Nero Wolfe: A Family Affair by Rex Stout
I’d never read any Nero Wolfe mysteries before. In my typical scatter shot fashion, I’ve started with A Family Affair, his last mystery. I missed something by starting at the end, too. I think I was supposed to know more about this guy and his little quirks and his friends and prior cases.
It made the book hard to follow but part of that is also Stout’s writing style. Sometimes I think he’s being deliberately obtuse – wants to make you feel like an insider when you finally figure out what the hell he meant. That’s not my favorite style of writing, but overall I enjoyed the book enough that I’ll keep my eyes open for a Wolfe mystery from earlier in the series. Maybe I’ll get the jokes next time.