Top subscription boxes – right to your door, © 1996-2021, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Having been disappointed in the last case or two that I have revisited lately in audiobook format, it was an enormous relief to discover I have not outgrown the pantagruelian private eye. Well-known radio host Madeline Fraser is in a pickle. After all, those orchids don't pay for themselves. A religious zealot … He agrees to take the case, with his sizable fee contingent on his solving the murder. Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) could return in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as an ally rather than a villain. The biggest item of interest in this book is the introduction of a new character, Nero's arch enemy. Approved and edited by BuzzFeed Community Team BuzzFeed Quiz Party! always a joy to read Rex Stout and enter the world of Nero and Archie. And Be a Villain (Nero Wolfe, #13) by Rex Stout Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Having been disappointed in the last case or two that I have revisited lately in audiobook format, it was an enormous relief to discover I have not outgrown the pantagruelian private eye. Until, that is, radio guest Cyril Orchard winds up drinking a big ol' glass of cyanide . This is one of the earliest Wolfe books that truly feels like a Wolfe book, and that definitely factors in to my rating. There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. He pulls out his "tables" (a writing tablet) to note down that one may "smile, and smile, and be a villain." Nero Wolfe makes me laugh and cringe; Archie does too, but for very different reasons. For all the evil geniuses out there. While the villain is suspicious, the hero is trusting; the villain’s capacity to see the whole picture stumps the hero who focuses on the finer … Of all the Disney Villains, Frollo has the most layers to his character. We listened to this on audiobook downloaded from Overdrive and were amused every time it told us to change the cassette or to flip the cassette or hit reverse. Imagine then that a talk-show guest dies on the air while sipping the sponsor's bevvy! But even if you do figure out the central mystery you won't find the book disappointing. I think that Wolfe, a man who rarely leaves his home to do anything, is an interesting hero and Archie has so. Madeline Fraser, radio talk show host extraordinaire, had a natural dread of dead air. They hold up very well; in fact, as each novel takes place contemporaneous to its writing, many could be considered period pieces. James Mustich's 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die is bound to seriously expand that list... Radio talk show host Madeline Fraser's worst nightmare comes true when one of her on-air guests collapses at the mike after drinking a glass of the sponsor's beverage. Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. Start by marking “And Be a Villain (Nero Wolfe, #13)” as Want to Read: The criminal is sneaky but you suspect them from the start. Not that much changes in terms of the main characters from one book to another, but author Rex Stout occasionally mentions a previously-solved case in passing, so I try to be aware of all the books that have gone before, if I can. Nothing makes your hero more heroic than a worthy opponent. Wolfe and his associate Archie Goodwin, are on the case. Magical as ever, a neatly plotted crime (though I identified the killer earlier than usual! Live--so. As a villain Lyrics: I was a sucker for her perfume / And the mental lenses that she looked through / We made love under a full moon / In the football field by my old high school / She said, "it's There was a problem loading your book clubs. These are the qualities that make the books such comforts: Wolfe is a person fully in control of his environment -- an increasingly appealing fantasy for me -- but he is also someone who can extract the truth from witnesses simply by the force of his reputation, intellect, and personality. We listened to this on audiobook downloaded from Overdrive and were amused every time it told us to change the cassette or to flip the cassette or hit reverse. Bestselling author Dan Brown advocates for writing your villain first—even before your hero—because it is the villain who will make the hero heroic. My first Nero Wolfe and I will come back for more. Please try again. All Wolfe is worth reading, but this is a particular treat. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. Rather than just a one dimensional embodiment of evil, a villain should be a complex character, full of contradictions, desires, and needs. Refresh and try again. In contrast to the hero, a villain is usually compelled by a desire to commit acts of cruelty and immorality. In another fun hardboiled detective novel that blends humor and mystery in a way that is Rex Stout's own, this curiously mismatched dynamic duo once again solve a case that leaves the 1940's police at a loss. Anyway, on to the book. Could these dir. His ability to put the facts in plain sight in a way you simply gloss over them is excellent. Still, it provided a laugh every thirty minutes or so, and the rating is unaffected by this oddity. I can see how one could grow into them. Imagine then that a talk-show guest dies on the air while sipping the sponsor's bevvy! You can read Rex Stouts books in any order, but I heard that you would want to read 13-15 sequentially, for this reason. “When you hire Wolfe he thinks he’s the boss.“, Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2020, “I ought to warn you, he can be an awful nuisance when a good fee depends on it. This article is within the scope of WikiProject Novels, an attempt to build a comprehensive and detailed guide to novels, novellas, novelettes and short stories on Wikipedia. He agrees to take the case, with his sizable fee contingent on his solving the murder. And And Be a Villain struck me as a markedly listless outing for the author's famous plus-size detective. The cameo by Arnold Zeck was interesting. It works better that way.”, “No doctor should assume responsibility for the health of one he loves or one he hates.”, Finding the 1,000 Books to Read in a Lifetime. This book was the perfect antidote to readers malaise. Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video! My first Nero Wolfe mystery! I've been going through the Nero Wolfe series in chronological order, and while all of them have their charms, Stout certain has his lesser novels. Still, for a regular reader of Rex Stout, it is a pleasure to encounter someone who causes Wolfe at least a moment's thought. Do medical research if your villain has a certain pathology so you have a better understanding of how your character would act. Consider your villain’s motivation. Wolfe develops a strategy to investigate a murder that occurs live, on the air, during a radio broadcast. I recommend all of Rex Stout's books very highly. Tight binding. I am in the process of rereading (listening to the perfectly matched Michael Pritchard) many of the Rex Stout Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin mysteries. If your life were a comic book, would you be the superhero or supervillain? Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2020. On the occasions when the heroes aren’t so black-and-white, they sometimes wander a little into villainous terri… Enter Nero Wolfe. one who comes up with diabolical plots to somehow cause harm or ruin Neil Zawacki answers all the most urgent questions: Should I go with a black or red theme? Please try your request again later. Light fading on cover. The man has entered our folklore.”. Eddie Franks is a former criminal who attempts to help his family by reconnecting with his daughter and clearing his brother's debt. ), the food and the great period detail of post-War New York. The villain creates the ultimate challenge for the protagonist. In this book, he also adds a fillip of an enemy who may, just may, be Wolfe's intellectual equal. We all have our reading bucket lists. A villain is the one who always is in the front of the line and is like, "Whoever tries to get in my place gets kicked all the way to the back of this line." Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. But was the victim the actual target of the murderer? Put yourself in your villain’s shoes. Wolfe's and his sidekick Archie Goodwin's obsession with good food and fine flowers actually runs second to their obsession with integrity, logic, and clear-eyed thinking. So when one of her on-air guests signed off at the mike after drinking a glass of a sponsor’s beverage, it was a broadcaster’s nightmare come true. I would give this book more stars if I could. A radio show guest is murdered live on the air, poisoned after drinking some of the sponsor's beverage. He’s a genius and that’s merely one of the ways it shows. Despite his efforts, he is drawn back into a criminal way of life, with devastating consequences. After finishing a Nobel Prize winner's dense (and seemingly endless) novel, I knew I needed to return to an old friend and that was a Nero Wolfe mystery. At 29, his comments about no women over 30 being worth a look gave me a strong desire to give him a good "talking to." You can imagine the sensation! One of my favorite quotes is when Wolfe responds to an oft-interrupting guest, ““Someday, sir, you’re going to get on the wrong train by trying to board yours before it arrives.”, Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2018. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. If you are paying attention to the context and clues you can figure out who the villain is pretty early in the book. You can imagine the sensation! But to Wolfe's surprise, everyone connected to the case now lies in unison about it. How to Be a Villain. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next. And as the portly detective soon discovers, the secret worth lying about only hides another worth killing for. Archie Goodwin and Nero Wolfe are at it again! There are no discussion topics on this book yet. He sends Archie Goodwin to see a popular radio talk show host Madeline Fraser (think Oprah Winfrey before the era of TV) to accept his services in investigating a sensational murder which happened recently right in the middle of the show: a guest drank some soft drink from the show sponsors and fell dead. See just how dark your mind can go. To build a strong and memorable villain, your character needs to be more than bad. Let Evelynn in. Commercials were done live on the radio, and that features prominently in the mystery as one of the murders is committed on-the-air during a live broadcast, the featured product being spiked with cyanide. Stout's examination of this. The villain of this story is a real jerk. What's not to love? It's a big hit with the sponsor and the public. The connection between the cast and guest on the program is first investigated because it seems there is no motive for the murder. Was recommended to me as witty, but I didn't it find it particularly so. Still, that's a product of the times in which it was written, and with that in mind, I still found it intriguing and engaging enough to recommend it to all. What Kind Of Villain Archetype Would You Be? They hold up very well; in fact, as each novel takes place contemporaneous to its writing, many could be considered period pieces. Understand the difference between a villain and a hero. Enter Nero Wolfe. Another fun read from Rex Stout. Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Typically, a villain’s weakness is the hero’s strength, and their strength is the hero’s weakness.