The League of Frightened Men (A Nero Wolfe Mystery Book 2)

I am a fan of old time radio and listened to all the available episodes of NW. I enjoyed them and so into the books.This was a great deal of fun. Interesting plot and characters. A fine resolution to the problem at hand. I'll begin number three shortly. The 1930s origin date of this book lends the dialogue and text an interesting flavor, the use of the word "gat" versus "gun" for example. Add to that Red Scout's often demanding of the reader, writing style and book becomes a double mystery. The mystery in the plot of the story and the mystery you'll find in the text and dialogue. Two for the price of one.I think it will be interesting to watch the evolution from the 1930s to the 1970s over the 31 books I have left to rezd

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I spent the majority of this book confused and mostly uncaring. Glad to report that I borrowed this book from the library, and don't plan to read another one of this author's books. Ah well. Education.

I never would have guessed I'd be reading mysteries starring two male chauvinist detectives, one pompous, the other cocky. However, I love the Nero Wolfe mysteries by Rex Stout and have read all of them at least twice. Every Saturday night, my husband and I curl up in front of one of the excellent A&E Nero Wolfe DVDs starring Timothy Hutton and Maury Chaykin.According to this book's introduction, "'The League of Frightened Men,' published both by the Saturday Evening Post (in serialization) and by Farrar & Rinehart in 1935, was Rex Stout’s second Nero Wolfe novel, appearing the year after 'Fer-de-Lance.'"The background story begins with a hazing incident at Harvard, when an underclassman is crippled for life after his seniors force him out onto a window ledge. The repentant perpetrators band together in what they call a 'League of Atonement' and vow to support their victim, Paul Chapin for life.Years later, members of the League begin to die under suspicious circumstances. Poems appear, lauding their deaths, and suspicion falls on the crippled Paul Chapin, who has written several controversial novels (Stout never said the novels were obscene, but hinted that Chapin spent time defending his writings in court).A third member of the League of Atonement, Andrew Hibbard, a psychologist, comes to Wolfe and asks for protection. Wolfe persuades the remaining members (almost all of them) to sign a contract wherein he promises to relieve them of their fear of Paul Chapin. Then Hibbard disappears, and a fourth member of the League is shot to death in his own apartment while Chapin was actually present.With Chapin safely ensconced in jail, Wolfe must now find another murderer in order to set the controversial author free, or he won't collect a cent from the League of Atonement.The three main characters in this series: Archie, Wolfe, and Inspector Cramer aren't yet fully formed in "The League of Frightened Men." It's especially noticeable with Archie, who is actually driven to tears in one memorable scene. He also calls Chapin several unflattering nicknames that have to do with his handicap. Archie becomes much more suave as the novels go on.Nevertheless, this book is considered by many to be the best in the series. It's not my favorite, but the tangled web of psychological dependencies among Stout's characters could have sprung right from the pages of Kraft-Ebbing's " Psychopathia Sexualis."

Rex Stout is always a good storyteller. Lots of layers: lots of red herrings. This is 2nd go-round reading this series. Very enjoyable.

This is one of the earliest entries in Rex Stout's long running Nero Wolfe mystery series. Written in the 1930s, the book can be read as something of a historical document as well a a classic mystery. No one jumps into their roadster and speeds away or looks for a cigar store to find a pubic telephone anymore. But on the other hand, all of the elements of the great Wolfe mysteries are here--Archie Goodwin and Fritz the chief and Inspector Cramer and the brownstone and Wolf's constant ringing for beer.Stout's novels were a bridge bridge between the "cozy" mysteries of Agatha Christie and the hard boiled detective books of Raymond Chandler, but this one rests firmly in the cozy camp. The plot involves a group of Harvard grads who, during their undergraduate days, played a horrible prank on one of their classmates that left him crippled for life. Now they suspect their one time victim is planning to murder them one by one. After two deaths of their membership they call on Nero Wolfe to save the day. This is a fun premise that Stouts pulls off with a minimum of violence, a maximum of Sherlock Homesian detection and a final scene where all the suspects assemble and Wolfe reveals the real murderer. A great read for devoted Nero Wolfe fans or anyone who enjoys traditional American mystery fiction.

Nero Wolfe books don't need my review, but I just finished this one for perhaps the 6th time, and I noticed some things. Cramer smokes a pipe! (Archie smokes cigarettes.) I could not find the big red leather chair (perhaps it was out being reupholstered). Archie drives all over NYC (maybe there was less traffic in the depth of the Depression). There are only a few comments on what Fritz is cooking and serving. There is no gorgeous young temptress to attract Archie's attention. And there are some elements that require a stretch of the imagination, especially the matter of Hibberd's disappearance. Anyway, if you haven't read it lately, try it again.

"A man may debar nonsense from his library of reason, but not from the arena of his impulses. " This is a pearl from the mind of the fat man.Nero also divulgs that he works for money, the completion of the contract. He doesn't meddle in the extra affairs of the case,even if that means revealing the real culprit. But, one suspects he's displaying a bit of bravado when making this declaration.He is a hero as is Archie.

An interesting story where everyone could be a killer, and anyone could be alive or dead. One of the outstanding things in this story is how bitter and resentful Archie is. That’s happened in other books to a greater degree than normal, but this one goes over the top. it’s fascinating how in the Nero Wolfe stories, the great man himself is able to pull together the most minor and insignificant facts to create the big picture. Mental puzzles.

On Kindle -This is the second Nero Wolfe book if you want to read them in order. Archie remains politically incorrect, the term ‘lop’ is used to describe someone with a leg injury, and the term cripple is used throughout. While such references are jarring, our attitudes have probably not moved on so much in other areas.This is certainly not a thriller, little action happens, it is not exactly a whodunnit either, instead it offers the chance to spend time with Archie and Nero doing what they do best. The tale is ingenious and satisfying, but a good deal less cosy than the recent tv series would have you think. The kindle version is put together with real affection. There is an informed introduction and a couple of images of movie posters as an extra.The first two books are also available together.

The second Nero Wolfe book, and there are still details which are not quite finalized; anyone familiar with the series and characters from later on will notice things like Inspector Cramer actually smoking, and in Wolfe's office!You don't really read Rex Stout for the mysteries, or at least they're not a priority. The books are all about the character interaction, particularly that between Archie and Wolfe. This entry departs a little in that the emphasis is not so much on Wolfe's household as it is on the chief suspect, Paul Chapin.So, a longish book and one that's perhaps slightly different, but ultimately a satisfying one.

And that's what we all need at present. The pleasure of knowing there are many more Nero Wolfe books to enjoy is very satisfying in my present circumstances. Some reviewers have found plot holes but the plot is not of the first importance to me. The characters of Wolfe And Archie are what I find fascinating and their dialogue is wonderful. I have already ordered the next in the series.

This is the sixth Nero Wolfe I have read and the one I least enjoyed.There was even more of a surfeit of characters than usual which I sometimes found hard to follow and it seemed rather padded out at times.I also found the segment in which Archie gets himself past the guards and into a crime scene and then conducts a lengthy interview with the extremely cooperative wife of the victim, highly implausible.All this aside there was still the usual interplay between Archie and the irascible Wolf to enjoy.