for a can of shoe-polish if he happened to need one.
Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin’s first published case becomes one of two parts; a young woman hires Wolfe to find her missing brother, and a college president has been murdered on the golf course. The link: a golf club.
The fun of reading Nero Wolfe is not the plot, although this one did have a good twist to it, but for the characters. On one hand, you have Wolfe, the corpulent, beer drinking, gourmand who has orchids cultivated in his attic conservatory. He is well-read, well-spoken, often difficult to deal with yet a brilliant deductive and intuitive thinker.
On the other hand is Archie, orphaned as a child, lives in Wolfe’s brownstone, uses common English, and drinks milk. The two characters are complete opposites but one immediately senses the underlying respect and affection which goes beyond a working relationship.
It is the dialogue, as well as the relationship of these two characters, that make the book, and series, work. An interesting aspect to this book is that we meet the characters seven years in, so references to previous cases abound. In most cases, this would annoy me as there would be that sense of something missing.
Stout, however, is so adept in his writing and his characters are so well developed, the previous case references simply become historical notations. Stout was writing in present time, now history to us. Because of that, we are presented a living sense of time, place, social mores and behavior. There were certain expressions, common at the time. They are objectionable to us today and serve as a reminder of our advancement from the past. One element with which I did have a problem, was some of Archie’s slang. There were times I had to re-read sentences or paragraphs to understand what he was saying.
It was fun to go back and re-visit Nero and Archie, but not so much as to make me want to reread all the books. However, if you’ve never read Rex Stout, I do recommend picking up at least a few of his books.
FER-DE-LANCE (Pri Inv-Nero Wolf/Archie Goodwin-New York City-Golden Age/1934) – Good
Stout, Rex – 1st in series
Bantam Books, ©1934, US Paperback – ISBN: 0553278193
Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin’s first published case becomes one of two parts; a young woman hires Wolfe to find her missing brother, and a college president has been murdered on the golf course. The link: a golf club.
The fun of reading Nero Wolfe is not the plot, although this one did have a good twist to it, but for the characters. On one hand, you have Wolfe, the corpulent, beer drinking, gourmand who has orchids cultivated in his attic conservatory. He is well-read, well-spoken, often difficult to deal with yet a brilliant deductive and intuitive thinker.
On the other hand is Archie, orphaned as a child, lives in Wolfe’s brownstone, uses common English, and drinks milk. The two characters are complete opposites but one immediately senses the underlying respect and affection which goes beyond a working relationship.
It is the dialogue, as well as the relationship of these two characters, that make the book, and series, work. An interesting aspect to this book is that we meet the characters seven years in, so references to previous cases abound. In most cases, this would annoy me as there would be that sense of something missing.
Stout, however, is so adept in his writing and his characters are so well developed, the previous case references simply become historical notations. Stout was writing in present time, now history to us. Because of that, we are presented a living sense of time, place, social mores and behavior. There were certain expressions, common at the time. They are objectionable to us today and serve as a reminder of our advancement from the past. One element with which I did have a problem, was some of Archie’s slang. There were times I had to re-read sentences or paragraphs to understand what he was saying.
It was fun to go back and re-visit Nero and Archie, but not so much as to make me want to reread all the books. However, if you’ve never read Rex Stout, I do recommend picking up at least a few of his books.
FER-DE-LANCE (Pri Inv-Nero Wolf/Archie Goodwin-New York City-Golden Age/1934) – Good
Stout, Rex – 1st in series
Bantam Books, ©1934, US Paperback – ISBN: 0553278193
February 7, 2017
This was my first reading of a Nero Wolfe novel, and I enjoyed it quite a bit, though the characters are not really ones I would seek out. I was impressed with the author’s pithy language: one of the things I hold against noir is its relentless fealty to cliché, and Stout’s writing feels like noir but uses a lot of surprising but apt imagery.
For those unfamiliar with the Nero Wolfe detective series, Wolfe is a morbidly obese New York City recluse with a passion for beer, orchids, and mysteries. He sits at home and ratiocinates while his assistant—Archie, a scampish young man who is kind of an urban Tom Sawyer—does his legwork. Archie is not stupid either, though not as clever or as attentive to detail as Wolfe. There are dames, both high-society and low-, and swells (though not so crudely labeled), and twisty drama leavened by wit. Fer-de-Lance is the first novel in the series, published in 1934.
For those unfamiliar with the Nero Wolfe detective series, Wolfe is a morbidly obese New York City recluse with a passion for beer, orchids, and mysteries. He sits at home and ratiocinates while his assistant—Archie, a scampish young man who is kind of an urban Tom Sawyer—does his legwork. Archie is not stupid either, though not as clever or as attentive to detail as Wolfe. There are dames, both high-society and low-, and swells (though not so crudely labeled), and twisty drama leavened by wit. Fer-de-Lance is the first novel in the series, published in 1934.
January 17, 2016
Wolfe was more talkative than I remember from the other books! But the main thing I noticed was that this first book in the series reads as if it is from the middle of the series, in the sense that Wolfe & all his cohorts are presented as having been together for a while and this is just one more case. I guess I was expecting something like A Study in Scarlet, explaining how the "gang" got together. Glad I read/listened to it but it isn't as good as some of the other books in the series...
This audiobook is a reissue of the old Books on Tape audio cassette recording. I am disappointed in Penguin/Random House in releasing this digital edition without editing out the "this is the end of side one, turn the tape over to listen to side two" bits!
This audiobook is a reissue of the old Books on Tape audio cassette recording. I am disappointed in Penguin/Random House in releasing this digital edition without editing out the "this is the end of side one, turn the tape over to listen to side two" bits!
January 1, 2017
Just adding a note in January 2017 to the start of my review from 2015 to say I clearly liked this book more than I thought I did at the time, as I've gone on to read several more Rex Stout books since and now want to read them all! I also now love his writing style. The rest of this is my original review:
I'd heard good things about Rex Stout, but must admit I was rather disappointed with this book, the first in his classic series about overweight detective Nero Wolfe and his sidekick Archie Goodwin. My rating is really 2 1/2 stars, if anyone cares!
The 1930s New York setting immediately grabbed me, but quite a lot of the book is set within the house where Wolfe spends all his time, eating gargantuan meals and admiring his collection of orchids. I'll admit I found some of these sections rather boring and in general found it hard to warm to Wolfe and his roundabout style of conversation. For me the book comes alive when Archie goes out of the house and into the streets and speakeasies.
Archie's cynical first-person narrative contains some great one-liners, but overall the writing style is rather stodgy compared to Hammett or Chandler and sometimes gets a bit repetitive.
I've been told by Wolfe fans that this is one of the lesser books, so I may try another - but I do have some problems with this one which involve spoilers, detailed below.
I'd heard good things about Rex Stout, but must admit I was rather disappointed with this book, the first in his classic series about overweight detective Nero Wolfe and his sidekick Archie Goodwin. My rating is really 2 1/2 stars, if anyone cares!
The 1930s New York setting immediately grabbed me, but quite a lot of the book is set within the house where Wolfe spends all his time, eating gargantuan meals and admiring his collection of orchids. I'll admit I found some of these sections rather boring and in general found it hard to warm to Wolfe and his roundabout style of conversation. For me the book comes alive when Archie goes out of the house and into the streets and speakeasies.
Archie's cynical first-person narrative contains some great one-liners, but overall the writing style is rather stodgy compared to Hammett or Chandler and sometimes gets a bit repetitive.
I've been told by Wolfe fans that this is one of the lesser books, so I may try another - but I do have some problems with this one which involve spoilers, detailed below.
August 17, 2020
Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin assistant PI are on the case of a murdered Italian metal worker and a college president at a golf course in Great Depression NYC.
What I Thought
This was my first legit crime/murder-mystery in years. I realized while reading this why I don't enjoy reading straight mysteries. This book reconfirmed it all for me.
I struggled. I mean I fell asleep, I skimmed, I flipped to the end in hopes that the big reveal would motivate me to finish this book. It didn't.
I can happily say I read the book, not exactly cover to cover and not totally in order but I got through it. First, as a huge fan of watching crime dramas and murder mysteries it is so much better to watch than to read. Honestly having Benedict Cumberbatch Sherlock Holmes on while reading this book, is what carried me through. Brainy is the new sexy!
Now unto the book.
Nero Wolfe as the genius sleuth PI was a bit of a different kettle of fish. For the most part Mr. Wolfe stayed in his office, obese and immobile, figured out the clues, blackmailed DA's for money, manipulated young desperate woman for vital clues while enjoying copious amounts of beer and caring for his plants. He is a bit of a sarcastic amoral character.
Archie Goodwin, the intrepid assistant PI could have been interesting, but he was clearly the brawns of the operation.
The pacing was slow slow slow. I didn't particularly enjoy the underlying bigotry towards foreigners but with a book written in the 1930's it made sense.
What I Thought
This was my first legit crime/murder-mystery in years. I realized while reading this why I don't enjoy reading straight mysteries. This book reconfirmed it all for me.
I struggled. I mean I fell asleep, I skimmed, I flipped to the end in hopes that the big reveal would motivate me to finish this book. It didn't.
I can happily say I read the book, not exactly cover to cover and not totally in order but I got through it. First, as a huge fan of watching crime dramas and murder mysteries it is so much better to watch than to read. Honestly having Benedict Cumberbatch Sherlock Holmes on while reading this book, is what carried me through. Brainy is the new sexy!
Now unto the book.
Nero Wolfe as the genius sleuth PI was a bit of a different kettle of fish. For the most part Mr. Wolfe stayed in his office, obese and immobile, figured out the clues, blackmailed DA's for money, manipulated young desperate woman for vital clues while enjoying copious amounts of beer and caring for his plants. He is a bit of a sarcastic amoral character.
Archie Goodwin, the intrepid assistant PI could have been interesting, but he was clearly the brawns of the operation.
The pacing was slow slow slow. I didn't particularly enjoy the underlying bigotry towards foreigners but with a book written in the 1930's it made sense.
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