Some of Nero Wolfe's most interesting cases come about because he and Archie are having a fight about something and get themselves involved in a case they might not otherwise have taken. That's pretty much what happens in "If Death Ever Slept
As a general rule, Nero Wolfe doesn't accept cases involving marital discord. But he and Archie are having one of their periodic fights, and wind up goading each other into taking a case brought by a multimillionaire, Otis Jarrell, who wants to get his daughter-in-law (whom he refers to as a "snake") out of his house. Think of it as marital discord once removed. Archie winds up going to the Jarrell mansion disguised as the multimillionaire's secretary, under a phony name.
Pretty soon, the murders start. And with the ever-suspicious police wondering what Archie's doing there, it quickly becomes a case where Nero Wolfe will find plenty of reasons to wish he had obeyed his usual rules and not allowed himself to get involved.
As usual, Rex Stout's writing, Archie's wisecracking and Wolfe's genius combine for a very readable and enjoyable read for those who enjoy these vintage mysteries. For those who prefer an ebook version, there's a version available for the Amazon Kindle
This book is an expansion of an earlier novella, the name of which escapes me....
Posted by: Tony Renner | July 18, 2011 at 10:10 AM
I don't know if that's correct - please let me know if you think of the title. I know that it did appear as one of three novels in a later Viking three-in-one volume called "Three Trumps," along with "The Black Mountain" and "Before Midnight" - could that be what you were thinking of?
Posted by: Les Blatt | July 18, 2011 at 12:29 PM
Interesting review! After a bunch of random Wolfes, I started reading them in chronological order. I'm curently at "Some Buried Caesar" (after a mistake in my chronological ordering system had me skip accidentally to "Over My Dead Body". This sounds like a highly enjoyable romp! Archie is definitely the star of the show, but I rather like Nero as well.
Posted by: Patrick Ohl | July 18, 2011 at 02:32 PM
Some Buried Caesar is one of the best. It's also the one where Archie meets Lily Rowan (in a thoroughly unromantic manner, I fear). They don't have to be read in order, though it does help keep track of the ones you have and haven't read. Enjoy!
Posted by: Les Blatt | July 18, 2011 at 04:33 PM
Les, I'm currently re-reading all the Wolfe short stories. Well, at least all the volumes of short stories I have in the house and enjoying them immensely. You can be sure that I never remember whodunit when it comes to short stories. But that's not the main reason I enjoy them. They are just too clever and so much fun.
But I've read IF DEATH EVER SLEPT and liked it very much. Sometimes Wolfe and Archie are like an old married couple. They just get on each others' nerves. Ha. It's funny you should mention SOME BURIED CAESAR. That's one of my least favorites. Maybe because I always want Wolfe to be in the brownstone and not traveling the highways and byways of the countryside. I also don't like Lily Rowan. But then I was set up not to like her. :)
Posted by: Yvette | July 19, 2011 at 06:52 PM
Yvette, I've never considered the "whodunit" factor to be critical in the Nero Wolfe books - like you, I enjoy rereading them all (although I must admit that, given the precarious state of my memory these days, I too can't remember whodunit, so it's a good thing I don't rate that factor highly!). Sorry that Lily's not a hit - I think she's fascinating, particularly in the later stories, as the relationship between her and Archie got progressively more complex.
Posted by: Les Blatt | July 19, 2011 at 07:03 PM