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An automobile breakdown strands Nero Wolfe and Archie in the middle of a private pasture--and a family feud over a prize bull. A restaurateur's plan to buy the stud and barbecue it as a publicity stunt may be in poor taste, but it isn't a crime . . . until Hickory Caesar Grindon, the soon-to-be-beefsteak bull, is found pawing the remains of a family scion. Wolfe is sure the idea that Caesar is the murderer is, well, pure bull. Now the great detective is on the horns of a dilemma as a veritable stampede of suspects--including a young lady Archie has his eye on--conceals a special breed of killer who wins a blue ribbon for sheer audacity. Introduction by Diane Mott Davidson "It is always a treat to read a Nero Wolfe mystery. The man has entered our folklore."--The New York Times Book Review 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 the greatest fictional detectives of all time. Together, Stout and Wolfe have entertained--and puzzled--millions of mystery fans around the world. Now, with his perambulatory man-about-town, Archie Goodwin, the arrogant, gourmandizing, sedentary sleuth is back in the original seventy-three cases of crime and detection written by the inimitable master himself, Rex Stout.… (more)
User reviews
Some Buried Caesar is one of the earliest Wolfe novels, but already all the essential elements are in place: Wolfe's reluctance to leave home, his extreme dislike of riding in a car (see the quote below), the rat-a-tat-tat banter between he and Archie, his ability to solve mysteries well before anyone else. Caesar is also notable for being the book in which Archie first meets Lily Rowan, the ultra-rich New York socialite who becomes his steady companion and partner in witty banter throughout the series.
The setting outside of New York City and the brownstone means Caesar can't truly be considered an archetype of the series, but in every other element it is a more than worthy entry in the canon of Wolfe and Archie.
Choice Quote: "I presume you know, since I've told you, that my distrust and hatred of vehicles in motion is partly based on my plerophory that their apparent submission to control is illusory and that they may at their pleasure, and soon or later will, act on whim. Very well, this one has, and we are intact. Thank God the whim was not a deadlier one."
Fer de Lance starts the series, if you want to get grounded first.
XVIII
“I sometimes think that never blows so red
The Rose as where some buried Caesar bled;
That every Hyacinth the Garden wears
Dropt in its Lap from some once lovely Head.”
Omar Khayyám (1050? - 1122)
Persian mathematician, astronomer, and author
English translation
In the sixth novel Nero Wolfe is once again gallivanting around the countryside, this time to a rural region of New York where he plans to enter his orchids in a competition at a big State Fair. He gets sidetracked when a tire blows and the car ends up crashed into a tree next to a big pasture. The shortest way to the house in the distance is through the field so Archie and Wolfe enter the gate to go to the house. Unfortunately, they did not notice the big bull in the pasture until it charges. Archie manages to jump the fence but Wolfe is stranded on a rock with the bull holding him there. It turns out that the bull is a prize bull that the owner of the house purchased for $45,000 in order to barbeque him and serve him to several hundred guests at a shindig to advertise his restaurants. Understandably, people who think Prize Bulls should be prized, not eaten, are upset. Wolfe wangles an invitation to stay at the house of the bull’s new owner while his car is being fixed and gets involved in a “situation” when a man who bet the owner that the bull would never be barbequed is found dead in the field with the bull standing next to him.
This is the first book in which Lily Rowen appears as she is also a guest there. And she had been dating the man found dead. There are many people on LT who complain about Lily in this book saying the she is a spoiled rich girl who is a man-eater and is mean. Rich is a given and she may be a little spoiled but she isn’t mean and I don’t think she is as sure of herself as she likes to act. I really liked her in this book. She is attractive and she likes to date men but she is also independent and does not want to be tied down. When a man gets too close or possessive and wants to marry her she doesn’t know how to gracefully get out of the situation. Watching the beginning of the relationship between Archie and Lily is a real delight in this novel. You know they are perfect for each other because they each want a relationship with no strings and they are intrigued with each other. This was my favorite part of the book.
The puzzle in this novel is well worked out also. It is ironic that when I first read this many years ago I was disappointed because I figured out the solution way to early in the book so I always felt I didn’t like it and never reread it. This time, I had totally forgotten everything about the book except that is had something to do with a bull. I was nearly to the end when I realized I hadn’t figured out the culprit yet. I stopped briefly, put my thinking cap on and did figure it out. I think the reason I missed it this time is because I was so distracted by the relationship between Lily and Archie that I forgot to notice the obvious! That was a good device
Wolfe's adventures begin when he
The prize Guernsey bull becomes Wolfe's client when he is accused of murder. The story takes place in a world of rich, arrogant men who like to yell a lot. The bull had been sold to be used by a publicity stunt by a local boy who grew up and got rich. The seller of the bull was from an old money family that were cash poor.
Archie gets seriously hit on by an attractive woman named Lily Rowan. She has quite a reputation and is always asking him to kiss her. He doesn't seem to mind the attention or her name for him "Escamillo". I looked him up. He is a toreador from Carmen.
There is a good plot with plenty of twists. IMO Rex Stout's style is more literary than Raymond Chandler or Ross MacDonald. The solution to the mystery is very logical once Wolfe tells you what it is. In the end he bends the facts to see that justice is done. The scratchy sound of a fountain pen writing, very evocative of the times, is my memory from the final scene. I think my next mystery book will be a Nero Wolfe.
Fortunately they can spy a nice home out across a field, and despite his reluctance Wolfe agrees with Archie that the walk might be the best thing to do. The shortest path lies through a fenced field which upon entering and crossing a good distance they discover is being guarded by a man with a gun. He is yelling that they should get out of the field and they soon discover the reason. The field is home to Hickory Caesar Grindon, a massive, top of his breed, and very protective of his territory, bull.
They escape that peril and are introduced to the owner of the prizewinner, Mr. Tom Pratt, owner and operator of the “Pratteria” franchise of low cost eateries that abound back in the big city. He invites them to stay overnight while their car is towed and repaired. And they hear the story of his this bull, which cost Pratt $45,000. That is in 1938 dollars. The bull is to be roasted in just a few days as a publicity stunt.
Or is it to get his neighbor’s goat, the old money family run by Mr. Osgood.
That evening the younger Mr. Osgood, Clyde, comes over from the neighboring spread and makes a bet with Pratt that Pratt will not make Caesar into BBQ that week, a bet that Pratt accepts.
All is fine although Pratt is worried about the safety of the bull. Archie ends up enlisted as part of a group to stand guard individually just outside the bull’s large paddock.
Things go smooth until a hullabaloo gets raised by Archie when he discovers Clyde lying in the field, apparently gored to death by the bull.
This being a Nero Wolfe mystery, things are not as simple as they appear. Wolfe, being the brilliant mind that he is, figures out the riddle early on but Mr. Stout leaves the readers to follow along and try to uncover the real villain of the piece.
A nice puzzle, a good depiction of Wolfe far from his comfort zone, and Archie being his usual suave, ladies man throughout, all provides a great read for fan or Wolfe novice alike. Like about all of Mr. Stout’s work, this book is highly recommended..
I listened to the audio version, and I probably would have enjoyed it more in print format. The plot is complicated enough that it was sometimes difficult to follow in the audio version. And I kept confusing the two “B” characters, Bennett and Bronson. Finally, the reader sounded like the television announcers from my childhood. The best part of the book is that it introduces Lily Rowan, who will have a recurring role in the series as Archie’s girlfriend.
I really enjoyed Some Buried Caesar. Nero is out of his comfort zone and Archie’s facing some difficulties of his own. Although the mystery has it’s own twists and merits, for me, it was learning a little about Nero Wolfe’s background that was the highlight of the story. While I did miss some of the regular characters, the author wisely introduced some new ones that are intriguing.
I am slowly working my way through the Nero Wolfe series and find them clever and amusing. The verbal sparring between Nero and Archie, the eccentricity of Wolfe and my love of sarcastic and irreverent Archie have totally hooked me to this series.
Now Some Buried Caesar. The mystery is pretty good, with the story all taking place OUTSIDE the brownstone (gasp!) in upstate New York. A neat little mystery. It is a pretty good story with some pretty good scenes. The Stoutian strong-willed woman makes an appearance, this case in the guise of Lily Rowan, Archie's... what's a good word... paramour? A good Nero Wolfe story all around, though you wonder why, if he knew it all from the start, he didn't get a photo of the dead bull so early. Archie, as always, is a funny, snarky narrator.