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The Doorbell Rang (The Rex Stout Library)
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Manufacturer: Bantam
Author: Rex Stout
Publisher: Bantam
Average Customer Rating:
Our Price: $6.50
You Save: $ ( % )
Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Bantam
Author: Rex Stout
Publisher: Bantam
Average Customer Rating:
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The Doorbell Rang (The Rex Stout Library) Description
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.52
EAN: 9780553237214
ISBN: 0553237217
Label: Bantam
Manufacturer: Bantam
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 192
Publication Date: 1992-06-01
Publisher: Bantam
Product Release Date: 1992-06-01
Studio: Bantam
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.52
EAN: 9780553237214
ISBN: 0553237217
Label: Bantam
Manufacturer: Bantam
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 192
Publication Date: 1992-06-01
Publisher: Bantam
Product Release Date: 1992-06-01
Studio: Bantam
Editorial Review of The Doorbell Rang (The Rex Stout Library)
Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe books are all great fun, full of wonderful food and the arcane details of hobbies as diverse as orchid growing and Balkan history. But in this outing, things suddenly become much more serious when Wolfe and his sidekick Archie Goodwin face the malevolent forces of J. Edgar Hoover and his FBI minions. Luckily, Stout's heart and his writing style are more than equal to the challenge.
Customer Reviews of The Doorbell Rang (The Rex Stout Library)
Customer Rating: 
Review Summary: A Plot with Double Trouble
Review: The Doorbell Rang by Rex Stout
A widow visits Nero Wolfe with a large check and a large problem. She bought a thousand copies of a book ("The FBI Nobody Knows") and gave them to Congressmen, state legislatures, editors and publishers, etc. Now she and her adult children are being followed day and night, and her phones were tapped. Nero Wolfe says he knows of nothing to stop that. But her large check makes the sale. Wolfe first finds out as much as he can from a well-connected person. A confidential source tells Archie Goodwin about an unsolved murder mystery. So Goodwin starts to investigate the people who knew Morris Althaus, journalist. Relatives, friends, and co-workers are interviewed. There is no guarantee of a solution. But the investigation continues.
Nero Wolfe sets a very clever trap to tempt someone to burglarize his house while he seemed to be away. It works, and leads to a solution that benefits his client by stopping the surveillance. This also leads to clearing an unsolved murder. [This is a very clever story as long as you don't question its plausibility.] Some features of this story are based on historical facts.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: A&E Picked This One
Review: When this book came out in 1965, the rampant fear of the FBI was such that many were surprised at Stout's brashness in showing up J. Edgar Hoover. That's a huge thing this book accomplished.
It's a pretty good story, and the plot devices are fully up to par. And the A&E depiction is one of their best, showing Wolfe's insistence on living exactly as he pleases, and asserting the rights of an American citizen as we all should emulate. He is not a fearful man when it comes to people in positions of power.
It's a good plot, well written and good characters. My favorite character was J. Edgar Hoover...
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: pleasing fantasy
Review: This is escapist literature, and quite good for that. It makes a claim to be about a serious subject, viz. FBI corruption, and I would be interested to know how true that part is. I may even read the book referenced in the book. As with all escapism, there are no real surprises,although there are unexpected incidents. Good stuff.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Nero Wolfe vs the FBI
Review: This was one of Rex Stout's more entertaining Wolfe adventures, which has the inimitable detective going up against J Edgar Hoover and the FBI. The usual plot twists, wisecracks and brilliant deductions prevail, as does Wolfe. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I will admit that I like Michael Pritchard's readings better than the reader on this one, but that was a minor quibble.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: One of Stout's Best
Review: This is one of Rex Stout's best Nero Wofe novels. In my opinion, Stout improved with age, and this is one of the last titles in the series. The dynamics of the relationship between Nero Wolfe and his assistant, Archie Goodwin, are as usual, priceless. But what makes this book for me are the unexpected and highly enjoyable goodwill overtures between Wolfe, Goodwin, and police homicide Inspector Cramer. Even though Cramer's suspicions return in force at the end of the book, it's still fun to see him on Wolfe's side for once. And I think our "favorite fatty" detective's ability in this book to put one over on the FBI is a feel-good read for anyone who has had difficulty with people in positions of authority-especially when that authority is autocratic and mismanaged.
Review Summary: A Plot with Double Trouble
Review: The Doorbell Rang by Rex Stout
A widow visits Nero Wolfe with a large check and a large problem. She bought a thousand copies of a book ("The FBI Nobody Knows") and gave them to Congressmen, state legislatures, editors and publishers, etc. Now she and her adult children are being followed day and night, and her phones were tapped. Nero Wolfe says he knows of nothing to stop that. But her large check makes the sale. Wolfe first finds out as much as he can from a well-connected person. A confidential source tells Archie Goodwin about an unsolved murder mystery. So Goodwin starts to investigate the people who knew Morris Althaus, journalist. Relatives, friends, and co-workers are interviewed. There is no guarantee of a solution. But the investigation continues.
Nero Wolfe sets a very clever trap to tempt someone to burglarize his house while he seemed to be away. It works, and leads to a solution that benefits his client by stopping the surveillance. This also leads to clearing an unsolved murder. [This is a very clever story as long as you don't question its plausibility.] Some features of this story are based on historical facts.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: A&E Picked This One
Review: When this book came out in 1965, the rampant fear of the FBI was such that many were surprised at Stout's brashness in showing up J. Edgar Hoover. That's a huge thing this book accomplished.
It's a pretty good story, and the plot devices are fully up to par. And the A&E depiction is one of their best, showing Wolfe's insistence on living exactly as he pleases, and asserting the rights of an American citizen as we all should emulate. He is not a fearful man when it comes to people in positions of power.
It's a good plot, well written and good characters. My favorite character was J. Edgar Hoover...
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: pleasing fantasy
Review: This is escapist literature, and quite good for that. It makes a claim to be about a serious subject, viz. FBI corruption, and I would be interested to know how true that part is. I may even read the book referenced in the book. As with all escapism, there are no real surprises,although there are unexpected incidents. Good stuff.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Nero Wolfe vs the FBI
Review: This was one of Rex Stout's more entertaining Wolfe adventures, which has the inimitable detective going up against J Edgar Hoover and the FBI. The usual plot twists, wisecracks and brilliant deductions prevail, as does Wolfe. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I will admit that I like Michael Pritchard's readings better than the reader on this one, but that was a minor quibble.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: One of Stout's Best
Review: This is one of Rex Stout's best Nero Wofe novels. In my opinion, Stout improved with age, and this is one of the last titles in the series. The dynamics of the relationship between Nero Wolfe and his assistant, Archie Goodwin, are as usual, priceless. But what makes this book for me are the unexpected and highly enjoyable goodwill overtures between Wolfe, Goodwin, and police homicide Inspector Cramer. Even though Cramer's suspicions return in force at the end of the book, it's still fun to see him on Wolfe's side for once. And I think our "favorite fatty" detective's ability in this book to put one over on the FBI is a feel-good read for anyone who has had difficulty with people in positions of authority-especially when that authority is autocratic and mismanaged.