Series
Publication
Crimeline (1995), Edition: Reissue, 224 pages
Original publication date
1958
Collections
Genres
Subjects
Description
Fiction. Mystery. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:There's nothing like murder to spoil a good meal. That's what Archie Goodwin, the able assistant to Nero Wolfe, discovers at a lavish dinner party hosted by a billionaire. It was a casual evening among gorgeous society girls . . . until champagne became a murder weapon. Luckily for Archie, his boss knows champagne�??and other gourmet fare. He also happens to be a genius at deduction. That combination could mean the last call for a killer who spiked the bubbly with cyani
User reviews
LibraryThing member MrsLee
I like this because Archie is out to avenge a poor unwed mother.
LibraryThing member singersdd
I love Nero Wolfe. One of my best friends introduced me to Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin just a couple of months ago and I've devoured every one of the Nero Wolfe novels that I can get my hands on. A fairly innocuous dinner party turns out to be much more, in this one. You'll only come close to
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guessing whodunnit near the very end. Show Less
LibraryThing member mausergem
Nero Wolfe, is a middle aged, fat private detective who doesn't leave his private chambers ever. His ground work is done by a young associate, Archie Goodwin and few other collegues.
In this book, Ar hie is invited to a private party where a death occurs and all Including the police are convinced
A fair read. Noting special or worth remembering.
In this book, Ar hie is invited to a private party where a death occurs and all Including the police are convinced
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that it is a case of suicide except Archie. It's a story of how he and Mr Wolfe go about proving it with lots of cunning and stealth.A fair read. Noting special or worth remembering.
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LibraryThing member bookswoman
One of my favorites and when A&E did it in their series they nailed it - I watched the show, then listened to the unabridged audio and even the dialog is so close that it is amazing. Great fun and a very difficult one solve.
LibraryThing member antiquary
Archie Goodwin is invited by a very wealthy and charitable woman (a former client) to a dinner for unwed mothers (a more socially rejected group at the time than now) and one of the young women is poisoned with cyanide (which I have been noticing during the cataloging is one fo Stout's favorite
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methods of murder.) Show Less
LibraryThing member ChazziFrazz
Archie does a favour for a past client's relative and it turns out to be murder in high society.
While filling in at a charity dinner for a select group composed of unwed mothers, well connected single men and the doyenne of high society, one of the mothers dies of poisoning right before everybody's
Even though this is Archie's case, Nero Wolfe is pulled in. Without leaving his home, Nero Wolfe navigates the many hairpin turns and scarcity of clues to decide whether it is suicide or murder.
I've read a number of Nero Wolfe mysteries and enjoy the characterizations and scenes. This is another enjoyable read.
While filling in at a charity dinner for a select group composed of unwed mothers, well connected single men and the doyenne of high society, one of the mothers dies of poisoning right before everybody's
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eyes. Her comments of committing suicide were well known, but did she really do it? Archie says no, but won't say why. Even under pressure by the attendees, the police and the D.A.Even though this is Archie's case, Nero Wolfe is pulled in. Without leaving his home, Nero Wolfe navigates the many hairpin turns and scarcity of clues to decide whether it is suicide or murder.
I've read a number of Nero Wolfe mysteries and enjoy the characterizations and scenes. This is another enjoyable read.
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LibraryThing member BraveNewBks
Had no prior experience with the series, but really enjoyed this. Read like an Agatha Christie with a slightly edgier detective. Keen observation and deductive reasoning worthy of Hercule Poirot or Sherlock Holmes.
LibraryThing member leslie.98
One of the better Nero Wolfe mysteries!
LibraryThing member TomDonaghey
Champagne For One (1959) (Nero Wolfe #31) by Rex Stout. Archie Godwin does a favor for a friend, steps in at a dance held for unwed mothers, and regrets it. One of the four mothers in question, Faith, not only is rumored to have a bottle of cyanide in her purse, but dies from a glass of champagne
Goodwin is hired by Edwin Laidlaw, a fellow chaperone to look into the matter. Edwin is the hidden father of Faith’s child. Soon the police are tipped off to Laidlaw’s involvement in the affair. Other people become suspects including Faith’s mother and Archie’s old fried who asked him to sit in originally.
There are a few more characters pulled into the plot, rationals and backstory abound, and a convoluted explanation reveals the true killer and the reasons for the murder.
This is a true story of the 1950’s, one that wouldn’t work so well today. This is due to the changed attitudes in sexual mores, viewpoints having changed to a radical degree. The thought of a foundation for unwed mothers seems almost Victorian, as well as the shame that is felt by all parties involved. And the self-satisfaction garnered by the “endowing” ladies of society has fallen by the wayside.
This, despite the attitudes toward sex, is one of the better, more enduring of Mr. Stout’s work. Both Goodwin and Wolfe are quite brillant here. A very good read indeed.
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spiked with the stuff. Knowing Faith was depressed, Archie had kept an eye on her the whole evening long and swears she did not have the opportunity to commit suicide. It is only Nero Wolfe who believes him.Goodwin is hired by Edwin Laidlaw, a fellow chaperone to look into the matter. Edwin is the hidden father of Faith’s child. Soon the police are tipped off to Laidlaw’s involvement in the affair. Other people become suspects including Faith’s mother and Archie’s old fried who asked him to sit in originally.
There are a few more characters pulled into the plot, rationals and backstory abound, and a convoluted explanation reveals the true killer and the reasons for the murder.
This is a true story of the 1950’s, one that wouldn’t work so well today. This is due to the changed attitudes in sexual mores, viewpoints having changed to a radical degree. The thought of a foundation for unwed mothers seems almost Victorian, as well as the shame that is felt by all parties involved. And the self-satisfaction garnered by the “endowing” ladies of society has fallen by the wayside.
This, despite the attitudes toward sex, is one of the better, more enduring of Mr. Stout’s work. Both Goodwin and Wolfe are quite brillant here. A very good read indeed.
Show Less
LibraryThing member leslie.98
One of the better Nero Wolfe mysteries!
Language
Original language
English
ISBN
0553244388 / 9780553244380
Physical description
224 p.; 4.15 inches
Pages
224