Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine #3. Arthur Conan Doyle

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      “Give me your details, and from an armchair I will return you an excellent expert opinion. But to run here and run there…it is not my métier.” Though this was Mycroft talking to Sherlock; it could very well have been Wolfe addressing Archie. But similarities are not limited to only Mycroft.

      Moriarty? No, Zeck.

      Professor James Moriarty was Sherlock Holmes’s great nem­esis. The detective got the better of Dr. Grimesby Roylott, Charles Augustus Milverton, John Clay, and many others; but it is Moriarty who is the villain in the Canon.

      There is only one adversary who appears in multiple stories in the Corpus, and he is clearly the most dangerous man Wolfe faces. Three times Wolfe comes into contact with Arnold Zeck, who, like Moriarty, is the head of a criminal organization. Also like Moriarty, Zeck tries to warn the detective to stay out of his business. Failing, he has Wolfe’s greenhouse destroyed with a barrage of machine-gun bullets. Later, he sends a tear-gas bomb to Wolfe’s office. Just as Holmes fled 221B Baker Street, Wolfe simply abandons the brownstone and goes deep undercover: Archie doesn’t even know where he is.

      Holmes stayed in hiding until the opportunity arose to get Moriarty’s chief lieutenant, Colonel Moran. Wolfe engaged in a similar ploy, slowly, anonymously, working his way into Zeck’s organization. When the timing is right, Wolfe set a trap for his foe, just as Holmes did for Moran.

      War Service

      During World War I, Holmes came out of retirement to go undercover and break up a German spy ring. In World War II, Nero Wolfe essentially sets aside his private practice and works for the Army. In Booby Trap we watch Wolfe and Archie solve a wartime industrial espionage case fraught with murder. Wolfe and the Holmes brothers are both great patriots and serve their respective countries.

      Archie!

      It can be argued that Sherlock Holmes would have done just fine without Watson. While the good doctor was a more than capable chronicler, Holmes could probably have com­pleted his investigations alone. This is partially because Holmes was a very energetic and physically capable detective.

      Nero Wolfe most certainly is not. Archie does all of the legwork. Well, not quite all; he does have assistance sometimes in the form of other private operatives, somewhat of a West 35th Street equivalent to the Baker Street Irregulars.

      Wolfe, quite simply, does not investigate. He thinks and he issues orders. Archie is a far more capable sidekick than Watson. He is, in fact, a licensed private investigator in his own right. When Wolfe disappears as part of his campaign against Arnold Zeck, Archie sets up shop on his own and does quite well.

      Archie is brave, wise-cracking, attractive to women, athletic, and tough. He is a detective in the style of Sam Spade and gumshoes in the pages of Black Mask Magazine. In fact, Wolfe is an intellectual detective of the Sherlock/Mycroft era, while Archie is typical of the hard-boiled genre. Thus, Rex Stout created a detective series that was characterized by the two periods of detective fiction which bookended the Golden Era of mystery stories (of which Agatha Christie is a prime example).

      Perhaps it’s in the Blood?

      Holmesians have often speculated that there was a romantic relationship between Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler, with several films and pastiches utilizing the premise. John Les­croart wrote a pair of novels featuring Auguste Lupa (a name with linguistic connotations of Nero Wolfe), Son of Holmes and Rasputin’s Revenge. The brilliant Lupa is the offspring of Holmes and Adler. Though it is never overtly stated, it’s hard not to conclude that Lupa, who heads off to America with his Swiss chef, Fritz, at the end of the second novel, becomes Nero Wolfe. In fact, it’s elementary.

      Now, don’t get the impression that the Wolfe stories are just pale copies of the Holmes tales. Rex Stout excelled in both plot and characterization, and the Wolfe stories hold a unique and enduring place in the mystery pantheon. But Stout was a well-known fan of Sherlock Holmes, and traces of that admiration and respect for the world’s first and greatest private consulting detective can be found in the Corpus.

      Beyond Stout

      Unlike Sherlock Holmes, Nero Wolfe is still copyright protected, so you won’t find a plethora of pastiches (there’s a good name for a Wolfean mystery story) for sale in bookstores and online. However, if you’ve worked through the Corpus a few times and want more, there are still some options out there.

      Robert Goldsborough, with permission from the Stout Estate, published seven novels featuring Wolfe and Archie. Like Stout’s originals, they are contemporary tales and the last book, The Missing Chapter, pokes fun at pastiches of popular series.

      Lawrence Block created Leo Haig, star of two novels and several short stories. Haig has learned everything that he can about Nero Wolfe, who he believes to be a very real person: Rex Stout is merely a pseudonym. He lives as a shadow of Wolfe, keeping tropical fish instead of orchids, venturing out for business only when he has to and employing his own Archie, Chip Harrison, to do the legwork. Haig’s dream is to be invited to dinner at Wolfe’s brownstone, which is a clever bit.

      H. Paul Jeffers, who includes two Sherlock Holmes titles among his list of works, wrote three books featuring Sergeant John Bogdanovic. The policeman finds himself immersed in the world of a famous fictional detective in each novel. The third, entitled Corpus Corpus, centers around an annual Wolfe Pack Dinner. As expected, Wolfean details abound throughout the tale.

      Finally, in 2008, Loren Estleman began a series of pastiches featuring amateur private detective Claudius Lyon, whose life mission is to emulate Nero Wolfe. Lyon’s Archie is an ex-convict named Arnie Woodbine, who also serves as narrator. Estleman has long been known to Sherlock Holmes fans for two pastiches, one featuring Dracula and the other Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

      Very Satisfactory

      If you have only a passing acquaintance with Nero Wolfe, you would do well to read up on the Corpus. For the more visually minded mystery lover, there is also a Nero Wolfe series available on DVD. It aired on the A&E network in 2001 and 2002 and features Maury Chaykin and Timothy Hutton. Hutton, in particular, excelled, also serving as director and executive producer on the series. It is a high-quality production with an excellent jazz soundtrack and, happily, is quite faithful to the original stories.

      Quiz Answer: Holmes tells Watson that he is not such an admirer of women in the fourth and final novel, The Valley of Fear.

      MRS HUDSON’S HOUSEHOLD HINTS, by (Mrs) Martha Hudson

      Dear Readers,

      As there has been a dearth of requests for my advice, I have decided to alter the nature of my column, focusing instead upon techniques of household management thrust upon me by the unique tenancy of Mr Sherlock Holmes and his dear companion Dr John H Watson.

      However, just as I was about to submit my new column, the editor surprised me by sending along the following request for advice from one of the readers. I am happy to add it as a prefatory item, together with my considered reply.

      —(Mrs) Martha Hudson

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      Dear Mrs Hudson,

      What remedies do you suggest for the common cold or, worse yet, influenza? I am a sickly soul, and I dread winter each year. Help me to ease my pains!

      Sincerely,

      Sickly in Singapore

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