Review of "Stop The Presses: A Nero Wolfe Mystery" by Robert Goldsborough

 

Rex Stout's "Nero Wolfe" books - set in the middle years of the 20th century - are among my favorite light mysteries. Wolfe is an eccentric, obese private detective who lives in a brownstone in New York City; almost never leaves his house; spends four hours a day tending his orchids; has a chef who prepares delicious gourmet meals; loves beer; and employs Archie Goodwin as his assistant, legman, and gadfly. 

Nero Wolfe


Archie Goodwin

Stout's last Nero Wolfe book was published over 40 years ago, so - when I saw this 2016 pastiche by Robert Goldsborough available as an audiobook on Hoopla - I decided to give it a try. 

The plot: It's the 1970s and Cameron Clay - who writes the "Stop the Presses" gossip column for the New York Gazette - has been getting death threats. This isn't surprising since Clay makes it his mission to insult and embarrass New York's better known citizens - and to expose what he thinks are illegal and immoral acts.



"Stop the Presses" is the most popular feature in The Gazette, so Lon Cohen - the paper's editor - asks Nero Wolfe if he would speak to Clay, assess the level of danger, and make appropriate suggestions. Wolfe gets Saul Panzer - the best free-lance operative in New York - to provide an in-depth profile of Clay, after which Wolfe agrees to see the journalist. 

When Clay shows up at Wolfe's house - looking and sounding ill - he explains that he's been getting menacing phone calls, but can't identify the speaker from the muffled voice. The columnist does, however, provide a list of five 'suspects' who wish him dead: 

- Mike Tobin - a cop who lost his job and went to prison after Clay tagged him for beating up suspects. 



- Kerwin Andrews - a builder and developer who lost a big project after Clay revealed his shoddy construction methods. 



- Millard Beardsley - A Harlem city councilman whom Clay has accused of taking bribes and putting the 'financial squeeze' on his constituents. 



- Roswell Stokes - a shifty lawyer who's been pilloried repeatedly in Clay's column.



- Serena Sanchez - an opera singer who was married to Clay. She's publicly declared that she'd like to kill her ex-husband. 



Wolfe tells Clay he can't help him, and suggests the columnist get private security or contact the police - but Clay refuses to do either. Cut to the chase, and Clay is found shot dead in his apartment. The cops quickly rule it a suicide, but the publishers of The Gazette think Clay was murdered, and hire Wolfe to expose the killer. 



The story slows down at this point as Archie schemes to get each of the five 'suspects' to Wolfe's house for an interview - one at a time, over a series of evenings. Wolfe has a rule about hospitality under his roof, so there's a lot of blather about Archie taking hats and coats, making everyone drinks, seeing people in and out, etc. Of course every 'suspect' complains about Clay doing them wrong, and each one proclaims their innocence (naturally). Wolfe's 'frenemy' in the police department, Inspector Cramer, also shows up - 
to warn Wolfe not to embarrass the cops. 

In between Wolfe's interviews, Archie attends a weekend soirée at the country estate of his wealthy girlfriend, Lily Rowan. The party includes playing cards, dining, and dancing, and Serena Sanchez - who's a guest - does some serious flirting with Archie. 



After Wolfe speaks to all the persons of interest he mulls things over.....and eventually resolves the case. Now Archie has to, once again, persuade all the relevant people to come to Wolfe's house for the big reveal. Thus, there's more politeness and drink-making and so on. All this cajoling and cordiality serves to pad a rather thin plot and minimal mystery. 

This book isn't a great addition to the Nero Wolfe collection, but it's fun to visit with some favorite characters. For that reason, I'd recommend the book to fans of the series. 

I don't think you have to start with book one to enjoy these stories. You can just jump in anywhere, and the author will catch you up very quickly.

I do have one HUGE problem with the book. All the Nero Wolfe books are narrated in the first person by Archie Goodwin - a Midwestern boy whose accent would be 'neutral.' However, "Stop the Presses!" is read by Peter Berkrot, a New Englander who has a refined, rather poncy accent (he almost sounds British). This is absolutely inauthentic (I'd say terrible) for Archie, and kept pulling me right out of the story. I think a different narrator should be found for future Nero Wolfe audiobooks.

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "Murder In Old Bombay: A Historical Mystery" by Nev March

 

After being injured in a battle in Karachi in the early 1890s, Anglo-Indian Army Captain Jim Agnihotri is slowly recovering in a hospital in Poona. During his recuperation, Agnihotri reads the Sherlock Holmes story 'The Sign of Four' and gets the sleuthing bug. Serendipitously Agnihotri finds a mystery to solve in 'The Chronicle of India' tabloid.



A letter to the editor from a Bombay resident named Adi Framji upbraids the newspaper for calling the deaths of his wife and sister suicides.



Adi insists that his 19-year old wife Bacha.....



.....and 16-year-old sister Pilloo - who fell from a university clock tower minutes apart - were murdered.



Upon being released from the hospital Agnihotri goes to Bombay, contacts Framji, and arranges to look into the deaths of Bacha and Pilloo, whose tragic passing cast a pall over the entire Framji family. While Agnihotri is investigating, he spends a lot of time in the wealthy Framji household, which consists of Adi,



his father and mother,



and his four remaining siblings,



including his pretty sister Diana, who just returned from a stay in England.



Agnihotri examines the scene of death, interviews witnesses, and attempts to track down suspects - aided in part by Diana, who thinks of herself as Watson to Agnihotri's Holmes. Agnihotri's queries upset SOMEONE, because he's viciously attacked and someone attempts to burgle the Framji house.

To pursue his inquiries Agnihotri has to travel around India, and - like Sherlock Holmes - dons disguises to remain incognito.



During one trip, Agnihotri even assists the army, which has a group of soldiers trapped in rebel territory.



As the story unfolds we see the contrast between the rich and poor in 19th century India as Agnihotri attends wonderful dinners and elegant parties at the Framji home,



then encounters starving children during his travels.



We also learn a bit about Indian history, like the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857; the uppity attitude of the British to Indians, Pakistanis, etc.; and native groups that wanted to overthrow the British Raj.

The book is part mystery, part travelogue, and part romance. Agnihotri inevitably falls for Diana, but is forbidden to pursue her because she's Parsee and he isn't. Agnihotri moons over Diana continually, which felt a bit too much like a Regency romance to me.

This is an engaging - though a tad meandering - historical mystery, recommended to fans of the genre.



Thanks to Netgalley, the author (Nev March), and the publisher (Minotaur Books) for a copy of the book.

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "The Magdalene Deception: A Novel of Suspense" by Gary McAvoy

 

Father Michael Dominic is a recently ordained Catholic priest assigned to work in the Vatican Library's Secret Archives, which aren't so much secret as reserved for elite scholars.



Dominic is a classical medievalist whose rapid rise in the church was engineered by his mentor, Cardinal Enrico Petrini, who's known Michael since he was a boy.



One of Dominic's jobs is to help digitalize the Vatican archives, so researchers around the world can have access to the documents housed there. Michael, who's not permitted to be in the archives alone, is supervised by kindly Brother Calvino Mendoza, a portly septuagenarian who wears the brown robe and leather sandals of his Franciscan order.



Brother Mendoza is very excited about exhuming documents unseen for centuries, and - instead of asking for assistance - injures himself retrieving a large book from a high shelf.



After helping Mendoza back to his room, Dominic returns to lock the archives and can't help but peek into the book Mendoza retrieved. The tome's handling exposes a secret compartment containing two documents: writings by the ancient seer Nostradamus, and a blackmail letter directed to the Vatican.



Dominic photographs the hidden pages and consults Professor Simon Ginsberg, a religious scholar who teaches in Rome.



Dominic and Ginsberg determine that 16th century Nostradamus made predictions relevant to current times, and an early 20th century priest named François Bérenger Saunière, who had a small parish in Rennes-le-Château, France, extorted huge sums from the Holy See.



Bérenger Saunière used the funds to purchase an extravagant estate, embellish his church, provide a comfortable home for his housekeeper, and beautify the village of Rennes-le-Château.



Dominic is keen to discover what Saunière used to coerce the Vatican and gets the opportunity to investigate after he makes the acquaintance of Parisian journalist Hana Sinclair, who writes for Le Monde.



Hana is researching an article about the Vatican bank conspiring to hide gold stolen from Jews during WWII, and the two researchers are natural allies.

Michael and Hana end up going to Rennes-le-Château together, where they serendipitously acquire a papyrus document that could undermine the very foundations of the Catholic church.



The priest and reporter aren't the only ones interested in the earth-shaking discovery. The Vatican Secretariat of State, Cardinal Fabrizio Dante - who spies on everyone in the Holy See - has gotten wind that Dominic is on to something.



So Dante arranges for a Croatian Europol cop named Petrov Govic - a secret Nazi sympathizer who's been working for Dante for years - to follow Dominic and Hana, intercept their emails, tap their phones, and report back to him.



When Cardinal Dante learns the contents of the papyrus document unearthed in France he means to get it by any means necessary, and things take a dramatic turn from there.



Historical elements of the story include references to the Crusades; the brutal Inquisition; the controversy surrounding Pope Pius XII, who remained silent while Jews were exterminated by the Nazis; and a secret pact connected with WWII French resistance fighters called the Macquis.



The novel is enhanced by engaging secondary characters, picturesque descriptions of the Vatican.....



......and forbidden romantic sparks between Hana and Father Dominic.



This connects with my major quibble about the story - almost everyone who meets Michael comments on how handsome he is, and marvels that he became a priest. It's just a bit much. 😏

I enjoyed this exciting thriller, which held my attention from beginning to end.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author (Gary McAvoy), and the publisher (Literati Editions) for a copy of the book.

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "The 6th Extinction: A Sigma Force Novel" by James Rollins

 In this 10th book in the Sigma Force series two civilian scientists - one in California and one in Brazil - are trying to develop 'outside-the-box' solutions to counteract humankind's destruction of the Earth. Unfortunately the cures are worse than the disease. The book can be read as a standalone.





FYI: Sigma Force is a secret division of the U.S. Department of Defense, composed of former Special Forces officers who've been trained in various scientific disciplines. 

*****

The story: In a covert underground laboratory in northern California, Dr. Kendall Hess has developed man-made indestructible viral shells, and loaded them with a substance that will kill ANYTHING and EVERYTHING it contacts. 





When the virus gets loose - and safeguards in the lab fail - a desperate distress call goes out. The SOS ends with the plea: "Kill us. Kill us all." California State Park Ranger Jenna Beck and her partner - a Siberian Husky named Nikko - arrive at the scene to see the lab explode and Hess get abducted by well-trained commandos. 



The commandos try to kill Jenna (because she witnessed the kidnapping), but the Ranger is very resourceful and holds her own until Sigma Force personnel arrive.

Everyone in the California lab (aside from Hess) is dead and the virus-contaminated smoke emanating from the burning facility is killing everything it touches: bacteria, fungi, insects, plants, animals, people, etc. Moreover, the destruction is spreading and seems unstoppable. 



Skip ahead a short while and two victims of the virus - the dog Nikko and a Sigma Force operative - are quarantined and fighting for their lives.





In addition, the discovery of old maps and other clues result in two Sigma Force units being dispatched: one team - led by Gray Pierce - goes to a laboratory in the Antarctic. 



Another squad - led by Painter Crowe -travels to the mountains of Brazil. Both teams are attacked at every turn, and the book is chock full of action scenes filled with death and destruction. 



At the Antarctic facility, Sigma Force learns about a habitat beneath the Antarctic ice, populated by ancient exotic creatures living in lakes and caverns. 



These organisms, which are unknown to the outside world, have an unusual type of genetic material called XNA (for xenonucleic acid). XNA contains a different sugar component than RNA (which contains ribose) or DNA (which contains deoxyribose). 

It turns out that Hess's California lab used XNA to create the deadly substance in the undestroyable viral shells. Hess's ultimate aim was to fortify the DNA and RNA of 'normal' plants and animals - so they could withstand global warming, habitat destruction, and other harmful changes to the planet. However the discoveries in Antarctica don't provide a solution to the spreading calamity in California.

In Brazil, Sigma Force finds that (supposedly dead) scientist Dr. Elwes Cutter - an evil genius - has used XNA to bioengineer a tropical ecosystem filled with deadly plants and animals. (I have to admire the author's imagination in creating all the unusual creatures in this novel.) 





In addition, Cutter had Hess abducted, so he could get the 'blueprints' for the invincible viral shells. Cutter has various nefarious schemes in mind to 'save the Earth' (which I can't reveal because of spoilers).

Meanwhile, back in California a government scientist, Dr. Raymond Lindahl, is trying to stop the virus before it spreads to the whole region, country, and perhaps world. Lindahl is planning to use the nuclear option if all else fails. In addition, Lindahl wants to use poor Nikko as a test subject - to study the effects of the virus on his body. Other Sigma Force personnel strongly object to these plans for Nikko, but the scientist is very insistent. This leads to some drastic actions.....

With all this going on, the Sigma Force teams face a race against time at every turn. 



The units in the Antarctic and Brazil are fighting to survive attacks by commandos AND deadly creatures; the Brazil team is trying to capture Cutter before he carries out his diabolical plans; and all of Sigma Force is desperate to stop the virus before Lindahl blows up California. Can they do it? You'll have to read the book to find out.

Rollins includes a lot of real science in the book including: life in extreme environments; techniques for manipulating genetic material; methods for creating new species; attempts to resurrect extinct species; and more. 



I enjoyed the novel but found that the escapades and organisms in the two locations, Antarctica and Brazil, got confused in my mind....and I sometimes had stop and think where I was in the book. Still, it's a good story that would appeal to fans of science-filled, action-packed stories.....and I'd recommend the book to those readers. 

If you're a long-time fan of the series you should know that all the popular Sigma Force characters are on hand for the proceedings - and there are some changes in the private lives of a couple (can you say wedding?). 

Rating: 3.5 stars