Might As Well Be Dead
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
James R. Herrold threw his son Paul out of the family business 11 years ago - unjustly, it turns out, and he now wishes to set the account straight. When Wolfe and Archie begin advertising for a P.H. who's now known to be innocent, though, it attracts Purley Stebbins, wanting to know why they're interested in Peter Hays, who's on trial for 1st degree murder. Archie opts to look at Hays, just on the chance - and seeing his face in defiance at the jury's guilty verdict, with life in it, sees the kid in Herrold's college photo.
Albert Freyer, Hays' attorney, comes to Wolfe, who breaks his rule of discretion and makes common cause with him. Freyer's never seen Hays with any life in his face, and knew nothing of his past; when they first met, Hays had said he might as well be dead, being given over to despair. Archie, Wolfe, and Freyer believe he's innocent (partly because *somebody* followed Archie to court, and it sure wasn't Hays).
Hays is supposed to have shot Michael Molloy, the husband of the woman he loved, but he's been standing mute. Mrs. Molloy couldn't divorce him (this was 1956) even though he was maltreating her. An anonymous man had called Hays up with a tale of Molloy starting to beat up Selma, and the cops were tipped off to the shooting by an anonymous caller. Hmm.
Hays hasn't got enough of a personal life for the frameup to be personal, and Selma Malloy appears to have no outside interest (as well as an alibi). Archie, therefore, goes to work questioning her, partly because she used to be Molloy's secretary, and can give them a line on any interesting business dealings he may have had. (The current secretary is far less appealing to him.) The first scrap is a safe deposit box, location unknown, in the name of Richard Randall - if they can find it.
The usual supporting players are deployed to the fullest: Saul, Fred, and Orrie (naturally), and even the more rare Johnny Keems. They have the joyous task of sorting through Molloy's associates and poking into holes, trying to stir something up without being bitten.
Format:Audio CD
The detectives' experience that name changes often keep the same initials sets the quest for a PH in New York. Tough Dad didn't question the apparent evidence that his son had done wrong 11 years before. The only word during those years has been annual cards to PH's mother from NYC. NW's newspaper advert brings Perly Stebbins with the astounding question of why Wolfe is advertising the innocence of the PH on trial for murder. Curiouser and curiouser, why should Archie's look-in to the trial courtroom catch a tail?
A very few people believe in PH's innocence - not surprising since PH won't talk, won't help. Did I mention there's a woman involved? And convenient telephone calls to the police so that they had arrived to find PH on site? Looks hopeless doesn't it. The jury thought he did it.
But PH's lawyer, despite being stiff-armed by his client, thinks he didn't, so a small cadre of detectives spreads from the famous brownstone base of NW to find evidence to overturn that guilty verdict. On the way they learn that the murdered man was not what he seemed ... and the rest I leave to you to find out for yourself.
This audio book fulfills all my criteria - favourite author (Rex Stout), really good book, one of the best book readers (Michael Pritchard) and very very important it's unabridged. Every word written by RS is here. I strongly recommend it.
A very few people believe in PH's innocence - not surprising since PH won't talk, won't help. Did I mention there's a woman involved? And convenient telephone calls to the police so that they had arrived to find PH on site? Looks hopeless doesn't it. The jury thought he did it.
But PH's lawyer, despite being stiff-armed by his client, thinks he didn't, so a small cadre of detectives spreads from the famous brownstone base of NW to find evidence to overturn that guilty verdict. On the way they learn that the murdered man was not what he seemed ... and the rest I leave to you to find out for yourself.
This audio book fulfills all my criteria - favourite author (Rex Stout), really good book, one of the best book readers (Michael Pritchard) and very very important it's unabridged. Every word written by RS is here. I strongly recommend it.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
9 reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Great Stuff!
19 May 2006
Format:Paperback
Rex Stout was an amazing writer. His characters are great. The dialogue and action are crisp. And, where did he get the ideas for his stories? Some of the plotlines really draw you in. Take this book, one of Stout's best. In Might As Well Be Dead, the great detective Nero Wolfe is asked to locate a young man missing for over a decade--who turns out to have just been convicted of murder. Wolfe has to put his considerable mental prowess to work to overturn the conviction, along with his helpers--the irrepressible Archie Goodwin, and Saul, Fred, Orrie, and Jimmy. One of Wolfe's colleagues doesn't make it to the end of the story, which makes it personal for Wolfe. The cops are breathing down their necks. And, just to add to the mix, Archie falls in love with the attractive woman pining for the man on death row. Great stuff!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Kindle Version Review
25 May 2010
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is prime 1950s-era Nero Wolfe and well worth a read. Not only is Stout's writing here vital and pithy, but the plot takes some memorable twists and Nero has to adjust his strategy accordingly. There are some great Archie/Nero character moments and some nice use of the Saul Panzer-led squad of hired investigators. The Kindle version is well-formatted, but note the cover is missing and the publishing date, ISBN, etc., appears at the end of the text instead of the beginning.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Exemplary Nero Wolfe mystery
10 Nov 2006
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
A murder conviction; a missing person; a beautiful woman; even a distraught family - but Nero Wolfe puts the pieces together and again solves the mystery puzzle. One of Rex Stout's most complicated and satisfying Nero Wolfe mysteries.
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