26 February, 2002
Three Witnesses
Rex Stout
1956
179 pp
Collection of three of Stout's shorter Nero Wolfe works: "The Next Witness," "When a Man Murders..." and "Die Like a Dog." I read it because I wanted something short and simple to read on the bus while I waited for the book I really wanted to read to arrive in the mail.
Overall, on the (admittedly scant) basis of two novels and three shorter works, I think that the novel was Stout's stronger format. The longer works give him more of a chance to play around with the Wolfe-Archie relationship, and squeeze in a decent mystery as well. From the evidence in this book, the shorter format seems to havr cramped his style.
"The Next Witness"
This is the worst Wolfe story I've read so far. The setup is one which is rapidly becoming my least favorite in the mystery genre: the Detective is attending a trial. The facts of the case are laid out by the judge, witnesses, and/or lawyers in the dullest manner possible. The Detective (possibly due to a fit of boredom) notices a flaw in the prosecution's case, and decides that the defendent is not guilty. He immediately sets out to right the wrong and uncover the real culprit.
The story does not improve after this inauspicious beginning. Wolfe and Archie rush about, interviewing a few unhelpful witnesses. No actual detection occurs during the story; the truth is revealed by a witness who spills the beans to Wolfe "off-screen." Finally, the concluding scene, Wolfe's testimony before the court, is ridiculous. He pulls a stunt which would never work in a real courtroom; I've watched enough Law and Order to know that! To boot, there aren't even any good Wolfe-Archie interactions, and Wolfe himself acts out of character, investigating a case without either the solid promise of a fee, or a personal interest in the outcome. Fortunately, Stout's prose is still eminently readable, which means that the story is acceptable as bus-reading, in spite of its overall lackluster quality.
One mildly interesting thing about this story is that it focusses on a business which has long since been rendered obsolete by improvements in technology-- the telephone answering service. I hadn't ever really wondered how businesses and busy people got along before the invention of telephone answering machines and voicemail.
"When a Man Murders..."
Better than "The Next Witness." The setup is interesting: Sidney Karnow turns up alive, several years after he was declared dead in the Korean War. His widow had inherited a million dollars from him, and remarried (after an appropriate period of mourning). She and her new husband are willing to give up the money if Karnow will grant her a divorce. Events outpace her intentions, and Karnow turns up murdered. The new husband is accused of the crime, and the wife hires Wolfe to find the true culprit.
The characters are much more lively and interesting in this one; Wolfe and Archie hold true to form, and are their usual entertaining selves. As in "The Next Witness," little actual detection takes place in this story-- all the evidence is gathered off-screen by Saul Panzer-- but at least the reader receives enough information to follow the same line of deduction that Wolfe does, and pick out the murderer from the crowd of suspects.
"Die Like a Dog"
This is the best story of the three. The introduction is implausible, but that's not necessarily a flaw in a Nero Wolfe story. Archie is returning a coat which a prospective client left at the office, and is surprised to find a mess of police cars and homicide cops at the fellow's apartment building. He walks on by, only to discover that a dog had followed him from the building. It turns out that dog's owner has been murdered. It also turns out that Wolfe really likes the dog, and wants to keep it. So, Wolfe decides to solve the murder, so that he can adopt the pooch with a clear conscience. So, we not only get a murder mystery, we also get to enjoy the humor of seeing the gruff Nero Wolfe "infatuated with a dog."
As a bonus, this story has a fair amount of real detective work-- something that's not always the case in the Nero Wolfe series. Archie interviews all the witnesses and suspects and hunts down a crucial clue.