GAMBIT

The great detective swallows his usual distaste for female clients by undertaking a case from Sally Blount, whose father is suspected of killing a chess opponent at the Gambit Club, by arsenic poisoning. Nero Wolfe, aided by his wisecracking legman, Archie Goodwin, turns up four other suspects, though one of them is eliminated by death. It’s all enough to put Wolfe off his passion for food and orchids. Not for long. Wolfe solves the case with an ingenious gambit of his own. While this is second-tier Nero Wolfe overall, the masterful Michael Prichard gives his all, raising the audio to a tier-one selection. M.T.B. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 05]