Stout, Rex. Too Many Cooks. Bantam Books, 1983.
Reason read: to continue the series started in November in honor of Rex Stout’s first Nero Wolfe mystery.
The only thing that can get Nero Wolfe to leave his brownstone in New York City is…not much. In Too Many Cooks he is persuaded to join a group of chefs for a sauce competition as their guest of honor. Even though he is the judge of honor that doesn’t mean someone can’t be murdered right under his nose. Indeed, someone is stabbed in the pantry. This is a case in which Archie and Nero do not get much sleep. Everyone must be interviewed and interviewed again. The slightest lie could crack the case. But when Nero’s life is threatened, the question becomes will he have enough time to figure out the mystery before he is the next dead man?
Every time I read a Nero Wolfe mystery I learn a little more about the man. This time I discovered that Wolfe hates things that move (especially trains). He calls it enginephobia. He doesn’t like to be touched nor does he like to haggle. He still loves his beer, though! In Too Many Cooks he also loves a particular sausage recipe. Archie, his main sidekick, describes himself as a secretary, a bodyguard, an office manager, an assistant detective, and a goat.
Quote I loved, “…Once again I had to follow his taillights without knowing the road” (Archie talking about working with Nero) (p 81-82). Archie exaggerates. He knows the meaning behind every gesture Wolfe makes. Here is another: “Do you realize that that fool is going to let that fool make a fool of him again?” (p 128).
Author fact: Rex Stout’s parents were Quakers.
Book trivia: the foreword to Too Many Cooks is hilarious. Archie is worried about the spelling of French words.
Playlist: Beethoven and Wagner.
BookLust Twist: from Book Lust in the chapter called “Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe: Too Good To Miss (p 226).
~*LunaSea*~ 