This first mystery from one of America's best-loved writers introduces one of the greatest fictional detectives of all time—Nero Wolfe, and his irrepressible assistant, Archie Goodwin. When Wolfe receives a fer-de-lance (a deadly snake), Archie knows he's getting very close to solving two murders. "It is always a treat to [hear] a Nero Wolfe mystery. The man has entered our folklore."—New York Times Book Review Rex Stout (1886-1975), considered the Grand Old Man of American Crime Fiction, introduced Nero Wolfe in the 1934 novel Fer-de-Lance.