Fer-de-Lance (A Nero Wolfe Mystery Book 1)

I have reread Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe stories many times over the years and have shared them with my family and friends. I have decided to read them AGAIN. I still enjoy them.

good plot

Enjoyed this book from the beginning to the end. Have been a fan of Nero Wolfe and Archie since seeing the TV series years ago and listening to old recordings of radio shows.

It is pleasant to return to Wolf once again. It has been many years since I last read this the first book in the series. It has held up well, but here we see the characters in their infancy. As the series developed they gained depth and richness while keeping with Stout’s original vision.

Rex Stout didn't just create a character when he thought up Nero Wolfe, but a major franchise that endures to this day. Fer-de-Lance is the beginning of it all where the reader is first introduced to Nero Wolfe, Archie Goodwin, Fritz, Saul Panzer, and the rest of the supporting cast. Introduced may be too strong a word, however, because things pick up as if these characters' adventures had been published many times before. The team is in place and Archie Goodwin actually says that he's been with Wolfe for 7 years so we certainly aren't there for the beginning of the relationship. In this way, Fer-de-Lance is structured much as any other Wolfe novel.The plot begins with a young woman asking Wolfe to help find her missing brother. We learn pretty quickly that her brother has been killed and shortly thereafter we learn of a second murder that is connected to his. Thus begins the typical process of the murder plot revealing itself layer by layer like until we know who the murderer is. Even though this is the first Wolfe novel, the characters are surprisingly mature and little changed from what you would read in later stories.It is worth noting, however, that this book does have its shortcomings. First, the snappy patter and humor that is so characteristic of the series is present but not quite as sharp as it would be later. Also, Stout makes an error in pacing the novel as he reveals the murderer to both Wolfe and the reader nearly 100 pages prior to the end of the book. The rest is largely taken up by Archie and Wolfe trying to gather the proof they need to definitively convict the murderer. This made the last part of the book less interesting and when it should have been building up tension for the big reveal, it is instead a bit tired despite a slightly unexpected outcome in the finale. On a petty note, this edition is also marred by several typographical errors that are largely unimportant but always irritating and the editors should have caught them.All in all, Fer-de-Lance is well worth reading for a fan of Nero Wolfe but I would not recommend it as an introduction to someone who has never read one of his novels. There are others that are more entertaining (e.g.  Some Buried Caesar ) and there is nothing here that you need to know to enjoy the stories written subsequently. Save this one until after you've read a few and are curious about how it all started.

Fer-de-Lance is the first book I've read by Rex Stout and my introduction to Nero Wolfe. And I can say without hesitation this is definitely a superbly written book. Everything about it is top-notch; the characters, the story, the situations, and the flow. Even though I've been reading mysteries and detective fiction since the 1970s, and had heard of the author, I never had any desire to read any of the Nero Wolfe novels. Man, was I missing out!Although the story is excellent from beginning to end, what really makes this book come alive are the characters. All very believable, real to life characters who behave like real humans. Characters like Archie Goodwin, Nero's do everything, right-hand man, and narrator of the story. Fritz Brenner, the chef, and of course, the seriously obese, but extremely intelligent, Nero Wolfe. And the fact that this book was written in the 1930s doesn't in any way hinder the story. After all, human nature really doesn't change.As for Nero Wolfe, I was prepared not to like him, since he just sits around the house while his crew--mainly Archie--does all the leg work. But Archie is no pushover. He even lets Nero have it now and then. For example, after returning to HQ from a long and hectic day in the field, Archie finds Nero sitting around twiddling his thumbs, and tells him, "Do you think all it takes to catch a murderer is to sit in your damn office and let your genius work? That may be most of it, but it also takes a pair of eyes and a pair of legs and sometimes a gun or two."Then there's the story itself. It starts with a missing person. Then a murder. Then innocent people do some really dumb things which muddy up the clues. There's a lot of twists and turns, a slew of potential suspects, a good bit of drama and even a little humor. Add it all up and you get one fantastic book. If for some reason you haven't read Fer-de-Lance yet, don't wait any longer. Just read it! You'll be glad you did.

Was a bit disappointed with a quality of d print. For the price I did expect better quality print. It looks.like cheap Xerox printing but selling at original price.The book itself is excellent. But will not buy from this seller next time

My first Nero Wolfe experience. Quietly interesting.

Ho letto Fer-de-lance, pubblicato nel 1934, dopo aver letto The doorbell rang, del 1965, e A family affair, del 1975, anno della morte di Stout. Ho perciò seguito a ritroso il percorso letterario di Nero Wolfe e dei suoi fedelissimi collaboratori, senza peraltro accorgermene se non per pochi dettagli secondari. Alle prese con un omicidio di un modesto operaio italiano, Wolfe intuisce un collegamento con la morte improvvisa del noto presidente di una prestigiosa università, attribuita ad infarto miocardico. Con l'assistenza di Goodwin, induce il procuratore distrettuale a far riesumare il corpo per eseguire l' autopsia ed escludere la morte per cause naturali. Il genio e la eccentrica regolarità di Wolfe, la rapidità di azione di Goodwin, la casa di arenaria nella 35ma Strada, il sopraffino cuoco svizzero Fritz Brenner, il burbero giardiniere Theodore Horstmann e le diecimila orchidee nella serra sono già perfettamente miscelati in questo primo libro come lo saranno nell' ultimo. È identico il ritmo dell' indagine, scandito da precisi orari ai quali la stessa casa, le stesse mura sembrano adeguarsi. Per questo motivo è difficile cogliere la direzione in cui scorre il tempo, se non per qualche dettaglio: mancano personaggi poi molto presenti come l' ispettore Cramer, Lon Cohen o Lily Rowan; la "roadster" invece della "sedan". Ma anche con questi dettagli è ugualmente difficile distinguere lo scorrere del tempo. C'è tra le pieghe della narrativa un indizio temporale che permette di collocare gli eventi del libro in una data precisa, ma a parte questo dettaglio non si ha l' impressione di leggere il primo racconto con Wolfe protagonista. Tra affittacamere di Little Italy e sontuose residenze nella contea di Westchester, campi da golf e aeroclub, Wolfe ricostruisce i due omicidi e consegna il colpevole alla polizia.Il racconto appassiona e invita alla rilettura per ricontrollare i momenti bei quali affiorano gli indizi che permettono di fare luce sul caso.

イタリア出身の金属加工職人の捜索を依頼されたことから事件にかかわる。天才的な洞察力を駆使し殺人事件を解決する。思ったよりずっと複雑なプロットで面白く読めました。特に最後は、日本人の感覚に通じるものがあり、アメリカ人にもこのような感性があるのかとちょっと驚くでした。ただ、英語がちょっと古くて格式高く、多少読みにくく思えました。実はイギリスのミステリーと思っていました。このシリーズまた読もうと思っています。

Beginning of a long series like most series the standard fell off later in the series but the world had changed too