Three at Wolfe’s Door
Three at Wolfe’s Door contains the following short stories:
- Poison à la carte
- Method Three for Murder
- The Rodeo Murder
Poison à la carte
The story revolves around the annual dinner of «Ten for Aristology,» an elite, exclusive club of gourmet connoisseurs. For this year’s high-stakes celebration, Nero Wolfe’s personal, masterful chef, Fritz Brenner, is invited to prepare the luxurious multi-course meal. The dinner is served by a group of twelve beautiful young actresses hired specifically for the event. Both detective Nero Wolfe and his trusty assistant, Archie Goodwin, attend the gathering.
During the very first course—blinis with sour cream—a wealthy guest named Vincent Pyle complains that there is «sand» in his food. Shortly after the fish course arrives, Pyle feels severely ill, excuses himself, and leaves the dinner. Within two hours, he dies from arsenic poisoning. Because Fritz cooked the meal, his pristine culinary reputation is on the line, leaving him disconsolate and making an outraged Nero Wolfe fiercely determined to solve the case.
Because the food was prepared with strict oversight, the poison could not have been added in the kitchen. Wolfe deduces that the lethal dose must have been slipped into the dish during service, narrowing the suspects down to the twelve attractive servers.
Method Three for Murder
The story kicks off with a major twist in the usual routine: Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin have had a massive argument. Furious with his boss, Archie decides to take a break and storms out of the brownstone, taking Wolfe’s famous Heron sedan. To clear his head and clear some personal debt, Archie takes on a quick independent job as a chauffeur for a wealthy woman named Mira Holt.
Archie drives Mira to a high-end apartment building where she intends to return a borrowed car to her estranged husband. However, upon arrival at the dimly lit garage, they make a gruesome discovery inside the vehicle: the body of a murdered woman, stabbed directly through the heart with a kitchen knife. Realizing she is the prime suspect and desperately panicked, Mira begs Archie for help.
Despite being furious with Wolfe, Archie knows that the eccentric detective is the only one brilliant enough to untangle this mess and clear Mira’s name. Archie sneaks her back to the brownstone, forcing a stubborn Wolfe to get involved in the case to protect his own assistant.
The title refers to a specific, cold-blooded psychological tactic. The investigation centers around a tight circle of suspects linked to the victim, a complex web of lies regarding who was driving the car, and an anonymous caller trying to frame Mira. Wolfe must use his unmatched intellect from his office chair to figure out exactly who planted the body before the New York Police Department arrests his client.
The Rodeo Murder
In The Rodeo Murder, a lively party at Lily Rowan’s Park Avenue penthouse features an unusual roping contest between several cowboy friends. The host offers a valuable silver-trimmed saddle as the main prize for the winner. However, one of the contestants faces an immediate disadvantage because his rope suddenly disappears from the venue. Therefore, the atmosphere quickly turns tense among the guests.
Shortly after, the missing rope reappears in a terrifying location. A witness finds it wound more than a dozen times around the neck of a wealthy guest. The unfortunate victim is the chief financial backer of the World Series Rodeo. As a result, the fun celebration instantly turns into a high-profile murder investigation.
Due to the scandal in her apartment, Lily Rowan immediately asks private investigator Nero Wolfe to solve the crime. Subsequently, Wolfe and Archie Goodwin must analyze the motives of the remaining cowboy contestants. Furthermore, the detectives examine the secret financial deals behind the rodeo business. Ultimately, Wolfe uncovers the killer during a classic confrontation in his office.
Serie: Nero Wolfe; 33
Editorial: Bantam
Año: 1995
Título original: Three at Wolfe’s Door. The Rodeo Murder, 1960