Archie in the Crosshairs: A Nero Wolfe Mystery

At the start of Shamus Award finalist Goldsborough's first-rate 10th Nero Wolfe pastiche (after 2014's Murder in the Ball Park), Wolfe's leg man, Archie Goodwin, is returning home to his boss's West 35th Street Manhattan brownstone when someone shoots at him twice. Archie avoids injury, but the next morning, a man calls Wolfe to tell him that Archie will die soon. The detectives review past cases to determine who might bear such a homicidal grudge, including the relatives of men they sent to prison or to execution. Meanwhile, with their bank balance in bad shape, Archie persuades Wolfe to take on the case of a young heiress who's being blackmailed over an indiscretion that could endanger her engagement. Goldsborough cleverly captures the tone and language of the originals. Rex Stout fans can only hope he has no plans to wind up the series soon. Agent: Erik Simon, Martha Kaplan Agency. (Mar.)