• Not Quite Dead Enough

  • By: Rex Stout
  • Narrated by: Michael Prichard
  • Length: 5 hrs and 23 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (424 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Not Quite Dead Enough  By  cover art

Not Quite Dead Enough

By: Rex Stout
Narrated by: Michael Prichard
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $15.75

Buy for $15.75

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

World War II has arrived, and U.S. Army intelligence wants Nero Wolfe urgently. But the arrogant, gourmandizing, sedentary sleuth refuses the call to duty. It takes his perambulatory, confidential assistant, Archie Goodwin, to titillate Wolfe's taste for crime with two malevolent morsels: a corpse that won't rest in peace and a sinister "accident" involving national security. So as Goodwin lays the bait on the wrong side of the law, Wolfe sets the traps to catch a pair of wily killers.
Stout fellow: listen to all of our Nero Wolfe mysteries, including classic radio programs!
©1944 Rex Stout (P)1994 Books on Tape Inc.

Critic reviews

"It's always a treat to read a Nero Wolfe mystery. The man has entered our folklore." (The New York Times)
"What's not to like about a Nero Wolfe mystery? The mysteries are short, cleverly plotted, well paced, and, if you're an audiobook listener, wonderfully read by Michael Prichard....Prichard has read nearly 20 books in Stout's series and has mastered Wolfe's deep, meditative voice and Archie's spry, chipper voice, as well as those of a host of other characters we recognize from one recording to the next." (AudioFile)

What listeners say about Not Quite Dead Enough

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    295
  • 4 Stars
    92
  • 3 Stars
    28
  • 2 Stars
    7
  • 1 Stars
    2
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    282
  • 4 Stars
    59
  • 3 Stars
    12
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    3
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    241
  • 4 Stars
    75
  • 3 Stars
    27
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Odd and Just OK, but a Must Read for Wolfe Buffs

This is really two novella, Not Quite Dead Enough and Booby Trap. Both are set during WWII and Archie is a Major in the US Army. These stories both have unique twists making them a must read for any follower of Archie and Nero. These are both quite unusual Nero Wolfe stories. The stories themselves are not the best, but the odd character situation and events make these stories very well worth reading. They should not be among the first read. The narration is excellent as usual.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Narrator is not good

This is not the Nero Wolf I remember. The story was hard to follow and the narrator was nasally and monotone. Read the book. Save your credits

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent story

Well written. These two stories were enjoyable to hear. I especially liked the second story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Surprise ending, best of all time!

This was the usual tightly woven Rex Stout artwork, with the added attraction of WWII in the timeline, Archie a Major and skullduggery afoot. Sit back, relax and enjoy.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A good retelling of a great story by a great author

What more is there to say? A really great story. Fans will love it. Remember, however, it was written in a previous time with previous sensibilities.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent stories and performance.

Excellent stories and performance. I enjoyed it a great deal. A very interesting story and conclusion.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

love all Rex Stout Nero Wolfe

I have been a fan for years.. when weather is bad , or I just feel low, Nero and Archie can Smooth out the rough patches.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Exceptional craft

The craft of novel writing and that of writing short stories are very different and Rex Stout delivers well on both. Of all of the Nero Wolfe short story books (always collected as a grouping of three), “Not Quite Dead Enough” is, in my opinion, the most interesting. Set while Archie is serving in Army Intelligence, Stout gives us not only fine mysteries but a glimpse into Themes Stout addressed in his own wartime work. No Nero Wolfe book is a thriller but I can’t imagine putting one of these stories down in the middle.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Pulp Fiction

If you take the genre for what it is and find that appealing you’ll enjoy this novella duo. For some the plots, the character development is two dimensional and the language is of its time, misogynous, stereotyped gender interactions. I didn’t have to it down, but there wasn’t the page turning compulsion. Occasionally the phrasing of the first person principal is humorous, at other times terse but tedious: “I knocked on the door, he/she opened it, I stepped inside” which reads almost like stage directions. The suspects aren’t lined up exactly ala Agatha Christie with potential motive and perhaps opportunity, forcing the reader to do a bit of mental sleuthing. For me that made the solutions seem flat, even with a twist thrown in. The performer’s voice is great hobbled only by its transfer from magnetic tape. Will probably not explore other offerings in the series based on this one.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

great, bro always performs

a solid entry in the nero wolf series, 3rd time listening to it. love it

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!