"You've Been Reading Too Many of Those Nero Wolfe Stories"

AS WE'VE TOLD you several times already, the success of a parody or a pastiche depends largely on the reader's familiarity with the author and/or the works being parodied or pastiched. If, therefore, you're not familiar with the author who invented Nero Wolfe or his oeuvre, you might not get as much as you could from . . .

"The Woman Who Read Rex Stout."

By William Brittain (1930-2011; Wikipedia HERE and HERE; Mike Grost's megasite HERE).

First appearance: EQMM, July 1966.

(Note: Immediately followed by Stout's "The Dazzle Dan Murder Case" on page 99.)

Reprinted in The Misadventures of Nero Wolfe (2020; for sale HERE; GoodReads reviews HERE).

Short short story (6 pages).

Online at The Luminist Archives (HERE; go to text page 93.)

(Note: Text faded but legible. May need magnification.)

   "What kind of a screwball would murder a girl like Lili and leave a message like that?"

THE SNAKE CHARMER in a traveling carnival is strangled, and there isn't a suspicious-looking boa constrictor in sight. One of the carnies decides to adopt the sleuthing methods of a well-upholstered Montenegrin and ferret out the murderer. While it seems like a long shot, remember what Yogi said: It isn't over until the You-Know-Who sings—or, in this case, nails the perp . . .

Principal characters:

~ Robert Kirby, the narrator ("I only tip the scales at 75 pounds"), Gert ("I'm going on the assumption that the murderer is one of us"), Mel ("flipped the metal plate over in his hand"), Lili ("our snake charmer"), Ferdie ("our strongman"), Zeno ("The sword swallower"), Cal ("our Flatbush-born Swami"), and Sammy (the fire-eater).

References and resources:

- "Over My Dead Body":

  "In Over My Dead Body Rex Stout begins to explore Wolfe's Montenegrin background. By 1939, of course, the Wolfe/Goodwin books had become an established series, but Wolfe's youth had yet to be clarified. Stout starts to do so in this book by bringing in a number of European visitors, including some from Montenegro; the backdrop is the maneuvers of the Axis and Allied powers to dominate Yugoslavia." (WARNING! SPOILERS! Wikipedia HERE.)

- "a carnival side show":

  "In 1893, the Chicago's World's Columbian Exposition (also called the Chicago World's Fair) was the catalyst for the development of the modern traveling carnival. The Chicago World's Fair had an area that included rides, games of chance, freak shows, and burlesque. After the Chicago World's Fair, traveling carnival companies began touring the United States. Due to the type of acts featured along with sometimes using dishonest business practices, the traveling carnivals were often looked down upon." (Wikipedia HERE.)

- "Fer-de-Lance":

  "In his seminal 1941 work, Murder for Pleasure, crime fiction historian Howard Haycraft included Fer-de-Lance in his definitive list of the most influential works of mystery fiction." (WARNING! SPOILERS! Wikipedia HERE.)

- "the Ten-in-One had to stay behind":

  "The Ten-in-One offers a program of ten sequential acts under one tent for a single admission price. The ten-in-one might be partly a freak show exhibiting 'human oddities' (including 'born freaks' such as midgets, giants or persons with other deformities, or 'made freaks' like tattooed people, fat people or 'human skeletons'- extremely thin men often 'married' to the fat lady, like Isaac W. Sprague). However, for variety's sake, the acts in a ten-in-one would also include 'working acts' who would perform magic tricks or daredevil stunts. In addition, the freak show performers might also perform acts or stunts and would often sell souvenirs like 'giant's rings' or 'pitch cards' with their photos and life stories. The ten-in-one would often end in a 'blowoff' or 'ding,' an extra act not advertised on the outside, which could be viewed for an additional fee. The blowoff act would be described provocatively, often as something deemed too strong for women and children, such as pickled punks." (Wikipedia HERE.)

- "the ring-toss concession":

  "Ring toss is a game where rings are tossed around a peg. It is common at amusement parks." (Wikipedia HERE.)

- We have bumped into Mr. Stout and his work a few times on ONTOS:

  (1) A Family Affair (HERE)

  (2) "Grim Fairy Tales" (HERE)

  (3) "The Christmas-Party Murder" (HERE)

  (4) "An Interview with Rex Stout" (Item 4 HERE).

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.

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