Please Pass the Guilt (Nero Wolfe #45) 3Stars

 

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: Please Pass the Guilt
Series: Nero Wolfe #45
Author: Rex Stout
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 138
Words: 51K
Publish: 1973

Sadly, this confirms that my love of the Nero Wolfe stories are only when they take place between the 1920’s and 1940’s. These last couple of books taking place in more recent times just don’t work for me. The mysteries aren’t any worse and the writing is still top notch, but the cultural settings that have crept in really annoy me and dull my overall enjoyment. It is the difference between “going to the bathroom” and “taking a shit on the can”. They both convey the same info, but one is gauche and crass and crude.

These are not “my” Nero Wolfe stories. I read them but I feel like I’m going through the motions just to finish the series more than anything. I definitely would not have been entranced by Stout’s writing if I had started these later books first. Glad I started at the beginning.

★★★☆☆

From Grokipedia

The novel opens when Dr. Edwin Vollmer, a physician and occasional collaborator with Nero Wolfe, requests assistance in identifying a guilt-stricken patient who refuses to reveal his name and suffers from hallucinations of blood on his hands, a condition resembling Lady Macbeth syndrome. Archie Goodwin, Wolfe's legman, tricks the man into exposing his driver's license, identifying him as Kenneth Meer, executive assistant to Amory Browning at the Continental Air Network (CAN), a major television company. This revelation connects Meer to the recent unsolved murder of CAN vice-president Peter J. Odell, who died instantly when a bomb detonated in a desk drawer known to contain Browning's whiskey bottle.Odell's wealthy widow, Madeline Odell, hires Wolfe with a substantial retainer to prove that her husband's death resulted from corporate rivalries at CAN, where ambition for the presidency fueled intense competition. Wolfe and Archie investigate the central puzzle: why Odell entered Browning's office and opened the booby-trapped drawer, and whether the bomb was intended for Browning or someone else. Their inquiries reveal that Odell had planned to sabotage Browning by adding LSD to his whiskey, hoping to impair him during a decisive board meeting that would select CAN's next president; Odell opened the drawer to retrieve or dispose of the LSD after Browning was warned and avoided drinking it.The investigation uncovers that the bomb was planted by Kenneth Meer, who suffers crippling guilt for causing Odell's death. Meer had targeted Helen Lugos, Browning's secretary, due to his obsessive unrequited love for her after she became involved with Browning, placing the explosive in the drawer knowing she would open it during routine duties. Odell's unexpected action turned the attempted murder into a deadly mistake driven by personal vendetta rather than corporate chicanery. Wolfe assembles the suspects in his office, uses tape-recorded evidence and cross-checked alibis to expose the motive and mechanics, and resolves the case when Meer attempts to bomb Wolfe's brownstone but fails, collapsing into a complete breakdown before authorities intervene.

Major characters

The major characters in Please Pass the Guilt revolve around the familiar investigative team of Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin, alongside the individuals connected to the bombing at Continental Air Network (CAN). Nero Wolfe, the obese genius detective renowned for his deductive brilliance, reclusive habits, aversion to leaving his brownstone home, and passions for cultivating orchids and gourmet cuisine, takes on the case partly to meet pressing financial obligations such as rent. Archie Goodwin, his energetic and resourceful assistant, narrates the story, conducts fieldwork, handles client relations, and manages external inquiries with his characteristic wit and initiative. The primary client is Madeline Odell, the wealthy widow of the victim Peter J. Odell, who hires Wolfe to investigate her husband's death. Peter J. Odell, a vice president at CAN responsible for development, is the murder victim killed in an office explosion. Key figures at CAN include Amory Browning, a pudgy, balding vice president and rival whose desk drawer triggered the fatal blast; Kenneth Meer, Browning's guilt-ridden assistant who appears under the alias Ronald Seaver and plays a central role in the case's initial mystery; Helen Lugos, Browning's secretary; Dennis Copes, a nervous rival colleague; Sylvia Venner, a prominent television personality on CAN programming; and Cass R. Abbott, the aging president of the network. Wolfe draws on his recurring freelance operatives for support: Saul Panzer, Fred Durkin, and Orrie Cather, skilled investigators who assist with surveillance, interviews, and other fieldwork. Police involvement comes from Inspector Cramer and Lieutenant Rowcliff of the New York Police Department. Minor characters include Dr. Edwin Vollmer, Wolfe's physician friend; Charlotte Haber, secretary to Madeline Odell; Theodore Falk, a tanned CAN board member and friend of the victim; James Farquhar; and Nasir ibn Bekr, who raises a possible terrorist connection as a red herring.

• All My “Nero Wolfe” Reviews

Mrs Pollifax Unveiled (Mrs Pollifax #14) 3.5Stars

 

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: Mrs Pollifax Unveiled
Series: Mrs Pollifax #14
Author: Dorothy Gilman
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 146
Words: 50K
Publish: 2000

This was a good final book in the Mrs Pollifax series. It’s not presented as the final book and I suspect it wasn’t meant to be, but given Dorothy Gilman’s death in 2012 from alzheimers complications, it probably had to be. But since it wasn’t presented that way, it didn’t have that tinge of regret that some final books in a series have. This was just another Mrs Pollifax adventure and I enjoyed that.

I was sorely tempted to give this 4stars just on the strength of it being the final book, but no book needs a pity rating from me. It earned that 3.5stars and so that is what it is getting. Some Mrs P books are gripping or really intense or in some way earned a higher rating. This book was a workmanlike story that did its job just the way it was supposed to.

This time Mrs P ends in Syria trying to track down a supposedly kidnapped American who had saved a planeload of passengers from terrorists. I was pretty convinced the missing woman was working WITH the terrorists the whole time and that she was going to shoot Mrs P in the back at some point or other. Well, I was wrong. She really was a victim. I was very surprised.

It has taken me a bit over 2 years to read through these 14 books. I have enjoyed my time and would unreservedly recommend this series to anyone looking for a thriller/espionage that isn’t cozy but at the same time isn’t all jaded and gritty. I don’t know if I will ever re-read these or not. Some series I know right away and others I don’t. This falls into that latter category, so I guess only the years will tell.

★★★✬☆

From Wikipedia and Bookiepedia

Mrs. Pollifax teams up with freelance CIA agent John Farrell on an investigation into the disappearance of Amanda Pym in Syria. Ms. Pym was a fifteen-minute media superstar when she allegedly stopped an airplane hijacking from succeeding. Witnesses last saw Amanda enter a vehicle that waited for her at the Damascus Airport. Farrell and Mrs. Pollifax land in Syria where the government places a tail on the duo. However, they quickly elude their shadow in order to obtain information that provides them with the first clue in their hunt. They soon enter the Syrian Desert where they meet American archeologist Joe Fleming. Joining the two operatives on their quest, Joe and the two spies seek an elusive individual who seems to be undergoing a rigorous training for a mission that has world implications.

Farrel, Joe and Mrs Pollifax rescue Amanda who has been in training by the terrorists to assassinate the leader of Syria. Amanda was so spineless that they barely had to brainwash her. The four fugitives, with help from various underground operatives, make it to the Jordan border, where Amanda is safe and reveals what her mission had been. The location of the training camp and its real purpose is given to the leader of Syria to do with as he wishes.

• All of my “Mrs Pollifax” Reviews

Mishra's Factory - MTG 4E

 

This is a good example of what is called a "Utility Land". It can give you mana to power your other spells but it also has "utility", ie, other ways to use it. Personally, I could never make utility lands work that well for me. Most of that was by design by Wizards of the Coast. They didn't want land cards to become too powerful. They were unique and kept the game interesting, they just weren't necessarily a game winner. Which I think is more important to the longevity of Magic. 

Jane Austen: A Life (Non-Fiction) 2StarsDNF@16%

 

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: Jane Austen: A Life
Series: (Non-Fiction)
Author: Claire Tomalin
Rating: 2 of 5 Stars / DNF@16%
Genre: Biography
Pages: 384 / 60
Words: 138K / 22K
Publish: 1997

This was supposed to be a biography of Jane Austen. The author, Claire Tomalin kept going down so many rabbit trails and had such a scattershot approach to her presentation that I couldn’t take it any more. In one instance she started a story with Jane’s great-grandmother and somehow worked it down to Jane herself. But it was convoluted and messy and I had a very hard time following her. Plus, her use of first names, when several people had the same first name, didn’t help at all.

So I decided to stop wasting my time and to move on. I find it much easier to dnf a non-fiction book for whatever reason.

If I ever see Claire Tomalin’s name on a book again, I’ll know to avoid it for sure.

★★☆☆☆

Imperatoris Chronicorum VIII - Pumpkinius Festivalus

 

Yes, this post is mostly about the Pumpkin Festival, but there was a whole week leading up to it. So pull out those pistols, 'cause we're going to go so fast that we MUST be breaking some laws, and any self-respecting outlaw knows they need a pistol. So load up cowboys!

Sunday I was helping my brother move a new wood stove. 600 pound monster (275kg) that took 3 of us to move, with a moving dolly. I felt like He-Man afterwards, hahahahaa.

Monday was an Oh Yeaaaaah day. Because eggnog is now on sale! You know life is good when you can drink eggnog on a Monday afternoon. Not even work could put a damper on that.

Tuesday was Date Night for the month. We went to a burger joint of all places, and it was even Mrs B's idea. It's a local place that does a few kinds of burgers and sides, really well. Mrs B got the poutine (gravy covered french fries) along with the veggieburger and I got the weekly special, the Country Fair burger. That consists of, according to their website and I can verify it, "Our Fresh Ground Seasoned Burger topped with a Whole Hotdog, American Cheese and French Fries on our signature toasted bun with Ketchup and Mustard". Date Night was a smashing success this month.

Wednesday I had to take off from work because we needed our furnace cleaned and serviced for the upcoming winter. I was looking at our records and it has been QUITE a while since it was last done, so it was more of a necessity than one of those "oh, that's a good idea" kind of things. Once that was done I did all those things I usually save for after work like going to the bank, the pharmacy, the boot store, that kind of thing. Get them all done in one whack instead of spacing them out. Of course, I had a couple glasses of eggnog to help sugar me through the day, so it was yet another fine day :-) and I didn't have to go to work. I think that was the best part, hahahahaa.

Thursday was sunny and work went well and I felt GOOD.

And Friday was the main Event, the Pumpkin Festival! This scary looking fellah was painted on a window and he got a lot of attention.

The Pumpkin Festival just isn't complete until you've seen a Man and his Pig, snuffling along, just itching to be petted and scritched (the pig, not the man). That'll do Pig, that'll do.

And what's better than a Man and his Pig? A skeleton dog driving an old time'y car of course! I mean, it goes without saying.

For the more discriminating tastes amongst us, we have the arts and crafts section of the Pumpkin Festival. Nothing says "I'm wicked scary" like a bedazzled skull grinning at you! Sadly, I didn't see any that had one glowing eye, so there was no Bookstooge Skull of Power to be had.

Once you've wandered around, it's time to eat. I had a pepperoni calzone and Mrs B had this scrumptious home made cinnamon bun with pumpkin icing and pumpkin seeds. By the time I'd remembered I was taking pictures, I'd already eaten 3/4 of my calzone, and NOBODY needs to see the devoured corpse of a pepperoni calzone.

When you are done eating, you do the right thing and throw you garbage away in the provided trash bins. Obviously, the trash bin on the right has an old russian soul. I commiserated with it, in silence.

Then to help aid in digestion, you walk around and look at people. The Pumpkin Festival always has characters. The Man and his Pig are just the tip of the iceberg. This year we had someone in a full ghilly suit (a military suit used by snipers to hide out in plain sight to whack baddies like the former President of Iran). I saw them walking around and thought they were trying for a Cousin It impression. Then you have the opposite end of the spectrum like the people in the second picture. They made their own staffs and put glow in the dark lights on them and walked around in their capes. Characters, that is what they were, and the Pumpkin Festival was just full of characters!

The the exciting end to the evening. A firetruck puts its ladder up to the second story of town hall and a fireman runs up the ladder waving a pumpkin flashlight, as everyone screams and hollers and loses their collective minds, and then he "lights" the great pumpkin, which is shown in the featured image. Then all the young people eat more food and make lots more noise while us more mature folk head home and get ready for bed. A good time was had by all.

Off Air - October 2026

 

beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep…………

---

Bookstooge’s Reviews on the Road will resume normal broadcasting again tomorrow with all new episodes of Imperatoris Chronicorum at 5am. Will our beloved Imperator survive the Pumpkin Festival with all its fair food and thousands of people crowded into one small town oval? Will said thousands survive the Imperator? Tune in and find out tomorrow!

Brian Barr’s King in Yellow (The King in Yellow Anthology #14) 4Stars

 

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: Brian Barr’s King in Yellow
Series: The King in Yellow Anthology #14
Author: Brian Barr
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Cosmic Horror
Pages: 61
Words: 26K
Publish: 2019

It has been almost two years since I last read some King in Yellow stories (Under Twin Suns in 2024) and this collection by Brian Barr showcasing his own KiY stories was a nice way to ease back into things.

It was confusing and gory and fatalistic and in the end, nobody wins or is in any way happy. It was distilled misery of the soul and that is how a KiY set of stories should feel like.

All four stories take place in the same world and use the same time frame. While some stories take place in the past, they all end up in our present day’ish.

What I did find interesting, and different, was the space age approach to the King in Yellow. Astronauts, in the space program successor to NASA, find spaceships with the yellow sign on them. Much is made of the physical side of Carcosa being in the Pleiades and how far it is from Earth. It was just a very different take on things and one that I appreciated. Barr’s writing fit right into the KiY mythos and I feel that he understood just what the KiY is all about.

I read the ebook version and some of the formatting was a bit wonky. I’m not sure if it was supposed to be like that, or if it was a conversion issue when I removed the drm from it and converted it to the format of my choice.

I do like the cover immensely though. It has that fusion of yellow, red and black that I think fits the mythos just right. It also some real weirdness in the pictures themselves, which once again I find very fitting. A cover like this fits The King in Yellow to a T.

★★★★☆

From Fandom.com

A Visage of Great Truths

A short prologue describes a group of astronauts salvaging a derelict shipyard who bear witness to the manifestation of a group of pallid yellow beings before being utterly destroyed by the newcomers.

The main story tells of a magician who has devoted years to serving the King in Yellow. When the truth of the entity is finally revealed to him, his mind is shattered and his body annihilated.

The Sacred House

A drug-addicted criminal steals a copy of The King in Yellow while committing a home invasion which results in the death of the targeted family. After reading the play he is visited by the spirits of the family, devoted to the King, who tear his body apart before his soul is brought into the service of their master.

Venusian Hell

When her former crewmates begin to mysteriously die, grounded astronaut Alicia Meadows begins to look into the government coverup of derelict alien spacecraft which they had discovered on their last mission. Discovering a link between the strange symbol etched into the craft and an ancient play called The King in Yellow, she manages to track down a copy. After reading it, Alicia embarks on a murder spree across America, slowly paving the way for her new master to establish a hold on Earth.

Aldebaran Apocalypse

In 400BC Anatolia, a young Greek woman is inducted into a cult of the Yellow King known as the Cult of the Carians, receiving the mark of her new master.

In the modern day Robbie, a man completing his PhD on the cult, is is slowly consumed by his thirst for knowledge on the subject while simultaneously coming to realise that he may have unwittingly drawn the King's attention to him. Following the lead of a beautiful Greek woman who appears in his dreams, he begins to experiment with magical rituals. Unfortunately for the inhabitants of planet Earth, his work results in the opening of a breach in reality, allowing the armies of Hastur to pour through and begin their conquest.