Champagne for One
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| Author | Rex Stout |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Nero Wolfe |
| Genre(s) | Detective fiction |
| Publisher | Viking Press |
| Released | November 24, 1958 |
| Media type | Hardcover |
| Pages | 184 pp. |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-553-24438-8 |
| Preceded by | And Four to Go |
| Followed by | Plot It Yourself |
Champagne for One is a Nero Wolfe detective novel by Rex Stout, first published by Viking Press in 1958. The book's title was proposed by its author, who also suggested Champagne for Faith Usher but Viking Press preferred Champagne for One[1].
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
Archie gets a phone call from Dinky Byne, who is expected at a dinner party that night, given by his aunt in honor of four young, unwed mothers. These women have recently left Grantham House, a home where expectant mothers receive support, room and board in the months prior to giving birth.
Dinky wants to beg off the dinner because he has a bad cold, and asks Archie to fill in for him. Archie agrees and, chatting with Rose Tuttle after dinner, learns that Faith Usher carries around a vial of cyanide. Apparently Faith wants to have it handy should she ever decide to commit suicide. Rose is worried, and Archie reassures her by promising that he'll see to it that nothing bad happens.
But something bad happens a few minutes later, when Faith suddenly dies, poisoned by cyanide later shown to have been in her champagne. Those present hope that Faith suicided, largely because they hope to avoid notoriety. But Archie had been keeping his eye on Faith and is certain that she put nothing in her glass – therefore, it must have been murder.
Archie comes under pressure from the guests, the police and the Police Commissioner himself to back off his position regarding Faith's death. Meanwhile, Edwin Laidlaw hires Wolfe to see to it that the investigation does not result in the discovery that he is the father of Faith's child. Wolfe agrees to identify and expose the murderer – if there is one – before the police learn of Laidlaw's role in Faith's life.
[edit] The Unfamiliar Word
In most Nero Wolfe novels and novellas, there is at least one unfamiliar word, usually spoken by Wolfe. Champagne for One contains but one example, apart from the legalese respondeat superior found in Chapter 9. (In Chapter 2 the reader is also treated to a discussion of the derivation of protocol from the Greek proto, "first," and kollon, "glue".)
On page 202 of the 1996 Bantam edition, in Chapter 16, Wolfe says, "You have trimmed long enough." The word "trimmed" is not itself unfamiliar, but the usage may be.
[edit] Characters in Champagne for One
- Nero Wolfe – The private investigator.
- Archie Goodwin – Wolfe's assistant (and the narrator of all Wolfe stories).
- Mr. and Mrs. Robert Robilotti – Mrs. Robilotti is a wealthy widow who married Mr. Robilotti after the death of her first husband.
- Faith Usher, Helen Yarmis, Rose Tuttle and Ethel Varr – Four honored guests at a dinner party given by Mrs. Robilotti.
- Elaine Usher – Faith's estranged mother.
- Austin "Dinky" Byne – Mrs. Robilotti's nephew.
- Edwin Laidlaw – A publisher who is terrified that his prior relationship with Miss Usher will be exposed by the investigation into her death.
- Cecil and Celia Grantham, Mrs. Robilotti's son and daughter from her first marriage.
- Paul Schuster and Beverly Kent: Along with Edwin Laidlaw and Archie Goodwin, dinner partners for the young women at the party.
[edit] Adaptations
[edit] A Nero Wolfe Mystery (A&E Network)
Champagne for One was adapted for the second episode of the A&E TV series A Nero Wolfe Mystery (2001–2002).
- Champagne for One at The Wolfe Pack, official site of the Nero Wolfe Fan Club
[edit] References
- ^ Correspondence between Stout and Marshall Best of Viking Press, 16 and 23 July 1958. Reprinted in appendix to Bantam reissue edition, January 1996.
