History Literature / BlackOrchids

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: The villain from the first story [[spoiler: is tricked into poisoning himself while trying to kill Wolfe. Wolfe notes that if Cramer tried to press charges against him he could just argue that it was Dill who committed the fatal act of turning the gas pump, and that it was his own fault that he stayed long enough to be fatally gassed, due to wanting to make sure that the gas he thought was filling up the plant room would kill Wolfe and the others, and that it was ultimately self-defence since Dill would have only turned the pimp in the first place because he was intending to murder eight people, including Wolfe and Cramer himself]].

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: The villain from the first story [[spoiler: is tricked into poisoning himself while trying to kill Wolfe. Wolfe notes that if Cramer tried to press charges against him he could just argue that it was Dill who committed the fatal act of turning the gas pump, and that it was his own fault that he stayed long enough to be fatally gassed, due to wanting to make sure that the gas he thought was filling up the plant room would kill Wolfe and the others]].

[[quoteright:315:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/black_orchids.jpg]]

* {{Troll}}: One possibility that Wolfe sent the orchids to Bess's funeral wis that he knew Archie would be there and just wanted to annoy him.

A 1942 Literature/NeroWolfe collection by Creator/RexStout, the first publication of a collection[[note]]two[[/note]] of Wolfe novellas rather than a single story.

* InsultBackfire: In the first story after hearing every detail of Wolfe’s BatmanGambit, Cramer smears that he should send a bill to the city [[spoiler:for acting as Dill’s executioner.]] Wolfe wryly says that he could probably collect it.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: The villain from the first story [[spoiler: s tricked into poisoning himself while trying to kill Wolfe. Wolfe notes that if Cramer tried to press charges against him he could just argue that it was Dill who committed the fatal act of turning the gas pump, and that it was his own fault that he stayed long enough to be fatally gassed, due to wanting to make sure that the gas he thought was filling up the plant room would kill Wolfe and the others]].

* InsultBackfire: In the first story After hearing every detail of Wolfe’s BatmanGambit, Cramer smears that he should send a bill to the city [[spoiler:for acting as Dill’s executioner.]] Wolfe wryly says that he could probably collect it.

* SexualExtortion: It's implied that Gould was blackmailing Anne Tracy in this manner over a crime her father had committed.

* AssholeVictim: The victim from ''Black Orchids''. After the case has been solved and a tally of his various unsavory deeds has been made, Wolfe even states that;

* CruelAndUnusualDeath: Bess Huddleston dies a slow, lingering death from poisoning.

* HoistByTheirOwnPetard: The villain from the first story [[spoiler: is tricked into poisoning himself while trying to kill Wolfe. Wolfe notes that if Cramer tried to press charges against him he could just argue that it was Mr. Dill who committed the fatal act of turning the gas pump, and that it was his own fault that he stayed long enough to be fatally gasses, due to wanting to make sure that the gas he thought was filling up the plant room would kill Wolfe and the others]].

* JumpedAtTheCall: [[spoiler: Lewis Hewitt]] willingly helps Wolfe with his TrickedToDeath gambit partially due to having a bit of a theatrical nature for most of his life.
* LateArrivalSpoiler: [[spoiler: Lewis Hewitt]] is a recurring character for the rest of the series, making his innocence fairly obvious to anyone reading the series out of order, even though it does look as if he's the killer for a while.

* {{Nephewism}}: Bess Huddleston's nephew lives off of her and she takes an interest in his love life.
* ObliviousToLove: Maryella seems utterly shocked when [[spoiler: Dr. Brady]] says he's loved her for some time.

* SacredHospitality: Wolfe is infuriated by Inspector Cramer taking Daniel Huddleston in for question gin while he's a guest at the Brownstone.
* ScarsAreForever: [[spoiler: Larry]] worries this after being scratched on the face by [[spoiler: Janet Nichols]].
* SexualExtortion: It's implied that Gould was blackmailing Anne Tracy in this manner over a chimer her father had committed.

* TheUnTwist: [[spoiler: Janet Nichols, the person Bess Huddleston was suspicious of from the start -albeit for vague reasons-, was in fact guilty]].

* WhamLine: There are two in quick succession in the first story. Wolfe suddenly stops his summation, building his case against [[spoiler: Hewitt]] to ask Theodore to check something for him. And Theodore's reply [[spoiler: reveals that Mr. Dill, who just left the room, has locked them inside]], at which point Wolfe then reveals [[spoiler: his misdirection to the whole room]].
--> '''Theodore:''' I don't have to. [[spoiler: I heard the bolt. the lower one squeaks]].
--> '''Wolfe:''' Well, Miss Lasher, what do you think of it? I ask Miss Lasher because she [[spoiler: Knew all along that I was lying. She knew it couldn't have been Mr. Hewitt who put that cane there on the floor of the corridor, because she saw Mr. Dill do it]].

* TheUnTwist: [[spoiler: Janet Nichols, the person Bess Huddleston was suspicious of from the start -albeit for vague reasons-, was in fact guilty.

* DrivingQuestion: The overarching mystery of the two stories, as Archie states after the stories' conclusion, is "Why did Nero Wolfe send rare black orchids to Bess Huddleston's funeral?" He suggests three explanations and gives his best guess, but admits he doesn't know for certain and likely never will.

A 1942 Literature/NeroWolfe collection by Creator/RexStout, the first Wolfe publication to be a collection[[note]]two[[/note]] of novellas rather than a single story.

* DoggedNiceGuy: Fred Updegraff is obviously madly in love with Anne Tracy and does all he can to pursue her, but is competing with Archie. But when he tells Archie he's been waiting outside Wolfe's house since eight o'clock, Archie, speechless, steps aside. (It should be noted that he says this sometime between 9:30 and 10:00, and he was waiting ''on the sidewalk.'')

--->"I'm going to have to work for them. You may call it blackmail to relieve your feelings, but what about me? It's possible that this evidence I'm withholding from Mr. Cramer is vital evidence, and I don't intend to shield a murderer. If I withhold it I'll have to find the murderer myself, and enough evidence to convict him without this. And if I fail I'll have to tell Mr. Cramer all about it, which would be deplorable, and shall have to return the plants to you, which would be unthinkable. So I shan't fail."

--->"Good God," I said, stupefied. "You win." I waved a hand. "You can have her."

* WoundedGazelleGambit: [[spoiler:Janet Nichols stages an attack on herself in the same manner Bess Huddleston was killed -- scratched by broken glass in a place it shouldn't have been, the poison being in the iodine used to treat it -- so as to divert suspicion from herself. But this only confirmed her guilt to Wolfe, as the scratch on her arm wasn't long enough for someone who had been using a bath brush they assumed was fine.]]

* SouthernBelle: '''Maryella Timms''' -- Archie even uses the term to describe her. She manages to pull of a rarity for any woman in the oeuvre by impressing ''Wolfe'', waltzing directly into the kitchen to show him how to make corned beef hash, long a difficulty of his.

Not to be confused with the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS19E5BlackOrchid Black Orchid]]" or the Creator/DCComics superheroine ComicBook/BlackOrchid.