Black Orchids
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Narrated by:
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Michael Prichard
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By:
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Rex Stout
About this listen
Nero Wolfe has left his comfortable brownstone for the promise of a remarkably rare black orchid at a flower show - but before Wolfe and his perennially hardy sidekick, Archie Goodwin, have a chance to stop and smell the roses, a diabolically daring murder takes place right under their noses and puts a blight on the proceedings. Now Wolfe's fancy turns to thoughts of weeding out a murderer - one who's definitely not a garden-variety killer. Only then will Wolfe be ready to throw his weight into a second thorny case, involving a rich society widow bedeviled by poison-pen letters—and a poisonous plot as black as Wolfe's orchids...with roots that are even more twisted.
Introduction by Lawrence Block
“It is always a treat to read a Nero Wolfe mystery. The man has entered our folklore.” (The New York Times Book Review)
A grand master of the form, Rex Stout is one of America’s greatest mystery writers, and his literary creation Nero Wolfe is one of the greatest fictional detectives of all time. Together, Stout and Wolfe have entertained - and puzzled - millions of mystery fans around the world. Now, with his perambulatory man-about-town, Archie Goodwin, the arrogant, gourmandizing, sedentary sleuth is back in the original 73 cases of crime and detection written by the inimitable master himself, Rex Stout.
Stout fellow: explore our list of Nero Wolfe mysteries, including novels and classic radio programs.©1942 Rex Stout (P)1994 Books on TapeListeners also enjoyed...
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December 1927. Mystery-writer Marius Quin has one previous bestseller, endless looming mortgage payments, and no idea how to write his next book. When his childhood friend Lady Isabella Montague invites him to an intimate New Year’s Eve party hosted by a narcissistic actor, Marius seizes upon the distraction. With his perpetually glum Basset hound along for the ride, he navigates the snowy lanes to the opulent estate of Everham Hall. As the celebrations begin, fireworks light up the sky, champagne corks pop, and then the host is murdered…
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-
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-
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Story
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Critic reviews
"It is always a treat to read a Nero Wolfe mystery. The man has entered our folklore." (The New York Times)
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Story
A modern woman in 1907, Lady Dunbridge is not about to let a little thing like the death of her husband ruin her social life. She's ready to take the dazzling world of Gilded Age Manhattan by storm. From the decadence of high society balls to the underbelly of Belmont horse racing, romance, murder, and scandals abound. Someone simply must do something. And Lady Dunbridge is happy to oblige.
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A Creative Mystery
- By Victoria J. Mejia-Gewe on 02-28-19
By: Shelley Noble
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The Glass Key
- By: Dashiell Hammett
- Narrated by: Stephen R. Thorne
- Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Paul Madvig was a cheerfully corrupt ward-heeler who aspired to something better: the daughter of Senator Ralph Bancroft Henry, the heiress to a dynasty of political purebreds. Did he want her badly enough to commit murder? And if Madvig was innocent, which of his dozens of enemies was doing an awfully good job of framing him? Dashiell Hammett’s tour de force of detective fiction combines an airtight plot, authentically venal characters, and writing of telegraphic crispness. A one-time detective and a master of deft understatement, Hammett invented the noir crime novel.
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Pacing Quick & Plot was Goldilocks
- By Darwin8u on 05-16-12
By: Dashiell Hammett
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Red Harvest
- By: Dashiell Hammett
- Narrated by: Richard Ferrone
- Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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When the last honest citizen of Poisonville was murdered, the Continental Op stayed on to punish the guilty--even if that meant taking on an entire town. Red Harvest is more than a superb crime novel: it is a classic exploration of corruption and violence in the American grain. From the author of The Maltese Falcon.
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Great story, great narration, terrible reccording
- By yep on 08-21-14
By: Dashiell Hammett
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Dying in the Wool
- A Kate Shackleton Mystery, Book 1
- By: Frances Brody
- Narrated by: Nicola Barber
- Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Bridgestead is a peaceful spot: a babbling brook, rolling hills, and a working mill at its heart. Pretty and remote, nothing exceptional happens...until the day that Master of the Mill Joshua Braithwaite goes missing under dramatic circumstances, never to be heard of again. Now Joshua's daughter is getting married and wants to make one last attempt at finding her father. Kate Shackleton has always loved solving puzzles. So who better to get to the bottom of Joshua's mysterious disappearance?
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Fluff & Nonsense
- By Sara on 01-03-15
By: Frances Brody
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Death on Demand
- A Death on Demand Mystery, Book 1
- By: Carolyn G. Hart
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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At Annie Laurance's Death on Demand bookstore on Broward's Rock Island, South Carolina, murder suddenly isn't confined to the well-stocked shelves. Author Elliot Morgan's abrupt demise during a weekly gathering of famous mystery writers called the Sunday Night Regulars is proof positive that a bloody sword is sometimes mightier than a brilliant pen. With Annie in the unenviable position of primary police suspect, the pretty young mystery maven and her wealthy paramour, Max Darling, embark on an investigation into a classic locked-room mystery with high stakes.
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It's an ok read
- By Dianna on 07-02-12
By: Carolyn G. Hart
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Arsenic with Austen: A Mystery
- The Crime with the Classics, Book 1
- By: Katherine Bolger Hyde
- Narrated by: Caroline Shaffer
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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When Emily Cavanaugh inherits a fortune from her great-aunt, she expects her life to change. She doesn't expect to embark on a murder investigation, confront the man who broke her heart 35 years before, and nearly lose her own life. Emily travels to the sleepy coastal village of Stony Beach, Oregon, to claim her inheritance, centered on a beautiful Victorian estate called Windy Corner but also including a substantial portion of the real estate of the whole town.
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Starts with great promise, but....
- By Wendie Lubic on 07-16-16
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Pietr the Latvian
- Inspector Maigret, Book 1
- By: Georges Simenon, David Bellos - translator
- Narrated by: Gareth Armstrong
- Length: 3 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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The first audiobook which appeared in Georges Simenon's famous Maigret series, in a gripping new translation by David Bellos.Inevitably Maigret was a hostile presence in the Majestic. He constituted a kind of foreign body that the hotel's atmosphere could not assimilate. Not that he looked like a cartoon policeman. He didn't have a moustache and he didn't wear heavy boots. His clothes were well cut and made of fairly light worsted. He shaved every day and looked after his hands. But his frame was proletarian. He was a big, bony man.
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Long live Maigret
- By Adeliese Baumann on 11-19-14
By: Georges Simenon, and others
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The Dancing Floor
- By: Barbara Michaels
- Narrated by: Barbara Rosenblat
- Length: 11 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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For years Heather Tradescant had dreamed of the journey she and her father would take to England - a pilgrimage to the great gardens of history. Now that her father is dead, Heather is determined to fulfill his dreams. Unfortunately her request to see the fabled 17th-century garden of Troytan House is denied by the owner. Though unwelcome, she braves the walls of briars and reaches the Victorian manor house beyond. She senses a strange mission of evil lurking, tainting the manor's peaceful beauty.
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Mostly a lovestory!! But what a narrator!
- By Christina t on 02-21-17
By: Barbara Michaels
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Until Proven Guilty
- J. P. Beaumont Series, Book 1
- By: J. A. Jance
- Narrated by: Gene Engene
- Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Lurking in the dark corners of J. P. Beaumont's bizarre case was not just a demented mind obsessed with murder, but secrets so deadly that even a street-tough cop could die guessing.
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Until proven guilty
- By Jean on 04-21-11
By: J. A. Jance
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Grace Under Pressure
- Manor House Mystery Series, Book 1
- By: Julie Hyzy
- Narrated by: Emily Durante
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Everyone wants a piece of millionaire Bennett Marshfield, owner of Marshfield Manor, but now it's up to new curator Grace Wheaton and handsome groundskeeper Jack Embers to protect dear old Marshfield. But to do this, they'll have to investigate a botched Ponzi scheme, some torrid Wheaton family secrets-and sour grapes out for revenge.
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Loved it!!!
- By Beatrice on 11-18-13
By: Julie Hyzy
What listeners say about Black Orchids
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Amazon Customer
- 08-25-15
Vintage...just Vintage!
Any additional comments?
Despite the fact I've read this (and every other) Nero Wolfe story many times, the Audible version allowed me to savor this story "hands-free"! It was just as good. Tightly written and just a load of fun, Rex Stout never disappointed. And Nero finds a way to add to his extensive orchid collection to boot in this one!
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- Michael Brenner
- 06-11-23
Classic Stout
His first omnibus, two stories contain in a book long enough for one story, the first being almost novel length in the second, or a short story, Rex Stout, nevertheless, brings forth all his magic, and the resultant work is well worth a read, my only disappointment being that he didn’t make each of these stories a full length novel.
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- S. Taylor
- 08-06-20
The world Rex Stout built around Nero Wolfe & Archie Goodwin is Unique & Captivating!
If you read just about any of Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe mysteries, be ready to read them all. Even fellow mystery writers speak of the world & atmosphere Stout built around Nero Wolfe, Archie Goodwin.
The first Nero Wolfe mystery I read came from a small local Library, in small town, Milford, New Hampshire in 1985. Immediately afterward I checked out every single volume the library had. Then I took to eBay to find and buy all of Stout’s Nero Wolfe books. I’ve even read a number of Stout’s books with a different leading man/woman.
The stories are almost addictive. Every few years I read all of the stories, in the order they were initially published.
Wonderfully written and captivating.
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1 person found this helpful
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- fotopug
- 08-15-24
Always Entertaining
I can honestly say that I’ve never read a Nero Wolfe novel that I haven’t enjoyed. This one was very good as usual. It took me a little while to get used to the narrator’s voice – at first it seemed too flat and monotone, but after a while, it completely made sense to me and I think he did a great job.
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- Chris T
- 01-30-18
Black Orchids for Two Please.
Archie ties in two different cases where a rare black orchid plays a part. Fun as always and surprises in both. Well worth the time for any classic mystery fan and a treat for fans of Nero Wolfe.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Art Lover
- 04-06-14
Typical Wolfe Short Story Collection
If you could sum up Black Orchids in three words, what would they be?
Early Wolfe Shorts
Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?
Not really. Like all Wolfe books, they are more of an intellectual challenge than a suspense experience.
Which scene was your favorite?
The murder at the flower show.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No. Four of Stout's early Wolfe short stories that you can read at your own pace.
Any additional comments?
Stout published about a dozen short story collections, only a few of which are available on Audible and even fewer on CD. It would do us all a service if Audible would make the others available, as they are mostly real gems.
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8 people found this helpful
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Overall
- j Weaver
- 09-13-09
Fantastic, especially on audio!
You can't stop at just one. the plots, the humor, the characters all fit so well. Prichard is great as well.
I like more serious reads, but what a nice escape. got me through my marathon training!
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- Debbie
- 06-21-16
Great story
Fave NW tale so far. Prichard's narration is excellent. Two stories for the price of one.
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- M. Giorgi
- 02-26-12
He will not disappoint.
What made the experience of listening to Black Orchids the most enjoyable?
Another book that you will listen to over and over again.
What about Michael Prichard???s performance did you like?
Michael has the characters down pat.I can not imagine anyone else reading these books.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Heck ya........
Any additional comments?
I will I could get better price deals on these because I want them all.
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- Bret F Whitmire
- 02-12-17
Excellent first read of the Nero Wolfe mysteries
Really enjoyed this...this was my first time sharing the adventures of Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin.
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