The Second Confession
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| Author | Rex Stout |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Nero Wolfe |
| Genre(s) | Detective fiction |
| Publisher | Viking Press |
| Released | September 6, 1949 |
| Media type | Hardcover |
| Pages | 245 pp. |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-670-62810-7 |
| Preceded by | Trouble in Triplicate |
| Followed by | Three Doors to Death |
The Second Confession is a Nero Wolfe detective novel by Rex Stout, first published by Viking Press in 1949. The story was collected in the omnibus volume Triple Zeck (Viking 1974).
It is the second of three Nero Wolfe books that involve crime boss Arnold Zeck and his widespread operations (the others: And Be A Villain 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 there are consequences.
[edit] Plot summary
A wealthy industrialist, James U. Sperling, asks Wolfe to obtain evidence that his daughter's suitor, Louis Rony, is a Communist. Wolfe will neither investigate marital disputes nor collect evidence for divorce cases, but Sperling's request is apparently acceptable. Wolfe recasts the job as finding information that will cause the daughter to break it off with Rony, and Sperling agrees.
Zeck's machinations (in particular, the barrage of machine-gun fire his men send into the plant rooms) force Wolfe to decamp for Sperling's country house, not far from Mount Kisco. There, Wolfe pushes the investigation forward, but a murder temporarily thwarts his plans. Once back in his brownstone, Wolfe exposes the murderer, recruiting The Gazette to help him do so.
[edit] Characters in "The Second Confession"
- Nero Wolfe – The private investigator
- Archie Goodwin – Wolfe's assistant (and the narrator of all Wolfe stories)
- James Sperling – Wolfe's client
- Gwen Sperling – One of James Sperling's daughters
- Louis Rony – Gwen's suitor
- Madeline Sperling – James Sperling's other daughter and Archie's love interest in this book
