This...Not This

Recently, I read and reviewed a book titled Uncommon Clay. I had looked forward to it, because I had read and enjoyed books about the author's other series character. Unfortunately, everything I liked about the other character and the author's storytelling were not in this new book. It's not a unique situation, liking one book from an author, while avoiding another. Usually, for me at least, it's not a matter of an author writing a bad book as much as it is...it's just not my cup of tea.

For example, there's Agatha Christie...

This

This

I'm an avid reader of both the Hercule Poirot mysteries and the Miss Marple mysteries. In my younger days I gravitated more toward Poirot than Marple, but as I've aged I find a much greater appreciation for Miss Marple and her ability to view the world through the lens of a village. On the other hand, Christie's tales of the mysterious Mr Quinn don't appeal to me at all. They are well written and cleverly plotted, and yet they leave me meh.

Not This

And Ellery Queen...

This

Not This

Early on in my mystery reading life, I discovered the Ellery Queen novels, though it took me awhile to figure out that the detective and the writer were two different people, then a little longer to discover that the writer was indeed two separate people writing under one name. I devoured the Ellery Queen/Ellery Queen novels, yet when it came to the Ellery Queen/Drury Lane mysteries I was not enthused. The same hand was at work, the same cleverness in plotting, and the same snappy turns of phrase, and yet...meh.

And Rex Stout...

This

To tell the truth, when I was much younger Rex Stout's tales of corpulent detective and orchid fancier Nero Wolfe did not appeal to me. I generally gave them a pass. Eventually, I came to my senses, and now my affection for him rivals that of what I feel toward Sherlock Holmes. Yet even when I came to admire Stout's writing skills, his superb characterization and clever plotting, I found myself cool toward his other series characters, female PI Dol Bonner and rustic Tecumseh Fox. Once again, the same hand and yet no enthusiasm on my part.

Not This...

...Or This

And even Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is not exempt...

Definitely This

Possibly This

My enthusiasm for the Sherlock Holmes tales was an early development and started when I saw the Basil Rathbone films from Fox (Hound of the Baskervilles and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes) in the late Fifties or early Sixties. Almost immediately, I discovered the books in the library and read them all. And re-read them. And continue to re-read them. As to Conan Doyle's other non-Sherlock Holmes books...well, I am not alone in this one. It regularly arises in Sherlock Holmes societies around the world, the question of just how much attention should be paid to the writings that lie outside the Canon. There is some consensus that his spiritualist scribblings are not worth pursuing, but what about his Professor Challenger books and historical novels? The answer runs the gamut, of course, but, for me, I've read and mostly liked the Challenger books (no re-reading though), but the historical novels don't hold any attraction for me. They just don't.

Sorry, Sir Arthur...

I'm sure I'm not alone in this odd bias. For me, I think the reason is to be found in the characters themselves rather than in the authors' writing. They become friends to me, companions of a sort as I journey through a literary landscape. In a sense, they almost become real. Just as it happens in our day-to-day lives, we meet numerous people, some we like, some we don't and some who leave no impression upon us at all, and they, too, are all products of the same Author...art imitating life

Unreal Biographies

When you are a fictional character (in the real sense, not the metafictional sense), there are two ways you can tell you've crossed the boundary between the printed page and our world -- you either get mail (as Santa Claus did in Miracle on 34th Street), or someone writes your biography. The greatest example of this is, of course, Sherlock Holmes, who not only receives mail regularly at his 221B Baker Street address in London, but has had a slew of biographies (including the best shown below) as well as case studies and monographs. Additionally, several years ago, I was perusing the biographical section at the end of a standard dictionary and came across the entry: "Sherlock Holmes -- English consulting detective." The lexicographer either omitted the word "fictional" or was just admitting the obvious.

Two of Agatha Christie's characters have, through sheer force of personality, made the leap from fiction to biography. They are, of course, Dame Agatha's greatest creations: M. Hercule Poirot, the little Belgian detective with the magnificent moustaches and the egg-shaped head, and Miss Jane Marple, the penurious spinster who knows that the great crime-ridden world is nothing more than a giant version of her little village of St Mary Mead. Truth be told, however, the Belgian sleuth was the lesser child in Dame Agatha's eyes, for she came to resent all the little eccentricities with which she imbued him, and took him to a mostly ignoble death in Curtain; Miss Marple, on the other hand, finished her last case (Sleeping Murder) with dignity. Personally, I think it is because, while Agatha Christie grew away from Poirot, she grew into Miss Marple.

Another British character deemed more real than most people is James Bond, Agent 007 of the British Secret Service, whose characteristics and early exploits were based on the wartime espionage adventures of creator Ian Fleming. Not only is the once secret dossier of this venerable civil servant now open to public inspection through any number of books, it is possible to take walking tours of "James Bond's London."

On this side of the Pond, we have our own share of real imaginary people. Chief among these must be Ellery Queen. When I was a kid, Ellery Queen confused the heck out of me. Was he a writer? Was he a detective? Was he the editor of his own magazine? Was he even a real person? The answer to all four questions is yes...and no. Ellery Queen, I discovered, was actually two cousins, Frederic Dannay and Manfred Lee, who created the detective in 1928 for a mystery novel contest, then submitted the story under the name of the character. So, we have Ellery the character, Ellery the writer (who sometimes write about himself, sometimes others), Ellery the anthologist who creates glittering collections, Ellery the scholar who is the greatest living expert on mystery fiction, and Ellery the editor of his own mystery magazine. No actual biography for Ellery, but boy did he get mail...by the bags full.

Nero Wolfe, America's greatest detective, has lived out his life in books, with the exception of a mundane film and two unfortunately short-lived television series. It is, then, quite a feat that he has achieved such a high level of reality to his fans...to his "Wolfe pack." We've talked a bit about Wolfe previously, so rather than travel down that street again, I only advise you to read his bio.

Contrasted with Wolfe, our next duo of American sleuths have led healthy lives outside the world of print. Perry Mason and Philip Marlowe are actually more known these days through appearances in film and television; some people may even be surprised that they were born in books (when attending a screening of the Sherlock Holmes film, I was amused to hear a girl tell her boyfriend to write down Conan Doyle's name so they could see if the library had any books available). For millions of people, Perry Mason looks just like Raymond Burr, while Philip Marlowe sometimes looks like Humphrey Bogart (or Sam Spade), sometimes like Robert Mitchum. If you read the biography of Mason's creator, Erle Stanley Gardner, you're really reading Mason's bio; Marlowe has his own biography, and when in Los Angeles, that city of mean streets where a man must walk while not becoming mean himself, be sure to take the Philip Marlowe bus tour.

And for a little bit of fun, as well as some great information on Erle Stanley Gardner as a fictional character (yes, the creator becomes the created), it's well worth your time to track down a copy of Susan Kandel's I Dreamed I Married Perry mason.

All the characters who've leapt from fiction to fact are from the mystery genre, and I feel that is no mere coincidence. Only in the mystery world do we have characters coming back again and again, sharing their lives with us, becoming a bit more real with each reading. Those characters outside mysteries who have attained a measure of reality (Harry Potter leaps to mind) are the exception rather than the rule, and in the case of Harry Potter, I would suggest that the lad has more in common with the mystery realm than with any other genre, despite all the potions, broomsticks and bogies. There are lots of reference books about mystery writers and their creations, but I have two go-to books when I want to dig deep, Detectionary andThe Encyclopedia of Mystery and Detection, both by Otto Penzler; they are a bit dated when it comes to the latest crop of sleuths, such as Harry Bosch, Kinsey Millhone and V.I. Warshawski, but I still can't recommend any better.

For a bit of fun and sinful indulgence, however, track down two books "perpetrated" by Dilys Wynn, noted NYC bookseller who founded the first all-mystery bookstore, Murder Ink. Both books show below are reference books, in a sense, but they are also "companionable" books...you know, cozy, like a good English country house murder.

"Where's the beer?"

America's greatest detective: Nero Wolfe
(Portrait by  Kevin Gordon)

Beginning with his first appearance in the book Fer-de-Lance (1934), portly Nero Wolfe has proven himself America's greatest detective. Fans of Ellery Queen, Perry Mason, Harry Bosch or Spencer will likely disagree, but I stand by my declaration. I also look to Nero Wolfe as being the source of my fondness for beer. Wolfe's first recorded words are, "Where's the beer?" Since this is more along the lines of a memoir, those seeking detailed biographical and analytical musings are referred to the excellent Trivia and Treasures from Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe Detective Stories by H.M. O'Shaughnessy.

I came late in life to the Nero Wolfe mysteries, and even later to the pleasures of beer. Both are surprising to people who know me. I've read mystery stories all my life, and was a great fan of the Ellery Queen series, even though I admit to being confused early on about whether EQ was a writer, a detective, a real person or an editor (I was an avid reader of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine); I was no less confused when I found out he was actually two cousins, but I eventually worked it out. I think that one of the things that put me off initially with the Nero Wolfe tales is that they are told through the prism of Archie Goodwin, Wolfe's employee who does all the legwork, chases down all the clues and rounds up all the suspects. He is glib (oftimes too much so) and has the nearly unbelievable talent of  remembering and relating the exact conversations of five or more people in a group, a skill even more valuable to readers than to Wolfe himself. Once I was able to suspend my disbelief of Archie Goodwin I was able to approach Nero Wolfe. And then I was hooked.

My lateness in developing a fondness for the taste of beer (the very cornerstone of civilization) is a bit less understandable to some people. After all, did I not spend six years in the United States Army? The charge is quite true -- sandwiched between learning spycraft and being a military photojournalist I was in the infantry, we all know how soldiers are; to top it off, for a period of time I was stationed in Germany -- beer central! While it's true I tasted beer over there, including a local brew called Hasenbrau ("Rabbit Beer" though a couple Germans of my acquaintance called it "Hasen-piss"), I just never developed  a taste, either for beer or the harder liquor that my fellow dogfaces imbibed on a (too) regular basis. After I came back to Nero Wolfe with new appreciation, I gave beer another chance.

Nero Wolfe is a gourmet, and for some people that makes his predilection for beer noteworthy, and a little mysterious. After all, wine is the beverage of the upper class, as well as the snotty people who want to be thought of as upper-crusters. I discovered that although Wolfe was very knowledgeable  about wine, he did not drink it, except, sometimes, a nice brandy that he sipped while eating Fritz's (his chef) apple pie; I don't really like wine, not since that unfortunate situation at the Fort Campbell Officers Club...best forgotten...and hard to recall, if you get my meaning, which is a good reason for avoiding wine, even during communion.

As I trekked through one Wolfe mystery novel after another (my re-introduction to the world of Nero Wolfe consisted of a bulk acquisition of nearly the entire series) I came across myriad references to his beer drinking habits -- always out of a glass, never a bottle; use of a gold-plated bottle opener to removed the caps; the beer poured into the glass in such a way to create just the correct amount of foam, which is allowed to drop to a specific level; and the storage of bottle caps in his top desk drawer so he can accurately track his daily and weekly imbibing. And to Wolfe's favorite beer -- Remmers. Often, Wolfe would be presented with a variety of beers, invariably ending up with Remmers. The brewery founded by Wilhelm Remmer in Bremmen, Germany, exported beer to the United States until the advent of the Great War; after the cessation of hostilities on 11 November 1918, exportation resumed, the company was bought by Beck & Co., but the name was retained. Unfortunately, it's not a brew I've tasted, though I do have my favorites -- MGD, Red Trolley, Bass, Karl Strauss Oktoberfest, Killians, Guinness, Sam Adams (various), Anchor Steam and Pabst. And let's not forget Romulan Ale.

There are some people who claim there is no such thing as Romulan Ale, but, you know, those are the same people who think Star Trek is fictional. Now you may think it a bit of a reach to go from Nero Wolfe to Star Trek, but not really. Had I not rediscovered the sheer brilliance of Nero Wolfe, I probably would not have discovered the great taste of beer, and though I would likely ended up in Star Trek: The Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton, I would not have found myself sitting before a "Morn's Sampler" listening to a fan sitting at the nearby counter of Quark's Bar & Restaurant trying to ask a cute little Vulcan girl (yeah, it's the ears) out on a date...yes, there are Trekkies, and then there are real Trekkies.

"Morn's Sampler" is a collection of five beers based upon the worlds and races of Star Trek: Klingon Blood Draft, Romulan Ale, Trixian Bubble Draft, Dominion Lager and Obsidian Dark...it's a lot of beer, certainly not for the faint-hearted. I must admit, however, that even the Sampler paled in comparison to the Wife's beverage of choice -- the Warp Core Breach (for two or more: "Order this drink and prepare to separate your saucer section."). We were at the time celebrating our natal days, and spent four straight days in the 24th Century, leaving only at closing time to take the monorail (the Borg-themed car of course) back to the Sahara to sleep and read and listen to the swing music of Harry Barlow in the lounge...I had brought Edgar Wallace's Scotland Yard, an E. Phillips Oppenheim tome, and three Nero Wolfe novels. I don't know if  Wolfe would have liked Romulan Ale (smuggling it across the Neutral Zone between Nevada and California can be hazardous), though I think he would have liked Obsidian Dark, but favored Dominion Lager.

Several films were made in 1930s, but they are considered minor efforts. Nero Wolfe has also appeared on the small screen twice, both good interpretations in their own right. The first was in 1981 (NBC) and starred William Conrad, with Lee Horsley as Archie Goodwin, and was set in modern-day New York City; in 2001-2001, A&E mounted a handsome production with Maury Chaykin as Wolfe and Timothy Hutton (whose father played Ellery Queen) as Goodwin, set in a New York City vaguely in the 1950s. The A&E series had better production values and was actually based on author Rex Stout's books, whereas the NBC series merely had the characters. Another thing the A&E series had which the NBC series lacked: that wonderful gold-plated beer opener.

As good as the series might have been, they are not the books, and the books are where Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin truly live. And where they will always dwell, for both men are citizens of the country of mind.

One last comment about my involvement with Nero Wolfe: my children (especially the Kidette) wish I had never ever read a Nero Wolfe book. I insisted they become HTRs (Human Tape Recorders) and relate to me the exact words spoken by friends, family, acquaintances and strangers. When they protested that it was not humanly possible to do what I asked, I always told them the same thing: "If Archie Goodwin can do it, so can you." I can't imagine why they were so keen to move out.