In the Best Families
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| Author | Rex Stout |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Nero Wolfe |
| Genre(s) | Detective fiction |
| Publisher | Viking Press |
| Released | September 29, 1950 |
| Media type | Hardcover |
| Pages | 246 pp. |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-553-27776-6 |
| Preceded by | Three Doors to Death |
| Followed by | Curtains for Three |
In the Best Families (British title Even in the Best Families) is a Nero Wolfe detective novel by Rex Stout, first published by the Viking Press in 1950. The story was collected in the omnibus volumes Five of a Kind (Viking 1961) and Triple Zeck (Viking 1974).
This is the third of three Nero Wolfe books that involve crime boss Arnold Zeck and his widespread operations (the others are And Be a Villain and The Second Confession). In each book, Zeck – Wolfe's Moriarty – attempts to warn Wolfe off an investigation that Zeck believes will interfere with his criminal machinations. Each time, Wolfe refuses to cooperate, and there are consequences.
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
Sarah and Barry Rackham have been married less than four years. She is a wealthy heiress, while he is neither employed nor independently wealthy. Mrs. Rackham has recently cut off Mr. Rackham's allowance due to his escalating demands, and yet he continues to spend considerable sums of money. Mrs. Rackham wants to know where the money is coming from, and asks Wolfe to investigate.
Reluctantly, Wolfe takes the case. The next day, a carton delivered to his brownstone turns out to contain a canister of tear gas, which discharges when the carton is opened. Shortly thereafter, Zeck phones Wolfe to stress that the carton could have contained an explosive, and that Wolfe should withdraw from the work he is performing on Mrs. Rackham's behalf. Wolfe hangs up on Zeck. It now seems likely that Zeck is the source of Rackham's income.
As arranged with Mrs. Rackham, Archie visits her country home in Westchester to develop an acquaintance with Mr. Rackham. The cover story is that Archie is there to investigate a dog poisoning for Mrs. Rackham's brother, Calvin Leeds, a dog breeder.
That night, Mrs. Rackham and her Doberman are found stabbed to death in the woods outside her house. Archie phones Wolfe to report and, after dealing with the local officials, drives back to Manhattan to confer further with Wolfe. When he arrives at the brownstone, Archie finds the front door ajar and Wolfe gone. A brief note, inarguably from Wolfe, instructs Archie not to look for him.
There is no word forthcoming from Wolfe. Archie sets up shop for himself, of course as a private investigator. Eventually, Pete Roeder, a Zeck associate, makes contact with Archie. Roeder wants to arrange for Wolfe's erstwhile employees and the best operatives around – Saul Panzer, Fred Durkin and Orrie Cather – to undertake a tailing job. As a result, Archie penetrates far enough into Zeck's organization to end the syndicate's relationship with Rackham.
[edit] The Unfamiliar Word
In most Nero Wolfe novels and novellas, there is at least one unfamiliar word, usually spoken by Wolfe. In the Best Families contains but two, and one of them is a stretch (the page references are to the Bantam edition):
- Trepidant. Page 20, just prior to the end of Chapter 2.
- Dissimulation — a rare word in other contexts, in many Wolfe stories, Wolfe keeps Archie (and hence the reader) in the dark about certain details, citing the excuse "not to draw upon his powers of dissimulation". Archie and Wolfe come to some sharp words about this at the end of Before Midnight.
[edit] Characters in "In the Best Families"
- Nero Wolfe – The private investigator
- Archie Goodwin – Wolfe's assistant (and the narrator of all Wolfe stories)
- Sarah Rackham – Wolfe's client
- Calvin Leeds – Mrs. Rackham's brother, and breeder of Doberman Pinschers
- Barry Rackham – The client's husband
- Arnold Zeck – Top man in a major organized crime syndicate
- Pete Roeder – A business associate of Zeck
[edit] Adaptations
[edit] Nero Wolfe (Paramount Television)
In the Best Families was adapted for the short-lived NBC TV series Nero Wolfe (1981), starring William Conrad as Nero Wolfe and Lee Horsley as Archie Goodwin. "Even in the Best of Families" aired March 6, 1981.
