The thirteenth Nero Wolfe novel written by Rex Stout, published in 1950, and the finale of the so-called Zeck Trilogy.
Wolfe and Archie are hired by the wealthy Sarah Rackham to investigate the spending of her younger husband Barry; despite having cut him off, he nevertheless spends lavishly and seems to have his own independent income. The mystery is solved quicker than expected, however, when a tear gas bomb and a threatening phone call reveal that Rackham is associated with the crime lord Arnold Zeck, whom Wolfe and Archie have tangled with twice before — and Zeck has made it clear that he will not permit a third time. Despite Wolfe and Archie’s efforts, Mrs. Rackham is murdered, with her husband inheriting everything. With no obvious avenues of investigation left, and a growing certainty that (after three such encounters in three years) Zeck is no longer a threat he can afford to ignore, Wolfe vanishes without a trace. He leaves behind a stunned household to make their own way for months before he returns, determined to solve the murder and bring down Zeck once and for all...
Tropes
- Almost Dead Guy: An animal example. The first inkling of Sarah Rackham's murder is when her guard dog drags itself to Calvin Leeds' nearby home with a knife embedded in his side.
- Asshole Victim: Subverted; Sarah Rackham is neurotic, passive and insecure, but otherwise depicted as being utterly undeserving of what happens to her.
- Bad Guys Do the Dirty Work: Wolfe manipulates Barry into shooting Zeck, and Barry himself is then shot by Zeck's bodyguards.
- Beard of Evil: Pete Roeder, Zeck's number two man and schemer, is described as having a rather natty little beard. Subverted; he's actually Wolfe, and the beard is merely part of his disguise.
- Berserk Button: Cramer is furious when Archie questions about whether or not a warning he’s given could be because Cramer is a Dirty Cop, taking a swing at him.Time and again I had seen him mad at Wolfe, and me too, but never to the point where the pink left his cheeks completely and his eyes looked absolutely mean.
- Best Friends-in-Law: Mrs. Rackham has a close relationship with the widow of her son by her first marriage, who died in World War II.
- Break the Haughty: When Archie meets Barry Rackham early in the novel, he finds a smug, preening Gold Digger. Months later, after his wife is murdered and he's unsuccessfully tried to leave Zeck's employment only to miscalculate exactly how easy and painless for him that would be, Archie finds Barry has become a nervous wreck.
- Breaking the Fellowship: Wolfe apparently fleeing town in the aftermath of Sarah's murder seems to tear apart the household and the rest of the circle, although they do maintain some contact. Archie is left without a sense of purpose for a while, then starts working independently. Fritz goes to work at Rusterman's. Theodore takes a job caring for Wolfe's orchids at Lewis Hewitt's estate. The smaller scope and expense account for Archie's new cases keeps him from working with the 'teers much. And Inspector Cramer furiously cuts ties with them after Archie asks whether a friendly warning he gives is from Zeck.
- The Bus Came Back: Teased, then played straight. Archie says he went on a vacation to Europe with a woman whose name has appeared in one of his earlier stories, one who certainly resembles Lily Rowan... then the narrative and epilogue confirm it is Lily.
- The Clan: Sarah’s family, given the mention of many more distant relatives she left money to, although only her cousin Calvin appears in person.
- The Confidant: Calvin Leeds to Mrs. Rackham, being the only person she confided her visit to Wolfe too. This works against him once Wolfe points out that Zeck had known about Mrs. Rackham hiring Wolfe from someone.
- Did Not Think This Through: Barry Rackham intended to leave Zeck's employment immediately on inheriting his wife's millions, and made a big show of cutting ties. Unfortunately, he failed to take into account the fact that ruthless crime lords like Arnold Zeck rarely let their employees go on their own terms, and that one of Zeck's primary modus operandi is blackmail. The result is that when Archie encounters him months later, he's a paranoid wreck living in terror of either working for Zeck or having to face his wrath.
- Driven to Suicide: Wolfe's letter to Archie in the epilogue mentions that Leeds hanged himself in prison.
- Epic Fail: Archie notes that he “fell flat on my face” during one freelance job which involved trying to pry a rich man's son loose from a potential Gold Digger.
- Fakeout Make Out: Wolfe and Lily, when she pretends to be the mistress of his alter ego.
- Flock of Wolves: Both Sarah's cousin and her husband were part of Zeck's outfit, independently of each other.
- Fluffy Tamer: Sarah Rackham’s cousin Calvin Leeds is a breeder and trainer of guard dogs.
- Foreshadowing:
- Take note of the description of Pete Roeder, Arnold Zeck's number two, when he first shows up. In particular, note how he is described in terms that suggest he's lost a lot of weight recently...
- Wolfe demonstrates an unexpected affinity for dogs in this book, tearing into the killer not just for the murder of Sarah Rackham, but for the remorseless and cold-hearted murder of her dog as well, which seems to particularly outrage him. In the short story "Die Like A Dog," published four years later, Archie will be surprised to discover that Wolfe is willing to keep a dog in his house.
- A Friend in Need: Wolfe displays a decent amount of trust in Marko and Hewitt, asking them to keep Fritz and Theodore employed while he’s gone (and to take care of his orchids and house).
- Gold Digger: There is no one who doesn’t think Barry Rackham married Sarah for her money (including Sarah herself, who is very insecure about her looks). Archie also mentions a job he took trying to pry a rich man's son loose from a "blonde sharpie."
- Hidden Depths:
- There are some unexpected signs that Wolfe is a bit of a dog lover in this book; at the end, when delivering The Summation, he seems particularly outraged that as part of the plan the killer brutally murdered a dog as well.
- In case there are any doubts, it is made clear that Archie can do perfectly well for himself as a private detective without need for Wolfe, as his own personal agency becomes quite successful. There are one or two failures hinted at, however, and Archie does suggest that he finds the work a lot less interesting than the cases he worked on with Wolfe.
- Incredibly Obvious Tail: Archie recruits Saul, Fred, and Orrie to be this just to rattle Barry’s nerves.
- Inheritance Murder: Sarah Rackham’s death is pretty obviously this. Although it was Leeds, not Barry, after the money.
- Insurance Fraud: Archie mentions breaking one case related to this while Wolfe was gone, and notes that he "nearly got my skull cracked" in the process.
- Ironic Echo: At one point Zeck slightly gloatingly remarks that although Nero Wolfe matched him in intellect, his will obviously was too weak to withstand the possibility of a confrontation with him. At the end, when Wolfe has sprung his trap on Zeck, he reminds Zeck that they're matched in intellect and it is indeed a question of will — "and mine has not failed me, as you thought."
- It's Not You, It's My Enemies: Seen in practice when Wolfe cuts off ties with everyone before taking on Zeck. Archie had been expecting this, based on the previous books, but is caught by surprise and left hurt that Wolfe includes him in this as well.
- Kick the Dog: Practically literally, and in a crucial plot fashion. Calvin Leeds stabbed the dog he gave Sarah Rackham after murdering her to make it look like she was the victim of an attack. This backfires on him when Wolfe points out that not only could no one else have killed the dog second, as the knife was left in the dog's body, but that no one else could also have gotten close enough to attack the dog without it putting up a fight at all. Additionally, the fact that the dog limped all the way to his home and growled when Leeds approached him was clear proof that the dog was identifying the person who betrayed and attacked him.
- Killed Off for Real: At the end of this book Arnold Zeck becomes the first recurring character to bite the bullet since Colonel Ryder from the wartime novellas.
- Leg Focus: Archie describes one of his clients (who wanted him to Clear My Name for corporate espionage) as having “a nice voice and good legs.”
- Let's Get Dangerous!:
- The lengths Wolfe goes to in order to break Zeck are incredibly out of character, requiring an enormous amount of sacrifice and risk.
- Zeck himself shows off the full brunt and force of his organization. Archie notes that during their previous encounters, Zeck had given Wolfe some leeway due to the murder victims having been members of Zeck's organization. This time, Zeck has ties to the perpetrator, and therefore is a lot more ruthless.
- Mildly Military: Implied with Barry, given Sarah observing that he only rose two ranks through the army in nearly four years of war.
- Mundane Made Awesome: Archie provides a description of a lot of freelance jobs he does while Wolfe is gone and while none are as glamorous as the murders he investigates for Wolfe, his descriptions do have a certain flair and he notes how he manages to make more money than he did while working for Wolfe.
- Noodle Incident:
- The exact details of the complex operation that Pete Roeder a.k.a. Nero Wolfe planned and executed on the west coast are never revealed, but it appears to require the cooperation of a man with access to millions of dollars — no doubt precisely to ensure that Barry Rackham is tied up in it.
- We also never learn the details of the cases Archie handled in his own private detective agency aside from a few glib sentences for each.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business:
- Archie is knocked on his butt when Wolfe suddenly vanishes, reacting with uncharacteristic sharpness to both Fritz and Theodore and uncharacteristic paranoia to Inspector Cramer (not entirely without cause, since Archie has no idea as to the depth of Zeck's influence over the police department), seems listless and directionless without Wolfe to give him orders and spends most of his day hanging around the office waiting for him to show up, and at one point spends an afternoon driving aimlessly around New York. He finally gets starts getting back on even keel when Sarah Rackham's daughter-in-law asks her to investigate her murder independently of Wolfe, which gives him the idea of setting up his own agency.
- Wolfe himself is driven to extremes by the eventuality of coming into direct conflict with Arnold Zeck, fleeing his house and setting up a new, criminal identity on the west coast in order to infiltrate Zeck's organisation, losing lots of weight in the process.
- Out-of-Genre Experience: This novel is more of a noirish crime thriller than the usual murder mysteries common to the rest of the series. It is pretty obvious who committed the murder from the very moment that it happens, and the real challenge being crippling the criminal organization seeking to obstruct justice, meaning that most of the book is framed around a tense battle against a powerful criminal organisation with the heroes being unaware of who to trust. Partially subverted at the end with the reveal that it wasn't Barry Rackham but Calvin Leeds who murdered Sarah, revealing that there was a traditional whodunit going in in the background after all.
- Properly Paranoid: Zeck’s influence and vast reach is fully felt here, with Archie emphasizing how out of the three thousand people he knows in New York there are only five who he is completely sure have no connections to Zeck.note A scene where Archie’s one-time cellmate Max Christy delivers a thinly veiled message from the crime lord also stands out. He also practically accuses Inspector Cramer of being a part of Zeck's organisation when Cramer tries to warn him and Wolfe off going up against him, though he does lampshade the paranoia in this case and acknowledge that he'll readily offer an apology to Cramer if he should turn out to be wrong.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Ben Dykes, who is more diligent than Cleveland Archer or Con Noonan (although still skeptical of Archie at times), and Inspector Cramer are portrayed as fair and thorough.
- Screw This, I'm Out of Here!: Pretty much all of Zeck's bodyguards and subordinates clear out the split second they learn that he's dead and they failed prevent a gun from being smuggled in, as clearly no one wants to be the first to explain the situation to someone else and subsequently face any wrath as a result.
- Skewed Priorities: At least, certainly a reflection of Wolfe's priorities; upon orchestrating Zeck's and Barry Rackham's respective downfalls and deaths and the annihilation of Zeck's empire, the very first thing Wolfe insists on doing — before even calling the police — is calling Fritz to ensure he can be at home to cook Wolfe dinner as soon as Wolfe returns. Wolfe justifies it by pointing out that he's earned it:Archie: Now? For God's sake, now?Wolfe: Yes. A man has a right to have his satisfactions match his pains.
- Sports Hero Backstory: Barry played football at Yale.
- Suit with Vested Interests: District Attorney Archer is very hesitant to lift a finger against Barry after he inherits his wife's millions, although he can't bring himself to actively ignore genuine leads.
- Suspicious Spending: Barry Rackham is an extravagant spender despite not having access to his wife’s money, raising suspicions.
- Taking You with Me: Barry guns down Zeck after Wolfe blackmails Zeck into agreeing to turn him over.
- Team Mom: Fritz shows signs of this, wondering what Wolfe will eat after he disappears and explicitly being compared to a mother greeting her children after a long absence upon being reunited with Wolfe and Archie.
- Title Drop: When Leeds notes about how murder can happen even in the best families.
- Undercover Cop Reveal: A variant when Archie is brought to meet one of Zeck's lieutenants and finds out that it's Wolfe, having lost weight and gone undercover with Zeck in the months he's been missing.
- The Un-Reveal:
- Wolfe reveals that Rackham first got involved with Zeck due to blackmail over a woman he killed in a hit and run but it's never revealed if the hit and run was deliberate, or why he killed that woman if it was deliberate.
- Archie also never explicitly reveals the only five people he completely trusts to not have some kind of connection to or involvement with Arnold Zeck. Assuming that Wolfe and Archie themselves can be taken for granted (though it is also never specified whether Archie's list is inclusive of or is in addition to the two), then Saul, Fritz and Theodore are other likely candidates, though not guaranteed ones given how sharp and cagey he becomes around them after Wolfe vanishes. Cramer is notably not on the list, though given his role in the series — not to mention the fact that he comes the closest he ever has to taking a swing at Archie when the subject is rather tactlessly raised — it can be presumed that he isn't in fact on Zeck's payroll. Archie does hire Saul, Fred and Orrie to help him at one point, but he notably never brings up any indication of what he and Wolfe are up to regarding Zeck in front of them. Given how she becomes the Secret-Keeper, however, it's safe to assume that the five does include Lily Rowan.
- Villainous Breakdown: Wolfe inflicts one on Leeds by rubbing in how he killed a dog which he'd trained and raised as part of the scheme to kill his cousin.
- Wham Line: After discovering that Sarah Rackham has been murdered and that Barry Rackham may be implicated, indicating that Wolfe is about to come into direct conflict with Arnold Zeck, Archie rushes back to the brownstone only be stopped short by a simple thing that he has never seen before, but which speaks volumes about how dire the situation has become:The front door was standing wide open.
