Fer-de-lance

I found out about Nero Wolfe as a recommendation from author P.N. Elrod as a TV show that had been done with an ensemble cast that included Timothy Hutton. I loved the episodes so much that I went looking for the book series by Rex Stout. The narrator is Archie Goodwin, Nero Wolfe's assistant and work prodder. His relationship with his boss is a gas. A weird symbiosis as they push and pull each other, making up for one another's weaknesses. My favorite is the fact that Nero doesn't want to work—he'd prefer to spend all his time taking care… show more.

In 1967 I worked for seven months at DePaul psychiatric hospital in New Orleans, LA as an attendant during the 11 pm to 7 am shift. During that time period, there was often nothing to do but stay awake, because schizophrenics, like everybody else, usually sleep through the night. There was a tiny library in the "Seton Unit" section of the hospital where I worked that featured a dozen or more Nero Wolfe murder mysteries by Rex Stout. I read them all, some of them more than once. The books brought me back to my late childhood years when I… show more.