Champagne for One (Nero Wolfe)

I am a fan of the Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe mysteries and think that Michael Prichard's readings capture all that is best in them. His individualistic voices for the Stout characters are right on target. His Nero Wolfe conveys Wolfe's unflappable superiority, his remarkable presence (and bulk), and his high IQ. But my favorite has to be Prichard's tongue-in-cheek, smooth-talking, sophisticated tough man, Archie Goodwin, the narrator of each tale. Prichard's reading of "Champagne for One" amply shows off his acting talents, as much as the intriguing plot and many characters demonstrate Stout's writing abilities.

One of the best of Nero Wolfe. I also recommend Some Buried Caesar, one of more light-hearted books. I read Rex Stout nearly 20 years ago and have just started re-reading them. I am enjoying them more the second time around that i did the first. the plots and characters are ageless! I can still laugh at the unique interplay betwee Archie Goodwin and Nero Wolfe, still envy the freedom of Nero's lifestyle, and still admire the plots. One of the great things about Rex Stout, is that (unlike some mystery writers that I could name), he doesn't hold out clues or keep secrets that the hero discloses at the end. He gives you the clues (sometimes tossed out in the middle of a paragraph). And sometimes, just sometimes, the reader get the thrill of solving the mystery!

This book is fast paced and gets to the point quickly and with style. The characters are brilliant as well as deep and interesting. The setting rich and full and the plot clever. I'm hooked on Nero Wolfe and after reading this book, I'll never read another Anne Perry novel again. Rex Stout can capture and mix all the needed elements of a good and exciting mystery.

This is Wolfe in his pomp. After a patchy time, with a few sub-standard stories during the early/mid 50s, I think that in this book, Stout established the key ingredients which he continued throughout his excellent later period. After Champagne for One, he never wrote a weak full-length Wolfe. Good plot- there's even a passable sub-plot!

No good deed shall go unpunished. Archie fills in for a friend as an escort at a dinner for unwed mothers and one of the mothers ends up dead. Archie is the only one who thinks it was murder not suicide. Will the police never learn? Nero Wolf steps in to straighten it all out.