Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin are among my favorite characters in all detective fiction. This book does neither of them justice. ( )

Was quite believable as a Nero Wolfe story, quite enjoyed it. ( )

3 1/2, Robert Goldsborough does a pretty good job of penning this prequel to the wonderful Nero Wolfe series written by the late, great Rex Stout. I read most of the books in that wonderful series, so thought I'd pick this one up. In it we see a young Archie Goodwin. Archie is a young man newly arrived in New York City in 1931. Jobs are hard to find during this time, but he's young and eager and hopeful. He manages to land a job as a night watchman on a pier and he ends up having to stop an attempt made by two men trying to rob a boat in the harbor. They fire on him and he has to return the fire, killing them both. His boss thinks that even though the killing was justified, Archie might be too trigger-happy for the job, so he lets him go. While looking for work he happens to find work at Del Bascombe's detective agency. Del is called in to help Nero Wolfe with a kidnapping case, and that's when Archie meets Nero Wolfe and his band of "merry men" — a group of six hard-nosed shamuses who Wolfe calls on to help him find young Tommie Williamson. The style of writing is very similar to the original series, and the hard-boiled aura about the book is also the same as Rex Stout's writing. I enjoyed meeting the young Archie, and for those of you who have read and enjoyed the Nero Wolfe series, this is a book that is worth reading. I think Goldsborough does a fine job of picking up the threads of the original series, and filling in the blanks before the series itself actually started. ( )

Well done and quite authentic Nero Wolfe mystery pastiche. Archie meets Nero, let the game and the wisecracks begin. A whiparound the familiar supporting cast and the usual finale in Wolfe's office demonstrate Goldsborough's attention to detail and the atmosphere necessary to continue this fine and fun series. Oh yes, the culprits are brought to justice in the presence of Lt Cramer. ( )

Archie Meets Nero Wolfe is a good Nero Wolfe pastiche, but you would not mistake it for the real thing. The plot is good, well-crafted, the characters are all there, but there is a mysterious 'something' missing. Archie's wise-acre attitude, maybe. Goldsborough has other Wolfe stories, but I think if you are looking for the 'feel' of a Wolfe story you should try the four novels by William F. Love. His characters are different, but they are closer to the 'real thing'. ( )