Library's review
This book is Exhibit A in the argument for not always starting to read a series with the first book. And yes, I usually do start with the first book when I can, and sometimes it's absolutely essential in order to fully appreciate how the characters evolve. But Stout's Nero Wolfe series of
That's due in large part to the way Stout structures the books. While the setting of each book reflects the time period in which it was written, the characters themselves — enormously sedentary detecting genius Nero Wolfe; his handsome, wisecracking, athletic assistant Archie Goodwin (swoon); live-in gourmet French chef Fritz; police nemeses Inspector Cramer and Sergeant Stebbins; newspaperman Lon Cohen — never change. They remain the same ages and personalities from the first book to the last, with only minor exceptions. Wolfe is forever in his mid 50s, Archie is forever 32-ish, and so on.
It might sound odd to think of characters never aging even as they operate in a New York City and an American culture that changes drastically, but somehow Stout makes it work. And it has the advantage of avoiding the absurdity of Robert B. Parker's detective Spenser, who in the early 1970s is a Korean War vet and ages at a normal pace through the series, yet is still somehow kicking ass and taking names in the 21st century, well past the age he should be worrying bout breaking a hip during one of his inevitable fisticuffs.
While it's true that Stout's characters remain the same age, that's not to say that they sprang fully formed from the beginning, and that brings us around to why you shouldn't start this series with this book, the first. It took maybe 3 or 4 full-length novels before Stout had fully found Archie's and Nero's voices. Having read the later masterpieces like If Death Ever Slept, a discerning reader will find the dialogue a bit stilted in this maiden effort without the characteristic sparkle and sass that would develop in Archie's first-person narration once Stout hit his stride.
The mystery, though, is still first-rate, involving a snake, a golf club, and an airplane — to say more would be to say too much. Just do me and yourself a favor and don't read it until you've already fallen in love with Wolfe's World. Hands off Archie, though; I saw him first.
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mysteries, which were written over a span of time between 1938 and 1975, are most certainly the exception that proves the rule.That's due in large part to the way Stout structures the books. While the setting of each book reflects the time period in which it was written, the characters themselves — enormously sedentary detecting genius Nero Wolfe; his handsome, wisecracking, athletic assistant Archie Goodwin (swoon); live-in gourmet French chef Fritz; police nemeses Inspector Cramer and Sergeant Stebbins; newspaperman Lon Cohen — never change. They remain the same ages and personalities from the first book to the last, with only minor exceptions. Wolfe is forever in his mid 50s, Archie is forever 32-ish, and so on.
It might sound odd to think of characters never aging even as they operate in a New York City and an American culture that changes drastically, but somehow Stout makes it work. And it has the advantage of avoiding the absurdity of Robert B. Parker's detective Spenser, who in the early 1970s is a Korean War vet and ages at a normal pace through the series, yet is still somehow kicking ass and taking names in the 21st century, well past the age he should be worrying bout breaking a hip during one of his inevitable fisticuffs.
While it's true that Stout's characters remain the same age, that's not to say that they sprang fully formed from the beginning, and that brings us around to why you shouldn't start this series with this book, the first. It took maybe 3 or 4 full-length novels before Stout had fully found Archie's and Nero's voices. Having read the later masterpieces like If Death Ever Slept, a discerning reader will find the dialogue a bit stilted in this maiden effort without the characteristic sparkle and sass that would develop in Archie's first-person narration once Stout hit his stride.
The mystery, though, is still first-rate, involving a snake, a golf club, and an airplane — to say more would be to say too much. Just do me and yourself a favor and don't read it until you've already fallen in love with Wolfe's World. Hands off Archie, though; I saw him first.
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Description
Fiction. Mystery. Suspense. Thriller. As any herpetologist will tell you, the fer-de-lance is among the most dreaded snakes known to man. When someone makes a present of one to Nero Wolfe, Archie Goodwin knows he's getting dreadfully close to solving the devilishly clever murders of an immigrant and a college president. As for Wolfe, he's playing snake charmer in a case with more twists than an anaconda�??whistling a seductive tune he hopes will catch a killer who's still got poison in his hea
Awards
Haycraft Queen Cornerstones (1934)
Julian Symons' 100 Best Crime Stories (1934 — 1934)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1934
Other editions
Fer-de-Lance by Rex Stout (Paperback)
Fer-de-Lance by Rex Stout (Paperback)