[.ca] Champagne for One: A Nero Wolfe Mystery (ISBN 1572705205)

It doesn't get any better than Nero Wolfe:
If you are already a Nero Wolfe fan and are considering Champagne for One, I promise you won't be disappointed; it's one of the best. If you have never read a Wolfe book, this is a good one to start on. All the Nero Wolfe books are extremely funny and intriguing. In Champagne for One, the fat genius dectective Nero Wolfe has to solve the case of a girl who's death looked like suicide, but wasn't.

a great nero wolfe book.:
One of the best of Nero Wolfe. I also recommend Some Buried Caesar, one of more light-hearted books. I read Rex Stout nearly 20 years ago and have just started re-reading them. I am enjoying them more the second time around that i did the first. the plots and characters are ageless! I can still laugh at the unique interplay betwee Archie Goodwin and Nero Wolfe, still envy the freedom of Nero's lifestyle, and still admire the plots. One of the great things about Rex Stout, is that (unlike some mystery writers that I could name), he doesn't hold out clues or keep secrets that the hero discloses at the end. He gives you the clues (sometimes tossed out in the middle of a paragraph). And sometimes, just sometimes, the reader get the thrill of solving the mystery!

Rex Stout triumphs again in CHAMPAGNE FOR ONE:
With his usual crotchedy charm, private eye Nero Wolfe tackles another mystery, this one involving the death of a young unwed mother, in Champagne for One. Mixing in with the horrors of death are the poignant story of a girl in trouble trusting philanthropists to take care of her, and the careless class of the wealthy who are indifferent to everything save their own public images. Engrossing and suspenseful, Champagne for One is a quick read that will leave you wanting to devour more of Rex Stout's wonderful Nero Wolfe mysteries.

My first Nero Wolfe, but not my last:
I read all of the other reviews and was prompted to buy this book, because there was a consensus that this was one of his best books or the start of a solid string of Wolfe novels. The only problem with the other reviews I have is that none of them, really take into account the first time Wolfe reader. I found the dialogue and interaction between Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin very intriguing. It shares some similarities of the genius detective and his trusty sidekick. The difference being here that Archie is more the eyes and ears and the man about town that Wolfe is not. If you read Christie or Conan Doyle, then you may tire of the dolt of a sidekick who can never figure out in the slightest what the hero detective is up to. While Wolfe is the genius here, the story revolves around the fact that Archie is present to the supposed suicide of a young single mother that he feels is actually a murder. It is Wolfe's trust in Archie that commits him to the case at hand. Throughout the way the police and other parties try to convince Wolfe to give it up, but his intelligence and the resourcefulness of Archie and company find the truth. Truly an entertaining story and intriguing characters. It is clear from Stout fanatics that it is worth the read, and take it from a first time reader as well.

Excellent book.:
This book is fast paced and gets to the point quickly and with style. The characters are brilliant as well as deep and interesting. The setting rich and full and the plot clever. I'm hooked on Nero Wolfe and after reading this book, I'll never read another Anne Perry novel again. Rex Stout can capture and mix all the needed elements of a good and exciting mystery.