Jim's Reviews > Not Quite Dead Enough

This volume is comprised of two novellas which take place during World War II. Neither of which was Rex Stout at his best. In the introduction John Lutz indicates Stout was very busy so that may be an explanation. Or perhaps he was not at his best with the short format. That being said it is not a bad book and it is always fun to visit Wolfe's brownstone on West 35th Street in New York City. Part of what makes these books so enjoyable is the two main characters. Nero Wolfe is heavy and prefers to stay at home and read, grow orchids, and eat gourmet food prepared by his personal chef ... Fritz Brenner. Archie is younger, a ladies man, and enjoys dancing. That and their age difference can lead to some personality clashes. Archie usually has to urge Wolfe to do some work when the bank account starts getting low. Or in this case when Uncle Sam wants you!

Not Quite Dead Enough : In the first novella Archie is a Major with Army Intelligence. When the story opens he has been summoned to Washington where he is asked to go to New York and convince Wolfe to help the Army. It seems as though Wolfe has refused to speak to the Army brass that have attempted to recruit him. Archie agrees as long as there is something in it for him. Say a promotion to Colonel. Lily Rowan shows up on the same flight from D.C. to NYC and in a seat next to Archie. She wants Archie's help too. A friend of hers, Ann Amory, is very disturbed about something and Lily thinks she needs a good detective. When Archie returns to the brownstone on West 35th Street he is shocked to find that not only is Wolfe not at home but that he is in training to fight Nazi's. He and Fritz are walking twice a day and subsisting on prunes, lettuce, and tomatoes. Realizing that it is Wolfe's brains that the Army is interested in he decides that the only solution is to get Wolfe to take a case. The Ann Amory case. Archie goes to the boarding house where Ann lives and it is more like a nut house than a boarding house. Next thing you know Ann winds up strangled with her own scarf and Wolfe reluctantly is drawn into the case when Archie is arrested. Fritz cleans and dusts the office, Wolfe sits back in his custom made chair and thinks things out, the suspects are gathered together in Wolfe's office where Wolfe will reveal the true identity of the murder to Inspector Cramer who as usual is angry and lost (he also we learn has a son).

Booby Trap : Archie is still in the Army, still a Major, but he is now assigned to assist Wolfe in Army work. Wolfe is now meeting with Army officials on a regular basis. He is going to them rather than forcing the Army to come to him. When the story opens Wolfe and Archie are on there way to one of these meetings. Archie has a pink grenade prototype that he had been given. He was keeping it in his bedroom in Wolfe's brownstone. Wolfe needless to say does not want a grenade in his home. At their meeting Archie returns the grenade prototype to his superior who puts it in his desk (after checking the pin). When Wolfe and Archie arrive at the Army headquarters for the next meeting they get off on the wrong floor which is a good thing because said grenade explodes and Archie's superior officer is killed. Of course it was murder. This is all about industrial espionage and those who are trying to profit from the war. Thankfully in this situation Wolfe was there to stop it.

IMHO if you enjoy Nero Wolfe this book was okay. Not great. If you have never read a Nero Wolfe story before you may want to check out one of the other books first.