<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: Omnibus edition of 5 unrelated cases
Review: Although this omnibus consists of 3 Nero Wolfe books (_Fer de Lance_, _Murder by the Book_, and _Three Witnesses_), a royal flush consists of *five* cards. The title in this case was chosen partly because _Three Witnesses_ isn't a novel, but a short story collection, so that _Royal Flush_ does indeed consist of 5 individual stories. (There isn't any other obvious connection with cards or other royalty in the stories herein, however.)As with most Wolfe omnibuses (omnibi?) to date, the titles selected for _Royal Flush_ are an odd assortment, without being connected by theme or even consecutive publication order, and the omnibus provides no added value that individual copies of the books wouldn't supply. For more detailed discussion of the individual works making up _Royal Flush_, see their separate reviews. _Fer de Lance_ (1934) was the first Wolfe story. For those unfamiliar with it who may be hoping to see Wolfe's first meeting with Archie or one of the other recurring players, I'm sorry to disappoint you: the characters have some rough edges, but nothing marks this book as the beginning of an era. (Inspector Cramer changed over time, of course; he was initially fairly cordial, even as late as the opening of _The Rubber Band_, but after some of Wolfe's more embarrassing charades, their relationship went downhill at an alarming rate.) As with the other very early Wolfe books, _Fer de Lance_ inflicts more drama on the denizens of the brownstone than some later works; the title is drawn from an incident involving a snake of that species planted in Wolfe's desk. :) _Murder by the Book_ (1951), the 19th Wolfe book, is unusual in that Inspector Cramer, of all people, opens the story by calling on Wolfe to ask for help. (Archie makes appropriate noises, of course.) Leonard Dykes, a law clerk with no life, was fished out of the river on New Year's Day, and the only anomaly that *might* provide a lead on his murder is a list of names found in his apartment - names of men who don't appear to exist. Wolfe has no suggestion to offer, and that would have been the end of it, except that a client seeking to catch the hit-and-run driver who killed his only daughter - in the Bronx rather than Cramer's Manhattan precinct - provides a letter containing one of those names a few weeks later. This story is unusually strong on character development for Stout, particularly concerning the families of the victims. _Three Witnesses_, the 26th Wolfe book, collects 3 short stories that previously appeared in magazines. "The Next Witness" (1954), a.k.a. "The Last Witness" subjects Wolfe to one of the perils of his profession - not to life and limb, but to a subpoena. He usually tries to arrange matters so that Archie, not he, testifies in court, but this defendant never even achieved clienthood, so Wolfe had no control over the case. But after hearing testimony in the trial of Leonard Ashe for the murder of his wife, Wolfe becomes convinced of his innocence, and rather than awaiting his turn as the next witness, Wolfe leaves court to concoct an alternative to helping convict an innocent man. Very enjoyable, not least because Archie more than half suspects that the *real* issue was the heavily perfumed woman sitting next to Wolfe in the crowded courtroom.) "When a Man Murders..." (1954) The title parodies the rhyme, "When a man marries, his trouble begins." This case is a rare exception (in fact, the *only* one I can recall) in which Wolfe completely breaks the rule about refusing divorce cases. After Sydney Karnow was reported missing-believed-killed in Korea 3 years ago, his wife Caroline inherited half his estate, his sponging relatives the other half. Caroline remarried a year after his "death" - and *now* Sydney has come back alive. But for how long? "Die Like a Dog" (1955), a.k.a. "Body in the Hall", "A Dog in the Daytime" begins with a black Labrador following Archie home. Archie, finding that the dog's collar is engraved with a kennel-club name including "Nero", can't resist the temptation to yank Wolfe's chain a little. But his joke backfires in a completely unexpected manner - not only with the genius' - and Fritz' - reaction to a dog, but with the news that the four-legged Nero may be a witness in a murder investigation.
<< 1 >>
| 
