A Family Affair

By: Rex Stout

Narrated by: Michael Prichard

Nero Wolfe's last recorded case! Wolfe never works without a well-heeled client and a sizable fee, but when a bomb racks his brownstone, killing his favorite waiter from his favorite restaurant, the world's greatest gourmet takes it as a personal affront. What kind of unsavory killer commits murder within ten feet of a legendary detective? It's a question Wolfe will go to heroic lengths to answer. But even as he and Archie uncover an unappetizing brew of conspiracy and lies, the killer serves up a second helping of homicide and Wolfe is left to face a most unpalatable truth.

"It is always a treat to read a Nero Wolfe mystery. The man has entered our folklore."—New York Times Book Review©1975 Rex Stout; (P)2000 Books on Tape

Nero and Archie’s last case in the 1970’s!

I really enjoy Nero and Archie. This has a unique plot overall and gets very personal for the Brownstone residence. This book should be read after “really” knowing the characters well to appreciate this plot. It is the last book written by Rex and I would listen to it last to have a nice conclusion as the writer intended.
Anyone with knowledge of Rex Stouts writing knows that Nero and company do not age in the books as time marches forward. I love the 30’s and 40’s eras that a lot of the books were written in and the tv series in based on. But any time with wise cracking Archie and Genius Nero works for me with the Rex Stout novels.
This novel is based in the 1970’s and mentions time specific things in the novel. Watergate etc…
In my top ten for the Nero and Archie Audible list. Black Mountain is #1 btw

Great ending for a great series

Well it doesn't usually make any difference what order you read the Nero Wolfe series of books in, this one should be read last no matter what.

It was the last book that Rex Stout wrote and published, shortly before he died.

and it puts a little bowtie on some character arcs that had been going on for many years.

Some of the later Rex Stout written Nero Wolfe books, include references that date them more than some of the older books. He included more 60s and early 70s jargon, and made references to events that were correct in the news, not just in passing, but often over and over again, and sometimes (as here), it had something to do with the plot.

Nevertheless, at least for this book, it doesn't get in the way of a very enjoyable read, whether reading the text version, or listening to the audio version.

I would definitely put this one in my top 10 list. I don't think I would ever put it in my top three, or maybe even top five.

However, it's when I do read and listen to over and over again.

I know this is getting redundant and my reviews about this series, but Michael Prichard's performance here is typically top notch. Even the worst of this series (which is better than some of the best of many others), is worth listening too many times just because of Prichard's excellent reading.

Wolf and Archie at their BEST!

A favorite that I find myself listening or reading every year. Classic Nero and a fabulous follow up novel!

Wow

I did not see that coming. This story has so many twists and turns that I couldn't keep up. I felt like Kramer in the red chair at the end of the book.

Rex Stout saved his best for last!

This was Rex Stout’s last Nero Wolfe mystery, written around 1974 or ‘75. While I never read a bad Nero Wolfe book, some are better than others, and this may have been his finest work—for several reasons (that I don’t entirely want to spell out, to avoid saying too much).

However, it is fair to say that in this last work, Stout allowed Wolfe to nudge himself just a tiny bit more into displaying human feelings than the great man usually allowed himself to show. And listening to it, knowing this was Stout’s (and Nero Wolfe’s) swan song, so to speak, made the entire book seem more precious. I thought I had read the entire series, way back when, but somehow I had never read this—so it was a double pleasure for me.

One of the somewhat jarring things about it was hearing references to more modern security and phone systems, etc, than we read about in the main body of work. Even the extensive references to Nixon made it feel as though it was displaced in “Archie Goodwin” time. (Archie always seemed the archetypal youthful sidekick detective, from approximately Post WWII time frame, while Nero Wolfe felt more ageless to me). And in this last book, speaking through Nero Wolfe, it seemed as though Rex Stout was allowing some personal political opinions to come out in a strong way—something I don’t recall so much before.

And the ending—I sure didn’t see it coming (though I might have, had I thought about it, since I have read the continuing set of NW mysteries, by Robert Goldsborough). To anyone who is unfamiliar with this last book, as I was, just allow yourself to settle in for a powerful listening experience! If you have never read a Nero Wolfe book before, don’t begin with this one. Let this truly be your end experience of this series, as it will mean a lot more!