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Red Threads
When a wealthy man is clubbed to death at his Cherokee wife's tomb, Inspector Cramer must retrace the steps that led the victim from Oklahoma to Wall Street to a bizarre death by Indian war club. The cigar-chomping cop's only clue--the piece of red thread the dead man was grasping.
187 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1937
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About the author
Rex Stout
824 books1,017 followersRex Todhunter Stout (1886–1975) was an American crime writer, best known as the creator of the larger-than-life fictional detective Nero Wolfe, described by reviewer Will Cuppy as "that Falstaff of detectives." Wolfe's assistant Archie Goodwin recorded the cases of the detective genius from 1934 (Fer-de-Lance) to 1975 (A Family Affair).
The Nero Wolfe corpus was nominated Best Mystery Series of the Century at Bouchercon 2000, the world's largest mystery convention, and Rex Stout was nominated Best Mystery Writer of the Century.
The Nero Wolfe corpus was nominated Best Mystery Series of the Century at Bouchercon 2000, the world's largest mystery convention, and Rex Stout was nominated Best Mystery Writer of the Century.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
January 10, 2020
Few really likeable characters
I didn't like this book nearly as much as Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe novels. It does however feature New York homicide detective Inspector Cramer, a regular supporting character in the Nero Wolfe stories, usually as a foil for Wolfe and Archie Goodwin. Serious Nero Wolfe fans should probably read this one but with the foreknowledge that it is an early Rex Stout novel not equal to his later work.
Multiple points of view are used in telling the story of a murder and investigation among wealthy society people, eccentrics, the fashion industry and various hanger ons. I found few really likeable characters but several foolish ones. Cramer comes across as a competent policeman but an uninspired detective. Three stars. Maybe three and a half.
I didn't like this book nearly as much as Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe novels. It does however feature New York homicide detective Inspector Cramer, a regular supporting character in the Nero Wolfe stories, usually as a foil for Wolfe and Archie Goodwin. Serious Nero Wolfe fans should probably read this one but with the foreknowledge that it is an early Rex Stout novel not equal to his later work.
Multiple points of view are used in telling the story of a murder and investigation among wealthy society people, eccentrics, the fashion industry and various hanger ons. I found few really likeable characters but several foolish ones. Cramer comes across as a competent policeman but an uninspired detective. Three stars. Maybe three and a half.
August 24, 2020
This was ostensibly a novel about Inspector Cramer but it was more of a general head hopping mystery that also included Inspector Cramer. Some other familiar Nero Wolfe characters appear, the police commissioner, and DA Skinner, but it's really not about any of them.
The mystery is finely done, and the reader is able to make their own conclusions as to who the villain was. I was glad to learn I had picked correctly given the clues that had been shared. The reason for such a low score is just how much head hopping there was in the story. The story was not about anyone, there was no real protagonist to get to like they were just characters wandering in randomly from off stage. I wasn't able to really get to like anyone and it really drove home how much the character of Archie Goodwin made the Nero Wolfe books work.
There is also one note about cultural sensitivity. The edition I read had an introduction by an actual Cherokee indian since one of the characters is full blood Cherokee, and another a half blood. The indian character was treated stereotypically with white-man indian speak like "Me plenty truth" and such. That was kind of jarring and certainly not permissible in todays climate although when it was written in 1939 it was probably acceptable.
Anyway, it was an OK read and completists like me who want to read all of Rex Stouts works should at least read it if only to appreciate the stylistic choices Stout made when writing Nero Wolfe stories as compared to other methods.
The mystery is finely done, and the reader is able to make their own conclusions as to who the villain was. I was glad to learn I had picked correctly given the clues that had been shared. The reason for such a low score is just how much head hopping there was in the story. The story was not about anyone, there was no real protagonist to get to like they were just characters wandering in randomly from off stage. I wasn't able to really get to like anyone and it really drove home how much the character of Archie Goodwin made the Nero Wolfe books work.
There is also one note about cultural sensitivity. The edition I read had an introduction by an actual Cherokee indian since one of the characters is full blood Cherokee, and another a half blood. The indian character was treated stereotypically with white-man indian speak like "Me plenty truth" and such. That was kind of jarring and certainly not permissible in todays climate although when it was written in 1939 it was probably acceptable.
Anyway, it was an OK read and completists like me who want to read all of Rex Stouts works should at least read it if only to appreciate the stylistic choices Stout made when writing Nero Wolfe stories as compared to other methods.
February 15, 2020
Millionaire Val Carew is found bludgeoned to death in his wife's tomb. It's a high-profile case that the powers-that-be would like to see wrapped up quickly and neatly. But all the clues that the police find seem to lead nowhere, so the NYPD recall one of their finest, Inspector Cramer, from a well-deserved vacation to take over the case. He manages to uncover a few new clues--including a discarded peach pit, an ancient red thread, and a whippoorwill's call--but with every witness telling lies, it's going to be difficult to pin the murder on any of them.
I'll just tell you upfront: this is not one of Stout's all-time best novels. I think he hit his mark with the combination of Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin working in what often seems to be opposition to the official police represented by Inspector Cramer. Red Threads is billed as "an Inspector Cramer mystery"--which I guess it is if only because Nero Wolfe is not here (must be too busy with his orchids). Cramer is an honest, hard-working cop and he does his bulldog best to track down the killer when his superiors drag him back from his first real vacation in years. But it takes clues supplied by fashion designer Jean Farris to get him on the right track.
The biggest failing in this one (in my opinion) is the lack of interesting characters. Even in his worst Wolfe novels, the characters have a bit of interest and force to them. Jean's character starts out nicely but rapidly loses steam about midway--even her fight to find answers that will prove that Guy Carew (the love of her life) didn't kill his father didn't particularly interest me. I would say to skip this one unless you're a Stout completist.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting portions of the review. Thanks.
I'll just tell you upfront: this is not one of Stout's all-time best novels. I think he hit his mark with the combination of Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin working in what often seems to be opposition to the official police represented by Inspector Cramer. Red Threads is billed as "an Inspector Cramer mystery"--which I guess it is if only because Nero Wolfe is not here (must be too busy with his orchids). Cramer is an honest, hard-working cop and he does his bulldog best to track down the killer when his superiors drag him back from his first real vacation in years. But it takes clues supplied by fashion designer Jean Farris to get him on the right track.
The biggest failing in this one (in my opinion) is the lack of interesting characters. Even in his worst Wolfe novels, the characters have a bit of interest and force to them. Jean's character starts out nicely but rapidly loses steam about midway--even her fight to find answers that will prove that Guy Carew (the love of her life) didn't kill his father didn't particularly interest me. I would say to skip this one unless you're a Stout completist.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting portions of the review. Thanks.
September 25, 2012
Red Threads is often presented as an Inspector Cramer mystery: A case where Inspector Cramer is the star and solves the case without any aide from Nero Wolfe. It’s understandable to do that, but lets be clear Inspector Cramer is not the star of this book.
Millionaire Val Carew is founded murdered in tomb of his late wife who was an Indian princess. Carew, who was considering remarrying a white woman, was found scalped.
Jean Farris is in love with the dead man’s son, Guy but becomes angry when he asks her to return a skirt jacket she’d made with rare genuine bayetta thread that Guy had given her from his own jacket. Farris storms off from after this odd request and is then knocked out and wakes up in her underwear with the skirt and jacket gone. She then discovers the reason for the interest in the thread: the murdered man had a thread of bayetta in his hand.
Jean resolves who robbed her and who committed the murder and clear her beloved. It is Jean, not Inspector Cramer who is the heroine of the story and focal point of the story. She makes for a charming and intelligent amateur detective who dominates the narrative and lifts the whole work. Cramer is merely John Law. Stout saw no reason to work up another New York City Police Inspector when he’d created a perfectly servicable one for Nero Wolfe.
Inspector Cramer is not an entirely unsympathetic character in the story. Cramer is an honest cop, even if his methods are not necessarily laudable. Forced to return from his first real vacation in years, Cramer takes to the case with bulldog determination and shows a certain cunning in catching a suspect even if it turns out to be the wrong suspect. And once Jean sets him on the right track, he ties everything up neatly.
I can’t really blame Cramer for missing the solution to this case. At least five people including Jean withheld evidence from him and only one of them was in on the murder. Kind of hard to get the right conclusion without the right information.
The book’s portrayal of Native Americans was a subject of some concern, indeed the whole foreword to the book was consumed with a critique of this aspect of the book. Woodrow Wilson, the only full-blonded Indian in the story talks like he’s ready to appear in a Republic Western or take up duty outside of a Cigar Store. Stout would treat a Native American character by the same name with far more sophistication and respect thirty years later in Death of a Dude. To me, it was only a minor distraction because the character’s part is relatively minor.
The final chapter is a bit silly and overdone, but overall the Jean Farris character carried the story through with a little help from Inspector Cramer making Red Threads an enjoyable 1930s mystery even without Nero Wolfe.
Millionaire Val Carew is founded murdered in tomb of his late wife who was an Indian princess. Carew, who was considering remarrying a white woman, was found scalped.
Jean Farris is in love with the dead man’s son, Guy but becomes angry when he asks her to return a skirt jacket she’d made with rare genuine bayetta thread that Guy had given her from his own jacket. Farris storms off from after this odd request and is then knocked out and wakes up in her underwear with the skirt and jacket gone. She then discovers the reason for the interest in the thread: the murdered man had a thread of bayetta in his hand.
Jean resolves who robbed her and who committed the murder and clear her beloved. It is Jean, not Inspector Cramer who is the heroine of the story and focal point of the story. She makes for a charming and intelligent amateur detective who dominates the narrative and lifts the whole work. Cramer is merely John Law. Stout saw no reason to work up another New York City Police Inspector when he’d created a perfectly servicable one for Nero Wolfe.
Inspector Cramer is not an entirely unsympathetic character in the story. Cramer is an honest cop, even if his methods are not necessarily laudable. Forced to return from his first real vacation in years, Cramer takes to the case with bulldog determination and shows a certain cunning in catching a suspect even if it turns out to be the wrong suspect. And once Jean sets him on the right track, he ties everything up neatly.
I can’t really blame Cramer for missing the solution to this case. At least five people including Jean withheld evidence from him and only one of them was in on the murder. Kind of hard to get the right conclusion without the right information.
The book’s portrayal of Native Americans was a subject of some concern, indeed the whole foreword to the book was consumed with a critique of this aspect of the book. Woodrow Wilson, the only full-blonded Indian in the story talks like he’s ready to appear in a Republic Western or take up duty outside of a Cigar Store. Stout would treat a Native American character by the same name with far more sophistication and respect thirty years later in Death of a Dude. To me, it was only a minor distraction because the character’s part is relatively minor.
The final chapter is a bit silly and overdone, but overall the Jean Farris character carried the story through with a little help from Inspector Cramer making Red Threads an enjoyable 1930s mystery even without Nero Wolfe.
March 31, 2018
One of two off shoots that exist in the world of Nero Wolfe but don’t feature him, nor Archie. In this book we see Inspector Cramer in all his usual crankiness, called in from vacation to help solve a murder not even in New York City but White Plains. So, he goes over the all the paperwork and re-interviews people who are suspects... but it is Jean Farris who actually really investigates who killed Val Carew after his son is charged with his murder. (She is in love with the son.)
She herself, is not a suspect, but a victim of a strange attack to get at her clothes that contain a specific thread that she has woven into an outfit. (The character of Jean is probably inspired a bit by the author’s wife who was involved in fashion etc.... and well fabrics herself.)
And Jean uses a method to draw out the murderer, who she believes with decent logic took her outfit with the thread. In doing so she also exposes herself to danger, but luckily there are others who also realize it and help her.
She ends up having to, in the same way that Nero Wolfe and Archie had to, wake up Cramer to the fact that he has the wrong person, and that if he really dug deeper than just what was placed before him... he might have figured it out himself.
So, while the story basically reinforces Cramers’ shortcomings, we get to see a much more contemporary and strong female lead than other Wolfe stories contained.
The other story- within the Wolfe landscape - is The Hand In The Glove and that features Dol Bonner.
She herself, is not a suspect, but a victim of a strange attack to get at her clothes that contain a specific thread that she has woven into an outfit. (The character of Jean is probably inspired a bit by the author’s wife who was involved in fashion etc.... and well fabrics herself.)
And Jean uses a method to draw out the murderer, who she believes with decent logic took her outfit with the thread. In doing so she also exposes herself to danger, but luckily there are others who also realize it and help her.
She ends up having to, in the same way that Nero Wolfe and Archie had to, wake up Cramer to the fact that he has the wrong person, and that if he really dug deeper than just what was placed before him... he might have figured it out himself.
So, while the story basically reinforces Cramers’ shortcomings, we get to see a much more contemporary and strong female lead than other Wolfe stories contained.
The other story- within the Wolfe landscape - is The Hand In The Glove and that features Dol Bonner.
June 27, 2024
Kind of a novelty Stout — set in the world of Nero Wolfe, but absent Wolfe himself. Lieutnant Cramer is the sleuth here. The mystery is an attractive one, the writing is pacey and deft, the theme of indigenous Americans handled rather wonkily.
November 25, 2022
I wasn’t expecting much going in. I’ve read a couple of Rex Stout’s non-Nero Wolfe mysteries, and while good, they weren’t anything special. Like many of Stout’s mysteries, it wasn’t the mystery that sold me on it. The mystery is ok, but it’s not one the reader can solve with tangible evidence hidden within the story, more so by being familiar with mystery tropes. The real selling point is the characters. This doesn’t include Inspector Cramer, who despite being credited as the detective in this story doesn’t do much more than he does in a Nero Wolfe mystery. The real main character is Jean Farris, who is up there with my favorite Rex Stout characters. She has a quiet patience and determination about her that is unusual for a female character written by a man in the 1930s. Guy Carew is another gem. Unlike Jean, he’s not the most interesting character, but I liked the way that despite being a half-white Cherokee involved in assisting with Native American matters, he wasn’t portrayed as being “civilized” or attempting to “civilize” others. Instead, he had a real connection with and respect for those he was trying to help. I also liked the way his work played into his romance with Jean. The respect they had for each other and their work gave them a very sweet romance, despite it not making up a very large portion of the book. Not everything in the book will play so well to the modern reader-particularly the character of Woodrow Wilson, who’s a bit of a stereotype, but even then I thought there was some depth there intentionally conveyed by the author. Overall, I think Red Threads is a worthy addition to the Stout canon, containing a masterfully suspenseful story and some of his best character writing.
September 6, 2017
3 1/2
So, Inspector Cramer gets his own case. Kinda. We're not allowed in Cramer's head (I suppose having too much sympathy for him would be problematic when Wolfe & Archie are giving him hell in their books), nor is he allowed to have a spurt of genius. We do see that he's quite good at police work--thorough about pursuing leads and a very good interviewer. And those skills lead to him getting the proof he needs to close the case. Along the way he chews and mangles many cigars.
But the lead investigator here is not Cramer, but a young woman whose romantic interest is the main suspect. She's the one who thinks outside the box and solves the case--she just can't prove it.
For 1939, I suspect Stout's handling of Native Americans is pretty good, although the full-blooded Cherokee character speaks English in broken sentences. Of course.
So, Inspector Cramer gets his own case. Kinda. We're not allowed in Cramer's head (I suppose having too much sympathy for him would be problematic when Wolfe & Archie are giving him hell in their books), nor is he allowed to have a spurt of genius. We do see that he's quite good at police work--thorough about pursuing leads and a very good interviewer. And those skills lead to him getting the proof he needs to close the case. Along the way he chews and mangles many cigars.
But the lead investigator here is not Cramer, but a young woman whose romantic interest is the main suspect. She's the one who thinks outside the box and solves the case--she just can't prove it.
For 1939, I suspect Stout's handling of Native Americans is pretty good, although the full-blooded Cherokee character speaks English in broken sentences. Of course.
July 16, 2021
Perhaps surprisingly, I link Rex Stout and P.G. Wodehouse together. I have read that they used to correspond with each other and was not surprised to discover this. What connects them, to me, is their love of the English language and the fun that can be had with it. Compare Bertie Wooster’s mangling of quotations and the fantastic similes with Archie Goodwin’s wordplay and Nero Wolfe’s pedantry. Now, try to imagine a Jeeves story not narrated by Bertie and without the jokes. Not the same is it. Here, we have Inspector Cramer, Wolfe’s bête noir, but without Archie’s point of view and without the jokes. And it isn’t the same.
It is a perfectly functional crime mystery, but that isn’t what we come to Rex Stout for. We want to smile whilst working out whodunnit. And here the mystery doesn’t last until the end, it is clear long before that. The question becomes whether Cramer can be persuaded to change his mind. (Yes, he is still pig-headed here.)
There’s nothing wrong with the book, but it wouldn’t make you want to carry on reading Rex Stout, like most of the Nero Wolfe books would. 2.5 stars but I’ve been generous.
It is a perfectly functional crime mystery, but that isn’t what we come to Rex Stout for. We want to smile whilst working out whodunnit. And here the mystery doesn’t last until the end, it is clear long before that. The question becomes whether Cramer can be persuaded to change his mind. (Yes, he is still pig-headed here.)
There’s nothing wrong with the book, but it wouldn’t make you want to carry on reading Rex Stout, like most of the Nero Wolfe books would. 2.5 stars but I’ve been generous.
June 10, 2019
This is about as chaotic as Inspector Cramer's fishing expeditions when he barges in on Nero Wolfe's and Archie Goodwin's office and since this is purely Cramer's case and just about as spot~on as Cramer's unlit but chomped~off cigar missing Archie's waste basket by more than a foot, and has nothing to do with Wolfe, so that is why maybe it is a bit lacking in focus or maybe too focused on the wrong thing. For while it may be helpful to follow police procedure with pedagogic intensity, motive must also be so strong to drive one to commit murder and sometimes the obvious is not always the correct one ~ Love or Money?... usually it is the other way around Money or Love?... or both? I must mention here that Wilson is such a funny lovable character and Jean Farris is such a loyal, plucky, smart and endearing girl. So what makes men go after women like Portia Tritt, the victim's fiancée... high maintenance, clever and all that and yet still a slut who has been the victim's son's lover years ago... the victim's friend's mistress just recently?.. In the words of Wilson... "Damn fool(s)!"
May 31, 2018
I was eager to read this book by Rex Stout. While it does not involve Stout's famous detective Nero Wolfe, it does include Inspector Cramer and all of the police, DA's and other official law enforcement officers of the Wolfe cannon.
While the book was sufficiently entertaining it was far below the standard I have come to expect from Stout. The book is written in the third person, and I didn't realize how much I would miss the voice of Archie Goodwin narrating the story. Without that point of view, the story was less interesting and it took a long time for it to grab me. There was one Stout signature moment, when one of the people involves decides to gather the suspects together to reveal the murderer.
All-in-all, I would certainly encourage a Nero Wolfe fan to check this out, as an example of non-Wolfe writing. But a reader who has never tried any Rex Stout, this is in no way a book to start with. There are loads of far more interesting books out there.
While the book was sufficiently entertaining it was far below the standard I have come to expect from Stout. The book is written in the third person, and I didn't realize how much I would miss the voice of Archie Goodwin narrating the story. Without that point of view, the story was less interesting and it took a long time for it to grab me. There was one Stout signature moment, when one of the people involves decides to gather the suspects together to reveal the murderer.
All-in-all, I would certainly encourage a Nero Wolfe fan to check this out, as an example of non-Wolfe writing. But a reader who has never tried any Rex Stout, this is in no way a book to start with. There are loads of far more interesting books out there.
October 12, 2018
Inspector Cramer's on book; Goodwin and Wolfe are not a part of the plot. We miss the familiar routine at the old brownstone and especially Archie's wit. If Archie and Wolfe stories remind me of a particularly effervescent soft drink, then this is soda that has gone flat. The plot is intricate, the suspects suitably recalcitrant, the women strong and stubborn--but it is almost too well-made. More like an etude than a concerto. This is the first time I have read it--and probably the last--while I have read all the Wolfe series multiple enjoyable times.
March 26, 2021
An interesting whodunnit, but the book suffers from a real ignorance of American Indians with one character speaking like Tonto from The Lone Ranger. Painful to read and grinds the story to a very slow pace when it should be speeding up.
The real interest is how Cramer gets the murderer by hanging him with his own words. Nicely done and would have been a perfect catch in an episode of the original Perry Mason series.
Find it. Buy it. Read it.
The real interest is how Cramer gets the murderer by hanging him with his own words. Nicely done and would have been a perfect catch in an episode of the original Perry Mason series.
Find it. Buy it. Read it.
November 28, 2021
This one took a while to get going - I think Stout's writing shines much more in character voice than anywhere else, so the third person omniscient narrative was a slog in the early chapters. It picks up once the focus narrows and the narration follows a few individual perspectives.
Worthwhile for a Rex Stout completionist, because you get to see Inspector Cramer from his own perspective, but otherwise a pass.
Worthwhile for a Rex Stout completionist, because you get to see Inspector Cramer from his own perspective, but otherwise a pass.
January 21, 2024
Jean, a NYC fabric and clothes designer has fallen in love. But, her love, Guy's father has been murdered.
Those familliar with Nero Wolfs will know the cigar chewing Inspector Cramer who is called in on this case, called back from his vacation no less, to solve this case. You can bet Cramer is seeing red about that.
Those familliar with Nero Wolfs will know the cigar chewing Inspector Cramer who is called in on this case, called back from his vacation no less, to solve this case. You can bet Cramer is seeing red about that.
September 21, 2018
A non Nero Wolfe story with some of the flavor and a few characters from the Wolfe series. Nice mystery but hard to get into.
December 5, 2018
For the Nero Wolfe die-hard completist only.
February 3, 2021
Interesting mystery that features Inspector Cramer but, being a huge fan of Stout's Nero/Archie mysteries, this falls a bit short for me.
June 12, 2022
Not enough Cramer. Suspects were boring. Not on par with later Wolfe mysteries.
September 19, 2023
Not as good as a Nero Wolfe, but still a decent read. Engaging characters, and that the plot is fairly intricate goes without saying.
March 21, 2025
From my uncle. 1930s mystery. Interesting but hampered by perceptions of Native Americans that haven't aged well.
August 24, 2025
Not a patch on the Nero Wolfe novels, but not awful. Inspector Cramer from the Wolfe novels provides some familiarity but doesn't really solve the crime.
July 26, 2015
There are a few phases to Rex Stout's literary career. The first is his start in the pulps, with dozens of little articles that spanned genres and returned very little money. So he turned to the profitable Stout School-Banking system for a decade, and then with the breathing room of a small fortune began a career as a serious novelist, in the midst of that phase he hit upon the Nero Wolfe premise which originated as a mild satire of the overactive sleuth so common in tec fiction of that era and grew into its own distinct genre of detective story. The final phase of his life takes up the last forty years of Stout's career, where he devoted himself to political causes funded by the clockwork release of increasingly formulaic Nero Wolfe Novels.
Red Threads is a novel that stands right on the cusp of Stout's surrendering serious writing for a life of writing nothing but Wolfe and political activism. Like the rest of Stout's Non-Wolfe output, this is a middling effort that exposes all of Stout's weaknesses as a writer in the starkest terms. Most important in this example is Stout's inability to compose a consistent or likable female character. This singular failure is almost met by Stout's inability to describe or stage a scene clearly, individualize characters except through stereotype, or think through his plots closely to identify weaknesses or gaps. These failures are all the more surprising since the lead character of this novel and her interests are so closely modeled after those of Stout's own wife, and the locations and social scene are so closely modeled upon his own home and friends. Also by this point Stout had written something more than 20 novels and novellas, and this book was published in the glory year that saw Some Buried Caesar come to print. If ever Stout was going to write a classic novel outside the Wolfe series, this would have been the year. This book is all the proof needed to demonstrate that Stout was an above average pulp writer who found his perfect vehicle in the team of Archie and Nero. This book is so lacking in heft that even the introduction by Robert J. Conley can't be bothered to read past the opening twenty-five pages for examples of the stereotypical misrepresentation and woodenheadedness of Stout's depiction of Native Americans. Like Too Many Cooks, this book has the potential to turn away many readers who confuse Stout's lack of interest in a realistic portrait of a non-white character with actual bigotry on his part. Stout's later career as a champion of civil rights and his somewhat better portrayal of non-whites in his later books proves the bigotry charge is a little strong, although he certainly is open to a charge of not being able to grasp the harm is aping stereotypes for affect in his writing.
The lack of a sane or reasonable plot, the unreasonable ploy used to expose the murderer, the weak chains of evidence and all of the other nonsense that we a happy to overlook in a Nero Wolfe novel because of the bouncy narrative joy of Archie's telling are all laid out for us here in limp prose; exposed and risible. In short, this is a Nero Wolfe Novel without the motive power of Nero Wolfe, and Stout did himself a favor by surrendering his attempts to escape his creation's gravitational pull.
Red Threads is a novel that stands right on the cusp of Stout's surrendering serious writing for a life of writing nothing but Wolfe and political activism. Like the rest of Stout's Non-Wolfe output, this is a middling effort that exposes all of Stout's weaknesses as a writer in the starkest terms. Most important in this example is Stout's inability to compose a consistent or likable female character. This singular failure is almost met by Stout's inability to describe or stage a scene clearly, individualize characters except through stereotype, or think through his plots closely to identify weaknesses or gaps. These failures are all the more surprising since the lead character of this novel and her interests are so closely modeled after those of Stout's own wife, and the locations and social scene are so closely modeled upon his own home and friends. Also by this point Stout had written something more than 20 novels and novellas, and this book was published in the glory year that saw Some Buried Caesar come to print. If ever Stout was going to write a classic novel outside the Wolfe series, this would have been the year. This book is all the proof needed to demonstrate that Stout was an above average pulp writer who found his perfect vehicle in the team of Archie and Nero. This book is so lacking in heft that even the introduction by Robert J. Conley can't be bothered to read past the opening twenty-five pages for examples of the stereotypical misrepresentation and woodenheadedness of Stout's depiction of Native Americans. Like Too Many Cooks, this book has the potential to turn away many readers who confuse Stout's lack of interest in a realistic portrait of a non-white character with actual bigotry on his part. Stout's later career as a champion of civil rights and his somewhat better portrayal of non-whites in his later books proves the bigotry charge is a little strong, although he certainly is open to a charge of not being able to grasp the harm is aping stereotypes for affect in his writing.
The lack of a sane or reasonable plot, the unreasonable ploy used to expose the murderer, the weak chains of evidence and all of the other nonsense that we a happy to overlook in a Nero Wolfe novel because of the bouncy narrative joy of Archie's telling are all laid out for us here in limp prose; exposed and risible. In short, this is a Nero Wolfe Novel without the motive power of Nero Wolfe, and Stout did himself a favor by surrendering his attempts to escape his creation's gravitational pull.
July 7, 2015
Not one of Rex Stout's best. But I may have gone in with my expectations too high. Even though I knew there would be no Wolfe and, even sadder, no Archie, I at least believed this book would center around Inspector Cramer.
Instead, Cramer was more or less a sideline character while the book focused on a woman who was in love with one of the suspects. I could have put up with that, but she was kind of an idiot.
You know how Archie says in every book, practically, how he'll be watching the suspects' faces but it's no good because you can't actually prove anything by people's expressions? Well, this woman does just that. Endlessly frustrating.
It's also kind of racist. Not as bad as it could be, but I set a higher standard for Rex Stout. In most of his books he doesn't use racial stereotypes and I was disappointed by his portrayal of Native Americans here.
Well...There are still some good lines and it's still Rex Stout if you want to read it. But I wouldn't particularly recommend.
Instead, Cramer was more or less a sideline character while the book focused on a woman who was in love with one of the suspects. I could have put up with that, but she was kind of an idiot.
You know how Archie says in every book, practically, how he'll be watching the suspects' faces but it's no good because you can't actually prove anything by people's expressions? Well, this woman does just that. Endlessly frustrating.
It's also kind of racist. Not as bad as it could be, but I set a higher standard for Rex Stout. In most of his books he doesn't use racial stereotypes and I was disappointed by his portrayal of Native Americans here.
Well...There are still some good lines and it's still Rex Stout if you want to read it. But I wouldn't particularly recommend.
May 20, 2011
Let me say I am an unadulterated fan Nero Wolfe, until recently I this was the only Rex Stout I had read. Not too long ago I read Bad for Business, a Tecumseh Fox novel and really enjoyed. This book was advertised as an Inspector Cramer novel and that does it an injustice. The erstwhile Cramer is really a minor character until the final chapters. For Nero Fans District Attorney Skinner are here. Even Stebbins gets a mention. The real work is done by a misfit group of characters. Like most Stout novels the story is populated by odd and unlikely characters, but, like most Stout novels, the characters are likable and you care what happens to them.
I don’t want to give away too much, but I really enjoyed this novel. Is it as good as some of Nero’s best cases, no. That shouldn’t dissuade you from giving it a chance.
I don’t want to give away too much, but I really enjoyed this novel. Is it as good as some of Nero’s best cases, no. That shouldn’t dissuade you from giving it a chance.
August 31, 2011
Featuring Inspector Cramer from the Wolfe books, this story should have interested me more, particularly as a good portion of the story revolves around a successful young businesswoman determined to find the truth regarding the murder of the father of a man she cares about.
But somehow my interest just drifted in the middle. I wanted to know how it ended, but I didn't care to read through how they worked out the solution.
[There's a rather interesting foreword to this book by a Native American writer, discussing the plot points dealing with Native Americans, which left me thinking the book would be very bad in its treatment of Native American characters, but it was merely so-so on that point.]
But somehow my interest just drifted in the middle. I wanted to know how it ended, but I didn't care to read through how they worked out the solution.
[There's a rather interesting foreword to this book by a Native American writer, discussing the plot points dealing with Native Americans, which left me thinking the book would be very bad in its treatment of Native American characters, but it was merely so-so on that point.]
October 22, 2009
Can't believe this is the first Rex Stout book I've added.
I love Stout. He is the American Agatha Christe.
In this book, Nero Wolfe, Stout's most famous creation is completely absent, and Inspector Crammer, the police detective that always crosses paths with Wolfe gets his own mystery to solve.
There is a bit of a cheat, as one of the main characters plays amateur detective and helps Crammer, but he pulls together the solution.
The mystery is clever and it was interesting seeing so many of the characters that are usually seen as getting in Wolfe's way or rivals being the good guys and shown as competent at their jobs.
I love Stout. He is the American Agatha Christe.
In this book, Nero Wolfe, Stout's most famous creation is completely absent, and Inspector Crammer, the police detective that always crosses paths with Wolfe gets his own mystery to solve.
There is a bit of a cheat, as one of the main characters plays amateur detective and helps Crammer, but he pulls together the solution.
The mystery is clever and it was interesting seeing so many of the characters that are usually seen as getting in Wolfe's way or rivals being the good guys and shown as competent at their jobs.
August 12, 2013
I have been putting off reading this for years because now that I have, there are no Rex Stouts left that I haven't. Yes, you miss Nero and Archie. God, yes. And his plotting is a little dull, despite inclusion of things like scalping and mysterious Indian princesses in glass-faced coffins. But what Red Threads mainly lacks is funny lines, of the sort that dot every other mystery Stout wrote.
But it's Stout. Enjoy!
But it's Stout. Enjoy!
February 26, 2013
my bucket list pretty much concists of books I want to read or reread, operas I want to see, movies I want to see, and friends I want to visit.
This is on my rex stout bucket list and i'm glad to have read. No Archie as it's a non-nero wolfe, but i love the heroine and her best friend--and all the by the way info about native american textiles... the "red threads."
This is on my rex stout bucket list and i'm glad to have read. No Archie as it's a non-nero wolfe, but i love the heroine and her best friend--and all the by the way info about native american textiles... the "red threads."
May 17, 2012
Well written like all Rex Stout's books but, as it's an Inspector Cramer mystery and does not feature either Nero Wolfe or Archie Goodwin... something just feels missing. Of course, nothing is. The mystery still holds your interest and I recommend it.
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