The second collection of Nero Wolfe novellas by Rex Stout, published in 1944, containing two Wolfe stories set during wartime.
In the titular story, "Not Quite Dead Enough," Archie, now Major Goodwin, has been busy avoiding Lily Rowan's affections when he returns home to find a neglected office, a kitchen devoid of meat, and a Wolfe determined to enter the army as a foot soldier. As the army has enlisted Archie to make use of Wolfe's brains, Archie needs an opportunity to convince Wolfe to get back to work; that opportunity comes when Lily reports that her friend Ann Amory has been strangled in her apartment. With no clear murderer, Archie takes the opportunity to force Wolfe's hand, framing himself for the crime to get Wolfe back in his chair.
"Booby Trap" sees Archie and Wolfe invited to discuss the national security matter of industrial espionage leaks, and how the recent death of Captain Albert Cross is connected to that. While Wolfe and Archie are distracted - for different reasons - by the presence of a woman in uniform in Sergeant Dorothy Bruce, the investigation is brought to the forefront when Colonel Harold Ryder is blown apart by an experimental grenade in his office. By acquisition of Colonel Ryder's suitcase, Wolfe determines how the colonel was slain by a booby trap, and with no clear evidence must set a trap of his own to catch the murderer.
Tropes in this work: (Tropes relating to the series as a whole, or to the characters in general can be found on Nero Wolfe and its subpages.)
- Early-Installment Weirdness: In regards to Lily Rowan and her relationship with Archie. Lily herself is flightier and her report of Ann Amory's murder is entirely to get Archie's attention; Ann had not died yet, and the phony report gets Ann killed. Additionally, Archie spends the initial part of the book trying to ignore Lily's attempts at kindling a romance.
- Leave Behind a Pistol: "Booby Trap" contains the most explicit instance of this trope in the oeuvre, as Wolfe spends the drive with John Bell Shattuck explaining how he is going to kill himself, and encouraging him to think of himself as a coward to push him into suicide.
- Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome / Sudden Sequel Heel Syndrome: Colonel Ryder has both in "Booby Trap," playing a role in the espionage ring after his role as Archie’s boss in "Not Quite Dead Enough," although its mitigated by implications he was a reluctant participant and that he was about to confess.
- Vorpal Pillow: Pearl O. Chack is convinced that Roy Douglas killed Cora Leeds by smothering her with a pillow. She's right on both means and murderer.
