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Not Quite Dead Enough: A Nero Wolfe Mystery (The Rex Stout Library) by Rex Stout
Reader Reviews 3 of 3 people found the following review helpful: Not Quite Stout's Best..., May 26, 2003 Reviewer: Andy Wolverton from Crofton, MD United States But not bad, either. This Nero Wolfe offering consists of two stories. The first story, Ôø‡Not Quite Dead Enough,Ôø‡ finds Archie in the Army while Wolfe and Fritz train for active duty. (Really! No kidding!) While on furlough, Archie is suspected of murdering a young lady he had been out with for the evening. The second story is far superior to the first. Ôø‡Booby Trap,Ôø‡ while keeping the trappings of a military atmosphere (an Army colonel is murdered), provides a Ôø‡satisfactoryÔø‡ outlet for WolfeÔø‡s genius. You must understand that these stories appeared first in 1944. Stout was obviously painting Wolfe and Archie as patriotic crime fighters, which is admirable, but yields ridiculous results in the first story. The second tale is vintage Wolfe, containing everything Wolfe fans have come to expect (beer, orchids, colorful exchanges between Wolfe and Archie) and love (a woman in the brownstone, Wolfe leaving the house, Wolfe riding in a car, Wolfe attempting to sit in an unsatisfactorily built chair). If youÔø‡re a die-hard fan, youÔø‡ll want to read the first story, but youÔø‡ll savor the second. If youÔø‡re a newcomer, skip the first tale and watch Wolfe in top form in Ôø‡Booby Trap.Ôø‡ 208 pages
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