Well, I completed a single day, (probably) four-sitting read of “Some Buried Caesar” today. It was a relatively short book (274 pages, small paperback with ‘normal’ font size) and moved pretty fast.
I’m not usually a reader of whodunits, so I’m not sure how I was supposed to go about it. In the end I decided to just ‘enjoy it’ and not put pressure on myself to try to solve it (it’s a good thing, ’cause I didn’t). When I got started, I did try to make a list of characters (I.e. “suspects”) but I found myself referring to it most often just to keep the characters straight,
This is my first exposure to a Nero Wolfe story – although I had certainly heard of the character before. I thought it was an interesting choice for his creator, Rex Stout, to make his hero a sedentary, lethargic, obese, and somewhat arrogant character who depends so much on his lieutenant, Archie Goodwin. The character’s popularity, however, seems to make me think this doesnt really bother too many readers.
All for now & back to Waverly…
Bibliophilopolis 
Timothy said,
March 17, 2010 at 9:50 am
It’s because Wolfe’s not the hero: Goodwin is, practically. Wolfe needs to be sedentiary, otherwise Archie would have nothing to do but say “Oh, really Holmes?” like poor Watson often does.
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stentorpub said,
March 19, 2010 at 8:07 pm
Hi Tim,
Thanks for your comment. What you say makes sense. I doubt Dr. Watson would be pleased, but Holmes would probably have deduced the same thing about Wolfe.
-JC
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Timothy said,
March 22, 2010 at 1:35 am
JC – In some unofficial add-ons to the Wolfe canon John Lescroat suggests the Wolfe is Holmes’s son with Irene Adler. Stout was a fervent Sherlockian, but he never suggested this, so far as I know.
Stout was, however, the first to publish the thesis that Watson is a woman, likely Irene Adler using a masculine pen name.
My favourite part of Some Buried Cesar is where Archie is walking through the fairground, just describing wehat he’s seeing. It’s really evocative, both of the time and palce, and of Archie’s jovial but cynical take on it all.
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stentorpub said,
March 23, 2010 at 5:06 am
Very interesting hypothesis about Holmes & Adler. I’d never heard that before. Although I’m far from a Sherlockian, I have read and enjoyed a good deal of his work. Yes, Archie’s take on the fairground/exhibition (and anything else, really) always seems to include a sprinkle of disdain and amusement – a very good character.
-JC
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