Rex Stout's first novel about Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin, Fer-de-Lance, was published in 1934; his last, A Family Affair, appeared more than 40 years later, in 1975. It is remarkable to look back over all the six-dozen-or-so books and novellas that came in between and see how Wolfe and Archie developed over the years. It is also fun to go back to the earliest novels to see how different the characters were in their earliest book appearances. I think that's particularly true of the second book in the series, The League of Frightened Men, which I still consider one of my favorites. Both Wolfe and Archie's personalities were still a little rough in 1935, the year when The League of Frightened Men was published. To me, that simply made the book that much more interesting. I reviewed it on the Classic Mysteries podcast nearly a decade ago. Here's that review, slightly edited (mostly to correct and refresh outdated material):
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It began as a college prank – the kind that used to be pretty common on a lot of campuses during the early years of the 20th century. It was some upper class men hazing a freshman. It ended in an accident that left the victim partially immobilized for life. Many years later, those upper-classmen are having their own accidents – fatal accidents. Their one-time victim may be to blame. So his one-time tormentors are turning to Nero Wolfe for help. They now call themselves…The League of Frightened Men…the title of Rex Stout’s second Nero Wolfe mystery.
I’m going back to Rex Stout and Nero Wolfe again because I recently reread The League of Frightened Men, which was first published 84 years ago. I reread it for discussions with the Wolfe Pack, the society of Nero Wolfe enthusiasts. As I said, this was Rex Stout’s second Nero Wolfe novel, and it shows, somewhat. Wolfe and his right-hand man, Archie Goodwin, in particular, are still somewhat rough-cut in this book. Wolfe’s mannerisms can be pretty tough to take sometimes – although we accept them because Archie accepts them. But Archie himself is also pretty rough in this book, lacking a lot of the easy charm he acquires in later books.
But The League of Frightened Men does feature a character who is, I think, one of the most interesting in any Nero Wolfe novel. That’s the character of Paul Chapin, the young man who was the victim of that hazing incident – and who may now be taking revenge against his tormentors by killing them off, one by one.
For that is what seems to be happening in this novel. Those tormentors – the members of the League – banded together after the accident to help their victim, Paul Chapin – but that help breeds bitterness within Chapin and becomes both hatred and resentment. And when members of the group begin getting anonymous letters after the deaths of their one-time friends, they are quite sure the letters are coming from Paul Chapin. So they are quite ripe for an approach from Nero Wolfe, who undertakes to remove their fear of Paul Chapin. How is he to do that? That, of course, is key to the events in the book.
Wolfe learns a great deal – in fact, it appears, all he needs to know – about Chapin by reading the books that Chapin has written. Rex Stout, in fact, had written a number of so-called “psychological” novels before trying his hand at mysteries, and that side of Stout’s abilities is on display here. Chapin is a fascinating character. At one point, early in the book, Chapin, uninvited, walks into a meeting of the frightened men at Nero Wolfe’s office. Listen to how Archie sets up Chapin’s speech:
Chapin sent a smile around; it would have been merely a pleasant smile but for his light-colored eyes where there was no smile at all. “I’ve been standing on one foot for twenty-five years. Of course all of you know that; I don’t need to tell you. I’m sorry if I’ve annoyed you by coming here; really, I wouldn’t disconcert you fellows for anything. You’ve all been too kind to me, you know very well you have. If I may get a little literary and sentimental about it – you have lightened life's burden for me. I’ll never forget it. I’ve told you that a thousand times. Of course, now that I seem to have found my métier, now that I am standing on my own feet – that is, my own foot – “ he smiled around again – “I shall be able to find my way the rest of the journey without you. But I shall always be grateful.”
That gives you a little of the flavor of Chapin, who can twist those words like a knife. He is a worthy antagonist for Nero Wolfe. The developments, the deaths which may have been murder, the shooting that certainly IS murder, and Wolfe’s brilliant solution of the complex plot – these all add up to one of the best of the early Wolfe novels. I promise you’ll never forget Paul Chapin. Rex Stout’s The League of Frightened Men is still readily available; in fact, Bantam has reissued it in a twofer edition, paired with the very first Nero Wolfe novel, Fer-de-Lance. There are many opportunities in the later books to enjoy a more polished Wolfe, a more sophisticated Archie. But you’ll never forget Paul Chapin. It’s a terrific book.
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Click here to listen to the complete original podcast review.
Next: Merlin's Furlong, by Gladys Mitchell.
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