Fer-De-Lance/The League of Frightened Men - (Nero Wolfe) by Rex Stout (Paperback)

About the Book

Discover Nero Wolfe--one of the greatest fictional detectives of all time, created by a grand master of the mystery form. Now the arrogant, gourmandizing sleuth returns in his first two classic cases, available together in one paperback edition.

Book Synopsis

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?

Review Quotes

Praise for Fer-de-Lance

"Fer-de-Lance will be welcomed by the legions of Rex Stout fans, and serve as welcome introduction to a whole new generation of mystery buffs." --Midwest Book Review

"A 1934 period mystery that is remarkably fresh." --Roanoke Times

About the Author

Rex Stout, born 1886 in Indiana/USA, worked at thirty different professions until he earned enough money to travel. In 1932, he began to write thrillers focusing on the famous detective Nero Wolfe. Nero is a gourmet weighing more than a hundred kilos, and moving as little as possible. Rex Stout finished more than fifty novels and received the "Grand Masters Award". He died 1975.

Rex Stout,1886 in Indiana/USA geboren, soll ca. dreißig Berufe ausgeübt haben, bevor er mit einem von ihm selbst konzipierten Sparkassensystem so viel Geld verdiente, daß er ausgedehnte Reisen unternehmen konnte. 1932 begann er, Kriminalromane zu schreiben in deren Mittelpunkt fast immer der berühmte Privatdetektiv Nero Wolfe steht. Dieser ist eine über hundert Kilo "schwergewichtiger" Gourmet, der sich so wenig wie möglich bewegt und leidenschaftlicher Orchideenzüchter ist. Rex Stout wurde für seine über fünfzig Romane mit dem "Grand Masters Award" ausgezeichnet. Er starb 1975.