"Hatred has become your handmaiden."

I have been a fan, and read all, of the Nero Wolfe books by Rex Stout, and mostly disliking the trend of continuing tales of established characters by more modern authors, was not expecting much of this, the first in series by Robert Goldsborough. So it was with delight that I found that the author has (almost) succeeded in his capturing the essence of the originals living in the old brownstone - Wolfe himself, orchid loving and huge in both stature and intellect, Archie, his hard working, breezy and equally bright assistant, and Fritz, the chef who fuels them both. The story was also well in keeping with those which had gone before, the protagonists also: sufficiently developed to become part of the moving picture that was the mystery.

Narration by L.J.Gaster was excellent, with just the right lightness of touch, great pacing and spacing with differentiated and appropriate voicings for each character and especially for Archie, who tells the story. That of Nero Wolfe himself was not quite the one I had in my own head but was perfectly acceptable: how difficult it must be to be a voice actor bringing to life a well loved character. Ganster's performance was superb.
So, almost, but not quite, perfect Nero Wolfe. However, it was also very enjoyable in it's own right. So, five stars, and my thanks to Audible for making this book freely available through the Audible Plus programme.

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Something to bring my memories back.

I've been reading Nero Wolfe books since I was a teenager (I'm retired now) and I was very sad when, many years ago, I read the last one. I had severe doubts about someone else writing about him, as I've read some of these alternative authors before, and most have been very disappointing.

Robert Goldsborough however does not fall into the disappointment catagory, and I really enjoyed listening to this book. I'm looking forward to listening to another in the near future.

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1 person found this helpful

An affectionate dip into another time

I wish my mother was still alive as she would have enjoyed this detective mystery. With many twists turns and moments of humour it is evocative of its time and the values we could now appreciate perhaps a little more than we do.

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1 person found this helpful

Dated and dull

Terribly dated with ludicrous characters and a very thin plot. Poor person’s Murder She Wrote.

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A First For Me.

Both Robert Goldsborough and L. J. Ganser are new-to-me.

This is the first time I've listened to a story written way, from the sidekick's point of view. This meant that we didn't know what the great detective, Nero Wolf, was thinking, what clues he discovered or how he pieced them all together until he solved the crime at the end.

I enjoyed the story and the way it was read. However, I felt more like a by-stander, watching things unfold rather than spotting the clues and trying to solve the mystery myself.

Will I carry on with the series? Maybe.

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one of the better books

apparently I need to write 15 words as the above is not enough recommendation

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A good old read

Old fashioned lead private detective as in the manner of Poirot and Miss Marple but a decent who-dun-it all the same.

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great to hear more of Nero Wolfe

very good re-rendering of Wolfe. Archie's voice is very like the original Timothy Hutton role.

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Great to pass the time!

Easy listening and delightfully narrated . Would recommend for a rainy day or car journey.

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Excellent

This is the first of an excellent series of books about the cases solved by Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin. This is the first book of the series. The last book of the original Rex Stout series ends with the death of Ori Cathar. This book, the first in this series, takes up the timeline two years later, a time during which Mr Wolfe has taken on no cases at all.
Characters and setting are true to those created by Rex Stout, and the style follow seamlessly from the original books.
If, like me, you love the Golden Age of crime writing style then you’ll enjoy this book.

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