Fer-De-Lance/The League of Frightened Men

by Rex Stout

Book Overview

A grand master of the form, Rex Stout is one of America's greatest mystery writers, and his literary creation Nero Wolfe is one of fiction's greatest detectives. Here, in Stout's first two complete Wolfe mysteries, the arrogant, gourmandizing, sedentary sleuth and his trusty man-about-town Archie Goodwin solve their most baffling cases. Fer-de-lance The fer-de-lance is among the most deadly snakes known to man. When someone makes a present of one to Nero Wolfe, his partner, Archie Goodwin, suspects it means Wolfe is getting close to solving the devilishly clever murders of an immigrant and a college president. But this is a case with more twists than an angry rattler...and if Wolfe doesn't handle it with extreme care, he'll be the next one struck by a killer with poison in his heart. The League of Frightened Men Paul Chapin's Harvard cronies never forgave themselves for the hazing prank that left their friend a cripple. Yet they believed that Paul himself had forgiven them--until a class reunion ends in death and a series of poems promising more of the same. Now this league of frightened men is desperate for Nero Wolfe's help. But can even the great detective outwit a killer smart enough to commit an unseen murder...in plain sight?

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553385453
• ISBN13: 9780553385458
• Release Date: June 2008
• Publisher: Bantam
• Length: 608 Pages
• Weight: 1.09 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 5.2" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Fun Reading

I enjoy reading everything from ancient history to murder mysteries and spy thrillers, butI have found nothing more "fun" to read than Rex Stout books. Stout has developed great characters in Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin.

Quick, fun read

I've grown up knowing about Nero Wolfe. I remember the TV show when I was a kid, and there's also a more current TV series that looks pretty good, though I have to admit I don't remember watching any of the episodes of either series. I worked in a library for several years, shelving books for a living, and it seems like there were an awful lot of Rex Stout books to put away. But I hadn't read any of them at that time either. So I was pleasantly surprised when I finally sat down to read these two novels. Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin are a fascinating team. Portly, orchid-loving genius Wolfe and tough guy Goodwin are polar opposites, but they work together well. Though these are the first two books in the series, Stout keeps dropping hints that the characters have a long history together. Fer-De-Lance has Wolfe and Goodwin hunting for the murderer of an immigrant and a college professor. The League of Frightened Men has them hunting for a killer who seems to be bumping off members of a group that had hazed a fellow college student decades ago resulting in his permanent injury. One of the things I thought was kind of fun with these stories is how un-PC they are. For example, Archie refers to the victim of a hazing prank as "cripple" frequently. No, it's not sensitive, but Archie isn't a sensitive guy. Besides, these were written 70+ years ago. People talked that way then. I'm fascinated by how culture has changed over the years, and because of that, these two books are a blast to read. Oh, and the mysteries are interesting and well written, too. :)