Nov 20 - 26, 2016

Murder in E Minor by Robert Goldsborough - a continuation of the Nero Wolfe mysteries by Rex Stout, this takes place two years after the last novel by Mr. Stout. Nero Wolfe has not taken a case for two years and the only thing that can bring him out of his self-imposed retirement is a case involving an old friend from his years in Montenegro as a freedom fighter. I thought the author did a good job capturing the flavor of the Stout novels, but they just missed having that little something special. This was published in 1986 and the author has written several more. I'll be happy to continue the series.

3 stars
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The Bloodied Ivy by Robert Goldsborough - a college professor is sure that his fellow professor's  death is murder and not an accident. So much of the book is Archie trying to decide if it really is murder. Everyone is unlikeable and the conclusion was anticlimactic. The third in this new series. I read out of order because it was what I could get on my Kindle from the library.

2 stars
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Black Orchids by Rex Stout - two short stories in one book, the first also the title of the book. Nero Wolfe actually leaves his office to a look at some rare black orchids. And of course a murder happens at the flower show when he's there. In the second, Cordially Invited to Meet Death, a professional party giver hires Wolfe to discover who is sending her nasty anonymous letters. I had read these before but still enjoyed them.

3 stars
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And Four to Go by Rex Stout - a collection of four Nero Wolfe short stories, three with a holiday theme. In Christmas Party, someone is killed right in front of Archie, Easter Parade starts out with orchid theft and ends with murder, Fourth of July Picnic has someone murdered at a picnic where Wolfe is giving a speech, and Murder is No Joke has Archie and Wolfe hearing a murder over the telephone. It's always a pleasure to see how Wolfe figures things out.

3 stars
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The Rubber Band by Rex Stout - an almost lynching forty years ago, an English marquis, and an accusation of theft. They all come together in one case for Nero Wolfe that finds some of the accused hiding out in his house. I've read this before but had no recollection of it, one of the benefits of getting older.

3 stars
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Dark Matter by Blake Crouch - Jason Dessen lives a happy but somewhat bland life. Walking home from a bar one night he is kidnapped and knocked unconscious. When he comes to it's to a life he doesn't know. He's in a lab being congratulated for a successful experiment. But his wife is not married to him and his son doesn't exist. Which reality is real? This was a great, fast read. (You must be willing to suspend disbelief in order to really enjoy this.)

5 stars