This discussion of Glenn Dixon's Nero Wolfe pastiche, Not With a Whimper, was conducted on the Nero Wolfe mailing list between 21 June 2001 and 28 July 2001. Mr. Dixon added his very interesting notes a few months later.

Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapters 2, 3, and 4
Chapters 5, 6, and 7
Chapters 8, 9, and 10
Chapters 11, 12, and 13
Chapters 14, 15, 16, and 17
Chapters 18, 19, and 20
Chapters 21, 22, 23, and FIRST 24
Chapters SECOND 24, 25, 26, and 27
Chapters 28 through 32
Chapters 33 and 34
Chapter FIRST 35
Chapters SECOND 35 through 39
Chapters 40 and 41
Chapters 42 and 43
Chapter 44
Chapters 45, 46, and 47
Chapters 48 and 49
Epilogue
NWAW and Sherlock Holmes
Glenn Dixon's Notes

Date: Fri, 21 Jun 2002 22:08:26 -0400

Subject: GD - _Not With A Whimper_ Intro

We wrapped up _Welcome to Death_ with a challenge to finish Fritz's Zen-like haiku. During _No Body_, I mentioned how wonderful it was to see Fritz have more of a role, and asked for ideas for a possible future pastiche in which he is a main character. The only suggestion I got was a murder in the kitchen.

A murder in the kitchen? Doesn't that seem, well, too obvious? I was thinking of something that would expand his character, give him a chance to dispense wisdom and perspective outside the brownstone, and show us how the Zen of Cooking can be applied in real-world situations. Maybe he has a relative who's just arrived in New York and is in trouble. Maybe there's a fellow Swiss to whom a favor is owed. Or who owes a favor. Or maybe... hmm... a woman? Wouldn't it be something if, after all these years of Archie's romancing, it's Fritz who faces the BIG CHOICE of woman versus Wolfe? And Wolfe has to return equilibium to the universe. With murder thrown in, of course. I think if Fritz loved a woman, his love would be matter-of-fact and sensible. Zen is like that. <g>

Enough of _No Body_! On to _Not With a Whimper_.

_Not With a Whimper_ is 80,000 words long, in forty-nine chapters plus an epilogue, making it a novel. I don't have a year of composition, but it's set in the February immediately following NB, in 1995 or 1996. In fact, it picks up the same evening NB ends, within just an hour or two, so it's a sequel in that sense, though the two stories have little in common.

For those of you who are just starting to read NWAW, I'll warn you that it will seem controversial. I can't say much without giving it away, but it will help a lot if you've read Stout's _The Black Mountain_ first. NWAW owes a lot to TBM. In more ways than one. That's about all I can say. Except to repeat something I said during the _Welcome to Death_ discussion: It's easy to judge a pastiche writer harshly, because you know he's a pastiche writer. Before you judge, stop to ask yourself, "If the name Rex Stout had been on the cover page, instead of Glenn Dixon, would I believe it then?" I found NWAW fully believable when I applied the "If the name Rex Stout" test.

We'll discuss it when we get there.

The other thing I have to mention, if you're just reading NWAW, is that it may be disturbing to some people after the September 11th attacks. I'm about as emotionally removed from September 11th as any American can be (I've never been to New York, or seen the World Trade Center; I don't personally know anyone who was there in New York that day, let alone among the lost; I don't think I even know anyone who knows anyone who was there that day), but at one point in NWAW even I had a attack of the creeps. If you're emotionally close to the September 11th events in some way, be warned.

Chapter 1 coming in a few days....

Gregory Smith
Stories at: http:\\underdogishere.com\dixon

Subject: Re: GD - Puttin' on the Fritz

----- Original Message -----
From: "Gregory Smith" <beaglewriter@att.net>
To: "Wolfe List" <wolfe-list@mirror.org>
Sent: Friday, June 21, 2002 7:08 PM
Subject: GD - _Not With A Whimper_ Intro

> We wrapped up _Welcome to Death_ with a challenge to finish Fritz's
Zen-like haiku. During _No Body_, I mentioned how wonderful it was to see
Fritz have more of a
> role, and asked for ideas for a possible future pastiche in which he is a
main character. The only suggestion I got was a murder in the kitchen.
>
> A murder in the kitchen? Doesn't that seem, well, too obvious? I was
thinking of something that would expand his character, give him a chance to
dispense wisdom and
> perspective outside the brownstone, and show us how the Zen of Cooking can
be applied in real-world situations. Maybe he has a relative who's just
arrived in New York
> and is in trouble. Maybe there's a fellow Swiss to whom a favor is owed.
Or who owes a favor. Or maybe... hmm... a woman? Wouldn't it be something
if, after all these
> years of Archie's romancing, it's Fritz who faces the BIG CHOICE of woman
versus Wolfe? And Wolfe has to return equilibium to the universe.

Yeah, that would be a kick. Wasn't one of the chefs in Too Many Cooks a Swiss?
How about Fritz is convinced to cook a special meal at Rusterman's for
a visiting Saudi dignitary and an Israeli cabinet minister and one (or
maybe both) are poisoned.

With murder thrown in, of
> course. I think if Fritz loved a woman, his love would be matter-of-fact
and sensible. Zen is like that. <g>

Nah, Fritz would loose it completely, much to the consternation of both
Wolfe and Archie.

> For those of you who are just starting to read NWAW, I'll warn you that it
will seem controversial. I can't say much without giving it away, but it
will help a lot if you've read
> Stout's _The Black Mountain_ first. NWAW owes a lot to TBM. In more ways
than one. That's about all I can say. Except to repeat something I said
during the
> _Welcome to Death_ discussion: It's easy to judge a pastiche writer
harshly, because you know he's a pastiche writer. Before you judge, stop to
ask yourself, "If the
> name Rex Stout had been on the cover page, instead of Glenn Dixon, would I
believe it then?" I found NWAW fully believable when I applied the "If the
name Rex Stout" test.

My thought is that if Stout had written TBM and put it in a drawer
only to be published after his death and then it was found and
published post mortem, there are many who would swear that
it was NOT by Stout and argue about its inclusion in the Corpus.

Hi Wolfellows,

--- Gregory Smith <beaglewriter@att.net> wrote:
> It's easy to judge a pastiche writer harshly, because you know
> he's a pastiche writer. Before you judge, stop to ask yourself,
> "If the name Rex Stout had been on the cover page, instead of
> Glenn Dixon, would I believe it then?" I found NWAW fully believable
> when I applied the "If the name Rex Stout" test.

Good point, I'd like to remind everyone there are times when we even credit moments in the Corpus and not only TBM. Remember when Archie pretends to be knocked down in Invitation to Murder? We expressed disbelief, miscredit every time we discussed the story. Etc.

=====
All the best,

Beer of Werowance AKA Miklos Kallo

Date: Mon, 24 Jun 2002 21:00:42 -0400

Subject: GD - NWAW - Chapter 1

At only eight pages, Chapter 1 of NWAW holds the record as the shortest Glenn Dixon first chapter. <g> The story is prefaced with a note from Archie, warning that he's made up parts of the story -- I assume for national security reasons, just as Watson concealed details of _The Adventure of the Second Stain_.

SYNOPSIS

The story opens as Archie, overnight bag in hand, is descending the steps of the brownstone. It's 1:00 am on the same night as the denouement of _No Body_. Archie is leaving Wolfe for good, but he's met by Stebbins. He hears that Garre and Orr are dead, but Connie will be okay. Archie leaves the bag behind, and Stebbins takes him downtown.

Cramer treats Archie decently, which makes Archie suspicious. Cramer wants to nail Wolfe. Cramer: "Wolfe has to stop parading around like he owns this town." Archie: "Wolfe parading. I'd love to see that. He hates to walk from the office to the dining room." Cramer wants Archie's statement about what Wolfe knew and didn't know before the denouement. With that statement, he can at least get Wolfe's license revoked. Archie refuses. He's not Wolfe's employee anymore, but he was at the time, and he's too ethical to rat about things that happened while he was in Wolfe's employ. Cramer tries to rattle Archie, and hits home: "You pushed Wolfe too far, didn't you? {snip}...and he took it out on you tonight." But Archie stands pat, and fires back at Cramer in a very amusing paragraph in which he threatens to buy his own brownstone, "Hire a fat assistant to do my footwork," and make Cramer's life miserable.

So Archie ends up rattling Cramer, rather than the other way around. Cramer has Archie thrown in a cell for the night. A cell...

...The same cell as Nero Wolfe.

"You put Wolfe in jail?" Archie tells Cramer he's made a big mistake. And also complains about having Wolfe for a cellmate. But Cramer's not listening.

DISCUSSION POINTS

Although Archie appears to hate Wolfe (I don't think that's too strong), and feels no loyalty whatsoever, he's still prevented by his own sense of ethics from violating his professional obligation of confidentiality. An obligation, BTW, which is not recognized or respected by the law. It's just Archie's obligation. He has a moral core which can't be moved, even by spite or vengence -- two of the most powerful movers of moral cores that I've ever seen. This strikes me as very Archie-like.

Cramer mentions that Hell's kitchen (sic) is "cleaner than it's been in a long time." From the end of the Civil War, through Prohibition and the Second World War, Hell's Kitchen was notorious for crime, corruption, and excess. Mob leaders were ruthlessness and violent, and the police were often worse. It was Manhattan's gangland.

Hell's Kitchen once extended from 14th Street to 59nd Street, and 8th Ave to the Hudson, which (interestingly) includes Wolfe's brownstone on West 35th. Today it has shrunk to between 34th to 59th, but the brownstone is still at the edge. Also, it's cleaned up since its heyday -- apparently there are a lot of businesses and residences now. Is Cramer's reference to crime in Hell's Kitchen anachronistic? Maybe our New York members can help me out.

But whatever Hell's Kitchen is like today, there's no getting around that, in the time of the Stout corpus, Wolfe's quiet street of reserved brownstones was in a district overrun by mobsters, crime, prostitution, gambling, and worse. How did none of that slip into the corpus? And why did Stout choose that particular block?

DIXON VS. STOUT

Archie uses the exclamation "Pooh." Also, "pish-tosh." Twice!

Cramer asks a young officer, Takahashi, to "put Goodwin on ice for the night." Takahasi: "What does that mean, 'put Goodwin on ice'? Does it mean to put him in jail or something?" Cramer mutters, "Nobody speaks Queens English anymore." This was a cute exchange, and reminded me of a (completely unrelated) story I once heard from the reporter Daniel Shore:

Shore was at a dinner one evening, seated next to a young college student. The host stepped to the podium to introduce the evening's speaker: "And now a man who needs no introduction: Jonas Salk." Everyone applauded. The college student leaned towards Shore and asked, "Who is this man who needs no introduction, Jonas Salk?" Shore (surprised) replied, "You know, Jonas Salk, the developer of the Salk vaccine, the vaccine against polio." The student nodded and straighened. But then he leaned back towards Shore, and asked, "What's polio?"

And about Cramer's line, "Nobody speaks Queens English anymore": The first time I read the story, I thought it was funny, but in reading it again I was struck by how much Cramer is like Wolfe. They both lament the changing of the language (in their own way). Heck, they both lament change, period. Cramer's office still has the green linoleum and the metal desk. Wolfe would find it hideous, but underneath the two are soul brothers. I'm not trying to be funny -- I think they really are. I never noticed it while reading the corpus, but Dixon has brought it out, and now it seems obvious. Could we ever see a future where Wolfe has retired to his house in Egypt, and Cramer is there with him, sitting on a patio and sharing a drink? Mmmm, maybe not.... Read on:

Cramer makes an impassioned speech (to a temporarily speechless Archie -- how often does that happen <g>) about how much he hates Wolfe. "Do you think I like it when he phones to say he has it? Do you think I enjoy rounding up suspects for him? Going over there to watch him make a ninny of me as he grandstands?" This was fascinating, to hear see a character from the corpus from his own point of view. I even found it a little unsettling. Cramer probably really does feel that way. And if I were in his shoes, I probably would, too.

One last item: Archie tells Cramer, "You could learn not to call wops names." I'll bet lunch that Dixon is poking fun at the Wolfe list, and discussions of political correctness. <g>

FAVORITE QUOTES

Cramer, when Archie suggests that he have sensitivity training:

>>"A lot you know, Goodwin. I've had those things. They're required here. Look at the good they've done me."<<

Gregory Smith
Stories at: http:\\underdogishere.com\dixon

From: "Gregory Smith" <beaglewriter@att.net>

> DIXON VS. STOUT
>
>
> Shore was at a dinner one evening, seated next to a young college student.
The host stepped to the podium to introduce the evening's speaker: "And now
a man who
> needs no introduction: Jonas Salk." Everyone applauded. The college
student leaned towards Shore and asked, "Who is this man who needs no
introduction, Jonas
> Salk?" Shore (surprised) replied, "You know, Jonas Salk, the developer of
the Salk vaccine, the vaccine against polio." The student nodded and
straighened. But then
> he leaned back towards Shore, and asked, "What's polio?"

Ah, that is certainly a measure of success. I remember as
a kid that mothers wouldn't let their kids go swimming in
the summer if there were even a hint of polio, the Mother's
March of Dimes, and kids in "iron lungs". Now, to be brought
to the point of people not even knowing the name of the
disease . . . it should happen with whole bunches of other things.

>
> And about Cramer's line, "Nobody speaks Queens English anymore": The
first time I read the story, I thought it was funny, but in reading it again
I was struck by how
> much Cramer is like Wolfe. They both lament the changing of the language
(in their own way). Heck, they both lament change, period. Cramer's office
still has the green
> linoleum and the metal desk. Wolfe would find it hideous, but underneath
the two are soul brothers. I'm not trying to be funny -- I think they
really are. I never noticed it
> while reading the corpus, but Dixon has brought it out, and now it seems
obvious. Could we ever see a future where Wolfe has retired to his house in
Egypt, and Cramer
> is there with him, sitting on a patio and sharing a drink? Mmmm, maybe
not.... Read on:

My own opinion is that WOlfe would retire, but probably not to
Egypt. Maybe someplace up the Hudson and out of the
city, but at the least somewhere where he could grow orchids
easily. And, I think, most assuredly Cramer would come to visit.
One thing that is consistent all the way around is that now matter
how aggravated Cramer may get with Wolfe, he respects Wolfe's
mind if not his actions and/or motives.

Date: Tue, 25 Jun 2002 21:25:35 -0400

Subject: GD - NWAW - Chapters 2, 3, and 4

Gotta pick up the pace if we're going to get through forty-nine chapters and an epilogue in a reasonable time, so this is chapters two through four.

SYNOPSIS

Archie is is a cell with Wolfe. Wolfe begins to talk. Snappy and cutting responses fly through Archie's head, but for some reason he can't speak. Nevertheless, Wolfe's speech (discussed below) doesn't soften him up one bit. Wolfe gives up: "A paucilouquy must do." Paucilouquy: A brief speech; a few words. Wolfe's paucilouquy ends with this strange remark: "I go now to face the demons of my past, and wish you luck with those you face at present." Archie goes to sleep.

Archie is awakened at 8:37 am by Cramer and Stebbins. Wolfe is gone, but they don't have any idea where or how. They think Archie does, but clearly he does not. Mysterious. And Nathaniel Parker has arrived to spring Archie, but not Wolfe, so he knows Wolfe has already been sprung. He knows, but the cops don't. Hmmm.

Cramer tells Archie to vamoose. As a parting shot, he tells Archie that charges were never filed against him -- he could have gone home the night before if he'd asked. Doesn't improve Archie's mood any.

Parker takes Archie back to the brownstone for a mysterious meeting. Fritz is in a state. Saul and Fred are there already. Fred upbraids Archie for "that stunt we pulled yesterday." Archie makes everyone wait while he eats breakfast (very rude of him, IMHO). Fritz and Theodore are added to the party, and Parker drops his bombshell:

The magically disappeared Wolfe has instructed that his "estate" be divided among those in the room. It's like a will, just that Wolfe isn't dead. The brownstone is to go to Archie, except for the kitchen, which goes to Fritz. Everything on the roof goes to Horstmann. Archie is to give sums as he sees fit to Saul, Fred, Theodore, and Fritz (plus a few charities), and keep everything else for himself. Archie is given power of attorney.

Wolfe wants everything finalized in five days, so Parker has brought some handwritten documents to get the process started. Archie refuses to sign. He resents that Wolfe is trying to saddle him with heavy and vague responsibilities without even having talked to him. So everything is left in limbo. Parker exits. Saul and Fred follow. Theodore whines, and Archie suggests burning the orchids. "You'd thought I told him to blow up Manhattan, the way he looked." He exits. Archie is left with Fritz, the wise one.

DISCUSSION POINTS

I think this is the first time Wolfe has been in jail in any story in the corpus. True? We know or suspect he's been jailed -- probably more than once -- in his younger days, but I mean since he's moved to New York.

Wolfe makes quite a moving speech -- that word "melancholy" comes to mind (after _No Body_) -- and for a moment it doesn't seem very Wolfe-like, until you find that Wolfe is explaining _why_ he's Wolfe-like: "But I have seen such things, and have unwittingly participated in some myself, and it will affect me forever. I try to insulate my soul with comforts, with literature and with flowers and food, but even with the layers of padding I have, I am merely one meal away from depravity." I was touched by this speech -- I felt as though I understood Wolfe better than I had reading any of the Stout corpus.

Didn't I just say something like that about Cramer in the last chapter? That's twice in two chapters: Mr. Dixon has a real talent for revealing shadings of the characters, without, at the same time, stepping outside of the lines that Stout has drawn.

DIXON VS. STOUT

Every story in the Stout corpus -- even the Zeck ones -- stand alone. No matter which you read first -- heck, if you only read one in your entire life -- it makes sense. NWAW isn't like that. At least in the beginning. As you get further into the story, it becomes less important, but early in this story there are lots of references to _No Body_ that aren't explained. I think there's an issue of continuity: If the stories are going to be intertwined, they need to be one story. If they're going to be two stories, then some explanations need to be worked into NWAW.

And I didn't like the Archie-eating-breakfast part. I didn't think he would treat Saul and Fred like that.

FAVORITE QUOTES

Archie (I didn't get the double-meaning until I read it the seond time -- remember Dixon is from Utah <g>):

>>"...Nothing would give me more pleasure than hunting down a relocated Wolfe."<<

Gregory Smith
Stories at: http:\\underdogishere.com\dixon

Mr. Dixon has a real talent for revealing shadings of the characters,
without, at the same time, stepping outside of the lines that Stout has
drawn.

Probably the highest praise you could give.

> DISCUSSION POINTS
>
> And I didn't like the Archie-eating-breakfast part. I didn't think he
would treat Saul and Fred like that.
>

Perhaps Archie realizes that he has burned enough bridges for one day. After all (he's heard a thousand times), a man who has not eaten can not be expected to think clearly.

I think Archie realizes that Saul & Fred went to the mat for him just the day before, and they didn't deserve the treatment that he's been dishingout lately.

Scheartz

Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2002 20:53:18 -0400

Subject: GD - NWAW - Chapters 5, 6, and 7

SYNOPSIS

Fritz and Archie have a heart-to-heart. Well, Fritz's heart is in it, anyway. As in the other Dixon pastiches, Fritz shows wisdom and understanding. Specifically (wisdom is always more helpful when it's specific <g>), he realizes that (1) Wolfe hasn't left because of his spat with Archie; (2) Wolfe is in real danger; (3) Wolfe's peculiar "will" (leaving parts of the house to Archie, Fritz, and Theodore) was meant to bring them together; and (4) "You must find him and bring him back." Archie acts like a callous asshole and blows Fritz off. (Just a chapter ago he was gaga over Fritz's breakfast. Go figure.) He plays a game with Fritz's mind by sending him to prepare a picnic "luncheon." Fritz, in turn, plays a game with Archie's mind by smiling and "sirring" him.

Archie is taking an inventory of the ordnance, preparing to make his permanent exit, when the doorbell rings. (Wouldn't that make a great title for a book? <g>) It's an English "schoolmarm." Specifically, it's an English schoolmarm named Marian Hitchcock, daughter of Hitchcock of London. "I've been sent from London to fetch you for an urgent errand." She says her father sent her "at Mr. Wolfe's request." Therefore, Archie refuses to go. I think I can fairly say that Archie and Marian do not hit it off. Archie goads her, apparently for no better reason than to entertain himself. She pulls a gun. Archie gives in, and they go.

En route to the heliport on 32nd (Archie has trouble keeping up with Hitchcock's pace <g>) Archie learns that they're headed for Alexandria, Egypt, and that Wolfe is already there. Archie and Marian keep up quite a banter, and not a friendly one.

A military helicopter is waiting at the heliport. Not to mention Archie's old bud, General Carpenter, head of Army Intelligence (or whatever). His presence explains how Wolfe was whisked from jail, but Archie wonders what's up that brings a Lt. General to the 32nd Street heliport in person.

The helicopter takes them to Newark International Airport, where a jet waits on the tarmac. Archie is issued a diplomatic passport, and a special notebook computer. He, the General, and Marian are given special cell phones. They board the jet, and are joined by seven Army soldiers -- six male and one female. The place takes off, and Archie falls asleep.

DISCUSSION POINTS

More than ever, these chapters make me yearn for Mr. Dixon to write a pastiche with Fritz as a central character. I love the guy!

We learn in these chapters that Wolfe apparently took his passport with him to the denouement in _No Body_. Interesting. So he knew all this was going to happen before he staged the showdown between Garre and Orr.

Overall, these chapters are just moving the story along. It gets more and more mysterious, between Wolfe's strange instructions, Marian's and the General's appearance, and the diplomatic immunity.

DIXON VS. STOUT

Marian Hitchcock identifies her father as Ethelbert Geoffrey Hitchcock, neatly avoiding one of the contradictions in the Stout corpus: Hitchcock's first name is Ethelbert in some places, and Geoffrey in others. Hitchcock the elder played a bit part in _The Black Mountain_, BTW. I'm going to point out TBM tie-ins if I notice them, but I'm working under a little handicap: I don't have a copy of the book.

Many years ago, my girlfriend's mother became interested in Wolfe, and asked me to lend her some books that were representative of the corpus. I loaned her _Before Midnight_, _If Death Ever Slept_, _The Rubber Band_, _Prisoner's Base_, and TBM, with careful instructions to read them in a particular order, TBM last. Several years passed, she moved to a new home, and one day I asked her for the books' return. She became quite indignant, and archly informed me that those were _her_ books, that she had bought them with _her_ money, and that she had owned them for far longer than she had known me, and where did I get off trying to claim that I had loaned her _her_ books! So, that's why I don't own a copy of TBM anymore. That's also one reason I don't loan out books anymore <g>.

I'll do the best I can from memory.

FAVORITE QUOTES

Marian Hitchcock:

>>"Goodwin, I don't know what services will be required of you. From the impression I've formed of you, I would say they had better be menial."<<

Gregory Smith
Stories at: http:\\underdogishere.com\dixon

Date: Thu, 27 Jun 2002 20:29:35 -0400

Subject: GD - NWAW - Chapters 8, 9, and 10

SYNOPSIS

Archie awakens on the plane to Alexandria. An enlisted named Johnson makes him lunch. Then Carpenter briefs Archie and Marian:

Wolfe is on a secret mission for the government. He's bidding on an undisclosed item that the government must have. The sellers insisted that he bid for the U.S. The government can't figure out why, but Wolfe accepted it "with resignation." Wolfe is now in Egypt, where he has bid only one lousy dollar for this item the government must have. Why only bid a dollar? Carpenter needs Archie to "handle" Wolfe.

Carpenter wants to know if Archie has heard of the sellers: Gospo Stritar and his wife, Anna Bathory. Archie, of course, knows Stritar, from _The Black Mountain_, but doesn't let on to Carpenter. Archie also reveals that Peter Zov, Marco Vukcic's killer, had been sent from his U.S. prison back to Yugoslavia, and might now be running around free.

Archie figures out that the six male enlisted on the plane are actually Marines in Army uniforms. They say they're going to Egypt to train the locals, but Archie suspects there's something more. The female enlisted, named Julie Harrington, seems genuine.

Arrive in Cairo a little after 6:00 am. The disguised Marines head off in their own direction, and Carpenter, Hitchcock, Harrington, and Archie wait for three more hours. Marian Hitchcock spends the time reading. Carpenter spends the time stressing. Archie and Harrington spend the time getting to know one another (Harrington is married, though). Finally, they are greeted by a little-too-light-skinned Egyptian in a black suit and tie: Mr. Pinched Face, AKA Mr. Ahmed Tayel, their host and an old acquaintance of Wolfe's. He alludes to a great service that Wolfe did for Egypt in days past.

They leave for Alexandria by helicopter. Harrington, it turns out, has quite a lot of mysterious luggage, some of it tools.

They land at what Archie initially describes as "a military base of some sort," but it's Ras el-Tin palace. They're met by Saad Tayel, Ahmed's brother and chief of security. Saad asks that they not leave the palace grounds. Marian is whisked away to see her father, and the rest are escorted to their quarters, which Archie desribes as "huts."

Archie scouts the palace. He stumbles on the Great Hall. ("It must have been the Great Hall because it would be hard to imagine something outdoing it.") And there, on a pile of cushions, he sees a sight: "It was Nero Wolfe. Sitting with his eyes closed, cross-legged in a white Arabian getup complete with the head covering, surrounded by dishes of food." He's being fanned by a beautiful young woman: Scheherazade.

To end this synopsis, I can't top Archie's own words:

Presently, Wolfe opened his eyes and saw that I had arrived to save the day.

"Confound it, what the devil are _you_ doing here?"

DISCUSSION POINTS

Archie has called this an "executive style jet," by which most of us would probably think of a business jet or company plane. But it obviously isn't. It seats ten _very_ comfortably, and there are empty seats. It has a galley. And it's able to make a transatlantic flight without refeuling! Yikes! Wish my company had a plane like that <g>.

Carpenter says that the Constitution forbids the government to take advantage of private citizens. Where? It's been a while since I had Civics, but I don't remember that part, other than I can't be forced to quarter soldiers in my house.

Carpenter says that they flew Wolfe to Alexandria "by the fastest plane we have." Sorry, but this instantly conjured in my mind an image of Wolfe in the second seat (of two) in a Blackbird (a spy plane capable of flying at something like Mach 3) screaming across the Atlantic. The airplane is screaming, that is. Wolfe's eyes are just rolled back so that only the whites show <g>.

Regarding _The Black Mountain_, Archie remembers Stritar (as well he should), but doesn't acknowledge his wife, Anna Bathory. And as I recall (without a copy to refer to), she wasn't mentioned in TBM. Am I right? Bathory does not strike me as a name that a native of that region would have (though what do I know <g>). Did she come to that part of the world from somewhere else? For what purpose? We'll get to know her better, later.

Archie says, on Alexandria, "I also knew that occasionally leaders of state would go there to negotiate things like temporary peace settlements, and wondered if we were headed to the same place." The short answer is, yes. Ras el-Tin palace is a real place, in Alexandria, and it's commonly used by the Egyptian government to receive and house foreign dignitaries, and conduct negotiations. It's highly secure, and seems to have been a pretty good choice to host this auction. And yes, Archie, there is a naval base nearby.

DIXON VS. STOUT

Wolfe is on a secret mission for the government! Say what? Wolfehounds are yelping everywhere, I can hear it! <g> I know, I yelped, too, when I read it. I thought, this is ridiculous. This to un-Wolfe-like. Hang on -- Wolfe will eventually explain it himself, and when he does, it will actually turn out to be perfectly in character.

In the earlier Dixon discussions, I mentioned typos and other mistakes that a good copy editor would find. There seem to be a lot more of these in NWAW than in the earlier stories -- I don't know why. For example, in these chapters, Marco Vukcic's name is spelled a couple different ways (neither of them correct). As I said in the earlier discussions, this isn't meant as a criticism of Mr. Dixon -- we're reading a manuscript, and in the publishing world a professional editor would have swept in and cleaned this stuff up. I'm just remarking.

A modern reference in classic Archie form: The Marines in Army garb are "the Tom Clancy bunch."

Archie refers to the language the Tayels speak as "Arabian." At first, I thought this was an Archie attempt to "be cute," but later he has someone who should know better make the same mistake. Mr. Dixon, only a good copy editor separates your from greatness <g>.

Wolfe's dress, at the end, might have elicited a few more yelps from the Wolfehounds. It gets explained.

FAVORITE QUOTES

Archie:

>>The contrast between the green delta on the right and the desert on the left was remarkable. So I'm remarking it.<<

Archie again:

>>I decided to humor the man, since he didn't have any of his own.<<

Archie has lots of good lines here:

>>Wolfe of Arabia. Although if you ask me he looked more like the tent.<<

Gregory Smith
Stories at: http:\\underdogishere.com\dixon

> Regarding _The Black Mountain_, Archie remembers Stritar (as well he
should), but doesn't acknowledge his wife, Anna Bathory. And as I recall
(without a copy to refer
> to), she wasn't mentioned in TBM. Am I right? Bathory does not strike me
as a name that a native of that region would have (though what do I know
<g>). Did she come
> to that part of the world from somewhere else? For what purpose? We'll
get to know her better, later.
>

The Countess Elizabeth Bathory was a Hungarian noble-woman
from about 400 years ago and about whom little is know for certain
but specualtion: she's called the female Dracula. One of the
reports is that she kept her skin pale and white by bathing in
the blood of young virgins. Her reputation, deserved or not,
is that of the ultimate ogress.

Bathory is a Hungarian name that apparently means "valiant".

6/28/02 3:57:46 AM, "Walt Doherty" <wdoherty5@cox.net> wrote:

>
> The Countess Elizabeth Bathory was a Hungarian noble-woman
> from about 400 years ago and about whom little is know for certain
> but specualtion: she's called the female Dracula. One of the
> reports is that she kept her skin pale and white by bathing in
> the blood of young virgins.

Excellent! Clearly the ancestor of our Anna Bathory, as we shall see <g>.

Gregory Smith

Yeah, if you have any familiarity with the legends at all, it is *not* an auspicious name for a character. :->>>

----- Original Message -----
From: "Gregory Smith" <beaglewriter@att.net>
To: "Wolfe List" <wolfe-list@mirror.org>
Sent: Friday, June 28, 2002 3:36 AM
Subject: Re: GD - NWAW - Chapters 8, 9, and 10

> 6/28/02 3:57:46 AM, "Walt Doherty" <wdoherty5@cox.net> wrote:
>
> >
> > The Countess Elizabeth Bathory was a Hungarian noble-woman
> > from about 400 years ago and about whom little is know for certain
> > but specualtion: she's called the female Dracula. One of the
> > reports is that she kept her skin pale and white by bathing in
> > the blood of young virgins.
>
> Excellent! Clearly the ancestor of our Anna Bathory, as we shall see <g>.
>
> Gregory Smith
>
>
>

Date: Fri, 28 Jun 2002 21:20:50 -0400

Subject: GD - NWAW - Chapters 11, 12, and 13

SYNOPSIS

Wolfe and Archie reunite. Scheherazade leaves. Wolfe says that Scheherazade is Iranian, and her real name is Bahar Ferdowsi. Wolfe explains his attire: He didn't have luggage, and there are no Western-style suits in his size available locally. Archie mentions the disguised Marines. Wolfe has a dim view: "Condottierri with their courageous bands on nefandous missions." Condottierri: Mercenaries. Nefandous: Not fit to be spoken of. But at least the Marines are "courageous" <g>.

Archie asks Wolfe why he disposed of the brownstone. Wolfe will only say that he won't be leaving Egypt, and has no use for any of his things in New York. Archie and Wolfe can't talk freely, because they fear the room is bugged.

Archie leaves, and runs into Bahar as she's leaving an alcove to the side of the hallway. We learn from her that Ahmed "Pinched Face" Tayel is her stepfather, and, as he is the host, he asked Bahar to serve as hostess. We also learn that Ahmed Tayel is traditional and conservative, while Bahar is Westernized and liberal, and that she's somewhat wary/afraid of her stepfather on this score.

When the coast is clear, Archie checks out the alcove that Bahar was emerging from, and discovers a secret closet with a peephole that allows someone to spy on the Great Hall. Bahar had been spying on him and Wolfe.

Archie goes into the Great Hall to examine the tapestry that conceals the peephole. It depicts some men with swords attacking some other men. Archie is surprised by Ahmed Tayel and Bahar. Pretending to admire the tapestry, Archie asks what it is. Tayel reacts slightly, telling him that it depicts a massacre. There are some busts on a shelf in the Great Hall, and Archie asks about those, to direct the conversation away from the tapestry and the secret peephole.

They are interrupted by the noon call to prayer. Tayel is going to pray in the Great Hall. As Archie leaves, he meets two men entering: A thin man, Shokrolahi Abbas, who is a _sayed_ -- a descendant of Muhammad -- and an official in the Iranian government; and a large, gregarious man in a turban, who introduces himself as Reza Takhti. Takhti identifies himself as Wolfe's enemy, and insists that Archie stay to watch the others pray.

While they are praying, Archie notices a glass case containing a curved sword. Takhti explains that it is the sword of Muhammad, or at least a replica thereof. It appears sharp. Archie leaves the Great Hall, Takhti in tow. Takhti explains that he is bidding on behalf of Iran, against Wolfe and the U.S., for Stritar's item. He also confides that Wolfe's one-dollar bid was a brilliant move that has created a quandary for the Iranian camp.

Carpenter interrupts them, and Takhti leaves. Carpenter is desperate to find Wolfe. (He's always desperate for _something_, in this entire novel <g>.) He doesn't seem to be anywhere. Carpenter and Archie check the room adjacent to the Great Hall, which turns out to be the library. He isn't there. Archie asks the obvious:

"Have you checked the kitchen?"

DISCUSSION POINTS

Wolfe mentions not having packed. Since he apparently knew before he went to Rottfeld's, in _No Body_, that he was going to be heading overseas, why didn't he throw some things in a suitcase? The overlap between the NB and NWAW timelines never became clear to me.

Archie mentions that among the religuous works on Wolfe's shelf are copies of the Koran in English and Arabic, Bibles (plural), and a Josephus. I assume the "Josephus" is a collection of the complete works of Flavius Josephus, who lived in the last half of the first century A.D., and wrote several notable histories, including a complete history of the Jews, and a history of the Jewish Rebellion against the Romans, in which he took part.

I'm afraid I don't have a lot of discussions points for these chapters. They're mainly developing the story -- we get the lay of the land, and are introduced to most of the major players.

DIXON VS. STOUT

Spatchcock (which Wolfe does not recommend to Archie) is a dressed and split chicken, either roasted or broiled on a spit.

Wolfe comments to Archie that "Something seems to have exanimated a part of you." Exanimate: To deprive of animation or of life.

FAVORITE QUOTES

Last posting was Archie's lines. Wolfe has the great lines this time around:

>>"If patience were the only path to peace, the world would be lost."<<

To Archie:

>>"You know very well what your talents and assets are, and my enumerating them would only make you bray louder."<<

Gregory Smith
Stories at: http:\\underdogishere.com\dixon

Date: Sun, 30 Jun 2002 21:01:16 -0400

Subject: GD - NWAW - Chapters 14, 15, 16, and 17

SYNOPSIS

General Carpenter and Archie find Wolfe -- where else? -- in the kitchen. He, Archie, and Carpenter head out to the terrace for a conference.

Wolfe tells Archie what they're bidding on: A nuclear bomb. Carpenter has a conniption fit. Wolfe explains his strategy in making a one-dollar bid, and of course it makes sense. The whole situation is murky -- there are lots on unanswered questions -- and Wolfe is actually playing it very well. He informs Carpenter that Stritar and Bathory haven't arrived yet -- they're due this evening. And Carpenter tells us why Harrington has been brought along: She's an expert at disarming nuclear weapons.

Wolfe takes a turn at having a conniption fit when he learns he's expected to take part in a video conference. He agrees to participate only to prevent the "blatherskite" General Carter from travelling to Egypt.

Wolfe and Archie are left alone. Archie fills Wolfe in on Bahar and the peephole. Then Wolfe explains to Archie why he's here to bid on this auction: The $8,000 that he left for Stritar in _The Black Mountain_ "set in motion the chain of events" that led Stritar to this bomb. So Wolfe is culpable (as he says). Tensions are rising: Both the Egyptians and the Israelis suspect that the item is a bomb, and the Israelis aren't above making a premptory strike to take it out. Hitchcock is in Israel right now, trying to calm them down.

Archie asks Wolfe about the allusions that he has performed some great deed here in the past. Wolfe's answer deserves to be repeated: "The servant who whisks the King's mistress from under the Queen's nose earns the King's eternal gratitude, but it is never given voice." Wolfe whisking mistresses! (Figuratively, I assume.) Wow.

In what I thought was a very touching scene (don't get "the idea that we're chums again"), Archie offers to bring Wolfe a beer. Wolfe, in an equally touching way ("...pathos, more than I thought him capable of"), declines. He has sworn off beer for the duration of this case. Gadzooks!

The video conference is a farce, during which the Hitchcocks arrive from Israel. They're towing a British government rep named Ty James, Archie's description of whom immediately made me think of James Bond. Gosh, they even both have "James" in their names. Anyway, the news from Israel is worrisome: The Israelis are trying to find where the bomb is hidden, so they know where to hit.

The farce finally ends when Wolfe stonewalls. After it's over, Ty James adds another bit of news: The Russians are trying to get their bomb back, and Stritar and Bathory are therefore under some pressure for time.

Remember that notebook computer they gave Archie back in Newark? He finally gives it a try, but can't get it to work. Marian Hitchcock, who's something of a geek, is sent over to shoot the trouble. She finds that his computer has been damaged, and trots off to transfer the necessary software to hers. Archie is still pretty hostile to her.

DISCUSSION POINTS

These are a few of the most important chapters in the story for a Wolfe fan, because they explain one of the mysteries: Why has Wolfe, who "never" leaves his home on business (except in maybe a quarter of the corpus <g>), leave not only his home, but the whole country? There are two answers, and the two are so much a part of Wolfe's personality that after reading these chapters we can no longer ask why Wolfe left his home. We can only ask, how could he possibly have done anything different? And those two answers are responsibility, and patriotism.

Wolfe has a very powerful sense of responsibility. Sometimes it seems to us to be applied capriciously, but when Wolfe does feel a responsibility, it's a force so powerful that it led him to Montenegro in _The Black Mountain_, and to solve the case of _The Golden Spiders_. To give another example, Wolfe feels responsible for his given word, and this responsibility is so respected that even Cramer will shut up when he hears Wolfe give his word.

The way I remember TBM (someone correct me if I'm wrong), Archie gives Wolfe a hard time about paying Stritar the $8,000, and Wolfe replies with something to the effect that sometimes one has to do a bad thing to rectify a worse thing. So the morality of the $8,000 has already been questioned, in TBM, and now it's led to this terrible situation where a lot of people could be killed quickly, and then a lot more could die in the conflicts that might follow. Wolfe feels culpable. Anyone who doesn't think he would fly to Egypt -- or the Moon -- in such a situation needs to reread TBM.

And then there's patriotism. This isn't mentioned explicitly in the story, but any Wolfehound should see how it plays in: Wolfe, while despising most people actually in power in the American government, is nevertheless a fierce supporter of the American system. (I guess what Superman would call the American Way <g<.) Just look at Wolfe's opinion on the income tax. When Wolfe is called upon by his government to lend a hand (as he is in this story), he considers it his patriotic duty to comply. And if anyone doubts that Wolfe wouldn't leave his brownstone to serve his country, remember that during World War II he was actually training so that he could join the Army and ship off to Europe, presumably as an infantryman, to kill Germans.

In this story, Wolfe has left his brownstone, at the request of his government, to fly to Egypt, to avert a catastrophe that he himself set in motion. Is this the Wolfe we knew in the Stout corpus? Short answer: Yes!

DIXON VS. STOUT

"We are having orecchiette with rapini... and a garum over flatbread." Orecchiette: a type of pasta. Rapini: a vegetable related to turnips. So, turnip pasta. Yum. Garum: A fish sauce, prized in ancient times.

I don't recall a General Carter from the corpus, although it's right at the edge of my mind that I ought to. Is he a Stout character? Wolfe calls him a blatherskite, which is an interesting word. Today it simply means a babbling fool, but "skite" in Middle English meant diarrhea, so originally it meant something like "excrement shoots out of his mouth," which is a pretty vivid image <g>.

When Wolfe asks Archie if he is ancephalous, he probably meant acephalous: Headless.

I mentioned above that the scene between Archie and Wolfe regarding the beer was touching, but I wanted to mention it again. I don't recall often (or ever) reading a scene quite like that in the corpus. Dixon's characters seem more human, and easier to empathize with, than Stout's. On a more practical note, Wolfe's resolution might have been for the best: The consumption of alcohol is forbidden by Islamic Law, and with their host, Ahmed Sayel, being so conservative about such things, it seems likely to me that there's no beer to be found in Ras el-Tin.

FAVORITE QUOTES

Wolfe:

>>"I won't ask if you had a pleasant flight; that you arrived at all is remarkable."<<

Wolfe, about Bahar:

>>"...with her boundless curiosity she flits about at random -- never working to weave the patterns of expertise -- instead content merely to be drunk with the nectar of knowledge."<<

Wolfe, apparently commenting on diplomats:

>>"These things aren't for humans; they are for automatons who have successfully severed their minds from their intestines."<<

Wolfe, to Archie (a sialogogue, BTW, is something that makes you drool):

>>"We both have our sialogogues. Mine is the sauce. Yours, the saucy."<<

Archie does know what "sialogogue" means, but "swallows" it anyway <g>.

Gregory Smith
Stories at: http:\\underdogishere.com\dixon

Date: Tue, 02 Jul 2002 20:55:08 -0400

Subject: GD- NWAW - Chapters 18, 19, and 20

SYNOPSIS (really long -- a lot happens)

Archie takes a stroll around the inner perimeter of the enclosing wall. He's joined by Marian Hitchcock, who's come to tell him that the software and equipment works fine on her notebook computer. (How likely is that in the real world? <g>) They explore the entrance to a necropolis -- a sort of catacomb -- but the door is barred.

Archie decides to try to clear the air with Marian, and succeeds a little better than he wanted. He's looking for a way to ditch Marian, when he spots Bahar, who joins them. Archie tells Marian that Bahar is going to give him a tour of the grounds, and by the way, you aren't welcome. Marian gets the message and departs.

Archie asks Bahar for her life story. In a nutshell, her father was pro-Western, and was killed in the Iranian Revolution. Ahmed Tayel was an Egpytian diplomat in Iran at the time, and offered to marry Bahar's mother to spare her the same fate. Reza Takhti was Bahar's father's best friend, and is in love with Bahar's mother. He's frustrated that he hasn't been able to marry her. He dotes on Bahar, and he hates Tayel. He wants Tayel to divorce Bahar's mother. Takhti is also the son of a famous Iranian wrestler (wrestling is big in Iran -- remember wrestling diplomacy?). As a result, he has some pull in the current government.

Bahar gives Archie a first-rate tour, pointing out places, telling him of the great intrigues of Alexandria, and being beautiful in the process: "If this was being drunk on the nectar of knowledge, it certainly did her good." She wraps up her tour thusly: "And even today, great intrigues happen. You are part of one Archie. Bidding for something not talked about yet known by all." She lifts her lips for Archie to kiss. Like, WOW! But... he doesn't. He hesitates. Then they're interrupted by the call to prayer, via a loudspeaker right beside them.

Great timing. Now Bahar has something else to show Archie, and its not her etchings <g>. It's the peephole in the Great Hall (which he already knows about, being the detective that he is). Then once again she wants him to kiss her, but he turns her down. She's hurt, but takes it. She makes a strange remark that her stepfather's devotion to prayer is a recent acquisition. She offers to show Archie something she's discovered in the library, and they open the doors to discover that her stepfather's not praying, but reading a passage from a Koran sitting on a stand.

Tayel speaks a word in Arabic that causes Bahar to implode emotionally. He continues abusing her. Archie tries to intervene, and Tayel threatens to have him killed. Archie doesn't back down, and "bops" Tayel in a brief scuffle. Tayel is about to have Archie killed on the spot when Reza Takhti shows up. After trying to find out from Bahar what's happened, he asks Archie to take Bahar to her room. "I will have a little talk with Mr. Tayel, here."

Archie guides Bahar to her hut (number eleven) but she won't let him enter -- him, like, being a man and all. Archie heads over to Marian Hitchcock's hut and asks her to help, which was pretty cheeky, if you ask me, and I think Archie would have agreed, but she does anyway.

Archie heads back to have it out with Tayel, but is met by Takhti, who has "taken care of the situation." He has good advice for Archie: "You are angry and he is powerful. You must bide your time. Do not strike until the circumstances favor you." And then Archie and Takhti have a remarkable heart-to-heart: Takhti reveals that the dagger he's carrying has no blade:

"It is that way with our country, too. Look at you Americans with your thousands of instruments of death, and we haven't a single one. That is why we will win this bidding. We must."

Archie: "So you can blow up someone's city."

Takhti: "On the contrary, Archie. One would be a fool to actually use such a weapon. Can you imagine the repercussions? No. We simply have no saber to rattle. How can we be taken seriously until we have a true saber instead of an impotent dagger?"

Really, you gotta like this Takhti dude!

Then Saad Tayel (chief of Security, remember? <g>) announces that security has been increased, but not because of the Ahmed incident. Yeah, right! Takhti tells Archie that he has observed Bahar and Archie, and trusts them both, but that Bahar has been unaccounted for for longer than the time she spent with Archie. Ahmed is powerful and threatening. Takhti is friendly and gregarious and bides his time. Archie realizes that Takhti is the more dangerous of the two.

Archie's closing words:

Good grief. How do people ever get married in
this part of the world? All this trouble and
nothing even happened.

I should have kissed her. Good and long and hard.

But he didn't....

DISCUSSION POINTS

Bahar dumps a lot of culture and history on Archie. Here are some scraps blown in the whirlwind:

Bahar tells Archie that Islam permits divorce. My understanding is that not only does the Koran permit divorce, but it makes the ex-husband responsible for alimony.

Bahar tells Archie that Reza Takhti's father was a famous and beloved Iranian wrestler, possibly murdered by the Shah's secret police (the Savak). Apparently Reza's father was Gholamreza Takhti (sometimes spelled Gholam Reza Takhti). He was indeed a great wrestler, having won three Olympic gold medals by the time he drowned (or was drowned) at age 38. And he was also famous for his spirit and humanity. And he was indeed adored by the Iranian people. Hundreds of thousands took to the streets to mourn his death, and to this day he's revered one of the greatest heros in Iranian sports.

Bahar mentions that her Iranian home is in Isfahan. Not Tehran -- I was a little surprised. Isfahan is an ancient city, once the capital of Persia, and now home to a modern University. Rich in Persian architecture, art, culture, and heritage, at its peak it was ruled by Shah Abbas the Great. I suppose it's just a coincidence that we have a character named Abbas in this story?

Bahar talked of Muhamet Ali and the slaughter of the Marmaluke princes as depicted on the tapestry. The Marmalukes (or Mamelukes) were/are an ethnic group distinct from the Arabs. They ruled Egypt from about 1200 AD to about 1500 AD, and continued to be a significant influence in the Eqyptian army after that. At least, until Bahar's Muhamet Ali began an Arab-ification of the army by slaughtering 470 Mamelukes in 1811.

DIXON VS. STOUT

NWAW is drawn on a rich canvas of history, religion, and culture, which makes it more challenging than the works in the Stout corpus. It has a wide-open feel, as though anything might be around the next corner. This helps to keep our interest up, which is good because, compared to the Stout corpus, the plot isn't doing much to propel the story. In particular, we have no murder. In fact, we have no crime at all. What we have reminds me of a period play -- one with lots of characters who appear on stage in different combinations, and react in different ways, all in an exotic setting, but not (at the moment) with any particular direction. But it keeps our interest, for the moment....

FAVORITE QUOTES

This has been a long post already -- pass on quotes.

Gregory Smith
Stories at: http:\\underdogishere.com\dixon

Subject: Re: GD- NWAW - & the Zero Clue

> NWAW is drawn on a rich canvas of history, religion, and culture, which
makes it more challenging than the works in the Stout corpus. It has a
wide-open feel, as though
> anything might be around the next corner. This helps to keep our interest
up, which is good because, compared to the Stout corpus, the plot isn't
doing much to propel
> the story. In particular, we have no murder. In fact, we have no crime
at all. What we have reminds me of a period play -- one with lots of
characters who appear on
> stage in different combinations, and react in different ways, all in an
exotic setting, but not (at the moment) with any particular direction. But
it keeps our interest, for the
> moment....
>

BTW, for a little bit more of Egyptian History, "The Zero Clue talks
about the Mosque of Tulun in Cairo. A fascinating piece of
architecture among other things; it was built, I believe, in the
800 AD's.

Date: Thu, 04 Jul 2002 23:02:59 -0400

Subject: GD - NWAW - Chapters 21, 22, 23, and FIRST 24

In case you're wondering about the subject line of this posting, there are two chapter 24's. This one includes only the first.

SYNOPSIS

Wolfe's Western clothes are back from the cleaners, and he's dressing for dinner. Archie fills him in on the incident with Bahar, Tayel and Takhti. Wolfe doesn't think very highly of Tayel.

Wolfe has a plan to improve his chances of winning the auction: He and Archie are going to fake a falling out (like they would have to fake it <g>). Then Archie is to approach Stritar as a turncoat, and offer to sell the nuclear fuel (which will still have value) back to Stritar after Harrington has disarmed the device. This, of course, assumes that Wolfe wins the bid, so Archie has access to the fuel. The idea is to give Stritar a reason to consider Wolfe's bid. Wolfe explains that his bid, no matter how high he makes it, won't even be considered unless they try something.

Wolfe and Archie proceed to the Great Hall to fake an argument, However, Wolfe irritates Archie, and so, to be contrary, Archie refuses to argue, going with Wolfe's jabs instead of against them. Wolfe finally loses his temper and actually rises from his chair to shout. (Archie says it "was almost worth the trip to Egypt.") Oh, and by the way, if anyone doesn't think Wolfe and Archie are on the outs, this would certainly convince them <g>. Well done, Archie.

Archie calls on Marian Hitchcock, to find out how Bahar is doing. As much as he dislikes her, he has to accept Marian's human decency, and so he fills her in on the situation. All of it.

Dinner in the Great Hall: First thing Archie tells us is that the food is good. Has he been living with Wolfe for seven decades or not? Seating: Ahmed Tayel is at the head of the table, with Wolfe on his right and Bahar (the hostess) on his left. Archie and the Hitchcocks get bleacher seats at the bottom end of the table, with Archie in dead last on Tayel's left. In between Tayel, at the head, and Archie, in the dugout, and in addition to those mentioned, are Abbas, Takhti, Ty James, Carpenter, Harrington, and an Egyptian dignitary. The two chairs to Archie's right are empty...

...but not for long. Halfway through dinner, Stritar and his wife make their long-awaited entrance. And we meet Anna Bathory for the first time. First impressions: She's a looker, though more Wolfe's age than Archie's. And she speaks English (unlike Stritar).

Tayel, Bahar, and Takhti act as though the events of the afternoon had never happened. Takhti in fact is the life of the party. But Wolfe begins to show signs of a relapse. Archie watches him closely.

When dinner is finished, Tayel makes a speech. A few discussions ago I mentioned that the Great Hall has a shelf with busts of ancients who contributed to Egypt's greatness -- Alexander, Cleopatra, you know the gang. Tayel announces that the collection is to be expanded to include those who have contributed to modern-day Egypt, and that this very evening he's going to unveil the first modern to be placed alongside the ancients. The bust, covered in red velvet, is wheeled in on a cart. Tayel dramatically pulls off the covering to reveal a bust of...

...Nero Wolfe.

DISCUSSION POINTS

Archie says that the word that Tayel used on Bahar sounded like "Cshackz." Does anyone know what this word is? Can we get a correct phonetic spelling in the Latin alphabet? Or is it a literary device that Dixon invented.

The big-word exchange between Archie and Wolfe was very entertaining. Wolfe calls Archie a "scurrilous sorner," which is a foul-mouthed person who imposes on another for room and board. He then compares Archie unfavorably to a "thersitical dizzard," which is a loud- mouthed blockhead. Archie responds thusly: "Myrmidon" -- one who loyally follows orders without questioning them -- "That's me. Aeolistic skeech. That's you." Okay, this is the first time it's happened in the Dixon stories, but I'm stumped. "Aeolistic" is an adjective which means long-winded, but I have no idea what a "skeech" is. Can anyone help me?

Tayel mentions Nassar, Sadat, and Mubarak in his speech, so I have to admit I was pretty well floored when the bust turned out to be Wolfe's.

DIXON VS. STOUT

Nothing special to report.

FAVORITE QUOTES

Wolfe calls Ahmed Tayel a man...

>>"...whose gut is filled with gritty bile."<<

Made me feel it! Yuck!

Wolfe, regarding Archie:

>>"Your aptitude for poking at hornet's nests is unnaturally keen."<<

Gregory Smith
Stories at: http:\\underdogishere.com\dixon

Subject: GD - NWAW - Chapters SECOND 24, 25, 26, and 27

Date: Sat, 06 Jul 2002 18:32:12 +0000

SYNOPSIS

I've always said that it's good for a story to have two chapter 24's. <g>

Tayel, regarding the bust: "You may wonder, why we have chosen Mr. Wolfe?" Yeah, Tayel, we wonder. Tayel: "I'm afraid I cannot tell you, for it is still a well-guarded secret." Say what? You know we have a monument to an unknown soldier. This is a monument to a known soldier, for an unknown reason. It seems crazy.

The bust of Wolfe is moved to the shelf, next to that of Khentkawes. Tayel continues his speech. Wolfe is furious. Tayel wraps up by asking Wolfe to say a few words. Wolfe stands and leaves, without saying a word.

Takhti laughs. Tayel's turn to be furious. He leaves "to go find a camel to spit on." Bahar says some gracious words to try to rescue the situation, and then she leaves. Eventually Archie is looking at Wolfe's bust when Takhti comes up to him. Takhti has a take on Tayel's choice to honor Wolfe: "I do not wish to detract from Mr. Wolfe's great achievements, but I do believe Mr. Tayel only places Wolfe here so that he himself may one day have his own image among the great ones. If Wolfe is honored, why not he as well? That is what I think. Forgive me." Like I said, you gotta like this guy.

Archie finds that Wolfe is in the kitchen -- a really bad sign. But he also finds a bottle of Chianti in the kitchen, and that's what he really wants. (In an earlier discussion, I said that there probably wasn't alcohol in the palace -- I'd forgotten about the Chianti. Maybe they do have beer.)

Archie is on his way to play Benedict Goodwin for Stritar, as he and Wolfe planned, when he thinks he might be being watched. He notices the shadow because the shadow is smoking a cigarette. Ah, smoking, a nasty habit that may kill you eventually and in the meantime may give you away when you're on top-secret spying missions <g>. Why would a shadow with any brains be smoking?

Anyway, Archie is considering how to ditch the shadow when suddenly he becomes angry at all the... well, all the crap that's happening with everyone. So he pulls a neat little end-around run and bashes the shadow on the head with the Chianti. It's Ty James, whose resemblence to James Bond is apparently not only physical.

So finally Archie gets in to see Stritar. Oh, and Anna Bathory. She has to translate. Well, not really. She starts out pretending to translate, but pretty soon she forgets. Archie realizes that Stritar is just a front, and she's the brains behind the operation. Archie makes his turncoat pitch, and Bathory instantly sees through the trick. She even says "Fui"! Archie realizes that Bathory knew Wolfe some time in the past, and knew him very well indeed. And now she hates his guts. In Wolfe's case, that's a lot of hate <g>.

Archie changes tack, appealing to Bathory's human nature, and asking her to set aside her feelings against Wolfe. She denies having any feelings against Wolfe, so of course Archie knows she does. She does drop a little tidbit: "We fought in the revolution together." Then she starts into a monologue about the bomb that is so spooky, I'm going to reproduce the entire thing here. You need to read it again:

"You know, Mr. Goodwin. These devices have been too long without use. Don't you think it is time for things to change? Time for a small pruning... so that the whole tree may live. No one knows what our newer devices would do in a populated area; it has simply been too long. Think of your precious New York. How would the new buildings survive, or would they? And what about your Central Park? Did you know it once had four million plants and trees? It doesn't have as many now, but how would they fare? Would the device even reach that far? And the World Trade Center, or the UN building. Would they even be damaged? How would the hospitals cope? No one knows. There are people who guess, who calculate, who measure, but no one really knows... No. No one knows at all..."

Archie is terrified. He sees that the only one who can stop Anna Bathory is Nero Wolfe. He vows to himself to do whatever it takes to help Wolfe. He even speculates about whether Anna is slowly poisoning Stritar. As he leaves, Bathory tells him that the bidding will be closed at 10:00 am the next morning. Period. Archie knows that, just as Wolfe said, there's no way he can win the auction. She's already determined that the bomb will go to the Iranians, in the hope that they will blow someone up.

DISCUSSION POINTS

Archie says, regarding the placement of Wolfe's bust: "There he was, on the right next to Khentkawes. It was the closest he had been to a woman in a long time, and it looked darn funny." Ancient Egyptian history can be murky at some points. The ancients didn't regard history as truth, or something that needed to be accurate. As political and social ideas shifted, history was often obliterated and rewritten. For instance, at one point it came to be considered unseemly that Egypt had sometimes been ruled by women, instead of men, and so histories of the female Pharaohs were revised.

Queen Khentkawes was a female Pharaoh. She ascended because there were no surviving male offspring in the royal line. Her reign is considered the last of the Fourth Dynasty. She was the mother of at least two Pharaohs of the Fifth Dynasty (Raneferef and Niuserre), and possibly also a third. She may have worn a fake, ceremonial beard in Court. I wonder if the bust in the Great Hall at Ras el-Tin has a beard? Anyway, I can't tell you why her bust would be on display in the Hall. I'm not aware of anything especially great being credited to her, any more than any of the other Pharohs of the time. Can anyone explain her presence in the display in the Great Hall of Ras el-Tin?

DIXON VS. STOUT

These four chapters give us an interesting perspective on the concept of "bad guy." In the beginning, we have Tayel, a man whose gut is filled with gritty bile, an abusive stepfather, and an official Egyptian government host who tries to kill one of his guests. In short, psychotic. At the end, we have, well, Anna Bathory. Kinda puts Tayel in a different light, doesn't it? In a paragraph he goes from monster to two-bit sideshow.

I said a couple discussions ago that we didn't have a murder yet, or even a crime. We still don't have a murder, or even a definite crime. But now we have something we didn't have then:

We have a villian.

Anna Bathory isn't a lawyer trying to cover up jury tampering. She isn't a son trying to accelerate his inheritance. She isn't a barber trying to conceal a car theft gone wrong. She's a *villian*! She terrifies even Archie. Tayel didn't terrify Archie, or even scare him the least little bit. But Anna Bathory does. Only Wolfe can take her on, as Archie realizes, and Archie's feud with Wolfe now seems petty.

I said in an earlier discussion that in NWAW "anything might be around the next corner." We've turned a corner and encountered something very significant. And evil. That's apparent right from Archie's very first talk with Anna in these chapters.

Since I first read NWAW, I've been thinking about how Anna relates to Zeck, and even to to Professor Moriaty. I'd like to inflict my thoughts on those of you who are following the GD discussion <g>, but I'm going to wait until the chapter-by-chapter discussion of NWAW is complete, and we see all there is to see regarding Anna Bathory.

FAVORITE QUOTES

Archie, knocking out Ty James:

>>I gave his skull a stiff uppercut with the bottle<<

...and, after delivering James to his hut...

>>...turned out his lights for the second time that night.<<

I just liked this phrase of Archie's -- I don't know why:

>>...there was a part of Wolfe's past that was taboo to even bring up, and I had the distinct feeling I had just stepped into it.<<

Like stepping into the Twilight Zone <g>.

Gregory Smith
Stories at: http:\\underdogishere.com\dixon

I was doing fine with this , until I got to the line :

" Why would a shadow with any brains be smoking ? "

For some reason that triggered a fit of ROFL ,

Thanks , I needed that , ( enjoyed other comments too )

Fearless Fred

Subject: GD - NWAW - Chapters 28 through 32

Date: Mon, 08 Jul 2002 23:15:11 +0000

SYNOPSIS

Archie goes to check on Ty James, only to find that James has awakened and feels up to bopping Archie as he enters. An hour ago we would have expected Archie to be sore about being bopped, but this is the new and improved Archie, on a mission to help Wolfe save the world. He and James (who is a spy, BTW, and has orders to kill kill kill if Wolfe loses the auction) exchange information: Archie tells James that Bathory is really calling the shots, and that she's determined that the bomb to go to the Iranians. James tells Archie that Bathory is descended from Hungarian royalty. (I had forgotten that little tidbit from my first reading of NWAW, but thanks to an earlier post from Walt Doherty, we know she's descended from particularly nasty Hungarian royalty.)

James also tells Archie that Takhti considers himself a "wheeler-dealer" and was involved in the Oliver North scandal, but that politically he's neutral. They know very little about Abbas, but fear he may be a religous extremist. James knows more, but that's all he'll tell Archie for now.

Archie calls on Wolfe in his hut, and Wolfe accepts his report. Archie brings him up to date on all that has happened that day, then asks about his past connection with Bathory. Wolfe opens the door to his past just a little (discussion below).

Archie rises early the next morning and posts a watch over the palace grounds. He sees what he's looking for: Bahar, in Western clothes and carrying a handbag, strolling away. Then he sees something he wasn't looking for: Takhti following Bahar. Then he sees something else he was looking for: A palace guard following Bahar/Takhti. It's a parade. What the heck, Archie joins in. He does more than join in: He waylays the guard and causes him to exit the parade. Then he meets up with Takhti. They have had a common interest: They both know Bahar has a secret way of leaving the palace, and they both want her to use it this morning, safely. By the way, Takhti saw Archie's altercation with Ty James the evening before, and even admires it. Takhti: "It's really too bad we are bidding against each other, Archie. I'm starting to like you."

Archie goes back to bed, only to be awakened by Carpenter, and he's in (let's guess) a *state*! The bidding is about to be closed, and "Wolfe is completely out of control. He's in that kitchen, eating chickens!" Yes, folks, he's in the kitchen, eating chickens. Archie realizes this is a full-blown relapse. He tells Carpenter to bid "Everything you've got" and gets dressed. What else can anyone do?

In the kitchen, he encounters Wolfe, returned to Middle Eastern garb, but yellow, now, instead of white. He's a goner. But Archie accepts this. When you're at the bottom of the barrel of hope, you eat the apples you've got. Or, as Archie says, "For all I knew, the part of Wolfe's brain that handles crises was off charging its batteries in the back room, and fresh chicken fat made good battery juice." Archie decides, "What Wolfe needed -- what I needed, was a little old-fashioned faith and loyalty -- at least this time around."

Good choice, Archie.

Archie is called to the office of Ahmed Tayel. Tayel wants to know, where is Bahar? Archie gets smart with him, and Tayel has Archie beaten up a little. His brother, Saad, walks in, and apparently does not approve of the third degree. It's either his ingrained sense humanity, or maybe Archie's diplomatic status. Ahmed leaves. Saad apologizes to Archie and asks that he and his "party" leave immediately.

Archie returns to his hut and receives treatment for his injuries. Carpenter knocks, in his usual dither: He made a "damn high" bid for the bomb, but Bathory said the Iranians had won. Archie just _has_ to get Wolfe to do something!!! (Carpenter deserves multiple exclamation marks. <g>) Archie decides that he has to try, and even has a plan. But first he has "an unpleasant personal chore to do." It's almost noon, and if he doesn't do it soon, it might be too late.

DISCUSSION POINTS

In connection with Anna Bathory, Wolfe mentions a little about his past: "That region, where the Christian world meets Moslem, has been an open sore of purulescence since the beginning. It attracts all kinds of vermin. Some are idealistic and naively try to right wrongs in the name of justice. I was such a person once. Some prey on the trust of the idealistic for their personal gain. Still others are there simply because they feed on the misery of man." Presumably this was before he worked for the secret police agencies of a couple different governments.

When Archie find Wolfe in the kitchen, he's so thoroughly in relapse that he barely recognizes Archie. In New York, this might not have been possible, but here Wolfe is immersed in another culture and land, which isn't alien to him. In New York, he can only distance himself so far -- the culture, the mores, even the language that everyone else is speaking, all create fences that he can't get over. But here, in Egypt, he can slip out of his American self and into one from his distant past. To Archie, he must seem very, very far away.

Ahmed Tayel having Archie beaten was pretty amazing. I mean, he had someone beat up just because he didn't know where his (adult) stepdaughter was? Worse, he had a foreigner beat up? Worse yet, a foreigner with diplomatic credentials? What's the U.S. government going to do when they find out? More to the point, what's the Egyptian government going to do when the U.S. government files a protest? How did Tayel think he could get away with this? Do the Mets have a chance at the Pennant this year? <g>

DIXON VS. STOUT

We're three-fifths of the way through a Wolfe story, we're really wrapped up in the story (if you're like me), and there hasn't been a murder yet! Who woulda thunk it?

FAVORITE QUOTES

Archie (harking back to Wolfe's comments about Bahar):

>>My head had bees buzzing in it, pulling the nectar of knowledge from the edges of my brain.<<

Gregory Smith
Stories at: http:\\underdogishere.com\dixon

Subject: GD - NWAW - Chapters 33 and 34

Date: Thu, 11 Jul 2002 00:47:31 +0000

SYNOPSIS

Finally, finally, finally we get our murder!

Archie's unpleasant personal chore is finished. He hears a crash in the Great Hall, but all the doors are locked. He goes to check the peephole, but finds Bahar already in the secret closet. She faints. Archie looks through the peephole, and sees why: The crash was Wolfe's bust falling from the shelf and shattering. Wolfe's head has been replaced by Ahmed Tayel's head. Except Tayel's isn't plaster. It's the real thing.

He deposits Bahar in the Library (without hearing what she has to say) and tells her to zip until he gets back. He jimmies the lock to the Great Hall and takes a look around. There's a lot of blood. Tayel has been beheaded with the Prophet's sword while he praying. Archie seems to want Bahar to cover for the killer -- Tayel was such a rat.

Back in the Library, Abbas shows up. He wants to know, where is Ahmed Tayel? Tayel sent for him, but the Great Hall is locked. Archie sends him packing, but not before he notices what might be blood stains on Abbas's robe.

Taking Bahar with him, Archie goes after Wolfe. In the kitchen, he pulls Wolfe out of his relapse, literally. Then he reports, quickly and succinctly. Wolfe starts the lip thing. Then he opens his eyes. I'll close with Archie's closing words:

And I caught something that made shivers go up my spine. There was a glint in his right eye.

I lived for that glint. It showed he had it, and that it was only a matter of time. That glint had never been wrong. Not once.

"Satisfactory." Wolfe said. He made a circle with his lips and whistled without sound.

DISCUSSION POINTS

This is a short posting, because the next chapter, "FIRST 35" needs an entire posting to itself.

DIXON VS. STOUT

The ending of these chapters is an adrenaline rush for any Wolfe fan: Wolfe has it. It's only a matter of time. He's never been wrong. Satisfactory. But what, exactly, does he have? What is only a matter of time? Solving Tayel's murder? Saving the world? Dixon does an excellent job of building not only suspense, but mysteriousness. I couldn't put it down.

FAVORITE QUOTES

Archie:

>>Of course, there was only one answer. There was always only one answer: Nero Wolfe.<<

Gregory Smith
Stories at: http:\\underdogishere.com\dixon

Your synopses and comments are terrific! I only wish I had time to read the books (I have read two of them, long ago) and participate in the discussion.

[But my 25th wedding anniversary is next week (also husband's birthday, since we got married on his birthday <grin>) and my "spare" time is going into preparing for a celebration: we're going to have a ceremony of renewal of our vows followed by a reception. Looks like we'll have about 100 guests.]

Anyway, I'm really enjoying your discussion leading.

--
May Hawthorne--SGW in Denver http://www.Belleview-College.org

Well, really now. Isn't it about time you got your priorities straight and put Wolfe first where he belongs? I mean you can ALWAYS celebrate an anniversary and/or a birthday!

Sheesh!

[Seriously: congrats!]

Walt

----- Original Message -----
From: "S.G. Wolfram" <mayhawthorne@AlmaTemple.org>
To: "Wolfe List" <wolfe-list@mirror.org>
Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2002 8:54 PM
Subject: Re: GD - NWAW - Chapters 33 and 34

> Your synopses and comments are terrific! I only wish I had time to read
> the books (I have read two of them, long ago) and participate in the
> discussion.
>
> [But my 25th wedding anniversary is next week (also husband's birthday,
> since we got married on his birthday <grin>) and my "spare" time is
> going into preparing for a celebration: we're going to have a ceremony
> of renewal of our vows followed by a reception. Looks like we'll have
> about 100 guests.]

Date: Sat, 13 Jul 2002 10:12:24 -0400

Subject: GD - NWAW - Chapter FIRST 35

I've _also_ always said that it's great for a story to have two chapter thirty-fives! <g> This is the discussion for the first. Seriously, this chapter is both long and pivotal, so there's lots to talk about.

SYNOPSIS

It's time for the big denouement. Yeah, I know the murder just happened last chapter (discussion below). And yeah, I know there's still a lot of book to go. I was thinking that as I read it for the first time: "If this is the big denouement, then why have have I got all this left to read?" But that's the way it is.

When it comes to murder, Wolfe is suddenly treading on familiar ground -- ground where he knows he has an edge over everyone else. He springs into action. (Picture that <g>.) He wants to know if Archie is with him 100%. Archie says yes. Wolfe asks him to set up the big denouement in the Library. Wolfe has specific instructions: Two rows of chairs facing the door to the Great Hall, with Tahkti, Abbas, Stritar, Bathory, Archie, and Carpenter in front. The Hitchcocks, Ty James, Harrington, and Bahar in the bleachers. (Saad Tayel, rather pointedly, is not invited.) Harrington is to arrive early to conceal her tools. Marian is to bring her "contraption" (computer). Oh, Archie, "And fetch my stick, too."

Fetch my stick?

Archie swings it. _All_ of it.

The denouement begins. This is unusual among denouements: It takes place in multiple languages. As in _The Black Mountain_, we're listening in, via Archie, on a conversation where Archie don't understand a lot of what's being said. (Why didn't Archie take that "Introduction to Farsi" course that was offered in his Junior High School back in Ohio in 1915-1920? <g>) We get a little translation, and have to do a lot of inference. Wolfe questions Abbas (we assume in Farsi), and determines that he is a high-ranking sayed (descendent of the Prophet), and that he feels that "his position and influence" extends beyond Iran, to the whole world of Islam, including Egypt.

Bathory is on edge, figuring that Wolfe is trying to undermine the bomb deal (like, DUH!), and demands that the Iranians leave with her immediately. Wolfe stymies her by dramatically revealing that Ahmed Tayel has been murdered, and throwing open the doors to the Great Hall, for all to see.

A desperate Bathory tells the Iranians that they must leave *now* or the deal is off. Tahkti starts to comply. Archie blocks the exit door. Tahkti explains that he can get by Archie without hurting him too much. Then Bahar intervenes (in Farsi) on Archie's behalf. Tahkti takes Bahar's side: "We will stay until this matter is settled." Bathory is incensed, but perhaps the fact that Tahkti knows she has no other options/bidders undercuts her threats.

Saad Tayel arrives. Wolfe breaks the news. Saad is truly grieved.

Wolfe resumes with Abbas: Abbas does not approve of the current secular government in Egypt, and considers himself rightfully entitled to rule Egypt, as he is a sayed. Saad Tayel joins the audience, and Wolfe questions him regarding his name: Tayel. Wolfe establishes that it was once Takel, and that Saad and Ahmed were descended from Mameluke princes who escaped the massacre in 1811. The Mamelukes may have been planning revenge, and Ahmed was considered by some to be the next leader of the Mamelukes. Wolfe tries to pit Abbas against Tayel: Both may want to replace the current government with one they consider to be rightfully theirs -- but not the other's.

Wolfe suddenly asks Archie to identify the passage in the Koran, on the stand near the door, that Ahmed Tayel was reading the day before. Archie gets the secret message that Wolfe wants him posted near the light switch.

Wolfe resumes pitting Tayel against Abbas, eventually goading Abbas into insulting Tayel, and Tayel into pulling his gun. Archie figures this is the moment for lights out. When the lights come back on, Tahkti has Tayel in a wrestling hold, and Abbas has been knocked to the floor. But when the tempers are somewhat calmed, no one has been seriously hurt. Tayel has Abbas escorted away, apparently as the prime suspect in his brother's murder, and seals the Great Hall, presumeably to preserve the evidence for the investigation. He exits, leaving the others in the Library under guard.

Tahkti now makes a startling announcement: "...in light of the comment my friend made, I think it may still be a little too soon for our country to have that... item. We still have some growing to do, I think. My country therefore withdraws its bid." Bathory says the Iranians can't. Tahkti says, in essense, Sue me. And, in parting (to Bathory): "Goodbye. I do not wish you luck because I don't like you." This is a guy who tells it like it is! In the same vein, he thanks Wolfe for revealing Abbas's agenda, and tells Bahar that Archie can be trusted. He then leaves to untangle Abbas from the predicament that Wolfe has placed him in. Oh, wasn't there a guard at the door? Takhti disposes of him on the way out. His final words:

"That was a favor for you, Mr. Wolfe, and I will do what I can to delay the authorities from coming here. I do wish you good luck. What a game you play! You have lived beyond your reputation...."

I seems that Wolfe has saved the world after all.

DISCUSSION POINTS

In the previous chapter, we _finally_ got our murder. In this chapter, we get the big denouement. Say what? This is the fastest Wolfe has ever gone from murder to denouement. I think the only way to make it happen quicker would be for the murder to take place _during_ the denouement. Hmmm. <g>

Just a small thing, but even at this point, Wolfe refers to his opponents (when asking Archie to make sure Marian Hitchcock has her computer) as "Mr. Stritar and his wife." Not Anna Bathory (whom he knows is his real opponent), but "Mr. Stritar and his wife." Early in the chapter, Wolfe tells Archie, "And fetch my stick, too." He clearly has the whole thing planned, from the beginning right through to the very end (which we didn't get to in this chapter). Very different from some denouements, where Wolfe has to feel his way, not knowing where things might be leading.

Wolfe tells Archie, "If all means to propel them [Stritar and Bathory] fail, mention the name Tarkolo. That will bring them." And Tarkolo is... "Just a name. An inconsequential label given to a family who once lived. It should mean nothing, but it will bring her. Don't use it unless you have to." Cool. What's with this Tarkolo? It must be some secret that Bathory does not want revealed, or possibly some secret of Wolfe's that she doesn't know, but wants to. It couldn't be something simple, like, you know, a genocidal massacre. That would bother Bathory. It would either have to be something important that could get her in serious trouble, or something that was close to her personally and emotionally. NWAW has lots of little tidbits that are interesting sources of speculation. Personally, I think Tarkolo is a secret of Wolfe's that Bathory wants to know.

In throwing open the doors of the Great Hall, Wolfe uses the horror and immediacy of murder to divert attention from the larger, but more distant issue of the bomb and the negotiations (which issue Bathory is trying to raise at that moment). Wolfe understands that a personal issue of lesser importance can mean more than an impersonal issue of larger importance. It's actually a throw-away card for Wolfe -- he can only use it this once -- but he plays it at the right moment to trump Bathory to bring everyone back to the denouement. This denouement is Wolfe's masterpiece, IMHO.

"Abbas said a single word. It sounded like 'ghenz' and Tayel reeled back as if he had been struck by lightning. Then he went for his gun." Wow! That was some word. Can anyone enlighten us as to what 'ghenz' means in English, and why it would cause Saad Tayel to try to shoot a foreign diplomat? (And considering what Ahmed did to Archie, is there no respect for diplomatic status among these people? <g>)

DIXON VS. STOUT

One thing about Wolfe's devotion to the language (e.g., imply vs. infer) is that it especially grates when he makes a mistake: "Pfui. Tell that man to show constraint." Need a good copy editor <g>.

On a much bigger note, Dixon expects his readers to bring quite a lot of knowledge to the table in this story, including something about the current government in Iran. I'm sure most of us know this, but to recap the high points: Iran is ruled by a government that's to some degree schizophrenic. On the one hand, autocratic clergy control the judiciary and, to some extent, the military. They're conservative, Islamic, and anti-West. On the other hand, a democratically elected government controls what we (in the U.S.) would call the executive and legislative branches (including the diplomatic corps) and is more secular and open to relations with the West. There's a constant struggle/balance between the two.

In NWAW, Iran has sent a two-person delegation to the auction. Abbas represents the autocratic clergy, while Takhti has been sent by the elected government, and is probably a member of the diplomatic corps. As such, Takhti speaks for the official Iranian government, and is the one who would sign the check to pay for the bomb. Abbas is along to watch and make sure Takhti "toes the line." Their interests aren't necessarily the same, though for some reason they do seem to be friends. At least, Tahkti says they are.

What Wolfe manages to do is this chapter is lever these two halves of the Iranian government apart. Tahkti just wants a saber to rattle. (And just in the last couple months we've had a example of how valuable such sable-rattling can be: India and Pakistan almost went to war, and the entire world coddled and cajoled them. If they hadn't been nuclear powers, they may have been left to simply fight it out between themselves.) Takhti realizes that Abbas represents a faction in his government that is ready and willing to use the bomb, consequences be damned (or ordained by Allah), and so he takes a step that embodies the great spirit, courage, and humanity of his famous father: He withdraws. Iran will not have its saber. Not yet.

One final comment in this over-long posting (sorry): I noticed that the "good" Iranian is a real person (Tahkti is supposed to be the son of the great wrestler, but let's not kid ourselves -- Dixon meant for him to *be* the great wrestler), while the "bad" Iranian is anonymous -- even British Intelligence knows nothing about him. Is Dixon trying to say the noble Iranians are real, while the bad influences are vague and shadowy? Or am I trying to read too much into it.

FAVORITE QUOTES

Wolfe:

>>"When it comes to dealing with death though, we are the experts. We now tread familiar, albeit macabre, ground."<<

Archie:

>>The problem was the others: to trick them into going for Wolfe's trick without suspecting a trick would be a trick.<<

Reza Tahkti:

>>"My dear friend Mr. Abbas does not like it, but God is apparently against him today"<<

(There's so much that could be said regarding this line, that I will say nothing.)

Archie (regarding the Koran in Arabic):

>>I could no more read that book than cross Broadway against the light.<<

Gregory Smith
Stories at: http:\\underdogishere.com\dixon

Is Dixon trying to say the noble Iranians are real, while the bad influences are vague and shadowy? Or am I trying to read too much into it.

That's one of the indicators of good writing, that it is open is several interpretations.

--WD

Date: Sun, 14 Jul 2002 21:05:00 -0400

Subject: GD - NWAW - Chapters SECOND 35 through 39

SYNOPSIS

Bathory has no choice but to accept Wolfe's bid. But now Wolfe is holding most of the cards, and he's ready to play hardball (sorry for the mixed metaphor <g>). She wants $220,000,000. He insists that his final bid was $1.00. They settle on $90,000,000, which is still a pretty piece of change. But, in order to consummate the deal, they have to escape from Ras el-Tin. Wolfe asks Bahar to show them the secret passage. Yes, Wolfe has correctly surmised that Bahar was going to show Archie a secret passage when they stumbled on Ahmed Tayel the day before.

Soon they're in the open, and Bathory is phoning for their ride. Wolfe leaves Carpenter behind to fight a delaying action (not literally <g>). Harrington is placed under Wolfe's command. Wolfe sends Ty James and the elder Hitchcock to calm the Israelis, and also to arrange an exit for those remaining behind. Except... not for Wolfe. "I doubt I will be with them.... My destiny lies elsewhere." He's really got plans!

They leave the palace grounds through the secret door that Bahar had been using on her flings. As Bahar leaves them, to lay low in the city, she calls Wolfe "Uncle Nero" and gives him a kiss on the cheek. Archie says "He took it all right."

Everyone who's left piles into the car that Bathory has summoned. Surprise! "Who's left" does not include Stritar. He's bolted, scrammed, "run for his life," as Archie says. The car takes the rest of them out of the city, into the desert, to the truck containing the bomb. The bomb has been retrofitted with an infrared trigger, and can be detonated with a TV remote. A little Post-it note says "armed" in Russian.

It's time to transfer the money. Marian fires up her laptop. One of Bathory's henchmen tries to fire up his, but has technical problems. Bathory pulls a revolver, and then threatens to set off the bomb. She's really a lunatic. Marian has a great line here:

"So this is the way the world ends; not with a whimper, but a glitch."

Gee, wouldn't that make a great title for a story? <g>

Finally, Bathory and her henchman accept Marian's help, and he gets connected. They transfer the first $10,000,000 of the $90,000,000. But now Bathory tries to insist on the full $220,000,000. She and Wolfe argue. The name Tarkolo comes up, and Bathory tries to shoot Wolfe. Archie uses Marian's computer to knock the gun from Bathory's hand, and he comes up with the piece. But Marian's computer is toast. No more money will be transferred. Boo hoo.

Wolfe is now holding _all_ the cards. He has Harrington disarm the bomb. He tells Bathory to leave. She argues bitterly for more money; Wolfe tells her she's lucky to still have her life. She finally leaves with these words: "I will go, but you have not heard the last of me, Nero Wolfe. No, my dear Nero, you have not heard the last! You said you would hunt me, but I will be the hunter!"

Harrington reveals that she's summoned the Marines. Wolfe is not happy. It's time to get the truck on the road.

DISCUSSION POINTS

In the last discussion, I asked for a translation of the word Abbas used: "Ghenz." I had forgotton that in these chapters Bahar provides one:

"Unbeliever, blasphemer, coward, um. . ."
"It doesn't translate well?"
"No."
Of course not.

Wolfe translates the note on the bomb for Archie. Since when can Wolfe read Russian? Just in NWAW, he speaks or reads Farsi, Arabic, Greek, Serbian, and English. And now Russian? What other languages does he speak in the corpus? Since he once worked for the Austrians, I would think he would know German. Doesn't he show a knowledge of Hindi in one of the stories? I'm sure the subject of Montenegrin has come up on this list. I wonder how many of the South Slavic languages Wolfe would say he actually "speaks," since I've been told that speakers of Serbian, Croatian, Montenegrin, Bosnian, Macedonian, and Bulgarian can all communicate to some degree.

DIXON VS. STOUT

I've said a couple times in these discussions that I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer -- more of a Fred than a Saul, is the way I've put it. I have to confess that in all the Stout stories I've never once figured out whodunnit. I've had suspicions, and sometimes my suspicions have been right, but I've never known for dead certain, the way Wolfe does. And the same was true of the first two Dixon stories.

But not this one. I'm sorry, Mr. Dixon, but by the end of the second chapter 35, I knew who did it. For sure. The mystery just wasn't very mysterious. But does it matter? The story is about Wolfe, Bathory, and the bomb. It's about saving the world. Mystery? Who needs one! <g>

FAVORITE QUOTES

Archie, as Wolfe is descending into the secret passage:

>>I held the penlight in my mouth so I could have me hands free to catch him if he fell; a sort of death-wish.<<

Wolfe:

>>"Man is never as vile as when he is accoutered by his God."<<

Archie:

>>I had marvelous company: A genius, a despot, a sick man, and two lovely ladies.<<

Gregory Smith
Stories at: http:\\underdogishere.com\dixon

> "So this is the way the world ends; not with a whimper, but a glitch."
>

Oh, I don't know "Bur a Glitch" sounds silly for a title.

Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2002 20:49:07 -0400

Subject: GD - NWAW - Chapters 40 and 41

SYNOPSIS

Wolfe says, "Confound it, we don't have time...." We don't? Why not? What's the big rush? Anyway, Harrington hotwires the truck's ignition. Handy girl to have around. Marian turns out to be just as handy: She's memorized maps of the area, and can guide them by back roads to Cairo. Archie drives, under Marian's direction, while Harrington, in back, dismantles the bomb.

Arriving in Cairo after nightfall, they're met by Farshad Mokhtarian, caretaker of Wolfe's Egyptian house. He's apparently not Egyptian, though -- Archie recognizes that he and Wolfe are speaking Farsi. He leads them to Wolfe's house. After a meal and a tour, they leave in Mokhtarian's car, though Harrington insists on staying behind (against Wolfe's insistence and order). So "they" is now down to Marian, Wolfe, and Archie.

They arrange a rendezvous with General Carter (AKA the baboon) and his "courageous band." Wolfe reveals the reason they've concealed the bomb from the Americans: He's holding it hostage, in return for a fast ticket to New York. "I want to eat my cook's food, and drink beer. I want to see my orchids, and sleep in my own bed." Carter is furious, but there's nothing he can do. Wolfe has the bomb, and that's trump. They leave for Tel Aviv in the Marines' helicopter.

I'll end with Archie's closing words, because I was thinking *exactly* the same thing:

But it sure seemed cheeky of him to go to all the trouble and delay of hiding that bomb just to make sure he got home in time for dinner.

DISCUSSION POINTS

Archie says that "Nothing is kosher in Egypt." While that may be literally true (or not -- what do I know? <g>), Islam does have a dietary law of its own -- I think it's called halal. So, instead of wondering if it's kosher to eat in the street, Archie can wonder if it's halal <g>.

DIXON VS. STOUT

Wolfe's house in Egypt: This is one of those things that's mentioned repeatedly, but never in detail, so all of us have our own mental picture. Mr. Dixon is treading on dangerous ground to actually give it form <g>. His house in Egypt is certainly very different from the one I had pictured. It has a great view, but, other than that, doesn't appear to be anything special. It's not terribly large, it's in the middle of the city, off a narrow street, and there aren't many options for growing orchids. I had pictured something bigger, and more rural, with grounds, maybe overlooking the Mediterranean or the Nile. Certainly large. How do the rest of you picture Wolfe's house in Egypt? Oh, and Dixon has this to say: "...the yard, though not lush with vegetation, had some nice palm and date trees, and other decorative fauna." Fauna? Really! What kinds of animals run around inside the white brick walls?

Before the rendezvous with Carter, when they need to conceal the source of their car, we find that Marian carries a screwdriver set in her purse. Nice touch!

So where do things stand now? Wolfe has the bomb, which was the goal. Bathory has fled. Good triumphed, evil was foiled, end of story. But if that's the end of the story, then what are all these pages I still have left to read? What's going on here? Mr. Dixon, are you just going to bore us to tears with the piddling details of Wolfe's return to New York?

Uh... no.

FAVORITE QUOTES

It's a long one, but Archie's decription of the desert:

>>The desert sunset is beautiful with its red hues reflecting off the sand, and the scruffy little plants, far and few between, struggling for survival in the sand, and the highway, wending it's way through the sand. And the sand, too.<<

First Carter, then Wolfe:

>>"So you're going to leave us in the desert here to rot?"

"Pfui. Carcasses don't rot in this desert. They are eaten by vultures and bleached by the sun."<<

I feel so much better! <g>

Gregory Smith
Stories at: http:\\underdogishere.com\dixon

Subject: GD - NWAW - Chapters 42 and 43

SYNOPSIS

Our heroes arrive in Tel Aviv, pick up Geoffrey Hitchcock, and start their flight back to New York. (They're on the same "executive jet," with the amazing range, that carried them to Egypt in the first place.) Marian suggests that they land in London and catch the Concorde, so Wolfe can get home even faster.

It's dawn in London. At Heathrow, our heroes run into a snag: The Egyptians have asked the British to detain them for questioning in the death of Ahmed Tayel. Geoffrey pulls a fast one that allows Marian, Wolfe, and Archie to get away to their flight. Fifteen minutes later they're on their way to America. They have the Concorde mostly to themselves.

Marian arranges for her father to follow on the next flight. Meanwhile, Archie is more and more irritated at Wolfe for going through all this just to be "home in time for Sunday brunch." "Bah," says Wolfe, and he explains: He expected to die in Egypt. "When last I left that woman years ago, it was under circumstances that left no doubt that if we ever encountered each other again, one or the other of us would not survive." So why has he survived? There can be only one explanation, and Wolfe drops the other shoe:

Bathory has a second bomb. And she's going to set it off in New York.

Archie instantly knows that he's right (as do we). They can't bring in the military or police, for fear of tipping Bathory and precipitating the detonation. It's up to our heroes to save the world. Or at least lower Manhattan. Wolfe surmises that a tall building will be used. Archie recalls Bathory's words: Lessee... Central Park, United Nations, and throw in Wolfe's house.... He does some quick triangulation, and comes up with it: The Empire State Building.

Archie realizes how ratty he's been treating Wolfe, and does an about-face. Besides, he's on an adrenalin rush: "...if Wolfe had told me to hijack the plane and land us on the top of that building I probably would have only paused long enough to ask which floor." Wolfe calls Saul, and communicates to him in code that he's to get Fred and Steve Wyatt and start searching the Empire State Building for an atom bomb.

DISCUSSION POINTS

Wolfe asks Marian to book "first class" seats on the Concorde. Aren't all the seats on the Concorde first class? And I thought the meals served on the Concorde were supposed to be pretty good, too.

DIXON VS. STOUT

The whole code thing with Saul was pretty clever. The message itself was implausible -- I mean, he expects Saul to wake up early on a Sunday morning and believe, out of the blue, that a nuclear bomb is being planted in the Empire State Building, and he has to find it? It might be a tough sell even if he received the message in clear, but to get the message -- and believe it -- in _code_ required a stroke of genius: A code that would at the same time be opaque and completely transparent. Dixon did it.

_Way_ back in my introduction to the NWAW discussion, I talked about a "September 11th moment." This was it. A terorist attack on a tall building in New York -- it almost seemed too real. As I said then, even I had a attack of the creeps when I read it for the first time.

And Archie isn't the only one on an adrenalin rush: At this point my heart was racing about as fast as the Concorde.

FAVORITE QUOTES

Wolfe's reaction to "airplane food":

>>"Confound it, tell that woman to bring more. Is this not a French vessel?"<<

Archie's description of Wolfe in his yellow robes:

>>"A lemon. Too big, too yellow, and too sour."<<

Archie, to Saul's answering service:

>>"Yeah. I like to cry Wolfe."<<

Gregory Smith
Stories at: http:\\underdogishere.com\dixon

Subject: GD - NWAW - Chapter 44

SYNOPSIS

It's dawn -- again -- as they land at Kennedy. Isn't supersonic flight wonderful? However, Wolfe is taken aside by Customs. He goes without a fuss, telling Marian and Archie to hurry on. The arrive at the loading dock of the Empire State Building. Sauls awaits. He has dirty janitorial clothes for them, and weapons: Archie gets a quaint snub-nosed .38, and Marian's, being smaller, is probably a .32.

Fred and Steve are inside, searching from the top floors down. Archie figures they've got the top of the building covered, and if it's not near the top, then it hasn't arrived yet, so they watch the loading dock.

At 8:20 am the bomb arrives, disguised as a planter full of orchids. (Bathory has a deliciously evil sense of humor.) There are three delivery men. They take the freight elevator. Our heroes shadow them in the passenger elevator.

At the 72nd floor, the delivery men have to switch to the passenger elevator, so our heroes join them. Archie recognizes Peter Zov, Marco Vukcic's killer from _The Black Mountain_. Knowing Zov will also recognize him, he ducks behind the others. They all ride together with the bomb to the observation deck. The doors open on the observation deck to reveal...

...Nero Wolfe.

Everything happens quickly: Zov recognizes Wolfe. Our heroes draw and Marian fires, hitting Zov in the leg, but Zov still clicks the remote to detonate the bomb. Only it doesn't. Saul kicks away the remote and in a few seconds the bad guys are under control. "Obviously," says Archie, "the bomb had been a dud." Yeah, right.

DISCUSSION POINTS

At the loading dock of the Empire State Building, Saul is "hanging out across the street in front of Wong's Chinese deli." Is there a Wong's Chinese Deli there?

I loved this line: "Hitchcock mussed her hair so I did too, a little." Only a little, Archie, only a little -- can't ruin those handsome good looks! <g>

Archie's regard for Fred and Steve, as they search the building: "I thought they were all marvelous to be doing this when they could have taken their loved ones and been in Connecticut by now." I hope they at least _sent_ their loved ones to Connecticut.

But for September 11th, this point would have probably passed me by, but since that day many of us have thought about what motivates a man to give up his life in committing a terrorist act. For the September 11th terrorists, it was religion. For the suicide bombers in the Mideast, it's hatred of their people's enemy. But why, in NWAW, did Peter Zov try to detonate the bomb? It would have cost him his life. What could have motivated him? Not religion. Even if he isn't a Communist/atheist, his part of the world doesn't produce religious fanatics. Not love of country. He comes from a land which is tortured, but by its own people, not by the U.S. What, then? Devotion to Anna Bathory? _She_ would die for her cause, but I don't think she could motivate others to commit suicide just on her say-so. A simple desire to create mayhem? Zov doesn't strike me as the anarchist type. In TBM he was just a hired gun. Hired guns aren't suicidal fanatics. I don't understand it.

DIXON VS. STOUT

The bomb is hidden in a planter of orchids -- Archie identifies them as doritaenopsis. But doritaenopsis would not be planted in dirt. And, although Archie calls is a "common" doritaenopsis, there's nothing common about doritaenopsis. In fact, it's a fairly unusual genus, especially compared to it's very common cousin, phalaenopsis, which our bombers could have found in any Walmart or home improvement store. Phalaenopsis and doritaenopsis look a lot alike, too -- Archie would have to have a sharp eye to tell them apart at a distance. Click below to see a picture of a single but very striking doritis flower:

http://underdogishere.com/dixon/doritis.jpg

FAVORITE QUOTES

Saul:

>>"Quiet as a Quaker in Harlem."<<

Gregory Smith
Stories at: http:\\underdogishere.com\dixon

Date: Thu, 18 Jul 2002 21:27:45 -0400

Subject: GD - NWAW - Chapters 45, 46, and 47

SYNOPSIS

Wolfe points out to Archie, "That's Peter Zov. He's been shot in the leg." Like, Nero, does the word "duh" mean anything to you? <g>

Archie deactivates the bomb (following Harrington's example). Within minutes, Army troops are rappelling from a helicopter to the observation deck. They're commanded by a Lieutenant Ross, and Carpenter has placed them at Wolfe's disposal. It turns out that Wolfe had apprised Carpenter from Kennedy, and Carpenter sent in the cavalry.

Wolfe has Archie call Fritz. Mystical Fritz knows as soon as he hears Archie's voice that Archie has brought Wolfe home. Fritz has already been preparing luncheon: Saucisse minuit, the very recipe that Wolfe was after in _Too Many Cooks_. He and Wolfe discuss the menu. "And Fritz, large portions, please. I have an appetite!"

Wolfe is ready to leave. The Lieutenant tries to "arrange transport," but the streets are clogged with emergency vehicles (since Septemeber 11th, we can all picture that!). Wolfe asks Archie how far it is to the brownstone. Archie converts the four-and-one-half blocks into something Wolfe can understand: "Thirty five trips to the dining room and back." Wolfe: "We shall walk."

Wolfe insists on a military escort. When they get to the lobby, they find Cramer waiting. Cramer is furious and tries to arrest Wolfe (the little matter of the deaths of Garre and Orr, not to mention jailbreaking), but the Army has different idea, not to mention superior firepower. Cramer sends Stebbins with Wolfe, to protect the good muggers and drug pushers of the city of New York. "Let him have his parade," he says.

Yes, lets!

DISCUSSION POINTS

When Marian offers to deactivate the bomb, Wolfe says, "No, Miss Hitchcock. Mr. Goodwin will do it. After all, that is what I pay him to do." And Archie does it. Wolfe is once again the employer, and Archie his employee. When I read this line, I felt as though balance had been restored to West 35th.

The rest of the menu for luncheon that day: _Croustillants de pomme de terre_ is cheddar-encrusted potatoes, and sounds suspiciously like a fancier version of the scalloped potatoes that my mother used to make <g>. _La gelée de citron aux carrottes rappées_ are (I think) carrots in a jellied lemon sauce. _La salade de pâtes au thon_ is easier: Tuna pate salad. I assume Fritz will be doing more than opening a can of tuna and whipping it with mayonnaise <g>.

When Cramer tries to arrest Wolfe, Lieutenant Ross tells him that Wolfe is under the protection of the Army. This is really a nit, but I'm pretty sure than within the territory of the U.S., not on a military reservation, and not under a state of emergency, the police would have rank over the Army.

DIXON VS. STOUT

If the previous chapter created an adrenalin rush, then in these chapters the mood transforms almost to delirious. After this roller coaster ride, we believe that almost anything might be possible. The Hudson might run red, yellow, and green with Jello! Candy canes might fall from the sky! Heck, Wolfe might walk home! <g>

FAVORITE QUOTES

Archie, when the bomb expert asks why Harrington trained him, a civilian:

>>I told him, with a mysterious look, that I was not the mild-mannered man I appeared to be.<<

Archie, when Wolfe asks him how far it is from the Empire State Building to the brownstone:

>>How many cliffs would he have to scale? How many haystacks would he have to sleep in?<<

Archie (again), describing Wolfe to Cramer:

>>"He's in sheik's clothing."<<

Gregory Smith
Stories at: http:\\underdogishere.com\dixon

Gregory Smith wrote:
>
> The rest of the menu for luncheon that day: _Croustillants de pomme de terre_ is cheddar-encrusted potatoes, and sounds
suspiciously like a fancier version of the
> scalloped potatoes that my mother used to make <g>. _La gelée de citron aux carrottes rappées_ are (I think) carrots
in a jellied lemon sauce. _La salade de pâtes au
> thon_ is easier: Tuna pate salad. I assume Fritz will be doing more than opening a can of tuna and whipping it with
mayonnaise <g>.

Actually, I thought this a very nice comparison to Archie's earlier demand for hot dogs. Wolfe and Fritz might put fancy names on it, but it's still just cheese fries, tuna salad, and jello.

I've been distracted by computer woes and haven't been around for much of the discussion of NWAW, but now that I've made Microsoft do my bidding, I'd just like to thank you for all the work you've done prepping these notes -- most satisfactory. After I've had a chance to read through all of the notes, I may come back with some more comments.

I've enjoyed reading all three of the Dixon stories and wish there were more. I really do think he has captured the tone and style of Stout and I'm glad this list introduced me to them. Thanks to whoever made the original suggestion.

--
Lovin' Babe! aka Jessie Strader
entwold@att.net
"I read it because it was a book."

Date: Sat, 20 Jul 2002 09:07:06 -0400

Subject: GD - NWAW - Chapters 48 and 49

SYNOPSIS

*Way* back in Chapter 1, Cramer said, "Wolfe has to stop parading around like he owns this town," and Archie answered, "Wolfe parading. I'd love to see that. He hates to walk from the office to the dining room."

Now Wolfe gets his parade. Any why not? He deserves it. He's saved the world. Twice.

It Begins with our heroes: Wolfe, in his yellow robes; Archie; the Hitchcocks; and the three 'teers; escorted of course by an Army detachment and the redoubtable Stebbins. Some politicians fall in behind. The police clear the streets ahead of them.

On the way, Marian tells Archie that she saw him move the Post-it note to cover the infrared receiver on the bomb -- that's why it didn't go off when Zov clicked the remote. So Archie had a part in saving the world, too. And Marian has a confession: When she was fiddling with Bathory's henchman's computer, she "inadvertently" changed it to denominate in cents, not dollars. And then, amazingly, she made the same mistake on her computer. So Bathory didn't get ten million dollars. She got ten million cents. Only a hundred grand. Boo hoo.

And then the Mayor arrives, in a black limo (in _No Body_, Archie identifies the current Mayor as Giuliani), and the parade really gets going. Wolfe is triumphant. The police set up barricades. In the delirium, Archie invites Marian to stay for a few days, so he can show her the town. She's made a date with Ty James, but agrees to put him off. "But I warn you, you shan't take any liberties with me, Goodwin."

Police cars and fire engines join the parade. It's a glorious day in New York.

When they reach the brownstone, reporters have gathered behind the barricades. Fritz and Theodore await on the stoop, dressed in what Archie calls their "Sunday best." (And I'll bet Fritz has some pretty sharp outfits.) Wolfe has his picture taken with the Mayor. Or maybe its the Mayor who has his taken with Wolfe <g>. Then our heroes go inside.

"Wolfe and I were the last to enter, and we were home."

THE END

...Well... not quite.

DISCUSSION POINTS

This must seem to Wolfehounds as one of the unlikeliest events that could possibly feature our fat hero. If, at the start of the story, someone told you Wolfe would be leading a parade through Manhattan, wearing bright yellow Arab robes, you'd have said, "Say what?" But it happens... and it fits. In NWAW, Wolfe isn't solving (however brilliantly) the murder of some wayward lawyer or flitting socialite. He's playing a high stakes game of international brinkmanship. And he pulls it off. With Wolfe panache. Twice. This isn't out of Wolfe's character, or in conflict with the corpus (Stout himself had Wolfe ready to enlist in the Army during World War II). And, more important, it's consistent with Wolfe's distant past, before he became the famous fat detective of Manhattan. We know that in his pre-corpus past he fought for causes, served in the secret services of several countries, and earned the indebtedness of some in power in foreign governments. It's *this* Wolfe that has come back to us in NWAW. And Dixon has evoked this with his references to _The Black Mountain_ -- the Stout story that reveals the most about Wolfe's past.

Wolfe was called upon to do amazing things in this story. He did them. He _knows_ he did them. And face it, modesty is not a Wolfe trait. Wolfehounds, this parade is classic Nero, through and through.

DIXON VS. STOUT

Archie says, "As I looked over the crowd, an old gent with a scraggly white beard caught my eye. He grinned and gave me the universal New Yorker gesture of friendliness with his middle finger." I was struck by an impression that this is an actual person that Mr. Dixon knows. How about it, Mr. Dixon?

This is "the end" of the novel, but there's a rather long epilogue, so they'll be one more posting.

FAVORITE QUOTES

Archie:

>>Wolfe described the marvelous equestrian trails in Central Park, and gestured in that direction with his cane, which I thought was odd as he had never even seen them. <<

Archie, when Marian asks if he is a New Yorker:

>>I was actually born and bred in Ohio, but this was no time for equivocation. "Yep. Dyed in the wool, true blue, through and through."<<

Archie winding up his description of the parade:

>>"But wait a minute," You say. "This isn't a real parade. Where are the floats?" All I can say is you didn't see Wolfe, floating along gracefully with his cane and orchids in that gay-as-spring yellow outfit. And giant balloons? You didn't see his head.<<

Gregory Smith
Stories at: http:\\underdogishere.com\dixon

Wppuldn't be interesting if A&E filmed this!

:-)

----- Original Message -----
From: <beaglewriter@att.net>
To: <wolfe-list@mirror.org>
Sent: Saturday, July 20, 2002 6:34 AM
Subject: GD - NWAW - Chapters 48 and 49

> SYNOPSIS
>
> *Way* back in Chapter 1, Cramer said, "Wolfe has to stop
> parading around like he owns this town," and Archie
> answered, "Wolfe parading. I'd love to see that. He
> hates to walk from the office to the dining room."
>

> Archie says, "As I looked over the crowd, an old gent with a scraggly
white beard caught my eye. He grinned and gave me the universal New Yorker
gesture of
> friendliness with his middle finger." I was struck by an impression that
this is an actual person that Mr. Dixon knows. How about it, Mr. Dixon?

I thought that was meant to be Rex Stout!

Sauce Printemps

Me, too! :-)

----- Original Message -----
From: "Andrew Sackett" <andrew.sackett@yale.edu>
To: "Wolfe List" <wolfe-list@mirror.org>
Sent: Saturday, July 20, 2002 1:42 PM
Subject: Re: GD - NWAW - Chapters 48 and 49

> > Archie says, "As I looked over the crowd, an old gent with a scraggly
> white beard caught my eye. He grinned and gave me the universal New
Yorker
> gesture of
> > friendliness with his middle finger." I was struck by an impression
that
> this is an actual person that Mr. Dixon knows. How about it, Mr. Dixon?
>
> I thought that was meant to be Rex Stout!
>
> Sauce Printemps

7/20/02 3:57:45 PM, "Walt Doherty" <wdoherty5@cox.net> wrote:

>Wppuldn't be interesting if A&E filmed this!
>

Way, _way_ back, at the start of the _Not With a Whimper_ discussion, I mentioned that Dixon's stories seemed more visual and "cinematic" than Stout's, and I wondered if it was because our generation, having been raised with television and film, thinks and writes more cinematically. The ending of NWAW is a perfect example.

Gregory Smith

Date: Sat, 20 Jul 2002 18:38:48 -0400

Subject: GD - NWAW - Epilogue

SYNOPSIS

After lunch, the 'teers depart. Wolfe, Archie, and the Hitchcocks head up to see the orchids -- Wolfe, of course, in the elevator. But when they get to the roof, the elevator doors get stuck. Wolfe is trapped. He wants Archie to summon the Jaws of Life, but instead Archie just calls the elevator repair dudes. Then _he_ does the honors with the Hitchcocks and the orchids. Marian like the Cattelyas -- beginners always do; I honestly thought her tastes would be more refined.

The elevator repairmen can't open the doors, either. They tell Archie to call for the Jaws of Life, "which brought a hmph from inside the box." Archie arranges for the elevator to be repaired, while the firemen spring the fat one.

Next morning, Archie calls on Nathaniel Parker and gets him to execute the transfer of the brownstone to Archie -- the transfer Wolfe had instructed when he left for Egypt. Archie then returns the brownstone to Wolfe, but under a title lien.

Remember way back, just before Archie found Ahmed Tayel's body, he had had an "errand" to take care of? We find out that he called Lily Rowan to break their dancing date for Saturday night. Archie calls on Lily now to get tickets so he can take Marian on the town. Archie, Marian, and company breeze through the week. With Lily watching. The warrant for Wolfe's arrest is quietly quashed. And, while upstairs with the orchids, Wolfe misses a call from the President (who would have been Clinton, in '95). William Jefferson asks that Wolfe call back.

Wolfe clears up any remaining questions regarding that pesky little incident of... oh, what was it?... Ahmed Tayel's murder. Yeah. Remember that? Of course we know Bahar did it, but we learn why: Ahmed was going to force her to marry him, which he could legally do, even though he was married to her mother, because her mother had never taken a tumble with him. Wolfe: "She was bound by duty and only death, his or hers, could release that bond. ...she chose his death over hers." Good choice, Bahar. She broke Wolfe's bust while trying to set Tayel's head next to Khentkawes's, in order to make some point or other. The Egyptian authorities, BTW, still think Abbas did it, but they had to let him go. Dang that diplomatic immunity!

The epilogue ends as Wolfe is about to discover Archie's takeover of the brownstone.

DISCUSSION POINTS

Wolfe becoming trapped in the elevator is really a touch of cosmic justice. Archie says, "The one mechanism that Wolfe trusts without even a second thought, and it had failed him." You know, I had never thought of it that way, but it's true: Wolfe doesn't trust any form of mechanized transportation (although as I recall he wasn't that worried about sailing on a liner in _The Black Mountain_), but never doubts his elevator. When I read the first Zeck book, and the orchids rooms were tommy-gunned, Wolfe took the elevator up, and I remember thinking, "That's pretty stupid. What if the bullets damaged the mechanism at the top? Wolfe could get an express ride back down." But Wolfe didn't hesitate for a second.

On first blush, this whole transfer of the brownstone thing, with Parker, seems cruel and spiteful of Archie. Why would he do such a thing? But it seems that Archie returns the brownstone to Wolfe, but under a lien. Hmmm. Dixon makes us work for everything. I'd guess Archie thinks he's saving Wolfe from himself. He's making it impossible for Wolfe to get rid of the brownstone again, since it can't be transferred without clear title. As much as if to say, "This is your home, Mr. Wolfe, and I'm going to make sure it's yours forever, in spite of what you might do." Is that it?

We get a few more drips regarding the mysterious Tarkolo: The name might have been in a package of genealogical data that Wolfe received several years before. Archie says, "None of it seemed to be related to anyone named Wolfe." Come on, Archie! Aren't you supposed to be a detective? Do you imagine that Wolfe's original name was Wolfe? I mean, does 'Wolfe' sound Slavic to you? To begin with, the ratio of vowels to consonants is _way_ too high. And there aren't even any V's, K's, or Z's! <g>

In relating the events leading up to Tayal's murder, Wolfe says, "Tayel locked the doors and forced Miss Ferdowsi to kneel in prayer with him." I could be wrong, but it was my understanding that Muslim women do not take part in prayers, and in fact are forbidden to do so.

Wolfe also says of Ahmed Tayal, "...he was engrossed in his recrudescent religion." Recrudescent religion? Yuck. That sounds nasty. Muslims might take offence. But it's really not like it sounds. Recrudescent means to become, or break out with, something raw or unwanted. Remember _way_ back in the discussion of chapter 20, I (great discussion leader that I am <g>) mentioned that Bahar "makes a strange remark that her stepfather's devotion to prayer is a recent acquisition." Wolfe isn't called Islam recrudescent. He's saying that Ahmed's devotion to it is recrudescent. He's become devout only because it gives him an excuse to forcibly roll in the hay with his gorgeous stepdaughter. Yeah, I'd call that recrudescent.

DIXON VS. STOUT

Archie opens this epilogue with these words:

"As I was typing this report, I reached the end of the parade and thought that was a great place to end the story. So I ended it there."

Yes, Archie, it was a great place to end the story. And you should have ended it there. Mr. Dixon, this epilogue should never have been written. Chapter 49 ended on a perfect note. We should have been left to relish that note. Most of the epilogue is flummery that doesn't advance the story or, for that matter, really interest us readers. Carmen...the Knicks, phui! The epilogue has only three things of substance: The elevator getting stuck, the legal mubo-jumbo with Nat Parker, and Bahar's motive for killing Tayel. Okay, Mr. Dixon, the elevator getting stuck was really cute. But you should have saved it for the next story. The Parker mumbo-jumbo we could have just plain done without. And I for one didn't really need to know anything about Bahar's motive, but if you felt it was important, you should have worked into the main story somehow. Maybe during the parade, in a couple short sentences, which is really all the attention it deserved. Then you could have dispensed with the epilogue, and we could have been left with our delicious parade. (JMTCW.)

The head elevator repair dude is named "li'l dix." The author's name is Dixon. Hmmm. Something we should know about, Mr. Dixon?

FAVORITE QUOTES

Archie, regarding the elevator door:

>>It was open just enough that if I had stripped naked and greased myself I might have been able to squeeze through, but what in the world would possess me to do that? <<

Archie:

>>So I went to a place I knew where I could contemplate, a place where I could meditate, a place where I could watch the Knicks clobber the Nets 108-84.<<

Obviously that was when they still had Patrick Ewing! <g>

_MY_ EPILOGUE

After the epilogue (which shouldn't have been written), there's a short author's note (which _should_ have been written), explaining that NWAW honors Rex Stout's opposition to nuclear weapons and nuclear proliferation. Well said.

Let's all tip our hats (or Mets baseball caps) to Rex Stout. And Glenn Dixon.

Gregory Smith
Stories at: http:\\underdogishere.com\dixon

> _MY_ EPILOGUE
>
> After the epilogue (which shouldn't have been written), there's a short
author's note (which _should_ have been written), explaining that NWAW
honors Rex Stout's
> opposition to nuclear weapons and nuclear proliferation. Well said.
>

Yes, no, and maybe (as to the epilogue). I think the thing is that
Glenn didn't plan to write any more of these. There would be no
following story for Wolfe to get stuck in the elevator, what
would
happen to the Brwnstone, etc.

Maybe after Glenn writes the next 30 Wolfe novels, he can go
back and delete the epilogue and add a sentence or two to
NWAW. Bit till then, it's there to tie up a few loose ends.

:-)

----- > > Let's all tip our hats (or Mets baseball caps) to Rex Stout. And
Glenn
> Dixon.
> >
> > Gregory Smith
> > Stories at: http:\\underdogishere.com\dixon

With a major doffing for Mr. Gregory Smith and his superlative effort over the last couple of months. I'm afraid I wasn't able to bone up on the Dixon stories as I would have liked, and so I had to forego contributing, but I read Mr. Smith's posts with relish and awe.

A truly outstanding effort whose timliness likely saved the Wolfelist from oblivion. My compliments and sincere thanks.

Skinner

> Let's all tip our hats (or Mets baseball caps) to Rex Stout. And Glenn
Dixon.
>
> Gregory Smith

And thank you, Gregory, for all of the work you put into these summaries. I really enjoyed reading them.

all the best,
Mattis Fishman
aka Saul "the wife and kids were in Connecticut" Panzer

Thanks to those of you who've complimented me for my discussions of the Dixon stories, but I'm reminded of Sherlock Holmes famously saying, "I can't make bricks without clay." One can't have a great discussion unless there's something great to discuss, so the real credit, even for the discussions, goes to Mr. Dixon, not to me. I can honestly say that I would take _Not With a Whimper_, put it on a shelf next to my five favorite Stout volumes, and tell people, "Those are the half-dozen best Wolfe stories ever written."

gs

My copies are alreasy up on the shelf with Stout's. :-)

Good point, though. Glenn did good, and so did you.

Walt

Date: Sun, 28 Jul 2002 20:50:40 -0400

Subject: GD - NWAW and Sherlock Holmes

Has anyone noticed the similarities between NWAW and the Sherlock Holmes story, _The Adventure of the Second Stain_? _Second Stain_ was the final Holmes story in the series for _The Strand_ (though of course there were occasional Holmes stories in the years after), and, in my opinion, _Second Stain_ was Holmes's great masterpiece. That isn't to say it was his most sensational case (that may have been _The Adventure of the Speckled Band_), or curious (that was probably _A Scandal in Bohemia_), or even anyone's favorite (_my_ favorite is _The Adventure of the Naval Treaty_). But it was Holmes's masterpiece. He was working under tremendous pressure, against the clock, to avert an enormous human catastrophy, with practically nothing to go on... and then he solved it, like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat, but it all made sense. It was Holmes's crowning glory.

There are a lot of superficial similarities between _Second Stain_ and NWAW (especially its final chapters). In both stories, the detective is hired by his government in a case of international intrigue. In both cases, the stakes are enormous: The potential for staggering and pointless loss of life. Both cases involve money, and in both cases, money is no object to our hero (Holmes says, "I'll buy it -- if it means another penny on the income tax."). But in both cases, it doesn't come down to a question of money.

In both cases, the detective can't rely on his own police or military, or even confide in those who hired him. He's on his own. In both cases, it's a race against time. In both cases, there's only one person on Earth who can save the situation, and that's our detective. In both cases, the detective has a chronicler who suddenly comes to admire him very much. Remember these words of Watson's:

My mind filled with admiration for this extraordinary man. "You have solved it!" I cried.

I think Archie knows that sentiment.

gs

Date: Thu, 24 Oct 2002 18:54:46 -0400

Subject: GD: NWAW - Glenn Dixon's Notes (belated)

As some of you know, I led a discussion of Glenn Dixon's Wolfe pastiches over the summer. Mr. Dixon took part himself, until he was forced by personal circumstances to drop out, about half way through the final story, _Not With a Whimper_. Well now I'm glad to say he's back, and, as he had done for _Welcome to Death_ and _No Body_, he's contributed some closing notes on the writing of NWAW. I'm posting them below. They are belated, but I found them interesting.

Also on the subject of the Dixon pastiches, several people who joined the list late have asked me to make the full texts of our discussions available. I'm working on that now, and I'll be posting the URL soon.

Without further ado, Glenn Dixon's notes:

---------------------------------------------------

Notes on _Not With a Whimper_

The first two stories in the threesome, _Welcome to Death_ and _No Body_, were offered free of charge to members of the Wolfe list back in 1997. Most of the people who requested the books received a handmade copy of the first two stories. They were made to look like a standard-sized paperback edition. I think I made and sent about seventy of those books. I missed sending the stories to a couple of people, including Patrick Baker who died before I got around to sending him one. I will always

feel bad about that.

Since the ending of NB leaves things up in the air, it was particularly annoying to everyone who read the stories, so I apologize that all had to wait so long for NWAW. I've always considered NWAW and NB the same story, and they should never be separated.

The ending of NB marks a departure from the standard Stout format, and NWAW carries this on. By the time I started writing NWAW I was aware of strong feelings others had against someone writing Wolfe, so I had decided this would probably be my last effort. I likely would not have written it at all except that my original motivation for writing-to give Wolfe and Archie a decent demise after others had resurrected them-had not yet been fulfilled.

NWAW is an unabashed tribute to Stout's characters. My son Jim calls it "_The Black Mountain_ on steroids." It is not intended to be standard Wolfe or even particularly believable. At one point in the story Archie comments "I didn't believe it", and asks the reader if he believes. The answer should be an unequivocal No. The story is a tall tale in the flavor of something that would be found in the Arabian Nights (hopefully this one makes a little more sense, though-some of the stories Scheherazade told were pretty weird).

Having said this, I do mention in passing that Stout occasionally got the urge to have Wolfe do something very different. Thus we have gems such as _The Black Mountain_, _In the Best Families_, and some other less epic departures from the standard formula.

NWAW goes beyond a mere departure, though. Hopefully this liberty I took is not too annoying, and that readers find the story entertaining enough to compensate.

I am embarrassed that the online version of the story has not been proofread well. I think I must have been in a hurry to get it out there.

Background

In _Please Pass the Guilt_, Wolfe comments that Arabic is not one of his languages (BTW, I have two Arabian friends who call their language 'Arabian', thus the error in the book). That comment got me thinking. It would be difficult for Wolfe to grow up where he did and not have had numerous dealings with the Turks and others, many of whom would have spoken some Arabic. Additionally, we know he had a house in Egypt. It was not hard to imagine that Wolfe's past included the Moslem World.

Wolfe speaks Arabic in NWAW-he either lied in PPTG, or he has learned it since.

I did a fair amount of research for this book, including interviews with people from Egypt, Iran and other Middle Eastern countries, and I read several books on history, Islam, etc., including parts of the Koran (sorry, I couldn't make it all the way through).

Characters

Bahar means spring in Farsi. The beautiful Iranian with the big hair is patterned after a real person, the sister of a friend of mine. She is so exotic and beautiful that she had harassment problems (with married men no less!). The problems got so bad that she and her brother had to move from the area. Very sad. I miss them.

Bahar's protector, Takhti, is patterned after my friend, though my friend is younger and more deferential. Takhti is a well-known name in Iran-Bahar's story regarding the wrestler Takhti is true in every detail, and shows that the plot for this story was well established in my mind when _No Body_ was written, with its wrestlers. The Takhti family is deeply loved by the Iranians.

Tayel, the Islamic cleric, is patterned after the clerics in Iran. As a Sayed, he claims a literal descendency from the family of the Prophet Mohammed. It is these clerics who advocate return to Islamic fundamentalism and who are fomenting the hostility we have felt since the Iranian revolution.

I have many Islamic friends, and hope that in the story I have treated their faith with the dignity it deserves. I think we all understand that in any belief system there are those who use their beliefs to justify hatred and violence. Islam is no exception. But unfortunately, hatred of the west really runs deeper than just that expressed by the radical element.

Like many in the Islamic world, Iranians have a confused love/hate relationship with the west, and the USA in particular. The confusion comes, as most of you know now, because the USA has been labeled the 'Great Satan' by well-regarded Islamic clerics, and the news sources in the region are hopelessly inadequate, biased and untrustworthy. The people are willing to believe any rumor that comes along-at least until they hear something different. What direct access people have with the west is usually from our entertainment industry, which doesn't do a particularly good job in showing an honest cross- section of America, thus reinforcing the belief that we lead shallow, valueless and even immoral lives. This, coupled with many other factors, has caused a lot of hatred and frustration among even moderate believers.

The other characters in the story are made up and have no real-life counterpart, though Ty James is thinly disguised, and Marian Hitchcock does seem to have a fondness for maps...

Plot

The plot of the story came, interestingly, from Wolfe's comment (I think it was in FDL) that he likes parades. I wanted to have a parade for Wolfe as a last parting gesture: a tribute to his greatness. At the time the plot was hatched discussions on the Wolfe list had touched on Stout's political feelings, and his attitudes towards nuclear bombs.

I have been criticized for taking Wolfe and Archie into an absurd situation. Of all the mistakes Goldsborough made when he attempted to extend the Wolfe series, his biggest was that he did not wrest the characters from Stout. Goldsborough, far more skilled technically than I, was preoccupied with what Stout would have written instead of what the characters would do. I, on the other hand, wanted to err on the side of taking too much liberty with the characters, thus the bombastic plot in this story.

Terrorism

At one point in the story, Archie says, "If Wolfe had told me to hijack that plane and land it on the Empire State Building, I would have only paused long enough to ask which floor". Seemingly prescient in light of 9/11. It was really only coincidence, though. There was a plane that crashed into the ESB (in the forties, I believe) and it was that event I was thinking of when I wrote this. I hope this comment, coming from Archie, was not too upsetting. As I mentioned in the notes at the end of the story, no one should have their city threatened.

I took a trip to New York and did research for this story, and as part of that research I did an informal study of the security setup of the Empire State Building. I found it to be almost non-existent, and left NYC thinking that providence must be what was keeping an attack away, as I was by that time very aware of the hatred many had toward the US. This was the extent of my knowledge of the situation.

General Notes

Some portions of NWAW are just plain silly, like when Wolfe and Archie have their fake argument. It's obvious I used a lot of strange words there. I had decided in earlier stories I would use no words that weren't a part of my own vocabulary, and I had fun finding situations where I could make these strange entities, some not even in _Oxford's Dictionary_, part of my speech. Most of the words came from a single source, from an author who claimed they were real words and that using them would be a help in your everyday life. Pfui. To use a word that no one else knows is simply pompous, and some of them are definitely _not_ real words. I have dropped them from my vocabulary since, though I still like _skeech_. And I _love_ Wolfe's comment about sialogogues.

An astute list member wrote that in my stories Wolfe always seems to have to be saying something profound. That is absolutely true. How does a non-genius write a genius? He can't. The best he can do is think a long time about what Wolfe would say, then try to make it sound spontaneous. Ick. Wolfe was the hardest character to write. We have seen that many on the list are polarized towards either Wolfe or Archie. I'm an Archie person.

The mystery, like a lot of Wolfe stories, is not central to the plot and I made no particular effort to hide who the killer was, though those who guessed the killer could not cite any clues they discovered, but just a general feeling. The palace is a real place, though it likely has no secret passages. Alexandria, however, is riddled with tunnels, holes, burial vaults, underground cisterns, etc. etc. etc. The descriptions of the city are, based on comments from those who read the story and have been there (I have not), accurate, except that I left out how dirty, dusty and crowded the city is. I decided to make what little we see of the city a little more romantic and ideal than it probably is.

Khentkawes, the mother of three kings, does figure somewhat prominently in Egyptian history, having her own good-sized tomb on the same site as the three great pyramids and the Sphinx. I think she would typically be mentioned in most histories.

The story is too long, but I didn't have the time or heart to cut it to size. Sorry.

>
> The story is too long, but I didn't have the time or heart to cut it to size. Sorry.
>
>

I think it was just right. ;-)

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