Champagne for One is a 1958 Nero Wolfe novel by Rex Stout. Was it suicide or murder? Archie Goodwin says murder, and he was watching when it happened. Who did it is another question entirely. This story takes place in March. The entire series is great fun.
from the back of the book:
Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe
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 ll 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.
This book has been adapted for television with Mauray Chaykin and Timothy Hutton.Champagne for One
Faith Usher had a decidedly morbid personality. She talked about taking her life, and kept cyanide in her purse. So when she collapses and dies from a lethal champagne cocktail in the middle of a high society dinner party, everyone calls it suicide -including the police. But Archie was watching it all, and suspects it was murder. So does Nero Wolfe, especially after he's warned by four men against taking the case. For the world's most formidable detective it is a tantalizing puzzle involving an unlikely combination of philanthropy, deception, blackmail, and an unrepentant killer who just may have committed the perfect crime.
Posts
Rex Stout's books are always good. Valerie
ReplyDeleteYes, I get a kick out of them :)
DeleteI really need to read some of these. This one sounds really good. Happy Thursday!
ReplyDeleteThis is a good one. They're easy to read and not long, so it's not hard to try one on for size :)
DeleteI like Timothy Hutton
ReplyDeleteHe was perfect! I wish they'd been able to do more of them.
DeleteOoh, a murder mystery - perfect 😁. Happy reading and have a great day! J 😊 x
ReplyDeleteThese characters make for fun reading :)
DeleteI remember when Nero Wolf was on TV. If I didn't know better, I would think you are a closet Timothy Hutton fan (grin).
ReplyDeleteThe Timothy Hutton/Maury Chaykin Nero Wolfe series was spot-on, perfect! Such a shame it didn't last :(
Delete