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Publishers Weekly Review

Although attempts to update the duo into the 1980s are jarring, ``fans of that fat genius, Nero Wolfe, and his indomitable sidekick, Archie Goodwin, will be gratified by this stylish revival,'' concluded PW. The mystery begins with a plea for help from Archie's longtime pal, Lilly Rowan, whose g niece has been attacked by a vicious roisterer named Sparky Linville. But before Archie can intervene, Sparky is murdered. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Booklist Review

In the latest of Goldsborough's contemporary Nero Wolfe mysteries, following The Bloodied Ivy [BKL Ag 88], ~Archie Goodwin takes a case of his own: tailing a "date rape" suspect through the streets of New York City; unfortunately, he loses him. The next day, over the traditionally large breakfast served at Wolfe's brownstone, Archie reads of the probable rapist's murder. The brother of the rape victim confesses to the crime, but the girl, convinced of his innocence, hires a reluctant Wolfe to investigate. Goldsborough's attention to narrative detail and his deep desire not to tinker with the established formula are once again in evidence. While the plot is certainly headline-fresh, it is handled with a very Rex Stout-like clinical fastidiousness. In addition, Nero still attacks his beer and his beloved haute cuisine with a health-threatening savagery. His orchids still flourish, although Archie now records the plants' detailed histories on a computer terminal. And, of course, the various suspects are all assembled at the beloved brownstone for the effortless denouement, handled with all the verbal gymnastics that readers have come to expect from the sedentary sleuth. --Peter Robertson