
Once again Wolfe receives a phone call from the mysterious Arnold Zeck, warning him that he's getting too close with an unwanted investigation. On this occasion, Wolfe is involved in a request from a leading industrialist to investigate the background of his daughter's current suitor. When Wolfe refuses to back down, Zeck backs up his warning with violence that hits Nero where it hurts...
Communists, orchids and a manor-house mystery dropped on its head. This is one of Stout's stronger Wolfe novels on its own, and also makes a powerful second punch in his Zeck trilogy of books. I've seen quite a bit of commentary that criticizes what they perceive as Stout's anti-Communist agenda in the book. All I can say to that is "read it again". While not a fan of Communists, Wolfe and Archie are not friends to people spouting off about the red menace either. Mickey Spillane he isn't, thank goodness. Consider this a measured glance at the politics of the era by a writer who was trying to show the issues from a position of (relative) neutrality. Note his nod to the middle way with the treatment of the Paul Emerson character.
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The Second Confession: A Nero Wolfe Mystery (Audio Editions).