| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Authors
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
I've sorted the stories herein by chronological order rather than as they appear in the book. To date, A&E has adapted 2 of the 3 stories for television in the US.
"Help Wanted, Male" - May 1944. Adapted for NERO WOLFE's 2nd season. Wolfe isn't taking any private cases while working for Army Intelligence (and anyway, Archie is technically in the Army rather than doing legwork for Wolfe in his private capacity). When Ben Jensen (having met them during the court-martial of a man selling Army secrets for political purposes) comes to Wolfe asking for help after receiving anonymous death threats, Wolfe turns him down - although he would anyway, since there is ultimately no protection against a determined assassin. It's material, though, because Wolfe himself receives similar threats after Jensen's murder. (Granted, his first reaction is that Archie provided these last as a gag.) Then when Archie gets to Washington to request a combat assignment yet again, he sees a *very* unusual newspaper advertisement, seeking someone matching Wolfe's description.
"Instead of Evidence" a.k.a. "Murder on Tuesday" - October 1945, 1 week after Archie is officially out of the Army. Many attempt to hire Wolfe to keep someone from killing them, but none have ever been accepted - because a sufficiently determined killer can always succeed (and with enough patience, maybe not even be caught). Eugene Poor owns half of Blaney & Poor, manufacturers of novelties, but Blaney is determined to get sole control without paying full value for Poor's half - so Poor says. Mrs. Poor would rather see Eugene sell out for a pittance than run the risk of being murdered. Wolfe, in the end, undertakes only to see that the cops are tipped off properly if Poor is murdered - and the neatly typed list of facts is called for before bedtime by Cramer of Homicide, now that a bomb disguised as a cigar has blown Poor's face off.
"Before I Die" - Adapted for NERO WOLFE's 2nd season. 7-8 October 1946, when Wolfe is desperate for a controlled substance - meat, under post-WWII rationing. Another desperate man - Dazy Perrit, king of the black market - can provide a quid pro quo, if Wolfe can protect his daughter. Even Beulah herself (through a combination of circumstances) doesn't know that Perrit is her father, but some of his underworld associates have been trying to find her, so he hired Angelina Murphy to play the role of daughter. "Violet Perrit", however, has become greedy, blackmailing Perrit by threatening to expose the charade. He's come to Wolfe to get him out from under without endangering Beulah.
The title quote is actually from Archie, who's really scared by this case, since they now know far too much of a dangerous man's secrets for comfort.
To date (the beginning of the 2nd season of Nero Wolfe), A&E has adapted 2 of the 3 stories herein. I've sorted them here by chronological order rather than as they appear in the book.
"Help Wanted, Male" - May 1944. Adapted for A&E's 2nd season. Wolfe isn't taking any private cases while working for Army Intelligence (and anyway, Archie is technically in the Army rather than doing legwork for Wolfe in his private capacity). When Ben Jensen (having met them during the court-martial of a man selling Army secrets for political purposes) comes to Wolfe asking for help after receiving anonymous death threats, Wolfe turns him down - although he would anyway, since there is ultimately no protection against a determined assassin. It's material, though, because Wolfe himself receives similar threats after Jensen's murder. (Granted, his first reaction is that Archie provided these last as a gag.) Then when Archie gets to Washington to request a combat assignment yet again, he sees a *very* unusual newspaper advertisement, seeking someone matching Wolfe's description.
"Instead of Evidence" a.k.a. "Murder on Tuesday" - October 1945, 1 week after Archie is officially out of the Army. Many attempt to hire Wolfe to keep someone from killing them, but none have ever been accepted - because a sufficiently determined killer can always succeed (and with enough patience, maybe not even be caught). Eugene Poor owns half of Blaney & Poor, manufacturers of novelties, but Blaney is determined to get sole control without paying full value for Poor's half - so Poor says. Mrs. Poor would rather see Eugene sell out for a pittance than run the risk of being murdered. Wolfe, in the end, undertakes only to see that the cops are tipped off properly if Poor is murdered - and the neatly typed list of facts is called for before bedtime by Cramer of Homicide, now that a bomb disguised as a cigar has blown Poor's face off.
"Before I Die" - Adapted for A&E's 2nd season. 7-8 October 1946, when Wolfe is desperate for a controlled substance - meat, under post-WWII rationing. Another desperate man - Dazy Perrit, king of the black market - can provide a quid pro quo, if Wolfe can protect his daughter. Even Beulah herself (through a combination of circumstances) doesn't know that Perrit is her father, but some of his underworld associates have been trying to find her, so he hired Angelina Murphy to play the role of daughter. "Violet Perrit", however, has become greedy, blackmailing Perrit by threatening to expose the charade. He's come to Wolfe to get him out from under without endangering Beulah.
The title quote is actually from Archie, who's really scared by this case, since they now know far too much of a dangerous man's secrets for comfort.
"Help Wanted, Male" happens during WWII, when Archie is a major, and Wolfe has volunteered to help military intelligence. Archie is assigned to Wolfe, which he does not like, but cannot get General Carpenter to reassign him.
A&E really bungled this badly. Rex Stout was a patriot, and, while a libertarian, would not have wanted to depict the military as A&E did. None of the senile, babbling foolishness demonstrated by Gen. Carpenter is depicted in the story itself.
The story is strong, innovative and clever, with good character development and imagery.
"Before I Die" was also adapted for A&E's 2nd season, to somewhat better effect. Wolfe is more sympathetic to organized crime here than anywhere else, because he believes that he can get fresh meat in deiance of rationing requirements. We are all slaves to our own appetites, and Wolfe is no exception. It's a clever plot line, although the gangland depictions do not ring very true. The characters here, though, are not as well formed; A&E actually beefed them up a little for TV.
"Instead of Evidence" - A&E did not try this one, perhaps because of limitations on their special effects budget. Read the story to see why...
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
