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And Be a Villain  By  cover art

And Be a Villain

By: Rex Stout
Narrated by: Michael Prichard
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Publisher's summary

Madeline Fraser, radio talk show host extraordinaire, had a natural dread of dead air. So when one of her on-air guests signed off at the mike after drinking a glass of a sponsor’s beverage, it was a broadcaster’s nightmare come true.

Enter Nero Wolfe. He agrees to take the case, with his sizable fee contingent on his solving the murder. But to Wolfe’s surprise, everyone connected to the case now lies in unison about it. And as the portly detective soon discovers, the secret worth lying about only hides another worth killing for.

Introduction by Maan Meyers

“It is always a treat to read a Nero Wolfe mystery. The man has entered our folklore.” (The New York Times Book Review)

A grand master of the form, Rex Stout is one of America’s greatest mystery writers, and his literary creation Nero Wolfe is one of the greatest fictional detectives of all time. Together, Stout and Wolfe have entertained - and puzzled - millions of mystery fans around the world. Now, with his perambulatory man-about-town, Archie Goodwin, the arrogant, gourmandizing, sedentary sleuth is back in the original 73 cases of crime and detection written by the inimitable master himself, Rex Stout.

Stout fellow: explore our list of Nero Wolfe mysteries, including novels and classic radio programs.
©1948 Rex Stout (P)1995 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

"[Prichard's] Nero Wolfe is suitably commanding." (AudioFile)
"It is always a treat to read a Nero Wolfe mystery. The man has entered our folklore." (New York Times)

What listeners say about And Be a Villain

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Not one of my favorites

I like almost all of the Nero Wolfe novels, but this, and the follow on (In the Best of Families) are two of my least favorite. It even seemed to me that the narrator did not like these two, making a few uncharacteristic mistakes and lacking his usual upbeat flow.

I found the plot elements a bit less believable than usual. This book introduces an almost all powerful villain that becomes a major factor in the next book, In Best of Families. I found this Moriarty-like character more than a bit derivative and I found both of these books among the least compelling of all the Nero Wolfe novels. Still this was not bad in any way, it is just not as good as I have come to expect from Rex Stout and Nero Wolfe.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

You can't go wrong with Rex Stout

This isn't one of the better Nero Wolfe mysteries, but even the less wonderful ones are better than most of what's out there. Michael Prichard always brings out Archie's sly deadpan sarcasm and Wolfe's misanthropic stubbornness with great skill.

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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The First of the Zeck Novels... Read All Three!

This novel introduces a master villain who motivates three superb Nero Wolfe novels. They are not to be missed for fans of this series and should absolutely be read in order, 2nd - The Second Confession, 3rd -In the Best Families.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Recording had skips...

Pritchard was great as usual but the recording had skips, like a scratched LP. Noticeable & irritating, but not enough to interfere with the story.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

love Nero Wolf

this book didn't seem to have as much Wolf action, but still it was great

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Brilliant!

I love virtually all of the Nero Wolfes. But would say this is probably my fave. Get it and enjoy :-)

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

The tedious side of detection

My wife is an even bigger fan of the big man than I am, and she lost patience with this installment. Some Wolfe cases turn on psychology (my favorites) others on back stories. In this one Nero is stumped till the very end, leaving him reliant on police routine which is invaluable but tedious. He finally pulls a rabbit out of a hat but finally is a long time to spend thumb twiddling. Yes, Stout’s version of Moriarty - Arnold Zeck - calls a couple of times but he’s peripheral in this volume of the Zeck trilogy.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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compicated plot, tricky...

Handsome Archie Goodwin in action. Wide pick of badies in a complex who dun it.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Dated but still a pleasure

The misogyny is, of course, still as pervasive as it ever was, and far less appealing. But Michael Pritchard’s narration is superb and the story is still compelling.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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Chilling Villain, Memorable Characters

Memorable, easily distinguishable characters show Rex Stout’s genius in creating a cast for his stories, including a chilling villain. The humorous take on Nancy Lee and her parents is filled with a certain satisfying warmth. Also the professor! I love how one of the characters is put down early on but later becomes vital. More humor enters with Wolfe’s treatment of the products, particularly Sweeties. Archie is in fine form with the trip south and also in his ploy to keep Wolfe concentrated on the work at hand. I love seeing Inspector Cramer and Wolfe working together for a bit. This is one of the freshest, most easily recalled stories, with many ingenious twists and turns, and flows beautifully into later books.

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