Sunday, January 26, 2014

And Be A Villain (1948)

And Be A Villain. (Nero Wolfe). Rex Stout. 1948. 256 pages. [Source: Book I Bought]

And Be A Villain is the first, but probably not the last, Nero Wolfe mystery I'll be reading this year. Rex Stout has created two very enjoyable, very unforgettable characters in Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin. In this mystery, they are almost actually working with the police to solve a high profile murder. Wolfe has been hired by a radio personality. One of her guests was murdered--poisoned--while on her show. Awkward indeed. The radio show is sponsored by a beverage company, and the guest's drink was poisoned. There are only a handful of people in the room, at the station, that would have had access to the drink and/or the glasses. It is up to Goodwin and Wolfe, of course, to figure out which one of these unlikely suspects is a murderer; and these suspects have been questioned again and again and again by the police. But this detective team is the best, and they spot clues missed by the police...but will it be enough? Will the answer come too late?

I enjoyed And Be A Villain. Do you have a favorite Nero Wolfe mystery? Have you seen the television adaptations?


© 2014 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

2 comments:

Sherry said...

I really like all of the Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin mystery novels. I need to rad one, just for fun.

Bev Hankins said...

I'm just now getting around to reading through all the reviews for the Vintage Challenge--sorry I've been so long about it.

I love the Rex Stout books--one of my favorite American vintage authors. And, yes, I've seen most of the TV adaptations. They are incredibly good.