Book Review - The Black Mountain by Rex Stout

Rating: 9/10

The Black Mountain is a mystery novel written by Rex Stout. The main character is Nero Wolfe, a "gargantuan" man with a passion for raising orchids and exquisite cuisine. It is narrated by Archie Goodwin, Wolfe's secretary (much like the Holmes-Watson relationship). In the novel, Wolfe investigates the murder of his oldest and closest friend, Marko Vukcic. I think it is a first that the detective went out of his way (even went abroad to his hometown in Montenegro) to solve a mystery, since he (like Mycroft Holmes, I guess) prefers to stay in his office all day and order people (including Archie) around. Wolfe even went so far as to hike the Black Mountain or Mount Lovench.

I think Nero Wolfe is an amazing character. He's just as believable as Sherlock Holmes (Ellery Queen, another fictional detective, is not, in my opinion) and just as conceited. (Rex Stout, I think, chose not to age his characters and I think it's just as well. If he probably made Wolfe age, disease would probably get the better of him.) He's quite methodological and all that stuff that a detective is made of. (I wonder, though, if peculiar interests or traits are needed in creating a fictional detective...)

Archie Goodwin is also a great character. His main characteristics are that he likes to chase women around and he hates Wolfe for withholding a lot of information from him. What I liked about him is his humour throughout the narration (usually said with a sarcastic tone). It lends some much needed lightness to the otherwise dark plot. His side comments and the way he pisses off Wolfe (sometimes) is interesting. He's pretty much similar to Watson except that he hates Wolfe more, whereas Watson really looks up to Holmes.

The ending is nicely done and, for me, humorous. The novel wasn't much predictable and there's a lot of politics but it's wedged in well that it's so much easier to understand. The adventure, suspense, and the mystery is really building up with every passing page. So, yeah, it's a nicely done book and I'm pretty much pleased with it (although, of course, nothing beats Sherlock Holmes). I'm glad I bought it. It's no wonder that Rex Stout was highly acclaimed in the mystery genre. :D