Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe Mysteries are some of my all time favorites. I love Archie Goodwin’s jaunty dialogue and the witty banter between Archie and Wolfe. The brownstone on West 35th street is intriguing with the red leather chair, large globe, and well-stocked bookshelves. Stout does a masterful job of describing in as few words as possible, the world he created. Wolfe’s seventh of a ton, bright yellow pajamas and the in and out lip action he does when he’s thinking brings the reader into the heart of each story. From Fritz’s Shad roe and braised sweet breads to Wolfe’s passion for Cattleyas, Laelias and Odontoglossums, the reader is exposed to a wonderful world of genius and murder.
Stout wrote 33 novels and 39 short stories from 1934 to 1975. So what happens to a popular detective when the author dies? Some authors kill their detectives. **Spoiler Alert**Agatha Christie killed Hercule Poirot. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle tried to kill his famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, but the public outcry was so great, that he ended up resurrecting the popular sleuth. However, Stout never planned for Wolfe’s demise. Some sleuths, take on new lives through new authors. Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys are both series that continue to live on through ghostwriters, who write using the series pseudonyms Carolyn Keene and Franklin W. Dixon.
Rex Stout died October 27, 1975. Before his death, Stout’s biographer, John J. McAleer, asked “How would you feel if someone wanted to continue the Wolfe series after you laid aside your pen?” Stout’s response demonstrates the mastery of voice. “I don’t know whether vampirism or cannibalism is the better term for it. Not nice. They should roll their own.” After Stout’s wife died in October 1984, his estate approved the continuation of the series by Robert Goldsborough, who published 7 books from 1986 – 1994 for Bantam and resumed the series in 2012 with four additional books (to date) published by the Mysterious Press.
I used to enjoy a British Cozy, the Miss Seeton Mysteries which had multiple writers. The series was written by Heron Carvic, Roy Peter Martin writing as Hampton Charles and Sarah J. Mason writing as Hamilton Crane. Try as they might, no two writers are exactly the same. Each writer will put their own unique spin on the stories. So, I was reluctant to read these books by Goldsborough. What if this usurper of the sacred turned Nero Wolfe into someone I didn’t recognize. I tried to envision Nero Wolfe married with three children and eating fast food in the suburbs. I shudder at the thought.
However, desperation for another Nero Wolfe forced me to give it a try (that and a great used bookstore where I bought the first book for ten cents – I can’t pass up a deal like that). So, I gave it a try. Murder in E Minor was the first. It wasn’t bad. I didn’t hate it. However, I knew something was different. Goldsborough referenced books, people, and events from previous books in the series that I recognized and appreciated. Nevertheless, it wasn’t exactly the same. If I had to name what’s different, I’d say, the dialogue isn’t quite as snappy or clever. Instead of Fritz preparing a meal of starling, squab, or cassoulet, he prepares braised pork fillets, pork tenderloin and chicken breast (okay, breast of chicken in cream with foie gras over noodles, but considering I could pronounce everything, it’s not as fancy as the Stout meals). Stout’s Nero Wolfe would have told Archie to “Stop blathering at me.” Goldsborough’s Wolfe said, “Shut up,” which lacks the tang I’m used to in the seventh of a ton genius. Nevertheless, the story was well written and I finished with a satisfied feeling inside. I’m reading the second Goldsborough book and so far he has been loyal to the characters Stout created. Wolfe is still a genius, living in the Brownstone on West 35th Street. Archie Goodwin is his ever faithful assistant. However, there are changes. The biggest one was to take the detectives into the next decade (the 80’s). Instead of Archie typing his notes on a typewriter using carbon paper, he has a word processor. I was taken aback a bit when a character made a reference to Dynasty (a 1980’s television show for those of you too young to remember). However, even with this change, Goldsborough followed Stout’s lead, keeping Wolfe and Archie the same age throughout different decades.
Nero Wolfe is a classic with a huge following. There’s even a group, The Wolfe Pack, a literary society dedicated to the fictional character. It takes a very brave writer to take on the continuation of a series like this. Robert Goldsborough does a fine job of continuing the Wolfe legacy.