I've recently read comments to the effect of "don't describe your characters," and was a little shocked to discover that there are actually people that promote this kind of nonsense.
Of course, it's possible to overdo it, but nothing at all is a bridge too... close?
In the video above, I look at character descriptions from a variety of Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe books, and try to glean some bits of wisdom from them.
I kind of shot this review from the hip after reading my favorite Nero Wolfe book, The Doorbell Rang.
So, I don't have a detailed written review to put here. Uh... just enjoy the video, I guess?
Here's what I can say: The Doorbell Rang is so much fun. It has one of the coolest plots of any of the Nero Wolfe books, with a lot of engaging twists and turns. It has colorful and interesting characters. It has a lot of wry humor. It also teaches you a couple of good ways to shake off a tail.
The murder is almost incidental to the story!
There are some great scenes (look for Archie "waving his legs around"), some great commentary from Archie, and an amazing scheme by Wolfe to ensure they can finish their job.
It has no illusions about law enforcement and it has a clever solution and famous ending. A lot of questions are left unanswered, yet the book is thoroughly satisfying.
It's basically Nero Wolfe vs. the FBI. As a Nero Wolfe fan who also happens to dislike government surveillance and overreach and corruption, it's like a... ...uh... a really amazing pizza in book form. I devour it whenever I get a chance, and you might like it too.
The address of Nero Wolfe's famous brownstone is given several times in the books, and there are even a couple of different addresses attributed to the great old house.
