Three for the Chair by Rex Stout is a small collection of three interesting stories featuring the sedentary yet brilliant detective, Nero Wolfe. Archie Goodwin, the more than capable assistant and narrator, is also there to guide the reader through these various conundrums.
The title is a little misleading since two out of three stories take place outside of Wolfe’s famous New York brownstone. Wolfe did manage to find a seat in all three stories, so I guess it still works.
A Window for Death is the better of the three, in my opinion. A prodigal family member has returned with a vast fortune. He later dies of pneumonia, but Wolfe is asked to take a second look into the circumstances where he finds a clever murder has indeed taken place.
Stout’s choice of weapon is rather hard to believe, but it seems pretty original. Wolfe once again gets to show off his genius from the comforts of his office.
In Immune to Murder, Wolfe and Archie head to a hunting lodge due to Wolfe being invited to prepare his special recipe for freshly caught trout. A foreign ambassador has a small gathering in mind and is familiar with Wolfe’s talents as a gourmand as well his nose for detecting crime. One of the guests is murdered by the riverbank, and Wolfe’s departure is delayed by the subsequent, inconvenient investigation.
This was a pretty good addition. Nothing too spectacular about it other than we have something take place outside of the brownstone, and Wolfe has the rare occasion to be on scene for the crime. There is a political backdrop that is kind of interesting as well. Stout does have a talent for finding some unique motives for murders. Of course, the banter between Wolfe and Archie is what keeps me engaged here.
Finally, this little collection closes with Too Many Detectives. Wolfe and Archie are being questioned alongside other private detectives by state authorities about the particulars of various wiretapping operations. The murder of a man, who was once a client of Wolfe’s, has occurred in the New York state capital building. Suspicion falls on Archie and his sizeable employer. It is kind of amusing to read of Wolfe’s stay in a jail cell. He handled it better than I would have thought.
I was also amused by Archie Goodwin’s somewhat politically incorrect opinions on female investigators. I may have actually applauded if Goodwin was a real person. I don’t have any real strong opinions on the subject myself, but anything that gets some uber liberal feminist outraged is something that will likely appeal to my sometimes-neanderthal funny bone.
The Nero Wolfe mysteries are not terribly complex most of the time, but I think most readers appreciate the dynamic between Wolfe and Archie. Archie respects his boss, but he is not really in awe of him unlike most fictional narrators alongside some eccentric, brilliant, and pompous sleuth. They argue and needle each other.
Even though the title of this small volume seems a little misleading, it’s still a fun diversion and worth the effort to add it to the bookshelf.
Things are about to get bloodier with my next read, which features Don Pendleton’s Mack Bolan. Flight 741 is about to be hijacked, but the culprits are about to find out that a passenger who is more dangerous than them is also aboard. The author isn’t listed on the cover, but a small inscription on the copyright page thanks Mike Newton for his special contribution, which likely means he actually wrote the book. Anyway, that is what was selected from the Reading Queue, so I will get back to you.
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