Fer-de-Lance

 Fer-de-Lance (1934) by Rex Stout [read by Michael Prichard]

This is where it all began...at least as far as Rex Stout was concerned. Robert Goldsborough has written a book telling about how Archie Goodwin and Nero Wolfe met--which I have, but haven't read yet--but Fer-de-Lance is the first book in Stout's series about the crime-solving duo of West 35th Street. This debut sets up many of the Wolfe/Goodwin tropes--from Wolfe's love of orchids to his habit of storing the beer caps in his desk drawer; from Archie's needling Wolfe about putting his genius to work to make ends meet to his ability to report verbatim; from Fritz Brenner's superb cooking to Theodore Horstmann's tender-loving care of the orchids in Wolfe's plant rooms; and Wolfe's main three operatives Saul Panzer, Fred Durkin, and Orrie Cather. The only thing missing is Inspector Cramer (who doesn't show up until The League of Frightened Men).

Fred Durkin arrives at the brownstone to ask a favor of Wolfe. His wife's friend Maria Maffei is certain that something terrible has happened to her brother, Carlo. He had been telling her of good fortune and promised to meet her and pay back a loan she had made to him. But he never showed. Wolfe suggests that Carlo has run off with all the cash, but Maria insists she knows her brother better than that and manages to convince him the case is worth checking out--at least superficially. He sends Archie to Carlo's rooming house to look for clues, but it isn't until he gets an answer to a chance question from Anna Fiore, a maid in the house who overheard Carlo's last phone call, that he really believes there may be something to investigate. What he and Archie learn during this initial investigation leads Wolfe to suspect a connection to the recent death of Peter Barstow, president of Holland College. All he has to do is convince the officials to dig Barstow up and prove him right. Then maybe he can get someone to pay him to find the murderer. 

This is a great introduction to the Wolfe stories even though the characters are still a little rough around the edges--Wolfe is more pompous and apt to use the largest word in existence than in later books (not that he can't be/do both then too) and Archie is far less polished. And the story goes on a bit longer than necessary; we really don't need Wolfe to take a little vacation in the middle. But even with that, it's a good story with interesting characters and a nice murder method. Would it really work? Maybe--but it is chancy. 

I've read this before (long ago and far away) and had a great deal of fun listening to Michael Prichard read it to me this time. I have listened to several of the Wolfe stories as read by Prichard and his voice is what I hear in my head for Goodwin when I read. I've seen the series with Timothy Hutton in the role (and enjoyed it as well), but Prichard's voice is what sticks with me. Good mystery and even better audio edition. ★★★★

First line: There was no reason why I shouldn't have been sent for the beer that day, for the last ends of the Fairmont National Bank case had been gathered in the week before and there was nothing for me to do but errands, and Wolfe never hesitated about me running down to Murray Street for a can of shoe polish if he happened to need one.

Last line: "Indeed," Wolfe murmured.
********************

Deaths = 4 (one poisoned; one stabbed; two plane crash)