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Summary: 9 Wolfe stories in all: 6 novels + 3 short
Review: This omnibus' title is misleading; it actually contains 6 novels and a short story collection. They are discussed here in original publication order. For more details on the individual books, see their separate reviews._The Silent Speaker_ (1946) was the 11th Wolfe book, and the first Wolfe novel to be published after WWII, the 9th and 10th books having been short story collections. The price controls of WWII were still in effect, and a government official has been murdered in a high profile case, in which big business interests are a prime suspect. This is one of the few cases in which Wolfe and Archie actively solicit business; _And Be a Villain_ was another. _Might As Well Be Dead_ (1956), the 27th Wolfe book, starts out as a missing person case: finding an estranged son for his father, who disowned him for a dishonest act someone else turned out to have committed. Unfortunately, it looks like the poor devil may be on the verge of being unjustly convicted of an unrelated murder. _If Death Ever Slept_ (1957) was the 28th Wolfe book, and like _Too Many Women_, has Archie taking an undercover assignment to get away from Wolfe for awhile after a quarrel. The puzzle is better-constructed than that in its predecessor, and Archie is more seriously attracted by the available females, so _If Death Ever Slept_ also has better characterization. _Three At Wolfe's Door_ (1960) was the 33rd Wolfe book, a short story collection consisting of "Poison a la Carte", "Method Three for Murder", and "The Rodeo Murder", all of which first appeared in magazines in 1960. "Poison a la Carte", like _Too Many Cooks_ before it, involves Wolfe leaving the house to attend a special meeting of an organization appreciating fine food, but Stout by this time had Wolfe's habits more deeply engrained: the meeting is being held in New York City, involving a minimum of travel, and Fritz is involved with the preparation of the dinner. In fact, when one of the attendees dies of poison, Fritz and the other chefs - employees of Rusterman's - feel that their honour, not merely their safety, is involved, so Wolfe *has* to clear it up. "Method Three for Murder" begins with one of the many occasions on which Archie has threatened to quit, but this one is unusual in that he's half-serious, and has gone so far as to storm out of the house. He hasn't stormed far, though; a good-looking woman is out front with a cab containing only a dead body. Wolfe, after a certain amount of commotion, stomps out and offers Archie a partnership arrangement to solve the case. :) "The Rodeo Murder" occurs at a party in Lily Rowan's penthouse - and since she'd specially arranged for grouse, Wolfe had consented to attend. Some of the characters later reappear in _Death of a Dude_, set on Lily's ranch in Montana, after their retirement from rodeo work. Like _If Death Ever Slept_, _Gambit_ (1962), the 37th Wolfe book, revolves around a woman most men automatically fall for, but everyone seems to agree that Anna Blount is a one-man woman, and that that man is Matthew Blount, her husband. After hearing Anna's daughter Sally outline Blount's problem - he's accused of murdering a chessplayer at the Gambit Club - Wolfe declares that Blount is either a jackass or is innocent, and takes the case. As a working hypothesis, Wolfe takes the position that Paul Jerin's murder was itself a gambit, a move intended to bring about the death of Matthew Blount - possibly not for his own sake, but as the inconvenient husband of Anna Blount. Not that this narrows the field of suspects much... _Please Pass the Guilt_ (1973), the 45th Wolfe book, began with a referral from Wolfe's neighbour, the ever-helpful Doc Vollmer. One of Vollmer's colleagues has a patient with "Lady Macbeth" syndrome: he hallucinates blood on his hands. The man won't give a full account of himself to his therapist, who in exasperation recommended Wolfe as a better bet. Wolfe and Archie, upon meeting the man, learn that he was indeed involved in a messy death - a bomb rigged in an executive's desk drawer - but he isn't a suspect. _A Family Affair_ (1975), the 46th Wolfe book, was the last to be published before Stout's death. A waiter from Rusterman's - a bit-part character we've seen occasionally in previous stories - shows up at the brownstone at 2 a.m., insisting on waiting until Wolfe is available, and refusing to confide in Archie. Archie parks him in the South Room for safekeeping - but someone had slipped Pierre a booby-trapped cigar tube, and the resulting explosion causes his death, and makes this a personal matter for Wolfe. But digging into the case, there appear to be traces of a possible connection with Watergate - and that *really* pushes Wolfe's hot buttons.
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