Series
Publication
Crimeline (1997), 208 pages
Original publication date
1964
Collections
Genres
Subjects
Description
If Nero Wolfe and his sidekick, Archie, would ever admit to an Achilles' heel-which they wouldn't-it would be a weakness for damsels in distress. In these three charming chillers the duo answer the call of helpless heroines with nothing to lose-except their lives. First a beautiful young Aphrodite comes to Nero looking for a hero-and the answer to the mystery of her father's death....Then an old flame of Archie's reignites with a plan that may corner him into a lifetime commitment-behind bars....And finally a detective's work is never done, as a hot tip leads the team into the sizzling center of a sexy scandal that could leave them cold-dead cold.
User reviews
LibraryThing member MusicMom41
This series of 3 novellas from the 1960's shows how Stout was able to “keep up with the times” without changing the personalities of his main characters and how he was able to bring hi novellas up to the high standard of conundrums that he achieved with his longer novels. In “Kill Now, Pay
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Later” the bootblack who came weekly to shine Wolfe's and Archie's shoes becomes involved in a possible murder investigation. When he becomes the next victim, proving that the first victim was murdered, our heroes must act quickly to protect his daughter from becoming another victim before they can find the criminal. Show Less
LibraryThing member Dalziel
like all rex stout nero wolf books, an excellent read mainly for the interactions between Wolfe and his employee, Archie. This is three stories: Kill Now - Pay Later; Murder Is Corny; Blood Will Tell.
LibraryThing member cmbohn
This is a group of three longish short stories or novellas or whatever you want to call them, all involving sleuths Nero Wolfe and his associate Archie Goodwin. The titles are Kill Now - Pay Later, Murder is Corny, and Blood Will Tell. Kind of different, in that the Wolfe has no paying client for
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the first two stories. All written in the 60s. Not his best, but fun if you are a fan. If you haven't tried this series, I would say save this one for later. 3.5 stars Show Less
LibraryThing member AliceaP
Trio for Blunt Instruments by Rex Stout draws us back into the world of Nero Wolfe and his loyal assistant, Archie Goodwin. The last time I visited with these distinguished detectives was back in 2015 (it's been too long!) so I was very happy to get a 3-in-1 with this book. This volume contains the
Kill Now -- Pay Later covers the story of Wolfe's shoe shiner who witnesses something (it's not too much of a shock for me to tell you it's related to a murder I don't think) and comes to Wolfe immediately afterward. Once Wolfe is on the case, it turns out that it's not as straightforward as the police think especially since a subsequent crime is marked as a suicide and the case is considered closed. It's up to Wolfe and Archie to continue the case to its bitter end no matter how winding their path becomes.
Murder Is Corny is an extremely corny title for one of Stout's mysteries as the victim works at a farm that produces corn. Archie is pegged as the main suspect after one of his prior flames indicates that he was at the scene of the crime. Wolfe at first demurs as it's 'Archie's private affair' but when he realizes that he stands a good chance of losing someone he relies on he steps in. This one has a lot of moving parts and quite a few memorable characters but what marks it as unique is that Goodwin isn't interested in the main female character. ;-)
And that brings us to Blood Will Tell which opens up with Archie receiving a rather strange package in the mail and snowballs into a dramatic story about spurned love, boorishness, and snappy dressers. I think this one was my favorite of the three because it provided a lot of sidestories to sink your teeth into and it kept me guessing up until the last.
Whatever your taste in mysteries, you can't go wrong with this 3-in-1 because it has a little something for everybody. If you haven't ever tried a Nero Wolfe mystery then this is an excellent place to start.
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following mysteries: Kill Now -- Pay Later, Murder Is Corny, and Blood Will Tell. As this is a collection, the stories aren't overly lengthy (Murder Is Corny was previously unpublished and was the last novella written by Stout.) but as with all of Stout's writings they pack a powerful punch no matter the length. I continue to maintain that Archie Goodwin is one of my favorite literary characters. His veracity, loyalty, bravery, and overwhelming likability mark him as a singular character that it's nearly impossible not to like. There is something so real about him and his narrative voice as the reporter of Wolfe's cases lends reality and humor. Of course, Wolfe is a singular character in his own right as a true 'armchair detective' in every way.Kill Now -- Pay Later covers the story of Wolfe's shoe shiner who witnesses something (it's not too much of a shock for me to tell you it's related to a murder I don't think) and comes to Wolfe immediately afterward. Once Wolfe is on the case, it turns out that it's not as straightforward as the police think especially since a subsequent crime is marked as a suicide and the case is considered closed. It's up to Wolfe and Archie to continue the case to its bitter end no matter how winding their path becomes.
Murder Is Corny is an extremely corny title for one of Stout's mysteries as the victim works at a farm that produces corn. Archie is pegged as the main suspect after one of his prior flames indicates that he was at the scene of the crime. Wolfe at first demurs as it's 'Archie's private affair' but when he realizes that he stands a good chance of losing someone he relies on he steps in. This one has a lot of moving parts and quite a few memorable characters but what marks it as unique is that Goodwin isn't interested in the main female character. ;-)
And that brings us to Blood Will Tell which opens up with Archie receiving a rather strange package in the mail and snowballs into a dramatic story about spurned love, boorishness, and snappy dressers. I think this one was my favorite of the three because it provided a lot of sidestories to sink your teeth into and it kept me guessing up until the last.
Whatever your taste in mysteries, you can't go wrong with this 3-in-1 because it has a little something for everybody. If you haven't ever tried a Nero Wolfe mystery then this is an excellent place to start.
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LibraryThing member leslie.98
This trio of novellas all feature murder by blunt instruments (obviously): "Kill Now -- Pay Later", "Murder is Corny" and "Blood Will Tell".
I enjoyed all 3 but my favorite was the second one, perhaps because of the way Wolfe is forced to indicate how much he esteems Archie.
I enjoyed all 3 but my favorite was the second one, perhaps because of the way Wolfe is forced to indicate how much he esteems Archie.
LibraryThing member tgraettinger
Good diversion.
LibraryThing member mktoronto
My first Nero Wolfe and still my favourite. I fell in love with Archie Goodwin through this book, as well as discovered an excellent way to cook corn-on-the-cob. The mysteries are straightforward but interesting, peopled with fun characters. Overall, Stout's strength was the short story and this
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showcases him at his peak. Show Less
Language
Original language
English
ISBN
0553241915 / 9780553241914
Physical description
200 p.; 4.2 inches
Pages
200