Stout, Rex. Over My Dead Body. Porirua Publishing, 1938.
Reason read: to continue the series started in December in honor of Rex Stout’s birth month.
A fencing student is murdered. Why fencing? It certainly makes for a different and interesting twist. Over My Dead Body starts off as a theft investigation but escalates to an epee stabbing someone to death. I guess an epee makes for an unusual weapon. As usual, Wolfe’s ability to solve the crime is based on deductions brought about by human nature, process of elimination, and acute attention to detail. Over My Dead Body is no different, but this time Wolfe doesn’t shy away from threatening blackmail to get the information he needs to close the case.
With each new mystery readers learn a little more about Nero Wolfe’s personal life. In Over My Dead Body it is revealed that Wolfe was once an agent of the Austrian government and he was also a member of the Montenegrin army. He currently contributes to a loyalist group in Spain. He also has an adopted daughter. I certainly didn’t see that coming, considering his opinion of women and his reluctance to leave his brownstone apartment.
As usual, Archie does not disappoint. He continues to be full of vim and vinegar with his sarcasm and wit. He demonstrates perfect synchronicity with Nero. There is never any need for Wolfe to explain anything to Archie. They communicate through subtle gestures, raised eyebrows, and odd comments. Nero and Archie practice a whole bunch of trickery in Over My Dead Body and their symbiotic relationship saves the day every time.
Readers will also learn more about Archie and Nero’s abode. I believe this is the first time the secret compartment with the peephole has been utilized.
Lines I loved, “I can give you my word, but I know what that is worth and you don’t” (p 226) and “For God’s sake, let’s step on it, or my bed with think I am having an affair with the couch” (p 354).
Author fact: Stout married a designer and was with her up until his death.
Book trivia: An adaptation of Over My Dead Body was the final episode of a television drama.
BookLust Twist: from Book Lust in the chapter called, obviously, “Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe: Too Good To Miss” (p 226)
~*LunaSea*~ 