Trouble In Triplicate (Audio Cassette)

To date (the beginning of the 2nd season of Nero Wolfe), A&E has adapted 2 of the 3 stories herein. I've sorted them here by chronological order rather than as they appear in the book.

"Help Wanted, Male" - May 1944. Adapted for A&E's 2nd season. Wolfe isn't taking any private cases while working for Army Intelligence (and anyway, Archie is technically in the Army rather than doing legwork for Wolfe in his private capacity). When Ben Jensen (having met them during the court-martial of a man selling Army secrets for political purposes) comes to Wolfe asking for help after receiving anonymous death threats, Wolfe turns him down - although he would anyway, since there is ultimately no protection against a determined assassin. It's material, though, because Wolfe himself receives similar threats after Jensen's murder. (Granted, his first reaction is that Archie provided these last as a gag.) Then when Archie gets to Washington to request a combat assignment yet again, he sees a *very* unusual newspaper advertisement, seeking someone matching Wolfe's description.

"Instead of Evidence" a.k.a. "Murder on Tuesday" - October 1945, 1 week after Archie is officially out of the Army. Many attempt to hire Wolfe to keep someone from killing them, but none have ever been accepted - because a sufficiently determined killer can always succeed (and with enough patience, maybe not even be caught). Eugene Poor owns half of Blaney & Poor, manufacturers of novelties, but Blaney is determined to get sole control without paying full value for Poor's half - so Poor says. Mrs. Poor would rather see Eugene sell out for a pittance than run the risk of being murdered. Wolfe, in the end, undertakes only to see that the cops are tipped off properly if Poor is murdered - and the neatly typed list of facts is called for before bedtime by Cramer of Homicide, now that a bomb disguised as a cigar has blown Poor's face off.

"Before I Die" - Adapted for A&E's 2nd season. 7-8 October 1946, when Wolfe is desperate for a controlled substance - meat, under post-WWII rationing. Another desperate man - Dazy Perrit, king of the black market - can provide a quid pro quo, if Wolfe can protect his daughter. Even Beulah herself (through a combination of circumstances) doesn't know that Perrit is her father, but some of his underworld associates have been trying to find her, so he hired Angelina Murphy to play the role of daughter. "Violet Perrit", however, has become greedy, blackmailing Perrit by threatening to expose the charade. He's come to Wolfe to get him out from under without endangering Beulah.

The title quote is actually from Archie, who's really scared by this case, since they now know far too much of a dangerous man's secrets for comfort.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews   Was this review helpful to you?

Report this