Trouble in Triplicate

A collection of three novellas featuring rotund detecting genius Nero Wolfe and my literary boyfriend Archie Goodwin.

Before I Die — World War II is raging, and Archie is restless. He's enlisted and is a major in the U.S. Army, but he's been assigned to help Wolfe work on top-secret cases for the government instead of going off to fight Germans. Compounding the problem is a rationing crisis that has gourmand Wolfe desperate to get his hands and teeth on some real meat. When one of New York City's most notorious gangsters shows up at the door needing help with his daughter, the promise of black-market access in return makes Wolfe throw caution to the wind, leaving Archie to try to keep house, home, and body together long enough to solve the case.

Help Wanted, Male — The war is over and Archie is back in civvies, but one of the cases Wolfe solved for the U.S. Army comes back to haunt him. A publisher involved in that case is murdered, and the killer sends Wolfe a message saying he's next. Deciding he can't detect properly with his head on a swivel waiting for attack, he hires a lookalike to impersonate him and serve as bait. You can imagine how much fun Archie has with that.

Instead of Evidence — A man and his wife come to Wolfe, claiming his business partner is going to kill him. Oddly, the man doesn't want Wolfe to try to stop him; he just wants him to promise that after he's killed Wolfe will make sure his partner doesn't get away with the crime. Bonus points for a novel murder method.

I enjoyed each of the 3 novellas in this volume. Details to come... ( )

Three stories --Before I Die, I like very much. Amid a meat crisis, a gangster who is said to be "king of the black market" asks Wolfe for help -- an enemy is aware that he has a secret daughter; he hires another woman to impersonate the daughter, and that woman is blackmailing him. Then that woman is murdered in front of Archie Goodwin. Help Wanted Male, I dislike. Wolfe receives a death threat and hires a man to impersonate him.
The third story, Instead of Evidence, involves a man who comes to Wolfe and says that his enrmy is planning to kill him --he expects to be killed, but wants Wolfe to avenge him. ( )

A collection of three Nero Wolfe stories. In the first a mobster visits Wolf to get his daughter to stop blackmailing him. In the second a publisher that Wolfe worked with to catch a traitor recieves a death threat. In the third A novelties maker comes to Wolfe saying he knows who will kill him and is shortly thereafter killed by an exploding cigar. I love Wolfe and Archies banter and the humor injected in the stories. ( )

Three short mysteries make up this book. The first is about a bad guy with a need to connect with his daughter. The second is about a murder who announces he is going to watch the victim die and Nero also receives a note to the party. Finally, a victim blows up! The first two are well written, interesting plots. the third is a bit weak. ( )