History Literature / AFamilyAffair

The final novel in Creator/RexStout's series of Literature/NeroWolfe mysteries, published in 1975 (six months before the author's death at the age of 88). It is set in October 1974, and takes place in the aftermath of President UsefulNotes/RichardNixon's resignation over the [[{{Scandalgate}} Watergate affair]].

Late one night, the brownstone receives an unexpected visitor -- Pierre Ducos, Nero Wolfe's favourite waiter at Rusterman's, the restaurant once owned by his late best friend. He claims that someone is trying to kill him and begs to consult with Wolfe, but when Archie Goodwin puts him in a spare bedroom for the evening, he is killed by an explosive device that has been concealed in his jacket pocket. Infuriated at a murderer striking within the confines of his home, Wolfe resolves to find the killer before the police, and discovers that Pierre's death may be connected to the murder of Harvey Bassett, an electronics expert and inventor who had dined at Rusterman's with friends weeks before his death. Bassett was obsessed with the Watergate scandal and was planning to sue the disgraced Richard Nixon over it, raising the possibility that he was murdered by shadowy players in that drama. But as the body count rises, the authorities draw closer and Wolfe's stubbornness increasingly raises the possibility of his and Archie's disgrace, it become apparent that the truth may be found closer to home...

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!Tropes in this work: [-(Tropes relating to the series as a whole, or to the characters in general can be found on Literature/NeroWolfe and its subpages.)-]

* [[spoiler:BigBadFriend]]: [[spoiler:Orrie Cather is the murderer.]]

* WhamEpisode: [[spoiler:Orrie Cather, Wolfe's long-time operative who has been part of the novels since [[Literature/FerDeLance the very first one]], turns out to be the killer.]]

* BittersweetEnding: It's not ''quite'' a DownerEnding, since the case is solved, Wolfe and Archie escape jail and are likely to have their licenses restored in short order, and peace is restored to the brownstone once more. But the fact that [[spoiler:Orrie Cather was the killer and took his own life rather than face disgrace]] means that the main characters nevertheless aren't exactly thrilled about events.

The final novel in Creator/RexStout's series of Literature/NeroWolfe mysteries, published in 1975 (six months before [[AuthorExistenceFailure the author's death at the age of 88]]). It is set in October 1974, and takes place in the aftermath of President UsefulNotes/RichardNixon's resignation over the [[{{Scandalgate}} Watergate affair]].

* CallBack: Several, as is common with the series, but one in particular is a spoiler: [[spoiler:when confronting Orrie over the murders he's committed, Archie and the other 'teers bitterly note that they should have cut him loose after he got pegged for murder in ''Death of a Doxy'', since even though he was WronglyAccused in that book the fact that people could even consider it plausible should have suggested that he couldn't be trusted.]]

* WhamEpisode: [[spoiler:Orrie Cather, Wolfe's long-time operative who has been part of the novels since [[Literature/FerDeLance the very first one]], turns out to be the killer.]]
* YourCheatingHeart: When he wasn't fixated on Watergate, Bassett was obsessed with the possibility that his younger, pretty wife was cheating on him. [[spoiler:She was. With Orrie Cather, who was also cheating on his wife.]]

* BlackmailBackfire: This turns out to be the motive behind at least two deaths. [[spoiler: Pierre was blackmailing Orrie over his affair with Bassett's wife, and then Pierre's daughter tried to blackmail him over his death. It didn't work out for either.]]
* BittersweetEnding: It's not ''quite'' a DownerEnding, since the case is solved, Wolfe and Archie escape jail and are likely to have their licenses restored in short order, and peace is restored to the brownstone once more. But the fact that [[spoiler: Orrie Cather was the killer and took his own life rather than face disgrace]] means that the main characters nevertheless aren't exactly thrilled about events.
* BookEnds: A particularly explosive example; the novel begins and ends with some poor unfortunate getting blown up at the brownstone. [[spoiler: In the first case, it's a cold-blooded murder in the house itself. In the last case, it's Orrie deciding that RedemptionEqualsDeath and killing himself at the front door.]]
* CallBack: Several, as is common with the series, but one in particular is a spoiler: [[spoiler: when confronting Orrie over the murders he's committed, Archie and the other 'teers bitterly note that they should have cut him loose after he got pegged for murder in ''Death of a Doxy'', since even though he was WronglyAccused in that book the fact that people could even consider it plausible should have suggested that he couldn't be trusted.]]

** Archie himself has one when Wolfe remarks that in a previous interview with Bassett's friends, they'd mentioned that he was obsessed with his wife and the possibility of her committing adultery. [[spoiler: He connects it to Orrie's own womanising tendencies.]]
** Much to Saul and Archie's surprise, Fred Durkin admits he figured it out when [[spoiler: Orrie asked to interview Pierre's daughter when Wolfe assigned her to Saul; he knew Wolfe would never do so, so must have had an ulterior motive.]]

** And finally, when the killer is revealed [[spoiler: as Orrie Cather, Wolfe, Archie and the others naturally view this as a personal betrayal.]]
* LeaveBehindAPistol: Lampshaded; our heroes openly declare that while they won't actually kill him and can't deliver him to the police for both personal reasons and a lack of evidence, they intend to "make it impossible" for the killer to keep living. [[spoiler: Orrie gets the message and blows himself up with the final rigged cigar in front of Wolfe's house.]]

* TitleDrop: There's a couple of mentions that this case is "a family affair". In the earlier ones, it's referencing how, since Wolfe is obstructing justice, he and Archie need to keep their investigation strictly 'within the family'. [[spoiler: The later ones, after they've realised that Orrie is the killer, refer to both their sense of betrayal at a member of the 'family' doing such a thing and how they intend to keep his punishment within the family.]]
* WhamEpisode: [[spoiler: Orrie Cather, Wolfe's long-time operative who has been part of the novels since [[Literature/FerDeLance the very first one]], turns out to be the killer.]]
* YourCheatingHeart: When he wasn't fixated on Watergate, Bassett was obsessed with the possibility that his younger, pretty wife was cheating on him. [[spoiler: She was. With Orrie Cather, who was also cheating on his wife.]]

* BookEnds: A particularly explosive example; the novel begins and ends with some poor unfortunate getting blown up. [[spoiler: In the first case, it's a cold-blooded murder. In the last case, it's Orrie deciding that RedemptionEqualsDeath.]]

* WhamEpisode: [[spoiler: Orrie Cather, Wolfe's long-time operative who has been part of the novels since pretty much the very first one, turns out to be the killer.]]

Not to be confused with "[[Series/FamilyAffair]]", the American sitcom that ran from 1966 to 1971.

Not to be confused with the American sitcom that ran from 1966 to 1971.

** Much to Saul and Archie's surprise, Fred Durkin admits he figured it out when [[spoiler: Orrie asked to interview Pierre's daughter when Wolfe assigned her to Saul; he knew Wolfe would never do so, so much have had an ulterior motive.]]

The final novel in Creator/RexStout's series of Literature/NeroWolfe mysteries, published in 1975 (six months before [[AuthorExistenceFailure the author's death at the age of 88). It is set in October 1974, and takes place in the aftermath of President UsefulNotes/RichardNixon's resignation over the [[{{Scandalgate}} Watergate affair]].