Books: The Mother Hunt

I love Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe novels. I've read more than a dozen of them now, and I relish the interplay between eccentric detective Nero Wolfe and his assistant Archie Goodwin. The Mother Hunt was no exception. While this one was a little thin on plot - Nero and Archie are "blocked" for most of the book and make no headway on the mystery until the last quarter of the novel - it has great characterization in spades. Perhaps my favorite bits: more insight into the enigma that is Saul Panzer, the ace operative Nero Wolfe calls first when they need an extra pair of eyes and legs. Saul's great; he could easily be Nero's right hand man, if only he weren't so much like him!