Rex Stout
(1886 - 1975)
 Fer-de-Lance | 1934 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| The League of the Frightened Men Paul Chapin's college cronies never forgave themselves for the prank that crippled their friend. Yet with Harvard days behind them, they thought they were forgiven -- until a class reunion ends in a fatal fall. This league of frightened men seeks Nero Wolfe's help. But are Wolfe's brilliance and Archie's tenacity enough to outwit a most cunning killer? "Always a treat to read a Nero Wolfe mystery." (The New York Times) | 1935 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| The Rubber Band In all his years of detecting, the unflappable Nero Wolfe has never encountered an investigation as damnably messy as this one. For what began as a clean case of larceny quickly sank into a quagmire of blackmail and broken promises, international scandal and cold-blooded murder. Now Wolfe and his assistant, Archie Goodwin must bridge eras and oceans to find the link between a Wild West lynching and a respected British peer. Only then can they save Wolfe's beautiful young client -- and a hotly disputed stake of a cool million dollars. | 1936 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| The Red Box A grand master of the form, Rex Stout is one of America’s greatest mystery writers, and his literary creation Nero Wolfe is one of fiction’s greatest detectives. Here, in Stout’s third and fourth complete Wolfe mysteries, the arrogant, gourmandizing, sedentary sleuth and his trusty man-about-town, Archie Goodwin, solve two of their most baffling cases. The Rubber Band What do a Wild West lynching and a respected English nobleman have in common? On the surface, absolutely nothing. But when a young woman hires his services, it becomes Nero Wolfe’s job to look deeper and find the connection. A forty-year-old pact, a five-thousand-mile search, and a million-dollar murder are all linked to an international scandal that could rebound on the great detective and his partner, Archie, with fatal abruptness. The Red Box Murder by chocolate? That’s the premise Nero Wolfe must operate from when a beautiful woman is poisoned after indulging in a box of candy. It’s a case that the great detective—no stranger himself to overindulgence—is loath to take for a variety of reasons, including that it may require that he leave his comfortable brownstone. But he and Archie are compelled by a mystery that mixes high fashion and low motives…and a killer who may have made the deadliest mistake. | 1937 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| Too Many Cooks The guest at a gathering of the greatest chefs in the world, Nero Wolfe must practice his own trade--sleuthing--when he discovers that a murderer is in their midst. Reissue. NYT. | 1938 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| Some Buried Caesar A prize bull, a restaurateur's tacky publicity stunt, a family feud (among the bull's owners), and the death of a family scion pit Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin against a special breed of killer. Reissue. NYT. | 1939 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| Over My Dead Body When a woman claiming to be Nero Wolfe's long-lost daughter gets into trouble over some missing diamonds, Wolfe, along with his sidekick, Archie, becomes involved in a world of international intrigue. Reissue. | 1940 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| Where There's a Will Investigating the bizarre will of late multimillionaire Noel Hawthorne--who left the bulk of his estate to his mistress and nearly nothing to his three sisters--astute sleuth Nero Wolfe stumbles upon a legacy of murder. Reprint. | 1940 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| Black Orchids A remarkably rare black orchid at a flower show lures Nero Wolfe from his comfortable brownstone. But before the detective and his sidekick, Archie Goodwin, can stop and smell the roses, a diabolically daring murder puts a blight on the proceedings. The murderer to be weeded out is definitely not a garden-variety killer. Wolfe must also throw his considerable weight into another thorny case, this one involving a rich society widow bedeviled by poison-pen letters -- and a poisonous plot as black as Wolfe's orchids with roots even more twisted. "Like the orchids he so avidly cultivates, Nero Wolfe is one of mystery writing's most prized ornamentals." (B-O-T Editorial Review Board) | 1942 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| Not Quite Dead Enough involving national security, Nero Wolfe must set the traps that will catch the pair of wily killers responsible. Reissue. NYT. | 1944 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| The Silent Speaker When a powerful government official scheduled to speak to a group of millionaires turns up dead, the business world clamors for a solution, and Nero Wolfe takes the case. Reissue. NYT. | 1946 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| Too Many Women | 1947 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| And Be a Villain Radio talk show host Madeline Fraser's worst nightmare comes true when one of her on-air guests collapses at the mike after drinking a glass of the sponsor's beverage. Reissue. NYT. | 1948 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| The Second Confession When a millionaire businessman hires the sedentary detective to snoop on his daughter's boyfriend, Wolfe finds himself caught in a labyrinthine case involving drugged drinks, murderous debutantes, and a gangland boss. Reissue. | 1949 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| Trouble in Triplicate Nero Wolfe investigates the murders of Dazy Perrit, an underworld kingpin, Ben Jensen, a well-connected publisher, and Eugene R. Poor, an inventor of novelties. Reissue. | 1949 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| In the Best Families Aging millionairess Mrs. Rackham asks Nero Wolfe to find out where her penniless husband has suddenly been obtaining mysteriously large sums of money, a request that leads to murder and to threats against the master detective himself. Reissue. | 1950 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| Three Doors to Death Three cases bring perplexing challenges to Nero Wolfe, as a man unsuccessfully attempts suicide just before he is killed, a murder victim's family hides the identity of the killer, and a horticulturist discovers his girlfriend's body. Reissue. | 1950 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| Curtains for Three Three clever murderers challenge Nero Wolfe in cases involving lovers who want to make sure neither is a killer, a stable full of suspects in the search for a killer on horseback, and a murderer stalking Wolfe's brownstone. Reissue. | 1950 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| Murder by the Book When everyone who has read Leonard Dykes's unpublished manuscript--including the author himself--is found dead, Nero Wolfe, along with his sidekick, decides to set a trap. Reissue. NYT. | 1951 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| Triple Jeopardy Nero Wolfe applies his detection skills to crack the case of a poisoned health nut, the death of a policeman in a barber shop, and a comic killer who makes a joke out of murder. Reissue. NYT. | 1952 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| Prisoner's Base Hours after Priscilla Eads pleads with him to take her case, Nero Wolfe is shocked to find out that she was murdered, and soon he is investigating her fortune-hunting husband and greedy business associates. Reissue. | 1952 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| The Golden Spiders Trying to determine why his last two clients were ruthlessly murdered, Nero Wolfe wonders if the answer is linked to a young boy who turns up at his brownstone apartment and finds clues in a gray Cadillac, a mysterious woman, and spider-shaped earrings. Reissue. | 1953 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| Three Men Out | 1954 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| The Black Mountain Vowing to avenge the murder of his dear friend, Marko Vukcic, Nero Wolfe, along with his faithful partner, Archie Goodwin, journey to the hazardous mountains of Montenegro. Reissue. NYT. | 1954 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| Before Midnight When a contestant is killed during the final round of the Pour Amour perfume contest, Nero Wolfe must find the person who stole the recipe to the dead contestant's perfume in order to solve the crime. Reissue. NYT. | 1955 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| Three Witnesses In three cases--a millionaire who writes his own death warrant, a dog who becomes a killer's worst enemy, and an answering service which refuses to talk about a murder--three witnesses hold the solution for detective Rex Stout. Reissue. | 1956 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| Might as Well Be Dead Eleven years after his own thoughtlessness sent his only son, Paul, away from home, Nebraska businessman James Herold calls upon Nero Wolfe to track down the young man so that he can make amends. Reissue. NYT. | 1956 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| If Death Ever Slept | 1957 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| Three for the Chair A vast fortune in uranium, international diplomacy and intrigue, and a female detective become the focus of a trio of mysteries featuring epicurean sleuth Nero Wolfe and his sidekick, Archie Goodwin. Reissue. | 1957 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| Champagne for One Unwilling to accept a suicide ruling after witnessing the death of the admittedly morbid Faith Usher, Archie Goodwin is assisted in the investigation by Nero Wolfe, who has been warned to stay away from the case. Reissue. NYT. | 1958 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| And Four to Go Nero Wolfe must track down a killer who murders his victims only during holidays and who, so far, has left Wolfe with four puzzling cases to unravel. Reissue. NYT. | 1958 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| Plot It Yourself The New York literary world is terrorized by a rash of dead-ringer plagiarism--and murder. Nero Wolfe takes a novel approach to solving the case when he analyzes writing style to narrow the search for a suspect. While Nero tracks down nuances, legman Archie Goodwin busies himself cool-looking ladies of letters. Most amazingly, the gourmand and orchid-loving genius Wolfe swears off meat and beer until he solves the case! Presented unabridged starring Michael Prichard; on 5 CDs. | 1959 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| Too Many Clients | 1960 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| Three at Wolfe's Door Three murder cases place arrogant, gormandizing sleuth Archie Goodwin at an exclusive dinner party where arsenic is served, in a wandering cab with a dead lady driver, and at a rodeo championship. Reissue. | 1960 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| The Final Deduction When the seemingly safe return of an abducted millionaire ends in his murder in his own home, Nero Wolfe sends Archie Goodwin to do his usual legwork, while Wolfe uncovers corruption and greed among Manhattan's elite. Reissue. NYT. | 1961 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| Gambit Miss Sarah Blount, better known as Sally, has come to Wolfe to plead for his help with her father’s case. Matthew Blount is charged with poisoning a man to death at the Gambit Club, and all evidence points to his guilt. Sally knows that her father is innocent, but doesn’t trust his lawyer, who seems too interested in her mother. Despite the lack of cooperation by Matthew Blount or the lawyer, Wolfe takes the case, trumping the police with a list of four suspects. But when one of those suspects turns up dead, Wolfe is forced to retrench, so unnerved that he forgoes a fabulous lunch and ignores his treasured orchids. Sally’s increasing interest in Wolfe is only one of many trials he faces in this witty, cleverly plotted tale. Rex Stout’s literary creation, Nero Wolfe, is one of the greatest fictional detectives of all time. And, as always, Archie’s assistance as the perennial wise guy and legman complements Wolfe's devotion to orchids, gourmet meals, and his specially constructed brown leather chair. Together, Archie and Wolfe make an entertaining odd couple. | 1962 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| Homicide Trinity Nero Wolfe attempts to find the killer who murdered his victim with Wolfe's own necktie, and he encounters a list of bizarre suspects, including a gun-toting wife and a cop-hating landlady. Reissue. NYT. | 1962 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| The Mother Hunt A beautiful socialite widow comes to Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin to ask them to investigate why a baby has been abandoned on her doorstep, in a case that all too quickly leads to murder. Reissue. | 1963 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| A Right to Die Nero Wolfe and his sidekick, Archie, are entangled in the murder case of a beautiful young socialite with too many lovers and one too many enemies--but Wolfe is sure the police are wrong to arrest her fiance+a7. Reissue. | 1964 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| Trio for Blunt Instruments | 1964 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| The Doorbell Rang | 1965 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| Death of a Doxy When an old acquaintance and fellow P.I. is accused of murdering a kept woman, Nero Wolfe investigates and finds several suspects in a mystery blackmailer, a sexy lounge singer, and a cold-blooded lady-killer. Reprint. | 1966 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| The Father Hunt Hired to locate Amy Denovo's long-lost father, Nero Wolfe and his assistant, Archie Goodwin, discover that the missing man has a deadly and dangerous secret to hide. Reissue. NYT. | 1968 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| Death of a Dude Sedentary sleuth Nero Wolfe and his sidekick, Archie Goodwin, leave West Thirty-fifth Street for a Montana dude ranch to clear an innocent man of a murder charge. Reissue. | 1969 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| Please Pass the Guilt When a boorish millionaire and a Mets fan with a phony name show up at his door with a tempting case, Nero Wolf finds himself investigating corporate treachery, domestic intrigue, and worse. Reissue. NYT. | 1973 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| A Family Affair Published only a month before Rex Stout’s death, this case is regarded as one of the author's truest. When Nero Wolfe's favorite waiter is murdered in an explosion just feet from him, the detective takes it as a personal affront and waives his trademark fee. As Wolfe and his sidekick Archie track down the culprit, a second murder is committed and Wolfe realizes that this case is a family affair. | 1975 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| Death Times Three Archie Goodwin has his hands full when three baffling murders make him the recipient of a poisonous lunch, the fall guy for a beautiful woman, and the target of the U.S. Federal Government. Reissue. | 1985 | Nero Wolfe | novel |
| Her Forbidden Knight | 1997 | Nero Wolfe | novel |