I have to quickly reread the book to get some of my thoughts together, but the most obvious comment about this book is: it's maybe the biggest Holmesian homage in the series -- just, obviously "How would I do Reichenbach if it happened to Wolfe and Archie?" To the point where I even wonder if Wolfe's awful goatee is a slight reference to the goatee Holmes has while he's undercover in "His Last Bow," although it's probably just that growing a beard is an easy but effective disguise.
Anyway, "In The Best Families" is Wolfe and Archie's version of "The Final Problem" + Reichenbach Fall + The Great Hiatus + "The Empty House," except all in one book, because obviously Stout wasn't literally trying to kill off Wolfe the way ACD was trying to kill off Holmes and that makes a difference.
It's amusing to me to imagine the version of "In The Best Families" that's actually split up between two books -- one where Wolfe disappears and is presumed to be dead/gone forever and Archie has to solve some B-plot mystery while the Zeck plot goes unfinished, and then another book where Archie gets started on another mystery, it turns out to be connected to Zeck, Wolfe comes back and they solve it together (and take down Zeck.) But that isn't really the kind of series Stout was writing -- every book works as a standalone, to the point where you could *probably* appreciate it as a standalone even if it was the first one you'd ever read. Although all the guest appearances of the supporting cast might fall a little flat.
So as an alternate universe version of Reichenbach, it's obviously different in some key ways. Archie never thinks Wolfe is dead and the outside world doesn't think so either-- they all know he's just pulling one of his "stunts". (Ugh, now I'm thinking of the EVEN MORE HORRIBLE version of this story where Archie, like Watson, has strong reason to believe Wolfe perished taking down his archenemy, but no one else believes him and everyone assumes this is typical Wolfe-and-Archie trickery.) Also, unlike Holmes, Wolfe really does have a clever plan and a good reason to disappear long-term (which is a plot hole which kind of gets papered over in the Holmes stories).
Where the stories are similar -- Archie first sees Wolfe in disguise and doesn't recognize him, and Wolfe makes up an excuse to come to his office and speak with him alone. Arguably Archie does better than Watson while his great detective is away, although of course Watson was also widowed during that time just for extra sadness, and Archie still has Lily. However, Archie is just as left out of Wolfe's master plan as Watson is, and is only brought back in once Wolfe needs a backup for the final, violent phase of his master plan to confront Zeck. (The part where neither Wolfe nor Archie pulls the trigger on Zeck is interesting to me too -- he can't just be arrested, the way Moran is in "The Empty House," and it's very Wolfe to arrange things so that the violence doesn't touch him or Archie personally, but it's not quite what you'd expect from most detective/adventure/mystery novels.)
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Anyway, "In The Best Families" is Wolfe and Archie's version of "The Final Problem" + Reichenbach Fall + The Great Hiatus + "The Empty House," except all in one book, because obviously Stout wasn't literally trying to kill off Wolfe the way ACD was trying to kill off Holmes and that makes a difference.
It's amusing to me to imagine the version of "In The Best Families" that's actually split up between two books -- one where Wolfe disappears and is presumed to be dead/gone forever and Archie has to solve some B-plot mystery while the Zeck plot goes unfinished, and then another book where Archie gets started on another mystery, it turns out to be connected to Zeck, Wolfe comes back and they solve it together (and take down Zeck.) But that isn't really the kind of series Stout was writing -- every book works as a standalone, to the point where you could *probably* appreciate it as a standalone even if it was the first one you'd ever read. Although all the guest appearances of the supporting cast might fall a little flat.
So as an alternate universe version of Reichenbach, it's obviously different in some key ways. Archie never thinks Wolfe is dead and the outside world doesn't think so either-- they all know he's just pulling one of his "stunts". (Ugh, now I'm thinking of the EVEN MORE HORRIBLE version of this story where Archie, like Watson, has strong reason to believe Wolfe perished taking down his archenemy, but no one else believes him and everyone assumes this is typical Wolfe-and-Archie trickery.) Also, unlike Holmes, Wolfe really does have a clever plan and a good reason to disappear long-term (which is a plot hole which kind of gets papered over in the Holmes stories).
Where the stories are similar -- Archie first sees Wolfe in disguise and doesn't recognize him, and Wolfe makes up an excuse to come to his office and speak with him alone. Arguably Archie does better than Watson while his great detective is away, although of course Watson was also widowed during that time just for extra sadness, and Archie still has Lily. However, Archie is just as left out of Wolfe's master plan as Watson is, and is only brought back in once Wolfe needs a backup for the final, violent phase of his master plan to confront Zeck. (The part where neither Wolfe nor Archie pulls the trigger on Zeck is interesting to me too -- he can't just be arrested, the way Moran is in "The Empty House," and it's very Wolfe to arrange things so that the violence doesn't touch him or Archie personally, but it's not quite what you'd expect from most detective/adventure/mystery novels.)
More thoughts later! :D