I have read all of Rex Stout's wonderful Nero Wolfe books. This one is the 2nd time around and still lots of fun. ( )

Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe books are always delightful reads, with his genius melding of Holmesian ratiocination and Marlovian tough-guy bark. This one is a little more complicated than some, with a complex geopolitical background and a large array of characters. Wolfe and his narrating leg man Archie Goodwin attempt to solve the murder of a fencing student, but the novel delves more than any other in the series (as I recall) into Wolfe's own personal history as a young man. Stout knows how to write with verve and style, and his plotting is first rate. A very good entry in the series. ( )

While Wolfe is back to his typical self (not leaving home as in the previous 2!), some of his personal background is revealed in this one. Archie seemed a bit more hardboiled than I remember! The series remains poised on the edge between hardboiled & Golden Age in style, a tricky feat that Stout manages to perfection. ( )

A woman who claims to be a friend of Nero Wolfe’s long-lost adopted daughter turns to Wolfe for help when her friend (Wolfe’s daughter) is accused of theft. The Balkan women are in New York working as fencing instructors. Wolfe sends Archie to the fencing school to investigate, and Archie is on the spot when a murder takes place. Wolfe’s daughter is among the suspects. Can Wolfe trust her? Could she be guilty of murder?

Archie is at his quick-witted best when he has to extricate himself from the fencing school and back to Wolfe’s house without being searched. Inspector Cramer setting up camp in Wolfe’s office sets the stage for clandestine comings and goings that approach farce. As usual, Wolfe is at least one step ahead of the police. Stout didn’t shy away from confronting the volatile situation in Europe. By the time the book was published in 1940, war had broken out in Europe. ( )

Nero Wolfe pesa cerca de 150 kilos, bebe más de diez litros de cerveza por día (sin que esto le produzca ningún síntoma de ebriedad), y cultiva su pasión por coleccionar orquídeas de incalculable valor. Es una persona terca y malhumorada, que vive ayudado por su eficiente colaborador Archie Goodwin, su cocinero Fritz y un jardinero. No acostumbra a moverse de su casa y tiene horarios muy limitados para recibir clientes. Sus métodos son estrictos, primarios e incluso algunas veces ilegales o estorbando a la policía, mientras Archie y Saúl Panzer (su otro ayudante en casos policiales) buscan pistas, Wolfe se dedica a pensar, en medio de abundantes banquetes y vasos de cerveza.
Tiene un control excesivo sobre el dinero, y sus honorarios como detective profesional son elevados. No toma ningún caso gratis, así esté rodeado del más absoluto misterio. Es un hombre que considera su profesión únicamente como un trabajo.
No se conoce ningún dato familiar ni amoroso de Wolfe, salvo que en el libro Sobre mi cadáver aparece una muchacha que dice ser su hija. Sin embargo, Wolfe, lejos de enternecerse, es duro e inflexible con todos.