And Be a Villain
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| Author | Rex Stout |
|---|---|
| Country | United states |
| Language | English |
| Series | Nero Wolfe |
| Genre(s) | Detective fiction |
| Publisher | Viking Press |
| Released | 1948 |
| Media Type | Print (Hardcover and Paperback) |
| Pages | N/A |
| ISBN | 0553239317 |
| Preceded by | Too Many Women |
| Followed by | The Second Confession |
And Be A Villain is a Nero Wolfe detective novel by Rex Stout, first published by Viking Press in 1948. The title is from Hamlet, Act I, Scene V.
It is the first of three Nero Wolfe books that involve crime syndicate leader Arnold Zeck and his widespread operations (the others: The Second Confession and In The Best Families). In each book, Zeck – Wolfe's Moriarty – telephones Wolfe to warn him off an investigation that Zeck believes will interfere with his crime syndicate. Each time, Wolfe refuses to cooperate, and anticipates that there will be consequences.
[edit] Plot summary
The publisher of a horse race tip sheet dies of cyanide poisoning while appearing as a guest on a popular radio show. It is a highly publicized death, due to the show's large radio audience. The poison was administered in a bottle thought to contain a soft drink that was the show's major sponsor.
Wolfe manages to get himself hired to investigate, by a consortium consisting of the sponsors, the broadcasting company and the show itself. Wolfe screws a fact out of a witness, a fact unknown to the police. He turns the fact over to Lieutenant Cramer so as to enlist the assistance of his army of investigators.
After a time, Wolfe finds that he must involve himself again. He gets fired by his main client and as a result identifies the murderer.
[edit] The Unfamiliar Word
In most Nero Wolfe novels and novellas, there is at least one unfamiliar word, usually spoken by Wolfe. And Be A Villain contains several examples, including the following (the page references are to the Bantam edition):
- Temerarious. Page 145, just prior to the end of Chapter 15.
- Chambrer. Page 160, at the end of Chapter 17. (This verb might well have been apt in the middle of the 20th century, but not toward the beginning of the 21st.)
- Fructify. Page 181, just prior to the end of Chapter 19.
- Dysgenic. Page 184, on the second page of Chapter 20.
[edit] Characters in And Be A Villain
- Nero Wolfe – The private investigator
- Archie Goodwin – Wolfe's assistant (and the narrator of all Wolfe stories)
- Madeline Fraser – The host of the radio show and one of Wolfe's clients in this book
- Deborah Koppel – Madeline Fraser's manager and sister-in-law
- Lieutenant Cramer – A homicide inspector, more Wolfe's collaborator in this book than antagonist, as he is in most other Wolfe books
- Nancylee Shepherd – Teenage organizer of a Madeline Fraser fan club, frequent member of the show's audience, and – according to the show's employees – an intolerable nuisance
