The Old Coot is a reader

I just finished reading a Nero Wolfe book by author, Rex Stout. He penned 72 “Wolfe” episodes, starting in 1934. He lived five miles from me when I was in my thirties; I was near the eastern boundary of New York State, just off Route 84 in Brewster, N.Y.; his estate was on the western edge of Connecticut, straddling both state borders. I’d heard of Nero Wolfe, but I never read one of Stout’s books. Since he was a neighbor, sort of, I decided I would read one to see what it was all about. When I did, I was hooked.

I didn’t solve the mystery in that first one. Nero Wolfe did, and in dramatic fashion, squeezing his one-seventh of a ton frame into a special, oversized chair behind his desk in front of a roomful of interested parties. The perpetrator (as yet unnamed) was there along with the cast of characters involved in the case, Wolf’s dedicated assistant, Archie Goodwin and NYPD Inspector Cramer, who was chagrined that he hadn’t been able to solve the case. He was forced to listen to Wolf’s oration to find out who did it so he could make an arrest. The facts are there for all to see, but only Wolfe is genius enough to connect the dots. 

Rex Stout was a genius himself, just like Nero Wolfe. He created a school banking system that was adopted in school districts across the country in 1927. It afforded him the luxury of retiring from the finance world in 1934 to become a full-time author. I’ve read every book, several times. And even when I re-read one, I still fail to figure out who committed the crime. But that’s what readers love about Rex Stout’s writing; We want to be surprised, just like the crowd gathered in Wolfe’s office in the last 10 or 20 pages of the book.   

I re-read four or five Nero Wolfe books every year, as a respite, mixed in with current novels and non-fiction. I find the journey into Stout’s world of the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s with a genius at the helm to be very comforting. It never fails to mellow me out and to suffer a little humility. I’m not sure why I’m going on and on about this. Maybe it’s a subconscious attempt to induce you to spend time with the eccentric, overweight Nero Wolfe and experience a soothing interlude in a hectic day. And, if you haven’t read a book since being forced to in high school, a journey through the 150 pages of the average Nero Wolf book just might bring you back to reading for fun. 

Comments? Complaints? Send to mlessler7@gmail.com.