The Black Mountain

....sure broke the rule this time. We all know about Nero Wolfe...eccentric, overweight, beer drinking, orchid growing, house-bound genius....he hires others to get his data, then figures it all out from the comfort of his custom made chair. Rex Stout based his "American Sherlock" on Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock's older, more brilliant, brother who only appears in two of the stories...[and, actually, Wolfe left the house a number of times over his 40 year career]. It may be silly to avoid giving away the plot here; anyone reading this probably has the story memorized, and is just looking for a replacement copy. But, I can say that this is the most "personal" of the Nero Wolfe books; Wolfe had few friends...when the oldest, and closest, is killed, there is no limit to what Wolfe will do to assure proper justice under law. In many ways, it is the most complicated of the stories, but a grand master like Rex Stout had no problems keeping everything clear.... One regret...when staying over in Rome, Wolfe is asked to meet with the ambassador; after commenting that the ambassador is "a woman", he declines. She isn't named, but Clare Boothe Luce was quite famous when this was written...Stout probably had valid reasons for not using Mrs. Luce as a "fictional character"; I think it would have done Wolfe a lot of good, and provided us some fun, for him to meet a woman who was more than a match for his intellect...just a thought.

One of the best "Nero Wolfe" mysteries. Rex Stout is in full prime.

There are more flaws in the plot than in my golf swing, but because of the theme, the setting, the emotion, and the close constant interaction between Wolfe and Archie I loved it.

I'm the narrator of all the Nero Wolfe books from Audio Partners which you're listing on your website. I've just noticed that you list my recordings of THE BLACK MOUNTAIN, FER-DE-LANCE, THE GOLDEN SPIDERS, and WHERE THERE'S A WILL as abridged. Please note that these recordings are all actually UNabridged. It may make a difference with potential purchasers. Thanks.

Someone has murdered Nero Wolfe's best friend Marko, owner of Rusterman's, the only restaurant Wolfe will frequent. More than food is at stake -- Marko and Wolfe share a mysterious history in their birthplace, the mountains outside Sarajevo. Marko is one of the very few who Archie has heard call Wolfe by his first name. Wolfe sets out to find the murderer and the adventure leads back to the Black Mountain, the place of his origin. Wolfe puts out more physical exertion in this one book than in all the others put together, which is one of its charms. But what really works for me is that he casts Archie in the role of his son for the sake of their cover story -- bringing to the front some of the subtle aspects of their "normal" relationship in the old brownstone. It's a stretch for everyone -- readers included -- but the emotional borders are widened as in no other Nero Wolfe novel, and the result is extremely satisfying. Stout's brilliance has, in my opinion, al! ways resided in great measure in his ability to suggest the emotions of his characters through a small action or phrase that lets the reader in without spelling it all out. In "The Black Mountain" Stout has brought to the surface the truth of the Archie/Wolfe relationship in full color with absolutely no pandering, and no cheapness.