The Golden Spiders: Difference between revisions

The Golden Spiders

Author	Rex Stout
Language	English
Series	Nero Wolfe
Genre	Detective, Mystery novel
Publisher	Viking Press
Publication date	October 1953
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (Hardcover)
Pages	186 pp
ISBN	NA
Preceded by	Triple Jeopardy
Followed by	The Black Mountain

The Golden Spiders is a Nero Wolfe mystery novel by Rex Stout. It was first published in October 1953 by Viking Press and later in assorted paperback editions by Bantam Books. An A&E TV movie adaptation broadcast in 2000 follows the novel quite closely.

Plot introduction

The time and place of the plot are 1953 Manhattan, with the War, particularly resettlement of war refugees, an important subtext.

Genesis of the novel's title

Early in the book, before Wolfe takes an interest in the matter, Pete Drossos, neighborhood kid, has noticed the female driver of a car, stopped like many others for a red light, and to get its windshield cleaned by Pete with his rag. apparently being threatened at gunpoint by a man. The woman is wearing extremely distinctive earrings. The earrings are provocatively worn to Wolfe's office on a subsequent occasion, but Wolfe soon determines that the wearer is different on this later occasion.

Plot summary

Characters

• Fritz Brenner — As gourmand in the heart of a great metropolis, Wolfe unable to readily comply with that most basic of gourmet requirements: secure your food supply. Therefore, it not surprising that in this story, Wolfe was secured a supply of 18 to 20 freshly-killed starlings from Brewster, New York, an expensive meal if only for its food supply. Friz has had the (presumed) affrontary to introduce the spices tarragon (agreed) and saffron (Fritz's own initiative). Wolfe declares "It may possibly be edible, but I am in no humor to risk it. Please dispose of it and bring me four coddled eggs and piece of toast." This sets the stage for tension between the two as the novel opens.
• Pete Drossos — neighbourhood youngster who washes car windows for hire when cars are stopped at intersections.
• Archie Goodwin — Wolfe's employee, Archie is also the narrator, including frictions contributing to the situation. Normally Fritz answers the door for neighborhood kids, but in view of the situation, Archie does this, and in the present situation, since Pete announces he "has a case", decides to rattle Wolfe's cage about it, with built-in risk that Wolfe may decide to turn the tables, as happens here.
• Nero Wolfe — This brilliant, agoraphobic detective gets what he calls the romantic notion to help Pete Drossos, who has seen a serious crime (woman held up at gunpoint in a car wearing spider-shaped earrings [ugly but distinctive]) and had the presence of mind to write down the car model and license tag number. The brilliant Wolfe doesn't quite know that a "Caddy" is a "Cadillac", but Archie is here to help.
• Sergeant Stebbins — Pays a visit the next day wondering what Wolfe cared about the floater tag since it turns out a car with that floater tag has just killed a Pete Drossos. Just as the conference with Stebbens is getting underway, Althea Drossos arrives unexpectedly
• Althea Drossos — After apparently paying respects to Mrs. Drossos, Stebbens "leaves" Wolfe's office, but turns left, instead of fight, and heads to an eavesdropping vantage point. Wolfe and Archie are well aware of this. Althea Dossos, Peter's mother, hires Wolfe, on the basis of the meagre $4.35 that Pete has collected for his little windshield-cleaning enterprise. Archie suggests spending the money, plus a little of his own if necessary, on an ad in the Times looking for the woman whom Pete saw at gunpoint yesterday.
• Inspector Cramer — Stebbins' superior, soon arrives to question Wolfe because the car that killed Pete Drossos also killed an INS agent named Matthew Birch.
• Mrs Damon (Laura) Fromm — In the middle of Wolfe's chat with Cramer, Archie gets a call who claims to have been the woman threatened at gunpoint yesterday. Archie disguises the nature of this conversation until Wolfe has left. Although Mrs Fromme is wearing the distinctive earrings and has a scratch on her cheek similar to that described in Pete's account, it's too recent to be same scratch, and therefore, Mrs. Fromme is lying about something. She does do something very important however: she raises the retainer to $10,000. It isn't immediately clear what there is to investigate, but that is clarified the next day when she herself turns up dead (after, it will be noted, her cheque had been certified).
• ASSADIP — Although not a living person, the presence of this displaced persons' aid organization in the affair becomes clear. Matthew Birch was an INS agent. Laura Fromm was the head of ASSADIP.
• Miss Angela Wright — Executive Secretary of ASSADIP
• Miss Jean Estey — Mrs. Fromm's personal secretary
• Dennis Horan — General counsel for ASSADIP; also not averse to making money on the side by "helping" (blackmailing) illegal immigrants
• James Maddox — personal counsel for Damon Fromm, executor of his estate, and now of Mrs. Fromm's estate. Maddox and Horan jointly visit Wolfe to demand first politely the return of the $10,000 retainer and then threaten replevin.
• Lawrence (Lips) Egan — Organized crime hachetman who helps Matthew Birch (INS until his recent death) and others put the squeeze on various INS "clients" in a wide-ranging blackmail scheme.

Major themes

Murder vs. immigration violations

Wolfe is assiduous as always in making sure murderers get punished. However, events of the story also bring the master list of displaced persons (DP's) being blackmailed into Wolfe's hands, and he does not allow that to do any more harm than Lips Egan has already caused it to have. The death of innocent Pete Drossos is more important than the corrupt INS agent. Template:Endspoiler

External links

• The Golden Spiders: A Nero Wolfe Mystery at IMDb
• A Nero Wolfe Mystery at The Wolfe Pack, official site of the Nero Wolfe Fan Club