Loren D. Estleman wrote a series of Nero Wolfe pastiches and now they’re collected in a slim book, Nearly Nero. Estleman goes the humorous route in these stories with a wealthy eccentric who calls himself “Claudius Lyon” in homage to Nero Wolfe. But Claudius Lyon is a decidedly “low rent” Wolfe. Instead of raising orchids, Lyon raises tomatoes. Instead of Archie Goodwin, Lyon hires an ex-con named Arnie Woodbine. And Lyon, for several reasons, doesn’t charge for his investigative services. If you’re a fan of Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe series, you’ll get a kick out of these clever pastiches. GRADE: B
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
“A Legacy: And How to Twist It [Almost] Beyond Recognition: A Preface” By Loren D. Estleman 9
“Who’s Afraid of Nero Wolfe?” 17
“The Boy Who Cried Wolfe” 41
“Wolfe at the Door” 61
“Wolfe on the Roof” 81
“Wolfe Trap” 85
“Wolfe in Chic Clothing” 99
“Wolfe in the Manger” 119
“Wolfe and Warp” 141
“Peter and the Wolfe” 153
“Wolfe Whistle” 165
“Snakes and the Fat Man: The Case of Nero Wolfe” 179
RECOMMENDED READING 183
COPYRIGHTS 189
Read this last year. Didn’t care for it as much as you did. And on an entirely different subject. Did you know Matthew Hughes has a crime novel out from PS? Haven’t seen it yet or read any reviews. I know you are a fan of his SF.
Steve, I do know that Matthew Hughes’s ONE MORE KILL from PS is on order. I prefer Hughes’s faux-Jack Vance SF stories to his crime fiction.
I enjoyed them – mildly – too. They were fun to read without being great.
Jeff, I wonder what Art Scott and Steve Stilwell–two of the biggest Nero Wolfe fans I know–think of NEARLY NERO.
Jeff, my guess is they’d say “pfui”.
Rick, you could be right.
I like Wolfe and Estleman so I’ll grab this if I find it in a used book store! If I can find a used book store!
Bob, inexpensive copies of NEARLY NERO are available on the Internet.